A brutally honest, uncompromising story about a teen girl who decides to take matters into her own hands
Its senior year, and Hadley and her best friend, Magda, should be starting the year together. Instead, Magda is dead and Hadley is alone. Raped at a party the year before and humiliated, Magda was driven to take her own life and Hadley is forced to see her friends attackers in the classroom every day. Devastated, enraged and needing an outlet for her grief, Hadley decides to get a little justice of her own.
Donning a pink ski mask and fueled by anger, Hadley goes after each of the guys one by one, planning to strip them of their dignity and social status the way they did to Magda. As the legend of the pink-masked Vigilante begins to take on a life of its own, Hadleys revenge takes a turn for the dangerous. Could her need for vengeance lead her down a path she cant turn back from?
Vigilante
Kady Cross
KADY CROSS, publishing under various names, is a USA TODAY bestselling author of more than twenty books, including Harlequins Steampunk Chronicles and the Sisters of Blood and Spirit duology. She is lucky enough to have a husband who shares her love for the slightly twisted and all things geek. Visit her on the web at www.alterkate.com or on Twitter, @alterkates.
This book is dedicated to all the girls who have survived. You are strength incarnate, and I hope you continue to heal, grow and thrive.
Also, this book is for Amy Lukavics and Gena Showalter, my signing sisters. Love and miss you both so much! I will always treasure that drive from Houston to Austin where our friendship took root. The two of you are shining examples of light, beauty and strength, and Im honored to call you my friends.
And for Steve, because theyre all for you, babe.
Contents
Cover
Back Cover Text
Title Page
About the Author
Dedication
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
Copyright
CHAPTER 1
Before
Someone had written slut on Magdas locker again. I watched her try to scrape it off with the zipper of her makeup bag.
Last time shed cried, but there werent any tears in her dark eyes this time, and instead of being flushed, her cheeks were actually pale. They were getting to her, I realized. Wearing her down.
I pulled a Sharpie from my bag, walked up beside her and changed the u to an a and added an e at the end.
Slate? she asked.
Sure, I said, my mind frantically reaching for an explanation that might please her. As in clean.
Her face darkened. Im not the one who got a clean slate. They did. But she didnt go back to scraping.
I didnt know what to do. It seemed like I couldnt do anything right lately. I hadnt since the night my best friend was raped and images of it uploaded to the internet. Besides me, and Magdas family, no one really seemed to believe shed been raped at all. In fact, the boys who did it said shed wanted to have sex with all four of them, and the entire school believed them, even though Magda hadnt so much as gone out on a date with a guy before that night. It was easier to believe a teenage girl would want her first time to be with multiple partners than it was to believe four popular boys were capable of rape.
I looked at my friend; her expression was blank. The fact that Magda didnt look too upset was good, right? At least, I thought it was. Id never say anything to her, but Id been starting to get impatient with her. I knew what happened to her had been terriblebut they hadnt hurt her so badly that she hadnt healed properly. Shed survived what theyd done. No, it wasnt fair that they got to walk around free while people called her a slut, but when was she going to start defending herself? I kept waiting for her to get madmaybe punch somebody. Tell them off. But she didntshe just took what they said and tucked it away inside herself. She hardly smiled anymore, and I was so tired of it. I just wanted my friend backand I had no idea how to make that happen.
We walked home together, like we always did. It was a gorgeous spring daysunny and warm. A block from Magdas house, a car pulled up beside us. In it were three boys from the senior class.
Hey, Magda, one said, leaning out the passenger window. Were having a party this weekend. Want to come? We need entertainment.
Her face turned scarlet, but she didnt say anything. Why didnt she tell them off?
Fuck off, I said to them, putting myself between her and them. Just fuck off.
He grinned at me. You can come too, baby. No need to get jealous. Theres enough of us to go around.
I had a can of grape soda in my hand, and before I could think about it, Id dumped what was left over his stupid head. It ran down his surprised face in purple rivers, staining his white shirt. His friends stared at me, mouths hanging open.
You stupid bitch! he cried. He started to open his door, but I kicked it shut, and held it like that with the strength of my leg. I didnt know what I was going to do if the other two decided to get involved.
Cops! the one in the back shouted. I turned my head and saw the cruiser approaching. The car took off so fast I fell on my ass. Shit. It hurt.
By the time the police car pulled up, Magda had already helped me to my feet. I recognized the woman behind the wheel as Diane Davies. Shed worked Magdas case before it became a joke.
You girls okay? she asked, but she was looking at Magda.
Yeah, my friend said. Were fine, Detective Davies. Thanks.
The cop didnt look like she believed us. You want a lift home?
Magda shook her head.
Okay, then. Be careful. She didnt look happy about leaving us, but short of forcing Magda into the car, what could she do?
We watched her drive away before we started walking again.
You dont always have to defend me. Magda sounded pissed. They would have driven away. You didnt need to start a fight.
