"That girl in the crowd is Taylor Hebert," I emphasized with a flick of my wrist. "She is about to become public enemy number one at Winslow. Hanging out with her is going to be social suicide and I want to make sure everyone knows it. Especially her."

Julia, Madison, and Heather followed my finger, tracking the loser as she stumbled after her assigned group. It wasn't hard to spot her. Taylor was misshapen, too tall and too thin, like a flag pole with hair. On anyone else, it might have made them seem mature, but she was gawky and spindly. She looked like a nine-year-old who got stretched out on a torture rack. While the other three studied her, I shot a quick glance at Sophia.

She hadn't even bothered looking. She already knew enough about that loser.

"We'll talk about it more in the cabin," I said, and that was that.

The groups split between boys and girls and we followed the female teachers to the east. There were dirt paths everywhere, likely not intended, just grass worn away from dozens of people walking wherever they wanted. I could already imagine how bad it would ruin my shoes if we got any rain. The girl's cabins were even worse, with most of the space in the area in-between them roughed up so badly that it was just a big pit of dirt, with the occasional patch of tall grass. The math teacher pointed us towards the dumpy log cabin we'd be staying at and left us to our own devices.

We packed ourselves into this tiny room as best we could, but within minutes the others were already starting to get on my nerves. Julia had brought way too much shit for a weekend away and was taking up way more room than we had available just with her clothes and makeup. Madison had decided to grab a bottom bunk despite being the smallest person and almost got into an argument with Heather. Sophia was just bristling at having to be stuck in this small space with so many whiny teenage girls and I was sure if I wasn't here to calm her down, she'd have blown up.

Still, bringing them together was the right move. I hadn't known anyone in this group before, besides Sophia obviously, but had picked them out specifically while waiting at the bus stop. It was no exaggeration to say that the girls I'd gotten together were going to be running this school in one month, especially with me at the head of it. It was a question of if they were going to be working with me or against me, and I wanted to cut them off now if it was the latter.

"I dunno, Emma, I'm not above messing with some dweeb, but this whole thing is kinda your deal," Heather said, rustling through her pack for a comb to try and untangle her hair.

Madison jumped in eagerly at that, looking to score points. "I think it sounds great. We're going to be the most popular girls at school, right? So who cares if we're messing with some loser? We have to make it obvious who the queens of this school are."

I nodded along with her words. Madison, I could tell, was new to this kind of thing. She hadn't gone to our junior high, so I wasn't sure what her social scene had been before, but I had a feeling it hadn't been great. She was too happy to jump, too eager to please. But if she was trying to latch onto the biggest fish in the pond then I'd at least make sure she was useful. A hanger-on that provided no service was just dead weight.

"That's right, and besides, don't you think it would be fun? She and I used to be friends," I interrupted myself with a scoff and roll of my eyes, "so I know a lot about her. She is a grade-A loser. I mean, did you see what she was wearing?"

My words at least broke through and got a giggle out of the other girls. While the less said about her figure the better, she only made it worse by still dressing like a kid. She was wearing some stupid cartoon t-shirt and looked like she was ready to hit the playground rather than enter high school.

I guess she didn't have a mom to teach her what not to wear.

It was much easier to do this the second time. No niggling doubts, no fears or worries. 'Make it till you break it' was a motto I was drilling into my head. I had a feeling it was going to be a mask I wore until I'd gotten used to this lifestyle. Seeing Taylor on the bus, that dopey smile on her face, and that stupid grin she tried to send me. I could feel her trying to pull me back down with her. I was different now, and I wasn't going to let her ruin that.

"Hebert needs to be put in her place," Sophia said, speaking up for the first time.

"I think Madison is right," Julia said from the bed she nabbed. I could practically see Madison glow. "What's wrong with making sure we establish rank early? I'd say messing with some mega-dork would be the easiest way to show who we are."

Heather shook her head, letting her hair run down her shoulders. "Okay, but we can't get in trouble. My mom would kill me if I got detention before school even started."

"We aren't going to get in trouble," I said with a scoff, "we're just going to mess with her a bit. A push from behind, maybe a few jokes, it's not like we're locking her in a dumpster."

Sophia laughed under her breath, but it seemed to pacify Heather. Madison was happy to do whatever we asked her, Julia didn't have a problem with it. I'd won over the group and already set myself at the head of it. It hadn't even been hard, and if we weren't the ones doing it, someone else was going to. Taylor was like a flashing target for bullying.

Fake it till you make it. I was going to start my school year off right.

