Tear You Apart (5 page)

When she turned to look behind her, Henley was gone. She let go of Danny’s collar, and his hand fumbled to grab her before she slipped away. She jerked free and kept going. He shouted after her, “So that’s how it is?”

Yeah, that was how it was.

The night seemed darker once she was alone again, and the high she’d gotten, the sense of righteousness she’d felt, was fading. Her steps got awkward and she walked faster, hoping her body would even itself out. She let herself back into the clubhouse, back to the titter of polite laughter, the strong scent of liquor, and Serge Gainsbourg singing “Couleur Café.” The Basils’ enchanted cat was standing on one of the refreshment tables, licking livery mousse off the tops of a whole tray of canapés.

The Queen Bee prince and princess were wrapped in each other’s arms. Dusty and Max were dancing. They looked happy—like being together was fun. Like they were a team, and nothing could drive a wedge between them.

Viv missed feeling like that. Dusty had said that being part of the same curse gave you a special bond. And lots of people had tried to reassure Viv that she’d have her happy ending
one day. But there were different kinds of Prince Charmings. Dusty’s prince was a hot rich guy who’d danced with her at a ball, found her lost shoe, tracked her down, and changed her life. Viv’s Prince Charming was a guy no one had ever met, who was going to show up when she was already in her glass coffin, see her pretty face and her limp body, and decide to take her home. And even that would only happen if the Huntsman spared her.

So the words
someday my prince will come
had never set Viv’s heart aflutter. When she thought of her future prince, she thought of the older Snow White prince who already lived in Beau Rivage: a man who was married to a Snow White princess, and who drugged his wife so heavily she might as well have been a zombie. Rumor had it he’d roofied her on their wedding night because he could only get excited by an unresponsive bride.

Miserably ever after? Was that what she had to look forward to?

The Snow White princess curse had so much status … Viv could understand why her mother had wished for it. She was instantly recognizable in Beau Rivage—right up there with Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. But the way Viv saw it, everyone in her curse wanted her dead. Her stepmother wanted her dead, her prince preferred her dead, and Henley … he probably wanted to kill her half the time.

Viv wanted to believe that she could be happy, that her curse would end in something magical—but she couldn’t. Happily ever after happened to some people. Viv wasn’t one of them.

She wandered through the party, but didn’t see Henley or
Regina. Their absence made her nervous. Where were they? Had they left together?

Viv headed out to the parking lot. Regina was there, a lit cigarette between her fingers, chatting with one of the valets. Regina didn’t normally smoke; she was too concerned about her looks. But there was red lipstick on the filter, and the cigarette had the same odor as the brand Henley smoked. Viv could picture Regina asking for one, leaning close as Henley lit it for her, and asking him how to do it, the way she’d asked Viv’s dad how to swing a golf club when she’d first come to Seven Oaks.

“You’re just in time,” Regina said. A stream of smoke spiraled up from her fingers. “It’s about to get good.”

“What is?”

“Wait for it …”

Regina was posed, chest up, like she was holding her breath. And then somewhere in the parking lot there was a shattering crunch. Followed by the shriek of a car alarm. Viv followed the sound and her eyes found Henley, lit by the flashing headlights of an orange BMW until he smashed them with a shovel. Danny drove an orange BMW. He even had plates that said 3MIRZA; there was no mistaking his car. The alarm wailed on and on over the sound of Henley bashing in the windows, denting the body, busting it up like it was the bonus round of the old
Street Fighter II
arcade machine in the clubhouse. Viv flinched with every thud, crack, crunch—like the damage was reverberating throughout her body.

“All those tools he keeps in his truck,” Regina said. “They’re useful for things besides gardening. Just think—that could be you if you play your cards right.”

“Aren’t you going to stop him?” Viv asked the valet.

He shrugged. “I don’t get paid enough to get between that guy and his anger issues.”

“You should go over there,” Regina said to Viv. “You have a calming influence on Henley. Oh wait—no. You make him want to hurt people. Well, that works, too. Go on. Give him something to hit besides that car. I’m sure he’d love to see you right now.”

