Page 41 of No Place Left to Hide

“Standing here arguing about what happened isn’t going to change the past, Claire. You’re always going to take your dad’s side, and I’ll always take mine. Why can’t that stay between them? This whole thing is between our dads, not us. So why are you so obsessed with making me miserable? All I’ve done is try to be nice to you or stay out of your way completely.”

She scoffs. “Yeah, you’re a goddamned saint, Brooke. Taking over everything that was mine: student council, dance team, Dylan, Jena. The second I was out of the way, you slithered in and took my life.”

I run my fingernail along the railing. “So if Jena ran for student council or she was the one who replaced you as dance team captain, you’d be atherhouse trying to ruinherinstead? First of all, that’s bullshit. Second of all, that makes no sense. Someone had to step into those roles when you left. I didn’t do anything wrong, and I think you know that. Can we please put this behind us? You said you wanted that when you showed up tonight, and it’s what I want too. Please? I’m so sick of fighting.”

Claire glances over and, for a second, I think she’s actually considering it. Then she lets out a long breath and says, “You’re good. If I didn’t know you so well, I might fall for it, but I know what manipulation looks like. I’ve watched you do it too many times not to seethrough it now. You only care about getting what you want, and tonight you want me to leave so you can get back to reigning over Waldorf in the shoes you ripped off my feet.”

“Claire, I—”

“No. It’s my turn to talk. You don’t want to be friends. You don’t want to patch up our relationship. You’re not sick of the fighting. You’re sick of the fighting making you look like a weak little bitch. The only thing you care about is making sure nobody finds out what you’re really like behind closed doors. When you let your vindictive, judgmental side take over. But you can’t mask that forever.” She shoves off the railing and waves toward the spectators inside. “Everyone knows you’re fake; they’re just too afraid of you and your family to say anything to your face. But I’m not afraid. Mostly because I have nothing left to lose, but also because it’s going to be really hard for any of you to use your influence against me once I’m done with you.”

I want to laugh. What could she possibly do tome?

She smiles at the people inside. “It wasn’t very smart to throw a party like this, Brooke. Underage drinking, drugs, no supervision—all at a property owned by your parents. I mean, what are the police going to say when they get here?”

I snap to attention. “There are no drugs here.”

“You sure? Are you absolutely sure?”

I look between her and where she was sitting on the couch. I think of all the places she’s been in the lake house tonight…

Claire stashed drugs somewhere in my house?

My hands and feet go numb, and for a second I think I’m going to fall right over.

“Wouldn’t it be a shame if what happened to my dad happened to you too? If someone planted something here that got you in trouble?What if the whole city found out about it? I can see the headlines:Daughter of prominent lawyer arrested for drug-filled party. What a shame it would be if that story broke—and right before your dad starts those super important interviews for the judgeship. You know, my dad said something really interesting about those proceedings. He said that the governor asks each candidate if there’s anything in their past that could prove to be an embarrassment to the governor.” She gestures at the party. “Talk about an embarrassment.”

Her words sink in, and the enormity of my situation wraps around me. This party could cost my family everything. It won’t matter that nobody has their phones, or that everyone inside was sworn to secrecy. Only fear keeps them silent. Nobody fears a disgraced family. Claire has the power to ruin us all with one fucking phone call if I can’t find what she stashed and get the upper hand again. Fast.

I feel the anger in every part of my body. It coils my hands into fists and flashes red behind my eyes. Absolutely not. There’s no way in hell I’m letting someone as tacky as Claire Heck take down my family.

Time for plan B.

I force myself to open my palms and loosen my shoulders. There are people watching. I can’t imagine the spectacle of our conversation, but it has to be clear we’re not getting along.

I take a deep breath and hold my hands up in front of me. A gesture of defeat, of placation.

I smile with everything left in me and meet her gaze. “I guess you won. Look at me, shaking in my boots.”

The sarcasm drips from my mouth like I’m spitting it at her, and she curls her lip at me.

“Do you know what your problem is, Claire? Even if you somehow stumbled into the upper hand, you’re too stupid to know what to dowith it. You still think you lost something when your dad got fired, but you didn’t. You were never going to amount to anything, even if you stayed at Waldorf. Your only drive came from competing with me. You simply don’t have what it takes to stay on top.”

Claire’s teeth click together, and I smile wider. Friendly. Happy. Calm.

It visibly pisses her off.

Motion on the other side of the sliding glass door catches my attention. I see a flash of Jena’s hair and Felix’s neon shirt in the crowd. They haveexcellenttiming.

I level Claire with my most sympathetic face and say the one thing guaranteed to push her over the edge. “You’re the girl who peaks in high school—and you fizzled out before senior year. Sucks to suck, but it’s time you faced facts: you were always destined for the gutter, Claire.” I take a step closer. “It’s where you belong.”

Her elbow snaps back, and I don’t try to stop her.

The glass door slides open; music spills out onto the patio.

And Claire Heck punches me in the face.

Fourteen

---