Kory sucked in a breath, letting Bee's words sink in. "What?" was all she could say. Her hands shook in both rage and anxiety. There were too many people that were starting to figure out her troubled past, she wanted to scream. Though all she could think to do was run. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't know that she would go through my phone and find all those—" "—Who went through your phone? How the hell do you have them? Why do you have them?" Bee scrunched back against the pillow, she never heard Kory sound so scared. She wanted to reach out and give her a hug, telling her that everything was going to be okay.

However, she for a fact knew that it wasn't going to be. Kitten wasn't backing down and the only way to stop is if Bee resigned from the homecoming race. What good was that going to do? Vic would ask her questions. Which in turn would only raise his suspicions. Her parents would be extremely disappointed in her and probably book a therapy session. Everyone wouldn't understand, Queen Bee doesn't want to be the Homecoming Duchess? The Hive, ha, they'd eat this gossip up for sure. Bee swallowed and continued, "Kitten knows," she hears Kory gasp and wince. "She's the one that sent that video of you to the Hive. I didn't find out it was her until a couple of days ago and right now she's threatening to leak information about both of us to the whole school unless," Bee inhaled a breath.

Kory raised her eyebrow in suspicion. "Unless I resign from the race," She blinked a couple of times. That's what Bee was worried about. Some stupid crown that had rhinestones from a crafty store glued onto it? "Resign then," It was Bee's turn to gasp. "You don't understand, it's not that easy" "Seems pretty easy to me," Bee placed a hand on her head, "You don't understand, people around here aren't like Tamaran. We don't have a don't ask, don't tell policy. Around here it's asking questions and making assumptions," Kory rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Bee was willing to sacrifice anything to keep her reputation; even if that meant sacrificing her friendships. Then again, this isn't the first time Bee has thrown anyone under the bus. "So, let me get this straight. You don't want to tell Vic about your torrid love affair because it may risk your reputation. You won't back down from the homecoming elections because it'll likely do the same—``''—That's not what this is about,''Then what is it about Bee? I'm all out of ideas here," Bee bit her tongue. Kory hit the nail on the head. "Please, I have a plan that'll save the both of us. You have to trust me," Kory shook her head, where has she heard those words before? Her parents told her that before shipping her off to another country. Her so-called friends told her that when they'd gone out partying and she was found later on in a ditch somewhere; her head still reeling from the awful drink she had.

"I don't," the words echoed through their ears. Bee's heart sank a bit, but if she was in the position that Kory was in; she wouldn't trust her either. She gulped, "We have to beat Kitten at her own game, it's the only way that we'll both be safe. I need her phone," "You expect me to get it?" The room spun around her. Her legs started to buckle beneath her, sweat began to form on her emotions were running through her system: fear and dread. "Kory, are you okay?" She could hear Bee ask her. Kory staggered back and hit the wall with a small thump. Bee pushed herself up out of her bed, but Kory held up a hand. "Don't." her voice sounded cold as ice. Bee was stunned at the sudden change. "Kory…I promise you that I would never release those videos and photos of you I found—" "—Why were they on your phone then Bee?" She slid down to the ground and touched her cheek. It was wet. "Someone sent them to me and told me that I had to send these out to The Hive if I wanted to keep my secret," "So you chose infidelity over friendship?" That stunned Bee silently. Kory shook her head and got up from the floor. "The more I get to know you all, the more I realize that you all look out for number one. You claim to be loyal, yet the moment something ruins your reputation. You jump at the chance to stab the other in the back," She grabbed a hold of her things, "Kory wait." Kory bit her lip and glanced away.

