Page 16 of I Despise You

Chapter 6

I’M ABOUT TO ROUNDthe corner when I hearhisvoice. Chase is talking to his friends, and I press myself against the wall and listen.

Getting to know my enemy, or something like that.

It’s a good thing no one pays me any attention or wonders what I’m doing.

“I want that book,” Chase says.

“Sure, man. What’s the title?” an unfamiliar voice says. He has to be one of Chase’s friends.

“How to Ace RET.”

RET? Richerville Excellency Tests? He really cares about being the best and getting the scholarship, even more than I thought. Shit.

“Hurry. There’s only one copy, and someone just returned it today,” Chase says.

“How do you know that?”

The unknown guy and I are wondering the same thing.

“A little bird told me. Now go.” Chase never reveals his secrets, does he?

And he uses his friends as errand boys, and they don’t mind.

Interesting.

The book he mentioned sounds interesting too, and I need it.

I break into a run, zigzagging through the students. Some are glaring at me as I whiz past them, but I don’t care. I have to get to the library as fast as possible, before Chase’s friend.

When the library door is in my sight, a smile spreads across my lips. Chase’s friend is nowhere to be seen, and while the librarian is searching for the book, I hope he hasn’t found a way to reserve it or something, but maybe that’s not how things work here. Richerville Prep wants us to do our best and not always take the easiest way.

Once the book is in my embrace, all I can do is grin.

Payback, bitch!

Chase is so not getting this book anytime soon. I guess he’ll have to buy it somewhere, if that’s even possible.

“You’re lucky,” the librarian says with a small smile. “This is one of the rarest and most coveted books in our library.”

“I know. Thanks.” I stride out of there, tucking the book into my bag just a moment before Chase’s friend passes me by.

In the hallway, I spot Vanessa.

“Hey,” she says. “I heard you got detention. What happened?”

I have a feeling she already knows, but she wants to hear it from me.

“Chase set me up. Stole my badge and used it to frame me.”

She grimaces, looking around as if she’s afraid someone might’ve overheard me. “Let’s go grab something to eat.”

“Sure.” I’m starving anyway, and it looks like Vanessa doesn’t want to talk about Chase.

Once we get our food, we have trouble finding an empty table, but Brittany waves us over, so we join her.

“What are you two up to?” Brittany asks, but her eyes are solely on me.