~♡~Mac's POV~♡~

"Here," a girl says to me, her voice is smoky and rather mysterious. I recognize the voice as the one who told me to shush a few minutes ago.

When I open my tear-rimmed eyes, my vision is still blurry, but I notice someone is waving a tissue in front of my face.

"Thanks," I mutter, my voice sounds nasal as a result of crying for ten minutes straight.

I use the tissue she gave to wipe the tears off my eyes and blow my nose so I can breathe better. In between doing so, I notice there's an odd, nauseating odor coming from the tissue. It's as if... someone just wiped their vomit with it.

But that can't be, can it? I mean, who would give someone a used tissue? That'd be pure evil!

Nah. Of course not. What was I thinking? My mind must be playing tricks on me because of what happened earlier.

I crumple the tissue and put it in my bag to throw later when I can find a trash bin. Now that my nose isn't so stuffy anymore, I can smell the scent of an alluring – if not hypnotic – perfume filling the air and it's coming from the girl who's standing next to me. Once my vision clears, I glance at her.

My eyes widen for a split second when I see she's the girl I saw earlier at the party, Sophia Wilde. Her hair and dress are all wet while her mascara wears off a little, but she still looks gorgeous nonetheless.

For a while, the thought of asking her what happened that made her soaked from head to toe comes across my mind. But then, I figure she probably just took a dip in the pool fully clothed. After all, she seems like a girl who would do that.

"What?" She lets out a small chuckle. "Despite what you might have heard about me, I don't bite. I promise."

A small smile curves up on the corners of my lips. I guess I was right. She isn't as bad as people think.

"No, it's not that." I shake my head while still sobbing a little. "It's just... you're the last person I'd expect to be standing outside the party."

"Yeah... that's true," she mutters to herself, sounding angry about something. But before I can ask her about it, she quickly wipes her anger off and replaces it with a sympathetic smile. Leaning to the tree on her side, she says, "So... rough night, huh?"

I let out a sigh. "Yeah. The video you played earlier, I don't know if you noticed, but that's... me," my voice trembles a little.

As the scene from earlier replays itself in my head, tears start to form behind my eyes yet again. As if what happened is not bad enough, someone posted the video on the internet for the whole world to see, making me look like a complete fool. I lean my back on the tree and look down, trying to hide my soaked eyes and hold myself together.

"You shouldn't listen to what people say about you," she says, her voice soothing. "I mean, it's just Instagram. I bet those who commented about you are just some losers with no life."

Her words make me even more curious instead. "Wh-what did they say?"

"Nah..." She waves her hand back and forth in front of her face. "It's nothing. You really shouldn't read it."

My curiosity peaks. Pursing my lips together for a quick second, I decide to take out my phone from my sling bag and check it.

"Hey," Sophia warns me, placing her well-manicured slender fingers over my phone, "You really shouldn't look at that."

I give a small, assuring smile. "Thanks for your concern. But... I really need to see it."

Her eyebrows slightly arch upwards as she inhales and shrugs, silently saying, 'I've warned you'. Then, she retracts her hand.

When I turn my phone on, the first thing that pops out is 10 missed calls notifications from Dylan. He must've been worried about me, but I'm not really in the mood to talk to him right now. Knowing Dylan, if I tell him what happened, he'd go and punch Peter in the face right away, and that's the last thing I need right now.

With a small sigh, I check my Instagram. My eyes almost pop out when I see the number of notifications I'm getting.

50 notifications. Fifty!

I've never gotten that many notifications before. In fact, the most I've ever gotten was around 5!

Bracing myself for the worst, I take a deep breath before seeing the notifications. Most of them are mentions and likes on a video which I'm tagged in, perhaps the same one Sophia was watching earlier.

My fingers tremble a little as I tap to view the video. It is indeed the video of me finding out about Hayley and Peter earlier. Not interested in hearing what she said again, I skip the video and read the comments instead.

queenmadison: It's about time themagnificentpeter cheat on mackenziegoode. No one likes boring miss goody-two-shoes! 😝

Boring miss goody-two-shoes? Well, it's no surprise the comment came from former-head-cheerleader-slash-queen-bee Madison Woolf.

blairxxx: IKR? Your flaws are what makes you perfect 😘

Blair? But... I thought she was my friend! She always seemed so nice to me.

