"What's that supposed to mean?" Ava snapped, her glare sharp enough to cut steel. If she didn't already know Ace was out of her league in a fight, she might've gone for his collar right then and there.
"Using people and tossing them aside like trash," Ace replied coolly, his eyes fixed on her like a predator sizing up prey. He leaned slightly forward, as if to emphasize his point, and smirked faintly at her growing irritation. To him, she was nothing more than a scrappy, feral kitten hissing for attention.
The thing about kids like her, Ace thought, was that they treated friendships like tools—shamelessly cozying up to others when they needed something, only to vanish without a second thought once they got it. They left behind kids who'd believed in them, kids who'd start to think that every friendship worked that way. And when those kids lost their faith in real, genuine connections, it was people like Ava who were to blame.
Without waiting for Ava's rebuttal, Ace turned to Danny. "Get in the car. She's not your friend, Danny. In fact, she doesn't have friends. She has subordinates. If that's what you're into, then congrats—you've got yourself one."
"What's your problem?" Ava shot back, her voice shaking with fury. She took a step closer, fists clenched at her sides. Ace was spouting nonsense about her as if he'd known her his whole life, but the truth was, he didn't know her at all. The last time they'd talked, he'd done the same thing—acting like he was better than her, like he had her all figured out. She couldn't help but wonder what she'd ever seen in him to begin with.
Ace's expression darkened as he straightened up. His voice dropped an octave, calm but laced with a warning. "Stay away from Mandy. Or anyone I care about. Your parents won't be able to bail you out this time like they did at your old school."
Ava flinched, her defiance flickering for a split second before her glare returned full force.
Danny, meanwhile, had frozen halfway between them, his hand hovering awkwardly over the car door handle. Ace turned his sharp gaze on him and barked, "Didn't you hear me? Get in the car."
"Ace, she didn't mean any harm," Danny stammered, raising his hands in a weak attempt to mediate. He looked between the two of them, trying to defuse the tension but failing miserably. "She was just—" He paused, realizing he didn't actually know what Ava's plan was. She'd been ranting about Mandy, but what had she actually wanted to do? Talk to her? Threaten her? Beat her?
Danny hesitated, then turned to Ava with an uncertain expression. "What did you plan to do after meeting Mandy?"
"Wasn't I clear already?" Ava scoffed, her eyes narrowing at Danny's hesitation. She crossed her arms, looking at him like he was the biggest coward on the planet. 'Why the heck does he let Ace talk to him like that?' she thought. 'Can't he decide for himself who he wants to be friends with?'
"Wait... you weren't just venting?" Danny asked, his voice rising in disbelief as the realization hit him. His jaw dropped, and he stared at Ava like she'd just grown a second head. He couldn't believe he'd almost driven her to Mandy's place. If his dad ever found out, that'd be the end of him. Danny could already picture the scene: his dad disowning him on the spot without so much as a goodbye. It wasn't a secret in their household that his father cared more about Mandy than he did about him.
"That's one thing you can count on her to do—she follows through," Ace chimed in, leaning casually against the car with a smirk. His sharp gaze flicked from Ava to Danny, taking in the stunned expression on the latter's face. "She might be a lot of things, but she's no liar."
Ace had been standing there long enough to hear the entire conversation between them, and what he saw made him shake his head internally. It was obvious to him that Danny was bending over backward to make friends with Ava, even though she didn't treat him like one. She wasn't sincere—Ace could see that from a mile away. Ava stuck to Danny because he had something she needed, and she had no problem dominating him at every turn.
Still, Ace couldn't quite figure out why Danny was so desperate. What had he gone through at this school that made him latch onto Ava, the transfer student, of all people? And why put up with someone so demanding and bossy? Ace sighed softly, feeling a twinge of pity.
Not that Ace blamed Danny for spilling the beans about him and Mandy—it wasn't like it was a huge secret. Sure, it was private, but it wasn't earth-shattering. Ace knew Danny wouldn't truly sell them out over something .
"It seems you have an opinion about me. Keep it to yourself until the day I beat it out of you and drag your ass to my home," Ava snapped at Ace, her tone sharp and her eyes blazing with determination. She completely ignored Danny's wide-eyed expression, dismissing his shock like it was irrelevant.
She didn't care why she'd liked Ace in the first place. What mattered now was that she wanted him, and she'd get him—no matter what. Ava clenched her fists, her resolve hardening. She just had to wait for her mother's help and work on getting stronger. Once she had the strength and Ace was hers, then she'd sit down and think about whether she truly wanted him or why she'd even liked him to begin with.
And if it turned out she didn't like him? Well, then Mandy could have him for all she cared. But for now, if Ava wanted something, she was going to take it. It didn't matter what anyone else thought or how it affected others.
"Good luck," Ace replied coolly, his voice laced with mock amusement. Danny hesitated for a moment, glancing nervously between Ava and Ace. Finally, he sighed and slid into the Driver's seat. Ace climbed into the passenger seat without sparing Ava another glance, as if her declaration hadn't fazed him in the slightest, mumbling a quiet, "Let's just go."