Page 80 of The Ruthless Note

The only explanation that makes sense is that Dutch paid the hospital bills.

But why? To prove he has money and I don’t? To make me owe him a favor?

Paris saunters closer to me. “I’ve always been curious about you, Cadence.” Her eyes are as flinty as knives. “Christa was obsessed with destroying you. Dutch was always watching you. Now, every post in Jinx’s app is about you and who you might be dating.”

“Are you saying I’m popular? Thanks, Paris.”

She folds her arms over her chest and looks me up and down. “I don’t get the appeal. You’re a nobody. Nothing.” Her eyes linger on my second-hand uniform. “Why is everyone so obsessed with you?”

“You tell me. You’re here trying to figure me out, aren’t you?”

Her smile is cruel. “I’ve tried to be nice, Cadence. I really have, but I don’t think I can let this slide anymore. It’s starting to annoy me.” She folds her arms over her chest. “You’re in my way.”

“You’ve mentioned that.”

She steps close to me. Her expensive perfume is a thick cloud around my face. “Oh, and one more thing, the next time you show up to one of my parties uninvited, I’ll have you escorted out. Don’t let all the attention get to your head. We don’t accept peasants likeyouin Redwood Prep.”

I seethe as she and her posse start flouncing to the door.

Paris might be right. I might be nothing to the students of Redwood Prep and even to Dutch, but I still matter.

And I’m done letting these rich pricks walk all over me.

“Hey, Paris!”

She whirls around.

“Watch me clean out the trash.” Grabbing the cleaning agent from my cart, I unscrew the top and toss it at her.

It lands on her clothes with asplat, drenching her perfect hair with the frost tips and splattering over her fancy Redwood Prep uniform.

An outraged gasp tears from Paris’s lips.

Her friends jump back to get out of the splatter zone and then they stare at her, eyes wide.

Paris’s voice turns into a witchy scream, “You—”

“What?What?” I step into her until we’re almost nose-to-nose. The pungent smell of chemicals and artificial lemon fragrance fills the air. “You think I won’t destroy you the way I destroyed Christa?”

Her eyes widen with horror.

“Mess with me again and I will move heaven and earth to end you.” I lower my voice to a volatile hiss. “You know what’s so great about being a nobody?”

Her bottom lip trembles.

“You have nothing to lose.” I throw the empty bottle of cleaning agent on the floor and stalk out of the classroom.

I’ll probably get in trouble for not finishing my work study, but I don’t give a damn. My entire body is piping hot.

When I enter the hallway, it’s still crowded with students. School ended just a few minutes ago, but I didn’t want to be late for my shift at the diner so I went straight to my assigned classroom to clean.

The school admin still haven’t approved my petition to do work study in the early mornings. Which means I’m stuck juggling my cleaning duties at Redwood, the diner and taking care of Vi all after school.

I feel like I’m being tugged in a hundred different directions and Dutch blowing hot and cold—staying with me in the hospital one minute, and then sending his flavor of the week to torment me in another—is not going to work.

People make room when I stalk past. I don’t know if it’s because they think I’m somehow related to Dutch or if they’re smart enough to read my expression and get out of the way.

I head straight for Dutch’s private practice room and bang my fist on the door. He appears in front of me, tall, gorgeous, and aggravating.