I let out a long sigh. I suppose she was only nice to me to get me to help with her homework too.

lisalemmons03: mackenziegoode always walks around with no makeup like she's already beautiful. Well guess what? She looks like a freaking zombie! Besides, who would choose a match stick over hottie hayleyemartin? #letsgetreal

What? So now me wearing no makeup is an issue too? Since when are girls required to wear makeup?

chloe.peterson: I still don't get why itsmedylan wants to be friends with her either 😩 She spends her free time in libraries, for Christ's sake!

Whoa, whoa, whoa. What's Dylan got to do with this? Everyone knows I've been friends with Dylan since forever. Why bring this up now? I know Dylan has a lot of fans because of his riches, but isn't hating me for being friends with him a little too much?

marie_johnson: Look at mackenziegoode's lame outfit. Her hair also looks hideous! 😫 No wonder themagnificentpeter cheated on her!

I can't help but look at my long brown hair and ask myself, is it really that bad?

I always cut my hair in a small hair salon near my home that I've been going to since I was 5. Rita – the hairdresser – is turning 72 this year and surely her skill has deteriorated over the past few years. But I can't just switch to another hairdresser, that'd be unfair to her!

ashleyvee: themagnificentpeter deserves soooo much better than miss-I'm-so-perfect mackenziegoode. He's uber hot and she's super ugly! It's about time they broke up!

I let out a long, disappointed sigh. There are about a dozen more comments that say mean things about me and all of them got tons of likes. Sure, some kind souls chose to stand by me and said Peter and Hayley were the one at fault. But still, the number of people that left mean comments amaze me.

I don't get it, how is it that I'm at fault? Since when does the cheater get more sympathy than the one betrayed?

What's worse is, most of those comments came from people who I thought were my friends! I mean, they always say 'hi' to me when I bump into them and I even helped some of them with their past campus assignments! I can't believe they're secretly harboring such hatred against me.

What did I ever do to them?

Right when another tear is about to drop from my eyes, my phone vibrates loudly. Dylan is calling for the eleventh time and it doesn't look like he's going to stop anytime soon. So, this time I decide to answer his call to ease his mind.

"What?" I try to mask my nasal voice by raising my tone.

"Mac? Where are you? Are you okay? Why aren't you ans-"

"I'm fine," I interrupt. "I really am."

"No, you're not," he replies. "You've been crying, haven't you?"

Dammit! Is it really that obvious?

"God! I swear if I see that guy—"

"No, don't!" I command him.

"But–" he suddenly stops talking, which makes me worry even more.

"D?"

"Oh, he's so dead."

"Dylan? Talk to me, D–" Abruptly, he hangs up before I can say another word.

Shit! Dylan may be one of the kindest soul I've ever met, but he's also very, very impulsive. Once he's angry at someone, he'll crawl out of hell to make sure the person that wronged him pays for what they did. Not many people know nor expect a nerd like him to be so good at fighting. But having trained himself ever since he was 12, I can tell for sure he can win any fight against fellow college students.

Peter doesn't stand a chance against a skilled fighter like Dylan and as much as I hate myself for it, I still care about him. Even after what happened.

"Is everything okay?" Sophia's voice breaks my thought.

Turning to look at her, I shake my head lightly. "It's this friend of mine. I think he's about to pick a fight with my boy–" I stop myself, realizing my mistake. "I mean, my ex."

She looks surprised. "Lucky you. Looks like he's a really good friend," her tone suggests something else entirely.

"No, no. You got it wrong. We really are just friends. Really, really good friends. He's like a brother to me," I explain.

She shrugs. "If you say so." Her lips curve slightly, as if she doesn't buy my answer.

Just when I'm about to explain myself even further, my phone starts to vibrate continuously. Curious, I check it.

Great. Tons of new Instagram comments. This time, it's another newly uploaded video.

I tap the thumbnail to view the video and realize my nightmare is coming true. In the 20-second video, Dylan springs forward towards Peter, sending the latter straight to the ground.

"Wow," Sophia says. Unbeknownst to me, she's already watching the video right next to me.

Dylan is fighting like a madman. His eyes are dark, as if he has been possessed by a demon.

"This is for messing with my friend!" Dylan shouts while throwing punches after punches at Peter, who tries to block them to no avail.

It takes five people to break the fight and pull Peter out of the picture. The video ends a few seconds later.