"We have to grab her phone and delete all the evidence. It's the only way" "That girl is attached to her phone at the hip. How do you expect me to get it and not get caught?" Bee let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Cheerleading practice. As a squad, it's mandatory for us to leave our phones in the locker room. However, Brooke's not too keen on bystanders coming into the gym. Even if they left something in their lockers, she makes them wait until we are done with practice," Kory scoffs "Great," Bee nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, she can be a bit of a bitch when it gets closer to competition season,". Kory ran her hand through her curly mane, only for the ends of her tendrils to tangle up. There had to be a way to where she could get all the evidence off of Kitten's phone. If anyone else knew her secrets…it was goodbye, Gotham. "Wait," Bee said with a snap of her fingers. "You're friends with Gar, right? Maybe Gar could serve as some kind of distraction while you're in the locker room going through the phone," Kory's stomach turned. It felt as though the hole she dug for herself was only getting deeper and the only way out was to use other people as your ladder to climb out. "What about the software? I'm not a hacker and I wouldn't know how to get into Kitten's phone,"

"Damn," Bee cursed under her breath. She tapped the end of her chin and thought to herself. "We'll have to get Gizmo involved in this," "The little bald boy that talks funny and yells at random?" "Yeah, he skipped a couple of grades," Bee shook her head. "That's not the point, we can't have Vic find out about this. So our only other option is him," "So you want to get more people involved in this?" "Unless you want to take Hacking 101, he's all we've got. We don't have to tell him everything. I can tell him that there are some really bad photos of me at a party and need it gone…blah blah." Kory was silent for a moment "You think he'll buy it?" "His first language is cash. He'll buy whatever I tell him as long as I speak dollar bills. Trust me, the plan is foolproof," Bee stated as she typed away on her phone. All Kory could do was watch, her fate was falling into Bee's hands.

The Hive: I smell a game and there's three players involved. Queen Bee, New Girl, and Me. Cheers to ladies, may the best Bitch win. I plan to.

Dick followed an anxiety-ridden Vic through the long hospital halls. He watched as his friend held onto a giant teddy bear with little to no effort over his back. He tried to talk him out of buying that ridiculous, overpriced sack of cheap stuffing. However, Vic disagreed and stated that nothing was too good for his "Honey Bee". Dick rolled his eyes and let his friend buy into the gift. This was an obvious attempt at Vic showing up Herald. Though Vic wouldn't admit it out loud, Herald was a bit of a threat to Vic. Since they were in junior high, Vic and Herald always had this silent competition for Bee's heart. Whether it was a school dance that was coming up, a holiday, a movie, etc. It was always a fight to the death, or in this case until Bee chose. He also knew that Bee secretly liked the attention from them, sometimes she'd break up the fight. Sometimes she'd "give up", depending on how she felt. It was torture for everyone, they had to constantly listen to them bicker over what was Bee's favorite item.

"Dic, come on. Visiting hours are almost over," Vic yelled over his shoulder. Dick rolled his eyes and walked a bit faster to match his pace. Once Bee chose Vic, Herald stopped pursuing her; much to everyone's relief. "Are you sure you don't need help carrying that thing?" He watched the stuffed bear jumble back and forth over Vic's shoulder. The big, plastic eyes felt as if they were staring into his soul. "Nope! We're almost there anyways," Dick rolled his eyes again and continued to follow. Now that Herald was back in their lives after moving away it seemed as though the game had started again. Though there was something different with this game, Kory was somehow involved. He noticed that Kory would tense up anytime Herald was in the same room with Bee and Vic. She'd share a guilt-ridden look with Bee that would change in an instant she would lock eyes with him. "Hey Vic," "Hmm?" Vic hummed. Dick placed a hand on Vic's shoulder, and they stopped walking.

"Dick, we don't have much time now—" "—I know," He took a moment to think about how to word this without pissing off Vic. The guy was known to have a violent temper, especially if it involved Bee. "Has Bee been acting weird to you?" Vic blinked a couple of times. "Not that I know of. Why has she been weird to you?" "I can't put my finger on it, but since Herald showed up today with the flowers," He noticed that Vic grimaced at the mention of Herald's name. "It's like she changed. Kory's acting weird too," "There you go with that weird gut thing again," "It's called intuition. I think there's something going on and—" "—And what?" Dick could hear the animosity in Vic's voice. It's as if Vic challenged him to say something that crumbles the pedestal that he puts Bee on.

He was about to approach uncharted territory. Dick swallowed and licked his lips before continuing "—And I think you need to confront Bee about it. Immediately," It was Vic's turn to roll his eyes. "Do you think that you're only asking these questions because you saw Kory talking to Herald earlier," "That's not why I'm questioning this—" "—Come on Dick. It's me you're talking to. You didn't like that Herald was talking to Kory and now you are questioning as to whether or not he's affecting my relationship with Bee," Dick scoffed "Not everything I do is about Kory. I'm just…suspicious is all. Think about it, when you and Herald were in the same room. The vibe changed and it wasn't coming from us," Vic's shoulders tensed more.

