The girls' bathroom at Ridgewood is exactly how I left it—mirrored walls, marble countertops, and secrets dripping from every stall.
I lean into the mirror, applying a fresh swipe of cherry gloss.
The kind that stains lips… and memories.
Behind me, I hear whispers. Two girls talking like they're safe.
Rookie mistake.
"Did you see her walk in?"
"She's like… scary hot. A total mystery."
"I think she's new. Or a model or something."
I smirk, pressing my lips together.
Pop.
They don't know it's me.
That's the fun part.
I slide on my gold-rimmed shades and walk out, leaving a cloud of vanilla perfume and confusion behind me.
Power smells like sweetness with a bite.
Cafeteria — Lunchtime Drama
I enter, and it's like someone pressed pause on the entire school.
Eyes turn. Forks freeze mid-air. Phones tilt up like I'm the main event.
And guess what?
I am.
@RidgewoodReveals is already buzzing:
"Who is SHE?"
"Giving Gossip Girl meets Villain Era energy."
"New Queen unlocked???"
"Someone tell Hailey she's in trouble."
I scan the tables like a queen surveying her crumbling empire.
There they are.
The Hive.
My former court turned cowards.
Hailey Monroe, Violet Dane, Serena Lee… still trying to wear crowns they didn't earn.
They're laughing like they don't see me.
Like they didn't betray me.
Like they didn't vote me out of the kingdom I built.
But then, Hailey sees me.
Her laughter dies mid-giggle. Her lips part slightly. Recognition blooms—and behind it?
Fear.
She adjusts her gold necklace, the one I picked out for her last year.
The audacity.
"Cute outfit," she says, loud enough for her little squad to hear.
Her voice is sugarcoated venom.
I pause, flash a dazzling smile, and say:
"Thanks. I saw yours in last season's clearance bin."
I give her a once-over. "Still didn't buy it."
Boom.
The gasp that ripples through the cafeteria?
Delicious.
Even Serena's mouth drops, and Violet shifts uncomfortably in her seat.
A boy from the football table mutters, "Daaaamn…" under his breath.
Hailey's trying to hold her composure, but her eye twitches.
Crack #1.
I slide into a table dead center like I own the school.
No entourage. No need.
A true queen doesn't chase followers—she attracts loyalty.
And today, the throne just got reclaimed.