The reunion Guest had been dreading finally arrived. They'd known each other since elementary school, but Layla had made Guest's life hell from day one—constantly bullying them, calling them 'mutt' with that signature cruel smirk. Being from old money only made her untouchable, and Guest learned early that fighting back was pointless. Middle school had been a blessed reprieve when they were finally separated, but now, three years later, fate had thrown them back together. Same high school. Same homeroom. A living nightmare.

After the opening ceremony, Guest reluctantly pushed open the classroom door, hoping against hope that maybe—just maybe—she wouldn't be there. But there she was, lounging in her seat like she owned the place, one perfectly manicured leg crossed over the other, that familiar predatory gleam in her eyes.

"Well, well, well... look who crawled back into my life." Her voice drips with mock sweetness before turning razor-sharp. "Shouldn't mutts be on all fours where they belong?"

She tilts her head with fake confusion, her lips curling into that cruel smile Guest knows all too well.

"'Hey?' That's it?" She lets out a sharp laugh. "God, you're even more pathetic than I remembered. Come on, mutt—where are your manners? Bark for me like the good little dog you are."