Viv backed away before Regina could grab her and drag her into the parking lot. Paranoid? Maybe. But she didn’t want to take any chances. Regina was the perfect example of how drastically someone could change, how quickly they could go from loving you to hating you. Regina had taught her that lesson years ago, long before Viv had known she would need it again.

CHAPTER FIVE

VIV CREPT INTO THE TOPIARY GARDEN and hid beneath a shrub shaped like a deer, trying to figure out which of her friends would drive out and get her if she called. Jewel was probably at a club—she’d never hear her phone. Layla had work in the morning. Mira didn’t have a driver’s license. Rafe was probably drunk or not wearing any pants. Blue didn’t have a car, but he owed her a favor, sort of …

She texted him, worried her voice would make it too obvious that she was upset. She didn’t have a confessional relationship with Blue. He was more like the irritating friend whose personality you tolerated, but didn’t really mind. They didn’t have heart-to-heart chats.

Remember when you woke me up at dawn because you needed me to get Henley to chop down the briar around your hotel? I need a ride to the city. Make it happen. Oh I’m at 7Oaks shitty party don’t ask
.

He called a minute later. “You’re interrupting my date.”

“Liar,” she said.

“Okay, Freddie’s here, too, so it’s not really a date … luckily for you, since I don’t have access to the hotel car these days. Next time you need a ride you should just ask Freddie. His princely honor won’t let him say no.”

“So you guys’ll pick me up? Is Mira coming, too?”

“Of course. She’s the only one here who likes you.”

Viv heard Mira’s “Hi, Viv!” in the background. And Freddie’s “That’s not true!”

“We’ll be there in, like, half an hour,” Blue said. “Sooner if I can get Freddie to break the law.”

The sounds of BMW destruction had ceased, but Viv stayed where she was. Was Regina right? Did Henley hate her? She’d done worse things. But everyone had a breaking point and maybe she’d pushed him to his.

By the time Freddie’s car pulled up, the alarm was quiet. Henley was gone, Regina and the valet had disappeared, and a shocked and delighted crowd had gathered around the wreckage while Danny swore and Viv’s dad tried to do damage control.

Viv crawled out from under the topiary deer and ran to the car, climbing in before her dad had a chance to notice her.

Freddie Knight was behind the wheel, frowning into the mirror as he tried to guide an adoring ladybug out of his light brown hair and onto his finger—he had the same animal magnetism gift Viv did. Mira Lively, the newest addition to their group, sat in the passenger seat, her long, wavy blonde hair half-covering the logo of her Curses & Kisses T-shirt. Blue Valentine was stretched out in the back, his blue hair
spiked straight up, one knee poking out of his ripped jeans. Viv shoved his feet to get him to move over.

“Did a giant fall on Mirza’s car?” Blue asked.

“No. But that’s what I should tell my dad if he asks me what happened.”

“What
did
happen?” Mira asked.

“Henley. With a shovel. In the parking lot.” She was surprised at how blasé she sounded.

“Should we even ask why?” Blue said.

Viv shrugged. “You can probably guess.”

She knew it was her fault. She’d wanted to make him angry—well, she had. Mission accomplished.

“I would’ve liked to see that,” Blue said. “Just to see how it’s done. I’d like to do that to Felix’s car.”

“I don’t think you’re really the shovel-wielding type,” Mira said.

“Besides, what purpose would that serve?” Freddie reached for his sword, his voice tense now that Blue’s older brother was the subject of conversation. “If you want to stop Felix, you don’t destroy his car. You cut off his head.”

“Whoa, Freddie,” Viv said. “You have really changed.”

“I’m just being practical.”

“Can we talk about something else?” Mira asked.