It wasn't long after that we all got pulled to the cafeteria. I was starving from that bus ride and a box of M&Ms wasn't going to be enough. I'd been dreading what kind of slop they'd be serving up, but was surprised to see something almost edible on my plate. I guess there was a reason the school made us pay money just to attend this thing. I grabbed a burger with potatoes—french fries were apparently too unhealthy—and a box of milk before angling towards a table.

The whole room was buzzing with students, laughing and joking and talking all around us. Kids who were still getting used to the ins and outs of high school, learning the new dynamics at play. My eyes were darting around the room, trying to hide that I was searching behind the guise of looking for my friends. I spotted her pretty easily, Taylor's gaudy shirt stuck out and with the blond in their group almost as tall as her, it made it easy to spot the two giants.

The four other girls were talking about something, with the black-haired girl emphasizing every word with a shake of her hand. Taylor was sitting with rapt attention, nodding along with every point being made. I was surprised she wasn't yammering off about whatever came to her head, but I guess she hadn't gotten to know them well enough. Taylor usually couldn't stop herself from talking, but around new people, she clammed up. Couldn't ever get over that initial bout of shyness.

I'd wait until she was alone. Didn't wanna have to deal with four unknowns fucking up anything I tried to do.

Sophia sat down next to me. I could spy Julia and Heather talking with someone I didn't recognize while Madison was still grabbing food. Sophia was trying to look nonplussed eating her rice bowl, but I was already starting to pick up her ticks. She kept glancing at me out of the corner of her eye when she thought I wasn't looking.

"Hey, Survivor."

"Heya, Predator."

Sophia had helped me out of a bad part of my life. A dark pit that I'd fallen into after I'd been attacked by some gangbangers. She'd been there to scare them off when the incident had taken place, but it was her guidance after that I'd needed more than anything. She helped me see this world for what it really was and how I should be treating myself in it.

"Thought you said you were done with Hebert?"

I shrugged as I finished off a bite of food. I thought Sophia might have something to say about this, but considered her comments in the cabin close enough to acceptance that we may not need a conversation.

"What, I thought you were interested in showing Taylor her place?"

"Nah, she's pathetic. I pushed her over and she just fell, said some shitty comeback, and let me walk away. She's a weakling who deserves this sorta shit. Just thought you were planning on cutting her out entirely is all."

I smiled at the memory, though I didn't really feel happy about it. Seeing Taylor today, seeing the way she looked at me, something about it just made me feel rotten. Not bad at how we were treating her, not even angry at how weak she was, just something about it reminded me of the old Emma. A girl that didn't exist anymore.

"Yeah, I was planning on that, but seeing her today made me change my mind. I'm not thinking of going crazy about it, I just want to really drive home the point."

Sophia grunted back her acceptance and I considered that a win. Madison finally wandered her way over here and started talking about the trip she'd gone on over the summer. I listened with half an ear, giving the occasional sign I was paying attention while watching Taylor out of the corner of my eye. I didn't want to miss it when she finally got left alone.

Heather and Julia showed up a bit later and got Sophia talking about what clubs she was thinking of joining. She brought up the idea of all of us joining track, which got a laugh out of me. I was too busy with modeling. That got all the other girls attention and I was forced to answer a round of questions before going back to observing Taylor. Just when we started discussing the celebrities we most wanted to meet, I noticed the four girls that had been sitting with her had wandered off.

"Excuse me for a minute, I have someone I need to talk to."

Taylor didn't even notice as I walked up, too busy trying to hurry through her food. Half a chicken sandwich and a small scoop of macaroni sat in front of her. She must have gotten too caught up in the conversation and forgotten to eat until everyone else was heading out. Left behind, as usual.

"Hello, Taylor."

She jumped at my voice and looked up, that same unsure smile on her face from before. "Oh, uhm, hi, Emma. How are you?"

"I'm good, Taylor, what about you?" I asked before taking an exaggerated look around. "Seems you're about as good at making friends as usual."

Taylor's eyes dropped to her food. She started fiddling around with her macaroni before dropping her spork. "Hailey said she and the others wanted to get a good seat early."

"Oh, I'm sure. I know I'd want to get away as quickly as possible. They're hurting their social standing enough having you sit with them." I looked her up and down as she tried to avoid eye contact. "Sorry to see your dad's still dressing you."

Any traces of friendliness dropped off her face. Taylor's hands fell to her lap where she started fiddling with the hem of her shirt. I could tell that dig had hurt. I leaned over, making it obvious I was staring at her food.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

"Oh, just seeing what my ex-friend is up to. It must be nice to have a taste of home. After all, you're used to mac and cheese for dinner, aren't you?" I said in the sweetest voice I could muster.

