Standing at my locker, I grabbed a claw clip and pulled my hair back, using two extra clips to hold all the thin strand back. This was more battle ready. Not sure what the challenge might bring. We might fight each other battle royale style: two opponents enters and only one person leaves. I've suited up with my sneakers for a race, leggings for acrobatics, and plenty of water to stay hydrated.

Back when I was at track and I complained about getting tired, my muscles pounding, or the sun, Jess would ask how much water I drank that day. Now I drank it like someone was going to take it away.

Skipper snorted. "All you're missing is war paint."

"Bold of you to assume I wasn't planning on it."

Elena shook her head. "You realize the challenge is words of affirmation? Not the first day of the Hunger Games."

"I know," I said and snapped my locker shut. "I've got this. Don't worry."

"That's like asking me to divulge my AO3 history. Impossible."

"Well, that's dramatic. It's gonna be fine," I insisted and started shepherding us towards the school theater, where we promised to meet up with Allison. Easily, my choice of judge would be Skipper. She'd probably be on my side and make a good argument about why I should win (and if not a good argument, at least an entertaining one. That seemed like the way to go with Allison, who was probably just doing this out of boredom).

Elena elbowed Skipper, and she jumped, like a car jumpstarting in the dead of night and scaring all the neighborhood dogs. Skipper let the words gargle in her throat before she spat them out, "Speaking of being fine! Are you...?" She squinted, cringing at her own words.

"Yeah, I'm good." My brow scrunched, but I didn't stop going. I'd rather be dead than allow Daniella to get there first. The image of Daniella walking into the theater with nobody on the judging panel from her made me salivate. I loved being right, maybe as much as I enjoyed Daniella being wrong. Zoey Marie Summers wasn't empty. Look at me. I was layered with so many things: good grades, soccer, my parents, my friends, and the way my sock kept slipping down inside my shoe.

With a curse, I hiked my foot up, struggling to pull my sock up as Skipper said. "I'm just asking because I don't know. You seem stressed lately. Like more stressed."

"I eat stress for breakfast."

"But have you ever tried just regular breakfast? Like an ego waffle? Pretty good."

"How's your sleep pattern?" Elena asked.

"Patterned like a quilt."

Elena's sigh could be heard from around the world.

"I'm kidding! I'm good. If I wasn't good, I would tell you," I told them, but while Skipper nodded, Elena didn't look even a little convinced. I just smiled on and kept moving. Maybe we'd even walk far enough away from the conversation I didn't want to have today or ever.

Just as predicted, we walked into the theater and Allison was the only one there. Our school theater was like any other: towering ceilings, itchy wool chairs on a slope that faced a scuffed-up stage, and a huge curtain that was currently drawn back. The school had just performed Les Misérables, so there was a huge pile of mismatched furniture to make the barricade at the back of the stage.

Allison sat in the middle of the row right at the front. Best seat in the house to watch me win.

"Hey Allison!" I called out, a pep to my step. Allison stood, and she was an extra foot tall in boots. Today's shirt was a sweatshirt that looked hand bejeweled to say, "Baby Girl" in bubbly cursive letters. This eye assault might be the worse one this school year.

I gave her a quick hug and leaned back, giving my best pageant smile. "You look amazing today and that sweatshirt? Did you stone that yourself?"

"I did." Allison smiled, shrugging her shoulders, pressing against her round, dimpled cheek.

"Pretty and talented. I guess a girl can do it all."

"You're too kind, Miss Summers. Why don't you hop on stage? Daniella texted me she's on her way."

"You got it."

They joined Allison in the red velvet seats after I saluted her and handed Elena my bag. I vaulted over onto the stage and picked at my appearance, even though they would have already seen my mistakes and misshapen parts by now. I was suddenly hyper aware of the pimple in the crook of my nose and upper lip. Jess always had a trick for pimples, but I couldn't remember if it was toothpaste or cold spoons, so I suffered instead.

The doors to the theater opened and the house lights flickered. In the distance, I could hear organ music and a cat screeching. Her shadow ripped through the middle of the aisle, and I took a deep breath, rolling my shoulders back, and getting ready for battle.

And she was all alone. It was in poor taste to look pleased that she didn't have anyone to bring to the judge, which I wasn't. The joy of being right gave me the serotonin to save my life. I sucked in my smile and bit down on my lips.

"Shut up, Summers," Daniella barked and behind her, someone caught the door and the man, the myth, the legend: Loman McMan. He glanced around the theater as if he had never seen it before.

"Okay, so I couldn't find anyone to do this stupid judging thing for me," Daniella explained before anyone (me) could say anything. She stormed down the aisle, going off even though no one was fighting her. "So, I brought Loman. The way his brain works will definitely make things fair."

Without hesitation, Daniella also jumped onto the stage the same way I did. My eyebrows raised, watching her gather up her spiderweb like black hair into a high messy bun. She put her hands on her hips and said, "Also, I think Elena should be the judge."