"Are you calling Bee a liar?" Dick took a step back "I'm saying there's something off. I didn't call her a liar. Don't put words in my mouth," Vic let out a harsh laugh "Just admit man," "Admit what?" "You're jealous of me and Bee," Dick wanted to sucker punch Vic in the face, how could he accuse him of being jealous. He was always happy for Vic and Bee, they never bothered him. Jealous? He couldn't be more wrong. "Wow. That's what you think I am?" "It's kinda obvious," "Obvious? I couldn't care less about what you and Bee do. I'm trying to be a good friend to you, but since you're so blinded by love. Maybe you need to figure this out on your own," Dick stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned around to walk towards the exit. "Where are you going?" He heard Vic call out. "Home. I wouldn't want my 'jealous rage' to stink up the room," Vic smacked his lips and headed in the opposite direction, muttering "whatever" under his breath. Something was going on. He glanced back at Vic's head and sighed. For Vic's sake, he had to be the one to get to the bottom of it. Whether Kory, Bee, and Herald liked it or not.

"He's in," Bee placed her phone on the bedside table next to Herald's tulips. "Just like that Gizmo agreed?" "I told you he speaks cash. I'll have to come up with something when my parents ask why two hundred dollars are missing from my account," Kory nodded. Bee laid her head against the pillow, "So, are you okay with this plan?" She shrugged her shoulders "Okay as I'll ever be…but Bee" Bee rose her head up a bit. "I can't keep lying for you," Bee glanced at the tulips.

"I know,". Knock Knock. Kory and Bee turned to see a giant bear in front of the door. Kory lets out a small shriek "Kory, Bee it's me! Let me in," They heard a voice behind the bear say. "It's Vic," Kory whispered. She shared a glance with Bee, who nodded. "I'll tell him everything," She whispered back. Kory grabbed hold of the doorknob and turned it open. Vic stumbled in with the giant bear in front of him. He places it down and sighs in relief, "You try carrying that bear around through different hallways," Bee playfully rolled her eyes and smiled. "Victor Stone, did you really just go out of your way to get me a stuffed bear?" He beams from ear to ear. "Nothing but the best for my Honey Bee," He pulls the bear over to her and places it in front of the tulips. "How sweet," Kory peeked her head out the door. There was no Dick in sight. "Vic, didn't Dick go with you?" Vic smacked his lips and shrugged his shoulders. "He was, but he threw a bit of a fit and left. Maybe he was low on cheap hair gel," Bee raised her eyebrow.

"Did you two have a fight?" Kory glanced at the bear, then at Bee. Vic sighed and placed his arm around Bee's shoulders. "Nothing to worry about, he just needs to cool off." "Was it about us? About me?" Vic moved his arm off of Bee "Why would you ask that?" Bee bit her tongue. Kory noticed that Bee's shoulders tensed. "Uh-oh," she thought to herself. Would it be a good time for her to leave? Would that raise tension between Vic and Bee even more?

"It was just a question. I-I know how protective you get when he mentions me, so that's what I thought it was about," " Damn. Bee was a hell of a liar",Kory thought. Vic seemed to buy into it as he just nodded his head. "He said something stupid and then I told him off. Same old story," "Right. Well thank you for the bear. It's sweet," She gave him a kiss on the cheek. Kory's stomach turned and she backed away into the door handle. "You both seem like you need some alone time. I'll be on my way out," "Kory, you could stay if you want. We won't make you a third wheel," Vic explained. "No!-I mean it's fine. I have a project that I must get to," She jiggled the door handle behind her and unlocked the door.

"Need a ride?" "I called my uncle and will wait for him downstairs. It's not a big deal," She slowly stepped out of the room, " Feel better Bee, see you later Vic. Bye." She shut the door with a small snap and exhaled a breath. On the other side of the door was Vic with a questionable look on his face. "What was that all about?" He turned around to Bee. She sighed and placed her hand over his. "We need to talk," she stated. Vic's heart sank as the words left her mouth.

