One classmate—a man—refused to participate. Finally, he stepped forward.
"That's enough! We're all classmates here. Is a few thousand dollars really worth burning every bridge? You'll never be able to face each other again."
But the others were beyond reason. A thousand dollars per slap. The fastest hands had already pocketed ten grand. No one was about to walk away from easy money like this.
"Noel James, what—you sleeping with Athena or something? Guess calling her a shameless slut wasn't far off the mark."
"You don't want the cash? Fine. But don't get in our way. I'm hitting a hundred grand—enough for a new car."
"I'm going for three hundred thousand. That's my down payment right there..."
The slaps kept coming. My eardrums screamed with each blow, a stabbing pain that felt like something had ruptured. The room spun violently. My legs buckled, and I collapsed to my knees.
Noel's warnings had fallen on deaf ears. Only when he pulled out his phone and threatened to call the police did they finally stop.
Fiona sauntered over and lifted my chin with the toe of her stiletto, admiring her handiwork—my battered, unrecognizable face.