Chloe hated feeling invisible.
Especially when it came to him.
Zach Monroe had a way of making every girl want him. He was confident, charming when he wanted to be, and completely untouchable. No one told Zach what to do. No one controlled him.
And yet, for some reason, he kept going after Jessica.
Jessica.
The girl who acted like Zach was nothing more than an annoying pest. The girl who barely spared him a second glance. The girl who chose a nerd over him.
It didn't make sense.
So when Chloe overheard Zach and Ava arguing in hushed voices by the lockers, she didn't walk away.
She listened.
And by the time she pieced it together, by the time she knew what Zach wanted, she had already made up her mind.
She was going to help him.
ADangerous Offer
"I'll do it," Chloe said, crossing her arms.
Zach, who had been scrolling on his phone, barely looked up. "Do what?"
"Steal it," she said. "The laptop."
That got his attention.
"What laptop?" he asked, letting out a light chuckle.
"Come on Zach, you know what laptop I'm talking about. Steven's?" She leaned against the lockers.
He leaned back against the lockers, tilting his head as he studied her. "And why would you do that?"
Chloe's heart pounded, but she kept her face neutral. "Because you want it."
Zach let out a short, amused chuckle. "And you're just so eager to do me a favor?"
Chloe rolled her eyes. "I know Jessica. She trusts me more than she trusts Ava, plus, Jess will be keeping an eye on her, cause I'm certain Ava has already told her by now that you're up to something. Ava isn't very good at keeping secrets. I'm surprised her affair with Calloway lasted this long without any of us noticing. I can get into Jess's house without suspicion. You're running out of time, right? This is your best shot."
Zach didn't answer right away.
Instead, he smirked, like he was seeing her for the first time.
Chloe's pulse jumped.
"Alright," he said finally. "Let's see what you've got."
Girls' Night
Getting into Jessica's house was easy.
They had planned a girls' night, just her, Ava, and Taylor.
Jessica had insisted on doing their makeup, so they were all sprawled across her bedroom, surrounded by lip gloss tubes and mascara wands.
It was the perfect setup.
But then, Ava spoke.
"So… I've been thinking," Ava said, twisting a ring on her finger. "About Steven."
Jessica raised an eyebrow as she blended eyeshadow onto Taylor's eyelid. "My Steven? Greece?? What about him?"
Ava hesitated. "I just… I feel like we were kinda awful to him. And I wanted to say I'm sorry."
Jessica stopped mid-blend. "You are?"
Taylor frowned. "Wait, where is this coming from?"
Ava sighed. "I don't know. I guess just watching him and Jess actually work together, I realized he's not as bad as we made him out to be." She met Jessica's gaze. "I think we judged him too fast."
Jessica's expression softened. "Yeah. I've been trying to tell you. He's a really great person."
Chloe, who had been silent until now, felt her stomach tighten.
She couldn't let Ava be the only one apologizing. It would look suspicious.
So she sighed, forcing a small, awkward smile. "She's right. We were kinda harsh."
Ava glanced at her in surprise. Jessica's eyes widened slightly, clearly not expecting Chloe to say that.
"I mean," Chloe added, shifting uncomfortably, "it was easy to pile on because everyone else was doing it. But yeah, I guess… I guess I'm sorry too."
Jessica blinked at them. Then, slowly, she smirked.
"Damn," she said. "Never thought I'd hear you say that."
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Don't make it a big deal."
Jessica laughed, shaking her head. "Well, thanks, I guess. I mean, Steven's still a pain in the ass, but at least now he's my pain in the ass."
Ava chuckled. Taylor made a fake gagging noise.
Chloe forced out a laugh, but her chest felt tight.
She had just apologized for hurting Steven.
And in the next few minutes, she was about to betray them all over again.
While Jessica and Taylor were busy arguing over whether or not to order pizza, Chloe slipped away.
She knew exactly where the laptop was.
Jessica had left it on her desk, the screen closed, the charger still plugged in.
Her hands shook slightly as she reached for it.
She liked Jessica. Jessica was a good friend.
But Zach wanted this.
And Zach never wanted her.
Not until now.
Swallowing the guilt, Chloe slid the laptop into her bag and walked out of the room as if nothing had happened.
Later that night, she met Zach in the parking lot behind the school.
She handed him the laptop without a word.
Zach took it, looking almost impressed.
"Not bad," he murmured. Then, with a smirk, he leaned in slightly. "Maybe I underestimated you."
Chloe's breath caught.
For the first time, she felt seen.
She had played her part.
But what she didn't know, what she couldn't know, was that she had just helped Zach start something none of them could stop.
Because by the time Jessica realized what was missing…
It would already be too late.