Page 75 of Shattered Stars

“I wonder,” she says, with a smile hovering on her lips that makes me nervous, “whether your new admirer is aware of just how big a slut you are.” She peers over her shoulder at her posse of bouncing bunnies, all of whom nod in agreement. “I think we ought to tell him that you’re cheating on him.”

I decide to go with ignorance. It’s worked well for me most times. Kind of.

“I don’t know who you’re talking about.”

“Oh, I think you do. You’ve spun him around your little finger with some crafty sorcery but I don’t think he knows the real you, Pig Girl. I don’t think he knows what you’re really like.”

“Like I said. I don’t know who you mean.”

Aysha tuts from behind Summer like I’m stupid.

“I think we should tell him just what Cindy saw you doing last night.” My blood runs cold. Last night? She can’t have seen us, can she? I’ve been so careful. But if she did …

“I … I …” I can’t think of a damn excuse. Shit, why didn’t we prepare for this. Have our cover stories ready. Stone is going to lose his job. Worse, we’ll be hauled in front of the authorities and then … I sway on my feet.

Summer’s smile morphs into a predatory smirk.

“Sucking off that jock in the library.”

“Wh-what?” I mutter, blinking at her. The library? A jock?

“And Chloe saw you earlier that same night disappearing into some computer-nerd’s bedroom.”

“I’m pretty sure it was her best-friend’s boyfriend, Sum,” Chloe calls out.

Summer shakes her head in feigned disgust. “You really are disgusting, Pig Girl. Because I definitely heard you bragging to your little friend about some threesome in the toilets.”

“And there was that Andrew dude she let fuck her over his desk,” Aysha pipes up.

“And I saw her with one of the drama dudes out in the meadow – fucking right there in the open for everyone to see.”

I stand there and wait for them to finish. I couldn’t care less what they say or think about me. As long as they don’t start spreading rumors about me and a particular teacher, they can go right ahead and make up anything they want to.

However, Winnie obviously doesn’t agree and is suitably outraged on my behalf.

“This is such a load of horse shit, Summer, and everyone will know it.”

“Winnie Wence,” Summer says all innocently, pressing her hands to her chest. “I’m so sorry to break the bad news to you about your friend and her back-stabbing, slutty ways.”

“Are you slut-shaming her, Summer?”

Summer flicks her ponytail and lifts her chin. “Pig Girl can sleep with whoever she likes – if they’re stupid enough to want to catch some disgusting swine disease that’s their problem. But cheating? Two-timing? I think it’s only fair people know. I don’t want people getting hurt.”

Is she for real? Didn’t she tell me herself she was sleeping with TristanandSpencer?

“You can tell whoever you like,” I say. “I don’t give a shit. It might actually do me a favor.”

Summer clearly thinks I’m bluffing because the smirk cements more firmly on her face. But I’m not. Maybe if she tells Tristan all that stuff, it will put him off me. He’s an arrogant hypocrite after all. When it comes to relationships, I can wellbelieve he’s happy to apply double standards – insisting his girlfriend is faithful while he fucks whoever he likes.

I push past Summer and head for my locker, finding once again my kit is missing, replaced by something that looks like a pig onesie.

“Are you sure you don’t want to give her a giant A to hang around her neck instead?” Winne snaps at Summer, throwing the onesie towards the head cheerleader.

“What?” Summer says, brow crinkling.

Winnie shakes her head. “I had a feeling this might happen again,” she whispers to me. “So this time I packed you spares. It’s my old kit, so a little worn, but–”

“Better than another lecture. Thanks, Winnie. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this myself.”