The new semester had begun, and with it, the whispers never stopped wherever she walked. They were annoying, but not as much as when they first started. Besides, there were some perks that a bad reputation could offer.
"Oh… Heiley… I recently went on a trip to the neighboring city and… I brought you a souvenir." Even though she tried to hide her fear, her nervousness and constant pauses gave her away as she spoke.
"A gift?" Heiley asked, taking the finely decorated bag—it looked expensive.
The contents were full of sweets and chocolates; it didn't seem like a rushed gift that could be bought at any store. Ho ho, these treats came from one of the best shops in the market—deliciously expensive.
"I suppose I could consider this bribe for a few weeks," Heiley commented coldly, putting the bag into her backpack. She heard a relieved sigh before the person walked away, followed by hurried footsteps that soon disappeared down the hallway.
Heiley Starglen, sixteen and a half years old, always wearing a silver chain connecting her lip to her earlobe, an incomplete uniform, and a skirt that many prefects considered inappropriate for school, used to roam the halls and fall asleep in class. She could be considered a rebellious and troublesome student.
But is it really her fault? Maybe a small part, yes, but she simply cannot resist the temptation of biting into a cake once it's in front of her. It's not her fault that her classmates are so terrified of her that they would never report her to the teachers if she cheated on exams or if there was always someone willing to pass her the homework answers.
She just had to snap her fingers, and she would have pathetic, terrified servants ready to do whatever she ordered in exchange for avoiding any kind of harassment.
The best part was that she had never thrown a punch or resorted to violence; all of this was thanks to that bitch… But just thinking about her ruined her beautiful morning. Fortunately, it was Friday, and she could get a break from that disgusting face and annoying voice over the weekend.
She briefly thought about skipping class; after all, it wouldn't have been a problem: the school, the authorities, and the system were rotten. The only thing that mattered was money. It was no surprise that the entire elite class had graduated from this place—the prestige was just another transaction, and there was always a golden cushion if your grades were failing.
Even the bag of candy in her backpack proved her point: social status in the school hierarchy could be bought. But that wasn't her concern; after all, she was already at the top without spending a single coin. Good for her.
But going back to the topic of classes, she didn't want to miss this one. Music was her least hated class; she might even have called it beloved if the teacher weren't constantly drilling into her brain to keep up with the boring and bland pace of the lesson.
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The recorded chime of a bell echoed through the loudspeakers across the entire school. Classes had ended, and it was time to either join extracurricular activities or head home. Regardless of each student's schedule, the moment they were given permission to leave, their steps were long and hurried—they didn't want to be stuck with that monster who was always the last to leave.
For Heiley, her head hurt as if a thousand demons were pecking at it with their tridents. That bitch had been utterly unbearable today, spewing fake kindness, helping the whole class with patience and generosity, yet always wearing that annoying look of superiority whenever their eyes met. She just wanted to go home.
"Bitch," she called her, pinching her arm. "I want the calculus homework before 4; I have plans at 5." She tried to be as brief as possible. She hated talking to her.
"B…But that's impossible," a sweet, pained voice responded to that ridiculous demand, trying to free herself from the cruel grip. "It's 3:30 and there are several problems. Even if I start now, I won't be able to…"
"Damn it!" she was cut off. "Maybe if you complained less, you'd get faster." Heiley couldn't help frowning in irritation at Erin's fake excuses. "Ask for help from those bootlickers that always follow you, but I want the damn homework at 4."
"Don't call them that! They're not… Ugh." The pitiful voice rose for a moment but was replaced by a groan of pain.
"Stop messing with me and do what I told you, Erin. I'm not in the mood to deal with any more of your crap." Her voice sounded increasingly irritated as her fingers released the fragile arm to aggressively lift her by the vest until her feet barely brushed the floor.
The young girl kicked, trying to find her balance, but it was impossible—Heiley was several inches taller than her.
"STOP!" A third voice joined in, followed by several footsteps that betrayed hesitation.
Heiley spun around with an annoyed look; she already knew it was going to happen. She had fallen into a stupid trap again in less than three minutes and felt like an idiot.
"What do you want!?" Heiley snapped, not letting go of her hold on the shorter one, adopting a more intimidating stance in hopes that the girls would leave immediately.
But there was something—or rather someone—that challenged her complete authority. The very person who had placed her at the top of the pyramid was sitting beside her with a mocking smile. A twisted game, like two queens competing for power, except Heiley had surrendered from the very start of the match.
"W…We just want you to…leave Erin alone, please," pleaded one of the girls from the trio who had interrupted the harassment.
"Sure… If y…you want," murmured another black-haired girl, averting her gaze as if she wanted to downplay what her friend had said.
"But we b…beseech you, don't h…hurt Erin," added to the chorus of pleas a girl who nervously fiddled with her hands.
She couldn't even understand them with so many pauses; it was frustrating, especially with Erin's face trying to hide the occasional pitiful tears.
"STOP BABBLING LIKE DAMN BABIES AND SPEAK PROPERLY!" If they were trying to test her nonexistent patience, they were succeeding (though it wasn't very hard).
"We just want you to stop bothering Erin!" exclaimed one of the girls, summoning all her courage.
"Don't tell me what to do, you damn which" the heartless beast said bitterly, as she had been vulgarly nicknamed. "Don't you have better things to do? Or do you only know how to stick your noses where they're not wanted and talk shit?"
The three girls trembled; with each passing moment, their pride and determination shrank under her predatory gaze.
"Because if you think of staying here, maybe my fist will do the talking for me," she said darkly, tightening her grip on Erin's vest, listening to the threads stretch until they snapped, accompanied by the melody of falsely suppressed cries of pain.