The Hive: Looks like Queen Bee's ready to confess for her sins. Only…how much will she?

Kory stepped off the elevator. She takes out her phone and dials her uncle's number. "Hello?" Kory heard him say as she pressed her phone up to her ear. "Hello, Uncle Galfore, could you come and pick me up from the hospital?" "I thought your friend was going to drive you home?" "I think we had a change of plans," "Okay, I'll be there in a few." She hangs up the phone and heads toward the exit. Through the window, she notices someone hunched over on the bench. Dick. "Dick?" She calls out his name, he peeks his head up at her. "What are you doing out here?" "I could ask you the same thing," He states. As she looks down at him, all she could see is her reflection staring back at her.

The guilt was evident on her face and Dick noticed. "I have a project to work on, so I called my uncle to come and pick me up." "I could take you home," She purses her lips. "What's the catch?" He lets out a chuckle. "You've been hanging out with Bee and Jinx too much," He pulls his letterman jacket over his shoulders, then takes out his keys from his back pocket. "Come on. I wouldn't want your uncle to drive all the way out here at night," She shuffles her feet a bit. "I can wait for him—" "—Kory, you act as if I'm a kidnapper." "You do sport the look of one," She joked.

He chuckled again "Trust me. I don't do that. Nice to know what you think of me," it was her turn to giggle. She glanced out at the sky, it was getting a bit dark. Then she glanced back at Dick and caught him staring at her. He snapped his head away, "Fine. I'll call my uncle. However, please don't bother me with any questions—" "—I'm not going to—" "—I mean it Dick, I know you want to ask me about Herald. Which is nothing, might I add. " His mouth snapped shut. She knew what Dick was playing at and of course, that's the only reason why he wanted to drive her home.

For information, so he could go running back to Vic and it'd be hell to pay in the end. "Fine" he pouted. Kory smiled to herself, it was sort of cute in the way he pouted. His lip poked out, eyebrows and nose scrunched up. Almost as if he was a ten-year-old boy who was just told that he couldn't buy the latest toy. Cute. "No interrogation?" "Nope. I won't ask about Herald while I drive you home," "Thank you," He nodded. She followed behind him as they headed towards his car. As they walked, Kory's stomach continued to pang with guilt as Dick's head was filled with unsatisfied questions.

Rachel sat her head against the bathroom tile as she watched the bathtub fill up. The sound of the water was lulling her to sleep, though she had to keep her eyes open. Her father could burst through that door any minute and who knows what he had up his sleeve. The glitter from her body would peel off into the water, giving it a disgusting, shimmery glow. Gross. She raised her arm up to her collarbone and pressed on the healing bruise. Her eyes began to close again. She wanted to sleep, but it scared her.

If her eyes were shut, she would let the water run. The water would overflow out of the bathtub and into the halls. Once it hit the halls, it'd seep down the stairs and into the living room: soaking the carpet. Her father would come in, already drunk. Once his feet touched the wet floor, he'd glance up at the stairs and his eyes would lock on the bathroom door. Another bruise and form of guilt she'd carry with her.

"Stay awake", she thought. Her head began to dip, she was sinking lower and lower into the tub, and the water swished around her. Beep. Beep. She heard a small beep, it may be her daydreaming. Beep. Beep. Rachel perked her head up and noticed her phone ringing. She took it off of the bathtub ledge and saw that it was Gar. She rolled her eyes, then answered. "What?" "Hey Rae—" "—Don't call me that," "Sorry, Rachel," another eye-roll. "What do you want Gar?" She hears him exhale a breath. "I think I need some help finding out some info about Terra," She sucked in a breath. Rachel never understood Gar's fascination with the lacrosse player. I guess the loud burps she'd hear from the lacrosse table in the cafeteria. What came out of Tera's mouth was music to Gar's ears. "I'm not helping you stalk her—" "—I'm not stalking her!" His voice rose to the point where she heard it crack.