Slowly, my thumb moves by itself and taps on the comment section.

thejakeoverton: WTF?! Two fights in one night? itsmedylan is a total badass 😂

Two fights?

queenmadison: mackenziegoode is such a slut! Playing around with itsmedylan even though she was dating themagnificentpeter? She should be the one who got burned at the stake! #JusticeForPeter #FreeDylan

You're kidding, right? #JusticeForPeter? How about #LetsBurnInHellTogether?

cassidyblake: mackenziegoode is such a lame ass girl. She pretends like she's a damsel in distress while she toys with both men. She's disgusting! #JusticeForPeter #FreeDylan

A damsel in distress? When have I ever played that part? Plus, Peter was the one who cheated on me, not the other way around! What the heck is wrong with people?

charlotte.mckenna: mackenziegoode makes me sick! I don't get what those boys see in her. She's not that pretty, she's a nerd, and she's a slut too! themagnificentpeter is better off without her. itsmedylan should run far far away from her while he can.

I know I'm not pretty and if getting straight A's makes me a nerd, then I'm proud to be one. But a slut?

hannahxtaylor: Poor itsmedylan is brainwashed into becoming a slave for mackenziegoode. She's an absolute evil! #FreeDylan

Just as tears about to fall down my cheeks again, Sophia interrupts my thoughts, "For what it's worth, I think they're wrong about you."

With a sad smile, I raise my head and turn to look at her. "You really think so?"

"Of course!"

I can't tell how much I need to hear that right now: To know that I'm not the one who did anything wrong.

"I don't think any of that was your fault. You're just..." She pauses, narrowing her eyes while finding the right words to say. "You're too much of a good girl, that's all."

Oh, okay. That's... not bad, right?

But why do I have a feeling it's not a good thing either?

"And there's absolutely nothing wrong with it." The way she rushes to add the words makes my curiosity grows stronger.

I mean, people do hate goody-two-shoes and if I am one then...

"You must be mistaken." I let out an anxious laugh. "I mean, I'm not a good girl."

She gives a small chuckle, as if she doesn't believe what I said. "O-kay," she replies, her tone makes it clear she thinks otherwise.

Somehow, her reaction makes me even more defensive. "I-I'm telling you, I am not a" – my voice squeals a little as I make a quotation mark in the air – "good girl!"

Sophia rolls her eyes. "Fine. If you insist, then let me enlighten you." She pauses, straightening herself and crosses her arms in front of her. I take a deep breath, forcing myself to stand straight and raise my head to look her in the eyes, trying my best to look tough.

"Tell me. Have you ever swore–"

"Of course I have!" I interrupt her while giving her a small mocking laugh to prove her wrong.

She gives a glare at me, clearly unamused of being interrupted. "Publicly?"

"Oh..." I bite my lower lips a little while my shoulder shrugs. "That'd be inappropriate, wouldn't it?"

A smirk crawls on the corner of her lips. "Two. You have never smoked, not even a single cigarette, and not once have you ever got drunk. Correct?"

I snort. "O-of course I have!" But she clearly spots my lie because she raises one of her perfect eyebrows and throws me a judging look, one that makes me feel two feet smaller than I really am. "Fine! No, I have never done any of that. But that's because they're not good for your he-"

"And finally" – a wicked half-smile grew on the corner of her lips – "you have never even had sex, haven't you?"

My eyes widen and my jaw drops as I gasp loudly. How the hell does she know that?!

"H-h-how did..." I can't even think of another word to say.

She looks at me with sympathy in her eyes, her lips curl up into an apologetic smile. "It's written all over your face, and the way you dress, the way you talk... It's not that hard to see."

She's absolutely right. I am a 'good girl'!

"Okay, okay. Fine!" I grunt, finally accepting the reality. "So what if I'm a good girl? That doesn't give them the right to use me and step on my face!" my voice squeals a little as anger and frustration spread through my voice.

"Of course not! There's absolutely nothing wrong with it and you should've told them that!" Her words only throws gasoline to the fire.

"You know what? You're absolutely right!" I can feel the blood pumping through my veins as bits and pieces of those mean comments echo in my head. "Those girls on Instagram, I should tell them to get a freaking life instead of gossiping about me!"

"Exactly!"

"A-and, I'll tell everyone that Peter was a lying, cheating bastard, whose afraid of clowns!"

"Absolutely!"

My blood starts to boil when I think of the lies that Hayley and Peter told me all this time, pretending to be my friends just for their own advantages. "And I'll go back to that party and punch Hayley on her super fake lips and pull her horrible purple hair until she looked like Bruce Willis!"

"Amen!"

"I should–" Then, I realize the impossibility of what I just said. Letting out a long sigh, I lean my head back on the tree. "It's no use. I probably would've lost and ended up being the one who got bald anyway..."