They went to Mira’s new house, because Viv hadn’t been there yet. Mira’s godmothers—who were her guardians, and also her fairy godmothers—were in the kitchen, and Mira stopped in to say hello. Freddie, who never missed a chance to make a good impression, went with her. Mira’s godmothers didn’t like Blue, so he slipped down the hall to Mira’s room and Viv
followed. She usually avoided talking to her friends’ parents. Inevitably, if adults weren’t asking you about school they were asking about your family, and there was no way for that not to be awkward.
How’s your stepmother? Still set on poisoning you? And your father, as useless as always?

Blue, at least, knew what it was like to have a messed-up family. All the Valentine men had the same murderous hereditary curse. Blue’s dad was a Casanova serial killer, his older brother, Felix, followed in their dad’s footsteps, and Blue had accidentally killed his crush at his sixteenth birthday party. Viv had been there, dancing, batting blue and green balloons into the air, unaware that in the other room a girl lay dead in Blue’s arms. The party had ended abruptly, Blue’s father had ushered everyone out, and gradually, people put the pieces together. If you knew curses, you knew what blue hair signified. That was why Mira’s godmothers didn’t like Blue—no one wanted their daughter dating a villain, no matter how reformed.

“So.” Blue flopped down on the bed. “Haven’t seen you in a while. Thought maybe you were in your glass coffin already.”

“Can you not tonight? I’m not in the mood.”

“Sorry. Habit. You okay?”

Viv glanced around the room, wishing Mira and Freddie would join them so they could all start talking about anything but her. The closet was open. A bunch of dance costumes were hanging on one side of the rack. Sequins and ruffles and flamenco madness.

“I’m just hungry,” Viv said. “The food at the party was gross. Pâté and caviar licked by a cat.”

“That’s what happens when you let a boots-wearing cat join your country club.”

“He wasn’t even wearing his boots.”

“Scandalous. What happened to
no shirt, no tiny boots, no service
?”

Viv laughed. “I don’t know. Standards are really falling at Seven Oaks. I’m going to see if I can find some food. I’ll be right back.”

She went to the kitchen where Freddie was winning points—or, actually, probably just being nice; he was ridiculously nice—by doing the dishes. Bliss, Mira’s blonde godmother, who dressed like a combination of Glinda the Good Witch and a connoisseur of Lolita fashion, was tapping her glass wand against her fingernails, giving herself a magical manicure.

Mira was standing in front of the table, arms crossed. Her mouth opened and one hand went up like,
You’ve got to be kidding me
, when Elsa, her brunette, jeans-wearing godmother, said, “And leave the door open.”

“With Viv here? What do you think is going to happen?”

“We won’t have an orgy,” Viv said. “Scout’s honor. I don’t like Freddie like that.”

Freddie dropped the plate he was washing. Soapsuds splattered his shirt. “Viv!”

“Well, I don’t.”

“Don’t break my plates, Frederick,” Bliss warned.

It was so easy to mess with Freddie.

Mira turned, a half smile breaking through her exasperated expression. “Fine, we’ll leave the door open. But I wish you’d trust me.”

“You’re not the one I don’t trust,” Elsa said.

“It’s that Freddie Knight,” Viv said. “He’s such a degenerate.”

“I am not a—” Freddie started, before he realized no one was taking Viv seriously. He was a Sleeping Beauty prince, and Mira was a Sleeping Beauty princess. And although he’d already broken her curse, and awakened her from an enchanted sleep,
and
Mira was dating Blue, not him, he still behaved as though his honor were somehow in doubt. There were some pretty perverse Sleeping Beauty stories, and he didn’t want Mira’s godmothers to think he was one of
those
princes.

Viv asked about food and Mira found some leftover pizza in the fridge. “Sorry. We’re still getting settled so there’s not a lot here. Do you want me to order something? We have some takeout menus”—Mira turned to look behind her—“somewhere.…”

“No, this is fine. Thanks.”

“Everything’s been crazy since my curse was broken. First packing for the move, and then—I finally met my parents.” Mira smiled. “Well, for the first time since my christening party. We went on vacation together.”

“Was it fun?”

“It was. But also overwhelming. They wanted to make up for sixteen lost years in two weeks, which is kind of …”