"Yeah okay. Gar, the girl's been out for a couple of weeks. Maybe she had to take a trip or something," "I think something's wrong Raven. I went to where she worked, which is in a college town by the way—" "—Gar" Rachel pinched the bridge of her nose. "I think you've gone past the stalker line," "I'm just worried, something seems off with her." "The loud, nauseating burps in the cafeteria weren't your first clue?" Gar chuckled on the other line. "Those were great, how could you not find them funny?" "Like most people I find them gross and annoying," She heard the sound of a car beeping on the other line "Where are you?" "On the road, the look will you help me or not?" Wheeekkk. She heard the sound of the front door opening, "I gotta go. I'll talk to you at school okay?" "Rachel!" Her father yelled from downstairs.

"Is everything okay?" "Rachel!" "I'm in the tub!" She yelled out. "What's going on?" Gar asked. "Nothing, everything is fine. I'll see you at school," She hung up the phone and threw it across the bathroom floor. It slid against the wall with a loud thump. Her father's footsteps were getting closer. Rachel quickly got out of the bathtub and ran to lock the door. She pressed the lockdown, then waited. Silence. She put her head up against the door and listened. His footsteps stomped closer. He stopped in front of the door and lifted his hand towards the doorknob. Ding, the doorbell rang. "Dammit, what now?" He turned away from the bathroom door and headed back down the stairs. On the other side of the door, Rachel unclenched her fist and slid down the wall. She glanced down to see that her hand was a bright shade of red. "Thank you," she whispered to no one.

"And all I am is a man

I want the world in my hands

I hate the beach

But I stand in California with my toes in the sand

Use the sleeves of my sweater"

Kory lightly hummed to the music from the car's speakers as she watched the cars cruise by them. Calm. Is that what this was? She thought to herself. It was a feeling so alien to her that she couldn't remember the last time she felt this way. A long time ago, that's for sure. "Hey, you okay?" Kory heard Dick ask. She turned towards him, through his shades she could see a hint of his eyes. What a sight would be to see what lay behind Dick's wall. "Why do you ask?" He shrugged, then turned down the music.

"You stopped humming, I figured something was wrong" Her breath hitched, she wanted to tell him what she was feeling. However, she knew that once she poured everything out, Dick would be able to put the pieces together. And never look at her the same way. "I-I never realized how calm it is here, " He chuckled. "Ha! This is the thunder before the storm or something like that," She giggled. "Where I'm from, streets didn't look as pretty. The people didn't seem…happy," She whispered the last part. Her home was very different from this place. Streets were full of fear, and chaos.

Here, it was more lighthearted and free. Something she'd feared that people back home would never get a taste of. Guilt settled on her stomach, she laid a hand on it. "Could I ask what it was like there?" Her hand clenched into a fist. "Different," the word left her mouth. It felt so weird to say. As if she hadn't said the word out loud before, but once it left. It felt as if something was starting to lift off of her. "Yeah, I bet it was different. Did you guys speak a different language?" She nodded. "Tamaranean is the primary language there. A select few of us knew other languages," Shit.

She was starting to say too much? If her sister were here, she would have lied right through her teeth and then used her sex appeal to change the subject. Kory glances at her breasts. You aren't like your sister, she thought. Not anymore. "That's cool. I guess you were a part of the few?" "Yep." She didn't want him to dig any deeper. Even if it was about something as simple as languages spoken. Dick had the mind of a detective and Kory knew that once she let something slip, he'd dig deeper. "Hmm. Cool," He smiled at her, then turned the music back up.

Nothing that I wouldn't wanna tell you about, no

'Cause it's too cold

For you here

And now, so let me hold

Both your hands in the holes of my sweater

Kory laid back into the car seat and sighed. She closed her eyes for a moment "Why do you call your father by his first name,". It was Dick's turn to tense up a bit. Did she strike a nerve? "Um, what do you mean?" "It's just that anytime I see you two around each other. You always call him—" "—Bruce," He stated. She gazed at him as he let out a deep breath. "That's because I'm adopted," "Oh, I didn't know. I'm sorry—" "—Kory. It's cool, he adopted me a couple of years ago after my parents passed away. I think I just never really got around to it," "I see," She fiddled with the end of her shirt as Dick continued to drive. "May I ask what happened to them?" His fist tightened on the steering wheel, and his lip twisted downward.