Ever since I could remember, I've never been involved in any fights, physical or even word fights. My parents always tell me that fighting is bad and I should be nice to others. That's why I always keep my cool and stay away from fights. Every time someone tried to pick up a fight with me or whenever I'm angry, I would just back off and leave. Besides, I know if I'm ever gotten into any fight at all, I'd lost. I've always been terrible at sports and that probably is a bad sign.

"I just wish I could prove them wrong, you know? And maybe, I don't know, make them pay a little bit?"

"Well..." On my peripheral vision, I can see a wicked smile grows on the side of Sophia's lips. "There are better ways to take revenge then getting into a real fight."

Her words tingle my curiosity. "How?"

The smile on her lips grows into a grin that makes me question my decision to talk to her in the first place. After all, my parents always tell me not to talk to strangers.

Wait a sec...

Ugh!!! This. Has. Got. To. Stop.

"Show them that they're wrong. Show them that you're not this good girl everyone thinks you are!" Sophia continues.

My forehead creases as I draw my brows together. "Wait, are you saying I should be a... bad girl?" I raise my brow a little and purse my lips together as a strange but brilliant idea comes into my mind. "And maybe... I don't know, prove to all those mean girls that I can actually snatch their boyfriends? Better yet, what if I actually seduce each and every one of their boyfriends? And maybe their brothers too? Or maybe their cousins? Or maybe..."

"Huh?" Sophia mutters under her breath, sounding quite surprised. "Well, that's not entirely what I meant, but" – she shrugs – "what the hell, you should totally do that!"

A wave of self-confidence surges in me as I find myself nodding at her encouragement. But then, my conscience reminds me again that this is an absolute mission impossible for me. I can't even get Peter to love me. How am I supposed to get the whole world to fall on my feet? I'm not Sophia-freaking-Wilde, for Heaven's sake!

Sophia Wilde, huh? I raise my brow a little and glance at the girl standing next to me. What if she teaches me how to be more like her? Can I do it then?

But... there's no way she would do that for a stranger like me.

"I can teach you if you want," her voice breaks my thoughts.

"What do you mean?"

"I can teach you how to be a bad girl, like me."

Suddenly, what Dylan said to me earlier tonight fills my head. I always see the best in people and that's exactly what I'm doing right now too. I'd like to believe deep down she's a kind but misunderstood girl rather than some evil man-eater. But, what if – just like with Hayley and Peter – I'm wrong yet again? Dylan also warned me about that, didn't he?

"What's in it for you?" I look at her with caution.

For a split second, her eyes turn sad, it's as if a wave of memories is surging right into her, and she throws her gaze to the ground. She gulps before pulling herself together. With a small, rather sad smile, she switches her gaze at me. "Let's just say I used to know someone like you."

"Oh..." I mutter under my breath.

Her words sound so genuine, making me want to take up her offer at that very second. But then, Dylan's warning continuously reverberates in my head.

Should I trust her? Or is she just manipulating me like everyone else did?

"You know what?" Sophia continues with a rather morose tone. "Forget it. You shouldn't want to be like me. You shouldn't even talk to me in the first place! You're... good and don't let anyone tells you otherwise." Forcing a smile, she looks at me once more and says, "Good luck."

Then, she turns around and walks away from me.

Argh!!! Screw it! Screw what Dylan said! He called me predictable anyway, and you know what predictable also means? Boring!

And you know what? He might think he's doing me a favor by fighting for me but now people are hating me even more because of his actions!

Screw him!!!

"Wait!" I yell and Sophia stops walking in an instant. "I wanna do it." I gather up my strength and courage to approach her.

Then, I say with determination in my voice, " Teach me how to be a bad girl."

She turns around slowly and asks, "Are you sure? There's no going back from this."

I give a firm nod and a small, sly smirk grows on the very corner of her red lips. I gulp as I start questioning my prior decision.

"Well, then." She extends her hand for a handshake. "Sophia Wilde, at your service."

Why do I feel like I'm making a deal with the devil?

The sound of Hayley's squealy laugh and people's mockery begins to echo in my head, filling it to the point of exploding. Then, at that moment, I become sure of what I want to do.

My hand greets hers as I give a firm nod. "Mackenzie Goode. Pleased to meet you."

The smirk on her face slowly grows into a victorious grin, hinting me there's indeed more to it than what she told me. But it doesn't matter anymore.

I want to make people pay for what they did and said. And if that means I should make a deal with the devil?

So be it.

Author's Note:
Woot! So, Mac finally makes the deal with Sophia!

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