But as they say, when that bitch is involved, any authority she tries to impose can be challenged—always defending the victim who hides a dagger in her back and pretends to be innocent. Whether out of morality or self-interest, the dark-haired girl of the trio left behind a bit of fear that had been gnawing at her.
"Erin," she spoke, trying to deny the elephant in the room.
"I… It's fine, please," the named girl said with a forced smile. "Be understanding with Heiley; she's just asking for help with her homework because she doesn't have time to do it herself." She tried to ease the tension by assuming the situation based on the little information she had. "Please, be understanding with her."
"Erin! She doesn't…" She tried to reason with the group leader, to explain that the beast was cruel and evil and didn't have to endure any kind of harassment from her, but in the end, her words were drowned out by the compassionate voice.
"Okay, calm down, I'm fine," she said, loosening her grip slightly to relax her posture, even if her vest was stretching further. "I don't mind helping her. I'll see you later, but for now, please leave. Heiley isn't at her best, and a little calm would help," she explained, looking the three girls in the eyes, sniffing a little so they wouldn't notice she'd been crying a few moments ago.
"You've heard that bitch. Step back now!" she threw out one last threat. Immediately, the girls hurried toward the exit, murmuring and full of doubt.
When they both heard the door close, they fell silent briefly, just the two of them in the room; both the teacher and the students had left. The only thing that could be heard was Erin's tired muscles straining as she stood on her toes to loosen Starglen's grip on her.
Unfortunately, the tranquility didn't last long. A shrill, unfiltered glee flowed from the mouth of the once fragile and defenseless being before she was pushed to the ground.
"You disgust me," Heiley commented, packing her belongings into her backpack, trying hard to ignore her classmate's presence.
"I can't help it, KJIJIJIJIJI." She didn't seem to even try to stop laughing. "Ha ha, did you see their faces? It's a shame I couldn't take pictures to frame, KJIJIJIJI, they're so silly!"
"Whatever you want to do with them, your relationship or your games… I don't care, leave me out of it." She put away the only notebook she brought to school, which instead of class notes had several immature scribbles on it. "I already told you what I need and when I want it."
"Why so serious?" Erin smirked from the floor. "You're the main star of my play. At least laugh a little, don't be so boring."
"I already told you not to involve me in your absurd games, I'm not interested."
"Impossible, you're the most fun doll I've ever had."
Heiley shuddered at being called such a degrading nickname by someone so unpleasant, it's disgusting and sickening.
"You should go get your head checked, you bitch, you need it," she suggested as a final comment, glancing at the school group leader, who had already stood up and was brushing off the dust.
"Even if I did, you wouldn't see the world the way I do." Her tone suggested she wasn't taking the situation seriously.
"Whatever bullshit that means, it has nothing to do with me." Heiley was tired, and all she wanted was to get home, but some footsteps playfully followed her.
She was about to leave the room when cold hands wrapped around her.
"Are you joking?" Erin slid under her arms. "You and I will be together forever. I'll be by your side to torment you until the last day of your life." Her vile smile showed no trace of the innocence she displayed to others. "Forever, always, for all… huh?"
Her words were cut off when her arm was grabbed again roughly, lifting her until she hung helplessly, with not a second to react. A sharp sound echoed, and neither of them could utter a word: Erin's cheek was red, a slight burn spreading across her skin. Meanwhile, "the heartless beast" tried to catch her breath, barely aware of what she had done, her palm tingling with numbness.
Although many believed otherwise, Heiley had never hit Erin. She had never gone beyond empty threats, continuous pinches, hair tugs, small gestures of anger meant to stop her, but never the raw, unrestrained force she had just used. Both knew this. Starglen had limits, and this image of someone unscrupulous was a mediocre fabrication.
"Erin…" Being the first to react, she took a step back, hesitating to approach. "Shit… I didn't mean to, I'm so sorry." There was no way to justify her actions; she felt embarrassed and regretful. "But you… I didn't expect you to come so close suddenly and…"
"Kjijijiji."
That sickly laugh, calmer than the previous one but just as unsettling, replaced the awkward atmosphere that had formed.
"You don't have to worry, kjijiji." Erin regained her composure and lifted her mischievous gaze as if she hadn't just been slapped. "This didn't even hurt," she said, pointing to the strike, downplaying its importance.
"Erin, it really was an accident." Heiley's worried expression remained; her cheek was slightly swollen, indicating it wasn't a gentle hit. "I swear, I didn't mean to."
"You don't have to apologize, after all, a beast that follows its impulses is nothing more than a beast" I muse, ignoring the bruise as if it were nothing more than a scratch "A beast is sincere, I greatly appreciate your sincerity" I remain silent for a moment before looking directly into the opposing eyes "I hope to see you tomorrow~"
With those last words, the youngest girl grabbed her backpack and left the classroom with a calm smile, not carrying any worries or annoyances, just humming a popular tune.
She really couldn't understand her.
She felt a lump in her throat as the door closed. Was it a threat? Would she finally tell the teachers? After all, now there was true evidence of an attack.
No, that bitch is just playing, she always says "Hope to see you tomorrow" before causing some shit that sinks her non-existent reputation further and increases the number of eyes judging her, like the time Erin destroyed her own books and forged her handwriting to make everything point that it was an act of jealousy from Heiley, or like the time she vandalized her locker until it was unusable or when she came back with several scratches on her arm.
There was no room for a third party using her name to provoke this childish bullying because Erin herself had confessed to it in a private moment. No matter how hard she tried to gather evidence or support, Erin would find a way to turn the situation in her favor and make herself look like the innocent, yet understandable, victim and herself the cruel, soulless villain.
As previously noted, Heiley Starglen was the main puppet in this school toy box, the other students just unpleasant and boring extras who danced through unnecessary scenes until they disappeared… Erin herself said.
All that's left to do is prepare mentally; tomorrow is going to be a shitty day.