"I'd rather not," Kory nodded her head slowly and whispered "Oh,". Dick cleared his throat "It's just that I'm not comfortable talking about them," "I understand, some things people aren't ready to talk about," It was his turn to nod. "Similar to what you and Bee are doing?" She walked right into that one. Kory began to mess with the loose string on her jacket. Her silence spoke volumes. "Look Kor, you could tell me what's going on," "There's nothing to tell," "Based on the looks you guys exchange, it doesn't look like nothing." "Dick," Kory warned. "I'm a great observer. I know there's something going on," He glanced over to see Kory's fidgeting hands and places his left hand over them.

He felt something pass through him, a warm feeling. Kory gazed up at him with her big, jade-colored eyes. "Did she feel it too?" Dick thought to himself. "Is it about me?" Dick asked her. She shook her head. "About—" "—Dick, I don't feel comfortable with you asking this—" "—I can't help but feel like something is wrong. Why was Herald here today? Is it about him?—" "—Dick, stop it—" "—Vic? Wally—" "I said stop!" Kory yelled. Dick pressed down hard on the brakes. They both jolted forward, then hit the seats with a hard thump.

Car horns beeped around them, and a couple of people yelled out their windows as they drove around them. Dick let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in. "Kory I—" Kory unhooked her seatbelt and opened the door. "Where are you going?" "I decided to walk the rest of the way home," "Wait. It's dark outside," "I'm not going to continue to be interrogated. If you want to know what's going on. Ask Bee," she slammed the door and stomped away. Dick fell back against his seat, then let out a sigh "Great,".

The Hive: Uh-Oh. Boy Wonder, have you ever heard of the phrase - curiosity killed the cat? Looks like you're teetering between life and death right now. I'd make wiser choices next time, especially if it comes to the new girl: Kory Anders.

"What do you need to talk about Honey Bee?" He walked over to the empty chair and took a seat. Bee exhaled a breath, her hands were shaking. This must have been serious. "Is this about why Kory has been acting like she's seen a ghost for the past couple of weeks?" "Yeah, but you can't blame her for what I have to say. I told her that I wanted to tell you," She sounded as if she was about to cry and Vic's heart sank deeper.

A single tear from Bee's eyes fell from her face. He began to put the pieces together. Herald's attendance at the hospital, the flowers he gave her, Kory's behavior around all of them, and Bee's obsession for homecoming declining. "Herald?" Vic whispered as his hand clenched into a fist. Bee nodded and he grunted. "What happened?" His voice was hard. It felt as if he waited for her to mutter the words of what he knows happened between them. The final nail in the coffin. The final nail to break his heart. And Bee was holding the hammer. "It was one time," She cried. "What was?" Bee sighed, then glances up at the ceiling. Her face was wet. "Herald and I kissed," Vic let out a scoff. "It didn't mean anything to me. I wanted to tell you right away, but I was so worried about how you might react and—" "—How long ago did this happen—" "—I'm sorry—" "—When did you guys kiss?" His voice boomed, and Bee flinched at how loud he sounded.

Angry. "It was the day we visited Kory after the huge Hive blast. You dropped me off and there he was. We kissed once, it didn't mean anything. I swear," Vic stood up, there was betrayal lifted all over his face. "I trusted you," "I know, I know. I'm so sorry-" Vic grabbed his things and stomped over to the door. More tears streamed down her face "Vic please, please don't break up with me," He didn't say a word as he opened the door. "Vic!" She yelled his name this time, he stopped in his tracks. "I love you," He shook his head, opened the door, and slammed it in her face.

The Hive: Aww, poor Queen B, lying on a throne of lies. What happens when that throne comes crashing down after your sweet Prince Charming Vic, finds out the real truth? Not to mention, the entire student body? It'd be such a shame if this royal secret of yours fell into the wrong hands. Mine. Don't worry Queenie, I'll keep your secret from your boy toy…for now. Although, everyone knows that I love a good scandal.

Ciao for now,

The Hive

Whew! That's another chapter! It's been crazy hectic on my end, but not to worry! I'm still working on revising the old chapters and also writing the next couple. Trust me, you don't want to miss them! ;). Make sure to R&R! I love everyone's reviews, it makes me so happy! Thank you!

Comicgeek16