"What?" I gawked and looked at Allison. "It's not up to her."

"The last decision is up to me," Allison reminded the class. "State your case, Daniella James."

"Elena, between the two, will be the most honest."

Both me and Skipper gasped, Skipper pretending to be more offended than I legitimately was offended. It did not faze Daniella. She only spoke to the real audience, Allison, while Loman meandered into the seats next to them. "Skipper is going to pick Summers by. She's unreliable."

Allison pursed her lips, thinking about it. Loman raised his hand. "I would just like to say I don't know what we're doing, but I promise to do my best."

"Great." Daniella gave him a thumbs up and he immediately returned it.

Allison dropped her imaginary gavel twice and declared, "I will allow it. Both Loman and Elena shall co-judge. Skipper your input shall not be counted towards the voting. Elena, do you accept the responsibility and the honor of being a judge?"

Like twin white flags, Elena threw her hands up. "Sure. I don't think I have a choice."

"It's settled them."

"Thank you, Allison," Daniella said, and I rolled my eyes.

"I've brought you two here for the words of affirmation challenge...." Allison said, taking to her feet. She climbed the stairs like a more reasonable person, standing back and between us. I eyed Daniella. She was already looking at me, and I quickly averted my eyes to focus on Allison.

"Or you could also call this a compliment battle," Allison explained, sparkling with pride at her evil idea. She opened her hands, presenting us to each other as if we were meeting for the first time. "The judges will consider how well you execute your compliment, the sincerity, and most importantly, the quality of the compliment."

"Who are we battling?" I asked, and Daniella sighed. "What?"

"You're so cute," Allison told me the same way one might say a cat is cute after falling into the water. "You're battling each other. I thought you might like that."

"The battling maybe," I muttered, finally glancing at my opponent.

She looked about as amused as a dead clown.

Allison breezed through us and joined her fellow judges in the stand once again. "Whoever wants to start us off, feel free..." she motioned, but neither Daniella nor I moved. Her eyes ran down my body and my blood boiled, warming up every inch of my skin, but it was nothing like the way Daniella blushed. It could have been the stage lights or because she had to run here to make it in time, but either way Daniella blushed from the tip of her ears to the bottom of her neck (well, at least from what I could see).

Now I was thinking about what I couldn't see and felt compelled to nosedive off this stage and give myself the appropriate brain damage.

"While we're young ladies!" Skipper yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth.

Rolling my eyes, I said the first thing I could think of, "Okay well... James, I think it's like neat that you read all the time. You always have a different book, too. I'm like jealous, I guess. I don't have time for that kind of thing."

Daniella glowered, and my eyebrows shot up my forehead. I took a careful step back, wondering about those superpowers Loman was talking about the other day. Daniella would absolutely use them for evil. Her first act would be to obliterate me.

"You can do better than that!" Allison said.

"Come on, Zoey," Elena called.

Sighing, Daniella motioned to my head and said, "Well, I think you rock the short hair. It suits your face, I guess."

Straightening my shoulders, it felt like I just dodged a blow to the face. I curled my fists and threw back at her with the biggest smile on my face. "That's super nice that you've mentioned my hair. I've always admired yours and the way it always manages to look like disheveled without you even trying. What a mood."

Daniella took my energy and recycled it into her own image. That smile could curdle milk. "You'd know all about not trying, wouldn't you, Summers?" She motioned to my whole person, feigning to be impressed. "Your collection of hoodies is astounding. The same two hoodies for every day of the year. Fashion designers hate her, but I just can't get enough." Her fake laugh pinched my already bruised nerves.

"Guys, please don't. Stick to the challenge," Elena begged, but I was already on a roll. No one else seemed inclined to stop us, either.

"Thank you, thank you." I crossed my fingers, holding my hands over my chest as if my heart threatened to leap from my ribcage. "You're honestly an icon. An inspiration. Most girls say they'd like to live in the past and that they're born in the wrong decade, but do they dress like grandmas the way you do? Heck no. Only Daniella James knows how to commit."

"Wowie—"

I snorted, my brows up. "Wowie?"

"Wowie." She buckled down with a firm nod, no hesitation, and a twinkle in her dark eyes. "You sure know how to go on and on and on. Your lung capacity must be incredible. No wonder everyone at this school is in love with you. You can talk long enough to deflect from the fact you have zero personality. It's like a magic act. She's got you watching one hand and you're lying in the other."

She looked at our audience. Loman with his brows scrunched, Skipper covering her mouth, Elena with her head in her hands, and Allison, who was focused intently on our presentation. Daniella said, "You've even tricked two girls. That might be three times more interesting than you."

Elena picked her head up, and I had to look away. A breath caught in my throat. "What can I say?" My breath wobbled, but I steadied myself. "I'm a winner. Everyone loves a winner. You wouldn't know much about that since our track days. What's it like to have won nothing on your own..." Daniella opened her mouth, ready to refute, but I kept going and Daniella was going so red in the face, she was turning purple. "Daniella James, you are the strongest girl at this school. Getting kicked off the team and pursuing nothing new? Man, I wish I could be happy being as mediocre as you."

