Page 57 of The Tribes of Magic
Zoe’s parents were both Healers, which made Zoe think she was better than everyone else. Healers wore tidy blue uniforms and got to work inside all day, tucked away from the scorching sun and suffocating humidity. Their hands were clean, their nails neatly trimmed, and their hair perfectly styled.
“Is that a hole in her sleeve?” Zoe gasped with glee. She turned to look at her sidekick. “I suppose Fixers aren’t important enough to warrant fresh clothes.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and gave Zoe a cool look. “Actually, my mom’s not here. And she’s aMixer, not aFixer, but I understand your confusion. Learning the alphabet is very challenging.”
Zoe opened her mouth, but I was faster on the draw. “You know, there’s a word for people like you, Zoe. People who push others down in order to pull themselves up.”
Zoe’s arrogant gaze locked with mine. “Yeah, we’re calledwinners.”
“No. You’re called pathetic.”
Zoe rolled her eyes at me. “Shouldn’t you be off comforting your little cheater friend?”
“Actually, Bronte is the reason we’re here.”
“Why? Did you decide to ditch the broken little princess so you could hang out with someone way cooler? Sorry, but I don’t socialize with losers.” She and her sidekick Georgia exchanged amused glances. “But you can stay, Dutch. You’re not a loser.”
“Maybe later.” His expression was cool and guarded, but his words still annoyed me a little.
At least he was here, helping me save Bronte. That counted for something. Georgia, on the other hand, was fair game.
I turned to her, trying to keep my hands from shaking. I was just so angry. “How can youstillwant to hang out with Zoe? She is so mean and looks down on everyone. Even you. She treats you like her lackey. Are you ok with that?”
Georgia’s laughter stalled. She looked at Zoe in confusion, like she was a robot waiting for instructions.
“Don’t listen to her,” Zoe told her sidekick. “She’s trying to confuse you. I always look out for the people loyal to me.”
Her gaze slid to Dutch. I wondered if she considered him still loyal to her. He was here with me, after all. Dutch really needed to stop hanging out with such mean people like Zoe and Rhett. He was better than that.
But I wasn’t here to make Dutch come to his senses. I was here to help Bronte.
“I know what you did,” I told Zoe.
“Oh?” She smirked at me. “And what is that?”
“You got Bronte disqualified.” I kept my voice level. Quiet. Calm. That last one was hard, given who she was.
“And just how do you think I got her disqualified?” she replied coolly.
“You planted fake footage of Bronte to make it look like she strayed into a restricted zone.”
Zoe burst into laughter. “That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard—even fromyou, Savannah.” The swing let out a pitiful screech when she hopped off of it. “I don’t know anythingabout faking videos. That sounds like the kind of shady business your shady family would be involved in, not mine.”
She’d gotten really close, pushing herself in my face. I dug in my feet and held my ground. I was not going to let a bully like Zoe intimidate me.
“Look, I don’t know why you hate me so much?—”
“Ihate you?” Zoe cut me off. “You’re the one accusing me of getting Bronte kicked off the Scoreboard!”
“You sure looked happy when she was disqualified,” I pointed out.
“And I wasn’t the only one,” replied Zoe. “Here’s a newsflash: no one actually likes Bronte Vance, that special snowflake ‘superstar’ overachiever. She’s dominated the Scoreboard for way too long, and no one was sad to see her go.”
“So you did everyone a favor by getting her disqualified?” I countered.
“I didn’t get anyone disqualified.” Zoe planted her hands on her hips. “You’re just trying to fit me into the narrative you’ve constructed for me.”
“Because you’re such a nice girl?”
