The Harder They Fall by Shauntel Anette

Author:Shauntel Anette [Shauntel Anette]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-11-02T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Natalie

WE INTEGRATED WITH THE mass of students gathered around a defaming video. The group was too close, making it arduous to breathe because of the intense heat. My heart broke as the disturbing scene unfolded—Boris delivering one fatal blow after another, straight to Chance’s head. I crossed my arms, a lump forming in my throat. I blamed the moisture in my eyes on my inability to blink. But this wasn’t about me or my thoughts on the video.

I stood with Sascha, self-conscious as people gave us strange looks. It was as if we’d interrupted the peaceful gathering of onlookers with our arrival. In the crowd, some people were laughing and whispering to each other, enjoying Chance being put in his place. The school’s contempt for Chance had crossed the line. Interwoven with the laughter were discussions concerning Boris’ downfall and the end of his reign. The tension rose steadily as the rumors spread through the students like a raging wildfire. Luckily, my name wasn’t being bandied about in the gossip, but it was still difficult to witness an indirect threat to Boris, with no control over the situation.

He needed us.

Sascha and I mirrored each other as we backed away from the group of students, our postures defensive.

“We can’t let them tear Boris down like this,” Sascha whispered, and I agreed. Whatever she had up her sleeve, I’d do it without question.

“What’re you thinking?”

“Nothing happened,” Sascha said with a definitive nod to convince herself of a lie. “Our job is simple. We show our loyalty and convince whoever questions Boris’ character that he was defending himself.”

“Okay, which is it? Nothing happened, or self-defense?”

Sascha’s face shriveled. “Self-defense,” she gritted her teeth.

“I’m down with that,” I said with a pensive expression. “Wherever we start, it needs to pack a punch. We need to rally others before public opinion turns against us.”

The pressure to win prom court was so intense that it paralleled a presidential campaign. The stakes were high, and it wasn’t just about the crowns we’d receive in the end. A man’s soul was on the line. His legacy.

“Madison,” Sascha jabbed the air with a sharp pointer finger, “she’s the next captain. She’ll inherit a wide network of friends, fake or not. If we had her backing, she’d help shape the narrative in our favor now, and long after we’re gone.”

Without waiting for Sascha to finish speaking, I marched toward the girls’ locker room. I let Sascha take the lead with Madison once we were inside. I couldn’t recall ever speaking to Madison, let alone asking her for a favor.

Sascha explained they took the footage out of context. The determined squint in Sascha’s eyes made them sparkle. She was in her element.

“They didn’t film until Boris lost control and completely skipped the part where Chance followed Boris and picked a fight with him. You know Boris,”

Madison nodded.

“So, you know that the video was a setup? Someone is going after his crown, and they’re doing whatever they have to do to get it.

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