Daniella raised her voice, her anger echoing back at us. "And whose fault do you think that is?"

"Whoa." I took another step back. "Careful with those hands, James. I know they pack a punch."

"What does that mean?" Allison quirked her head.

Loman said his catchphrase, "I'm so confused."

Skipper had no trouble pointing at Daniella and announced to the group, "Daniella got super pissed our freshman year and shoved Zoey so hard, she fell over. Everyone thought they were gonna fist fight. It was awesome."

"Oh," Loman said. "Oh, I didn't know that—"

Huffing, Daniella squirmed and threw her hands out like there was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Her eyes did that tearful, sparkly thing again as she panicked looked at Loman, pleading at him, "It was a long time ago! God, this is so stupid. I'm leaving." She swiped up her bag, tossing it over her shoulder before jumping down. "Fuck you Zoey."

"Fuck you too!" I yelled back, and she spun around to shoot me the double bird before storming out. The doors whined, opening and closing. Everyone's head turned back around towards me. Awkwardly, I shrugged a little and ask, "So, like... do I win by default?"

Elena and Loman were not amused (but I think Loman was still processing what had just happened). He muttered, "Those didn't sound like compliments. I just don't get it."

However, Allison smiled. She shook her head as if seeing me for the first time, and she was actually buying it. "Zoey Summers, I admire your one-track mind. You win by default, baby. Congrats. One point for Zoey."

#

Winning always put a bit of a pep to my step. Walking on sunshine must refer to the way I was so high above Daniella James that I was practically skipping down the school hallway. That challenge took less time than expected, so there was still a chance I could catch up with Penelope and help with the dance committee.

Everyone was held up in an English classroom, where they usually held student council meetings. Penelope lit up the moment she saw me and some of the tension Daniella left behind, like the grease from a McDonalds had been scrubbed off. She swayed when she asked me, "Would you just be the best person ever and take a few of these boxes to the art room?"

Being helpful and I might see Mona?

Sign me up.

Still, I couldn't help myself. Leaning a little closer to Penelope's heart-shaped face and smiled like I was up to no good. "Are you saying I'm strong? That there's no one else strong enough for the job?"

She rolled her eyes, but still smiled. "Yes. Thank goodness for Zoey Summers's muscles. You'd be our hero."

"Well. Then I must get the boxes."

"Thanks, Zoey," Penelope said and the other girls in the community echoed her.

Hoisting up two boxes at once, I winked at Penelope and left for the art room. This was really a great day. I mean, everything's going absolutely my way, which is so rare that this was truly momentous—

I turned the next corner only when I saw the swamp monster herself lurking there. Mouthing a curse, I glanced at the floor, asking who down there had it out for me. Peeking around the corner, I caught Daniella glancing around before pulling out what I knew was another love letter, and she slipped it into Mona's locker.

My jaw unhinged. The knife wedged itself into my back... but it didn't twist.

Because there was something I knew that Daniella obviously didn't.

That wasn't Mona's locker. Not anymore. Last week, she had to go to the front office about that locker being broken. It stopped locking. They reassigned her to a locker two halls over. I knew this because I often picked her up at her locker before taking her home. Daniella obviously hadn't gotten the memo.

Quietly setting the boxes down, I waited until she disappeared, and I could no longer hear the scraping of her claws against the linoleum. Something came over me. Thoughts turned off and my feet moved on their own. Step by steps, zero thoughts in this coconut I have for head. My hands opened the locker, grabbed the letter, and closed it. Then suddenly, I was home.

"She cheated..." I told no one.

Pacing back and forth in my room, murmuring to myself so my parents couldn't hear. It was inching close to midnight by now and the world was asleep but me. That damn letter sat perched at the edge of my bed, staring daggers at me as harsh as its maker.

Despite being alone, I walked around like I was presenting a TED Talk. "Or maybe not. I don't know what's in the letter. It can't be my proof that she cheated if I don't even know what it says... but the last time I read one of Daniella's letters, I think I maybe, possibly made her cry, which isn't great..."

Everything in the rearview mirror looked nastier in my vision. Almost every human interaction I had came with some regret. Most conversations I walked away from never went the way I wanted them to go. Hindsight tortured me with the knowledge of what I should've said, what I should've down.

Guess this might have a to be a future Zoey problem.

I opened the letter.

 AUTHOR'S NOTE

I'm back baby! It has been a dramatic couple of weeks, but now that it has calmed down, I can get back to writing. AND this is a double update~ Be sure to continue reading to find out what Daniella's letter says ;) 

But we've gone through the first challenge! And there's only four more to go. Did that go about as well as you thought it would? Lol. And Loman's back! Are you surprised to see him? And do you consider what Daniella is doing is cheating? Would you read the letter to find out? 

If you like this book, please consider reading my others! I have three completed works ready to be binged~