Yes, I did. Those pricks deserved it. You shouldnt have to keep paying for a stupid mistake.
Magda stopped suddenly, under the shade of a huge tree. What mistake?
I stared at her. Was she medicated? Going off with Drew Carson at that party.
Youve never gone off with a guy before?
She knew I had. You know what I mean. You just picked the wrong guy.
Was I supposed to know that? Her voice had gotten louder, and her eyes were wide as she looked at me. And I didnt pick him, he picked me, but that doesnt matter, because I thought he liked me. I never thought his friends would be waiting for us. I never wanted that, Hadley. And that wasnt my fault!
Calm down. Id never seen her like this before. I didnt mean it was your fault.
Yeah, you did. Just like everyone else in this shit-hole town. I havent heard anyone ask Drew, Brody, Jason or Adam why they raped me, but everyone has questions for me. Why did you wear that skirt? Why did you go with Drew? Why didnt you scream louder? What did you expect to happen? Heres a question for you, Hadwhy dont you just fuck off?
She ran away from me then, leaving me standing on the sidewalk like an asshole, staring after her in openmouthed shock. What the hell? I hadnt meant to upset her. I was on her side for crying out loud!
I continued walking home. I could have gone to her house, but I didnt want to fight, and she needed time to cool off. And so did I. After all Id done, all the times Id defended her, this was what I got in return? If she thought I appreciated being lumped in with the rest of the people who blamed her, she was stupid and wrong. Id believed her when no one else would.
Yes, it had been stupid of her to go off with Drew. Most of us knew he was a dog, but he and his friends had never done anything like that before. They were all from fairly decent families, and were good-looking. They didnt need to rape in order to get sex. But Magda wouldnt lie. Id seen her afterward, and I knew something horrible had happened. I wished I had been able to stop it.
My parents werent home when I got there. Mom was still at work, and Dad was away on business. I heard them fight once in a while. They didnt know I knew, but our house wasnt that big.
I did my homework and helped Mom with dinner when she came home. Then I walked over to Magdas to apologize and talk. Her older brother Gabriel answered the door. He smiled when he saw me, and my heart did this little flip in my chest. When had he gotten so hot? Those dark eyes of his and long dark hair killed memade me feel like I couldnt think straight.
Hi, Had. Mags is in her room. Shes been listening to some sad-bastard music. Maybe you can cheer her up.
I smiled, my insides still dancing around like lunatics. Ill try.
His gaze narrowed. Everything okay with you two?
We had a bit of a fight earlier. I said something stupid. I looked him in the eye. Sometimes I dont know the right thing to say to her.
He nodded, his expression somber. None of us do. Then he hugged me, and I let myself enjoy it a little longer than I should.
When I knocked on Magdas door, she didnt say anything. She probably couldnt hear me over the music. I turned the knob and pushed the door open. She was going to scream when she saw meshe scared so freaking easy.
She was on her bed. For a moment, I thought she was sleepingand then I saw the pill bottle, and I realized she wasnt breathing.
CHAPTER 2
Magda and I were supposed to go into senior year together, but on the first day of school, I was alone and Mags was dead.
I arrived ten minutes before the bell for homeroom. It was a nice day, warm and sunny, and there were kids all over the front lawn of Carter High School. A year ago, Magda and I had been among them, excited to be back, but dreading the daily grind.
I walked up the concrete path to the main doors and walked inside. The halls teemed with kidstall, short, fat, skinny, nervous or bored. There was every hair and skin color imaginable represented. I saw a girl with pink hair, a guy with a mohawk and a kid with a septum piercing clustered together, talking animatedly by a classroom. The three of them would probably get hassled at some point during that day. Would anyone stand up for them?
No one had stood up for Magda. No one but Magdas brother Gabriel and me. I hadnt always been the friend I should have been to her. I hadnt understood what she was going through. I had to live with thatand without my best friend.
There was a shadow box on the wall by the principals office that had photos of kids who had been killed during the school year. Theyd started it back in the eighties. There were a lot of pictures in it. Magdas wasnt there. They justified her exclusion by calling it a suicide. But Magdas life had been over months before she took those pills. Shed been murdered, and her killers had been allowed to walk free. Their names were even protected by the press because they were underage. We were all going to be under the same roof that day, the four of them and me. It seemed more ominous after a summer of missing Magda, like her absence had intensified the gravity of what theyd done.
I looked for them as I roamed the halls, but I didnt see them. They traveled as a pack, usually followed by sycophants and foolish girls who believed that cute boys couldnt possibly be monsters. I hoped none of those girls discovered how wrong they were.
Gabriel had graduated last year, and would be starting classes at a local college in a couple of days. I missed having him with me. After Magda died, the two of us had become each others supportit was the only way we could get through the day at school. We kept each other from falling apart, and when the charges against Magdas rapists were dropped, we raged and cried together.