After Taylor's Mom had died, her Dad had been a wreck. He had barely fed her until my Dad came in to set him straight. She'd told me at a sleepover that she had eaten boxed mac and cheese more times in the weeks following her mom's death than she'd had in her entire life before.

If the look on her face was anything to go by, she'd figured out exactly what I'd meant.

"Emma...why would you—"

"Sorry, Taylor, my time is valuable and I'm not wasting it on losers. Hopefully, your new friends can help you out. I can already see they care so much about you."

I gave another theatrical look that shut Taylor up. I swear, I almost had her crying just from that. I walked away like she was beneath my notice, because she was. The expression on her face let me know she wasn't going to do anything.

I didn't feel good about it, this wasn't me getting my kicks, but it did feel right. Like I was slotting myself into the role I was always meant to take in this world. Reaffirming who I was.

A predator.

The syllabus reading had been a massive waste of our time. It was an awful round of speeches on safety and learning like we were still a bunch of grade-schoolers. We'd been told all the boring things they had planned for us the next two days. They had team-building exercises and there were "fun" classes set up about nature, rocks, and animals. I swear I saw Julia nodding off during it. What was this, The Office?

The only interesting thing had been the bear sightings in the area. We'd been warned over and over again to be careful and to find an adult if we saw anything.

We would be lucky if a bear attacked the camp. It would at least make something about this stupid trip worth talking about.

By the time we finished discussing everything, the sun had already started to set. All the students were corralled back to their cabins by the teachers. The girls and I spent the entire time talking about how lucky the students who hadn't been able to afford to come were. Miss Glenna led us group by group to our lodgings, leaving ours for last. As we filed in, one by one, she stopped me.

"Miss Barnes, could I speak to you for a minute?"

I had an inkling of what this must have been about. I shot a glance at the other girls as Miss Glenna waited, tapping one hand against her clipboard. None of them looked too surprised, though I did see worry spread like foundation all over Madison's face.

"Is this something that can't have the others here with me?" I asked.

"Yes, I'd prefer if we could just talk by ourselves. It's not anything dramatic, you aren't in any trouble, but something came up today that I'd like to discuss with you."

I shot a look and the other girls headed inside. As soon as the cabin door closed, Miss Glenna put on a concerned face.

"Another student came to me, complaining that you said rude things to her."

Of course, Taylor had ratted. I knew that wimp wouldn't be able to stand up for herself. I put on an innocent face as I started deflecting.

"Oh? I'm sorry. I don't think I talked with anybody that wasn't in my group. What was it? I hope I didn't make a joke that came out wrong."

Glenna fell for it and I could see her posture ease up. "We had a girl come forward saying you had said some mean things about her clothes in the cafeteria. If it was just a misunderstanding, be sure to be more careful in the future."

"Oh! You must mean Taylor. I'm so sorry. She and I used to be friends, but after she said some horrible things about my dad I had to tell her to leave me alone. The girls in my group will back me up on this. I barely said a word to her in the cafeteria, nothing she would have to go to a teacher about! She must still be mad at me for cutting her off like that."

Glenna sighed and shook her head and I could tell I wasn't getting in trouble tonight. "Well, please try to avoid her in the future then. I don't want either of you girls causing any problems on this trip."

"Of course, I'm so sorry this is coming up. I'll try to avoid Taylor as much as I can."

"Thank you, Miss Barnes, and have a nice night. It'll be an early day tomorrow, so be sure to rest up."

"Thank you too, Miss Glenna! I can't wait to come to your class on bugs!"

I rushed in as she took her leave and found every girl staring at the door, waiting for me.

"Did it go okay?" Madison asked. "If you need us to say anything, I've always been good at getting teachers to defend me. I'm sure I could make her change her mind."

I waved her off. "Oh please, it was easy to get her to believe me. No one but us saw and who do you think they're gonna listen to?"

I made my way to my bed, plopping down on the sheets and trying to look casual while I surveyed the group. I didn't see anyone acting funny, no signs they were planning to turn on me. It hadn't been a big worry of mine, but it had been in the back of my head. I didn't think they were going to do it for Taylor, but it would have been the perfect time to throw me under the bus.

"You gotta make sure she knows you aren't gonna put up with this shit," Sophia said, direct as usual. "That if she has a problem with it, she's gotta face you head-on. No hiding behind teachers."

"Yeah, I know," I said as I thought it over, "though it probably can't come from me. I'm sure Glenna is gonna tell the other teachers about this and then all of them will be keeping an eye on me to make sure I don't get up to any trouble. But, if you girls would be fine with helping...?"

All the others were hanging onto my every word. They didn't need to say anything, I knew they'd do whatever I asked.

"I have a few ideas on how to teach her what happens to tattletales in high school."