Page 52 of Vendetta

“Did you know what happened to her? That she fucking died that night because of what you did?” I screamed, the words making my throat raw as emotions flooded me once more. Her lips shook, and she was silent for a moment before answering me with a sneer.

“It’s not my fault that little twat couldn’t hold her alcohol.”

I threw another fist into her nose. It had been a birthday present from her dad sophomore year, but I didn’t feel bad as I watched the blood spurt out. She could always buy a new one.

I could see Francesca backing away out of the corner of my peripheral, Bexley and Olivia standing between her and her friend that I currently had underneath me. Francesca had always been a coward, a follower. Savannah had been the one driving that night, and she had been the one to initiate the bullying. Images of Emory flashed through my mind, followed by the pain I had seen in Cashton’s eyes that I could practically taste. I was absolutely feral, my fist flying once more as she tried to fight back to no avail.

I felt someone pull me off of her, strong arms wrapping around me as I caught a glimpse of the guy she had been flirtingwith earlier at my back. Without thought, I threw my elbow back as hard as I could, feeling a hard impact as he grunted and let me go. I scrambled away, turning to face all the both of them as he gripped his nose and took a step backwards.

I looked down to Savannah, her hair now messy and strewn with dirt and specks of blood as she fought to scramble away from me. The crowd was silent as I stood there, adrenaline flooding my veins as I stood eerily still. I felt like I was watching from outside of my own body as I spoke, not even sounding like myself as the words carefully fell from my mouth, loud enough for everyone to hear.

“I hope that Emory’s death haunts you for the rest of your lives like it will mine. But I guess caring about anyone but your own selves is a foreign concept, so let me just spell it out for you. If you ever pull any shit like that on anybody ever again, I will personally come back and beat the daylights out of both of you. And if that’s not enough of a threat, just take a quick jog down the memory lane of every fucking secret y’all have ever told me, thinking that ‘sweet little Landry’ wouldn’t say anything. Well, that bitch is dead. And I have enough on both of you two to take both of your families down to the ground. Don’t believe me? Watch.”

My breathing was surprisingly steady, a confidence that I had never felt keeping me upright. I felt respected, feared almost. It was addicting—a drug that I couldn’t get enough of. But I wasn't a vengeful or spiteful person, and I didn’t come here to act like the bad bitch that I wasn’t. I forced myself to calm down, and to get a hold on my temper as I softened my tone.

“She had a family that loved her, and they’ve been hurting. She was loved. So please, consider turning yourselvesin. Or, at the very least, reach out to them and apologize for the mistakes you made. It would help you regain some semblance of respect, and for them, some semblance of peace. Please consider it.”

I really needed to work on my speeches. I felt like an idiot, going from threatening to literally using the word ‘please’. But I wasn’t naive enough to believe that they ever would. They didn’t care, and I could throw all of the punches I wanted, but it wouldn’t ever change that fact. At the end of the day, I was just as guilty. And I had no right. I could place the blame all I wanted, but I had a part in this, and I couldn’t forget that.

I turned around and made my way back out of the crowd. Some people cheered, some backing away, camera lights blinding me as they hit from multiple directions.

“You crazy bitch! We didn’t have a choice!” Savannah yelled behind me. What did she mean by that? I was too drained to think about it at the moment, I just wanted to go home and curl into a ball and cry for a few days straight. And that’s exactly what I did.

CHAPTER 27

LANDRY

I slept through the entire day Saturday, only getting up to use the bathroom or grab some snacks throughout the day. Bexley had come in a few times to check on me, staying in bed with me for a few episodes before leaving to run some errands.

It’s not that I pitied myself, because I knew that I was in the wrong. But unfortunately, there was nothing I could do to turn back time and change my actions that night, so dwelling on it was pointless. Something I wish that I could convince my mind to understand, since it kept returning to the subject.

I finally had an understanding of Cashton’s actions over the last few months. I didn’t know how I was supposed to even look at him after this. I could barely look at myself. And the fact that everyone in the group now knew? I just wanted to bury my face in the sand and call it quits.

A part of me had actually considered looking into transferring to another University to complete college, butBexley and Olivia had quickly talked me out of that one. Both of them had told me to give him time to come around. But although I did plan on staying friends with Olivia, a part of me decided to go ahead and step back from the rest of his friend group. I had already taken so much from him, and it didn’t seem fair to steal his friends as well.

We didn’t have our Communications class on Monday, Professor Lee having cancelled it to give us more time to study for our finals on Wednesday, which I knew would be the last time I would be seeing Cashton in class. The thought of not seeing him anymore made my heart drop, especially considering that I would be giving his group space, so I would most likely not be seeing him off of campus either. And that brought a sense of sorrow wracking through me.

By Tuesday night, I had worked myself up to say something to him the next day. He might not care to hear me out, but I was going to apologize regardless. I owed him that much, and I was hoping it could give me a sense of closure.

Waking up Wednesday morning, I wasn’t sure if I was more nervous about my exam, or speaking to Cashton. I woke up early enough to take a shower, brushing my wet hair and leaving it down. Topping my grey hoodie with a cute puffer vest, I threw on a beanie and tennis shoes before heading out the door. I made my way to the dining hall to grab a bag of Takis and an energy drink—Not the healthiest breakfast in existence, but Takis worked for nerves just as well as they did for hangovers. I threw both in my backpack, making my way across campus to class and hoping to catch him early.

My heartrate picked up as I spotted him sooner than expected, standing near the fountain with both Zayn and Kaptan.

He didn’t carry a school bag of any sort, dressed only in his usual black hoodie and jeans, his hair disheveled but appearance no less breathtaking. Steeling my resolve, I kept my chin up as I made my way up to him, Kaptan noticing me first before Cashton turned around, our eyes clashing.

I tried to read his expression, looking for anything in those beautiful green eyes that could tell me how he was feeling. They stayed cold and impassive, looking almost as drained as I had been feeling.

“Cashton, can I please talk to you for a second?”

“No.”

Well, that was to be expected. I didn’t relent, forcing my feet to stay in place even though every part of me wanted to turn and retreat in shame. I guess I was doing this in front of his friends.

“Look, all I wanted to say was that I’m sorry. I truly am. I don’t have any excuses for leaving Emory there that night, but for what it’s worth, I do need you to know that I tried to stop my friends. I knew what they were doing was wrong, and I even tried to get Emory to leave with me. But I’m sorry for not trying harder. And I understand why you can’t stand me, and I promise that I’ll stay away from you and your friends from now on. But I just wanted you to know that I’m sorry, Cashton.”

He said nothing. I expected to see his jaw tick like it always did when he was angry, or to see even a small ounce of fire light up in his eyes, but he gave me nothing. Kaptan and Zayn also stood watching in silence, waiting for their friend to make the next move. I was about to turn away and leave it at that, but he finally spoke.

“I heard about your accident that night. The one that killed your mom.”

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