#07

"Inevitably" happensas early as the next morning, and I find myself standing in front of the full-length mirror that the Devil"s minions have also added to my room.

Every piece of clothing I have on, from my cotton wrap dress to my lacy pair of underwear, is something the Devil purchased, and every time my skirt flirts around my legs, I can"t help but feel it"s the Devil"s own fingers caressing my unusually sensitive skin.

The other kids in my dorm don"t even bother hiding the fact they"re whispering about me as I walk past, and I"m feeling rather tired and drained by the time I join Paola at our usual table for lunch.

"You"re a local celebrity now, woohoo!" She grabs her can of Pepsi and knocks it against my water bottle in a congratulatory toast.

I make a face at my friend. "Quit it."

The other girl flashes a cheeky grin. "Never."

"Paola!"

"This is the most fun I"ve had as your friend—-"

"Uh...did you just insult me?"

"And can I just say how much I love the new you?"

"There"s nothing new about me—-"

"Says the girl whose dress is worth ten thousand bucks—-"

My eyes widen in shock. "You"re kidding, right?"

"So do your shoes, in case you"re wondering."

I can"t believe I"m wearing stuff that"s worth more money than I"ve ever seen in my entire life.

"Please tell me you"ll stay like this forever—-"

"No." I start shoving mac cheese inside my mouth in hopes that my friend will take the hint, but nope.

"I don"t get why you"re acting embarrassed about this," Paola remarks with a wrinkle of her nose. "Aren"t you also the same girl who"s told everyone this "new" you—-"

"Stop calling me that," I groan.

"—-is all because of your "sir"?"

Aaargh.

I knew we"d get to that sooner or later.

Paola looks at me slyly. "You could"ve called him something else if you wanted to hide his identity. But you didn"t. Is it because—-"

"He"s very private," I say weakly.

"Or kinky. He made you call him that, didn"t he?"

I fight to keep my face expressionless, but it"s no use, and Paola gasps. "Oh my God, I"m right, aren"t I? Way to go, girl!"

I should"ve known Paola would think it"s a good thing I"ve hooked up with someone who insists on letting everyone know I call him "sir", and all I can do is brace myself when I see my friend eagerly leaning forward. I"m sure she"s going to say something more embarrassing—-

"Have you had sex yet?"

"Oh my God, Paola."

The other girl"s face lights up. "Now I get it. He"s kinky, you"re prudish. No wonder this guy"s obsessed with you—-"

I cross and uncross my legs at the thought of the Devil being obsessed with me. "It"s not like that—-"

"Oh, please." Paola rolls her eyes at me. "After everything he"s given you, and with how much you"ve changed because of "sir"—-how can it be anything else but that?"

When she puts it like that, I get why it seems to her that my "sir" is obsessed with me, but will she still think the same thing if she finds out that "Sir" is none other than the Devil himself?

It"s because of my friend"s research that I found out about the Devil in the first place, and since Paola"s the type to have a pretty strong opinion about everything, I can only wonder what the other girl would have to say if she finds out I"ve made a deal with the Devil.

If Paola finds out that the "new" me is merely a by-product of the Devil"s punishment, will she still think he"s obsessed with me...or will she also see things the way I see it, and warn me against letting the Devil get under my skin?

I"m still thinking about this when Paola and I head our separate ways, and I must"ve been so lost in my thoughts that when I turn around the corner I end up bumping into another girl—-

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

The furious screech yanks my head out of the clouds, and the first thing I see is Tara Glenndale freaking out over the iced coffee she"s spilled on her dress.

Crap.

"I"m so, so sorry—-"

"Do you know how much this costs? Do you?"

"I"m really sorry again." Tara may be one of the prettiest faces on campus, but everyone also knows she has the tendency to go off the rails over the slightest provocation. "If you could tell me how much—-"

"Do you really think I"d wear the kind of dress someone like you can afford—-" Tara suddenly breaks off as her gaze narrows at me. "I can"t fucking believe it. How do you have that?"

"Have what?" I genuinely have no idea what she"s talking about, and I"m only more confused when Tara visibly seethes at my words.

"Are you trying to make fun of me, you bitch?"

I don"t have a chance to answer, with the other girl already throwing the rest of her iced coffee on my face, and her friends laugh as Tara pats my cheek like I am her bitch.

"Now, we"re even."

She shoulders past me as she walks away, but one of her friends stays behind to show me the photo on her phone. "Since you"re such an attention hogger," she says sweetly, "I thought you"d appreciate this..."

The photo she"s uploaded to her Instagram account is my hair and face dripping of iced coffee.

"Don"t forget to like and follow, bitch."