Chapter 1: Erica Saves the Day!
A boy uneasily looked around as he stood by his locker, he could hear all students whispering among themselves, but he knew they were waiting for him to open his locker. He turned back to his locker and slowly opened it. Right before his eyes was a red card that had F4 and a skull on it. The boy froze where he was; this was what they were waiting for. When he looked over his shoulder multiple students were smiling maliciously. Fear radiated through his body as some of the students closed in on him. He knew that it was bound to happen sooner or later, but he didn't know what he did wrong.
"Look what we have here." One of the boys commented. "Little Barry has gotten a red card."
"What have you done to piss off the F4 Barry?" Another boy questioned.
The boy named Barry backed away slowly, but found that he was trapped against the lockers. He wasn't much of a fighter and they knew it. One of the boys punched him right in the stomach to make him fall to the floor, knocking the wind out of him. They then proceeded to kicking him not just in the stomach but in the face as well. Barry could taste the metallic blood entering his mouth. He gritted his teeth as he tried to endure each attack. All of a sudden, Barry leg swept one of the boys to make his way free. He quickly scrambled to his feet and started running. Most of the students chased after him while others watched.
"He's making his way to the roof!" A girl called out.
Barry knew damn good and well that if he didn't end this, they wouldn't stop. He continued his desperate dash towards the roof of the school. He could hear the other students behind him, but he didn't stop for a minute for fear of being caught and beat up more than he already is. When he reached the roof he went directly to the edge and stood near it. He heard footsteps come up behind him and murmurs from students below. He turned to see that they had acquired bats, rackets, and many other things that could inflict serious injuries.
"Looks like you have nowhere to run Barry." One boy hissed menacingly.
"You're dead." Another threatened.
Arceus… if there's an angel or even a god out there in the world… please help me. He thought in desperation.
Meanwhile, unknown to what was going on, a girl with short auburn hair pinned up into a small bun rode her bike home from school. Her name was Erica Mariland. She hummed to herself as she made her way down the street. This was her normal routine; wake up, go to school, go to work, go home and sleep. When she rode by the gates of Emina High, she slowed her bike to a stop.
Erica sighed, "It must be nice… being able to go to such a famous school." She thought.
She was about to pull away when she heard loud shouts coming from inside the school's grounds. She rode her bike inside moderately fast. When she arrived at the front of the school, she saw a group of students crowded around looking up toward the roof. She got off her bike then walked over to one of the girls who was looking up at the roof. Erica tapped on her shoulder and she looked bitterly at her.
"What's going on?" She asked.
"You have eyes don't you?" The girl answered rudely. "He's going to jump off of the roof."
Erica looked up. To her horror, there was a boy on top of the roof. She took off in a run, leaving her bike behind. When she got to the roof, she pushed her way through the crowd to the front. She got a closer view of the boy; he had multiple cuts and blood stains on his clothes. He turned around to look at the crowd, but he didn't look at Erica who was just watching.
"This is what you want right?!" He questioned angrily. "You want me to die?!"
"No!" Erica yelled.
He looked over at her, she was breathing heavily from running up multiple flights of stairs. However, she looked somewhat angelic. However, that didn't stop the fact that he had no way out of this bullying, out of this torture.
"Who are you?" Barry asked.
Erica looked at him, "What are you doing? Get down from there or you're gonna fall."
The students sniggered and Barry groaned. Why did this girl seem so angelic but so clueless at the same time? Couldn't she see that he was about to take his own life? Maybe this was his punishment. No one was going to save him this time.
"Just leave me alone." He answered as he turned back around.
"Wait what?" Erica asked in surprise.
He looked back at her; his eyes were filled with pain and anger. She just didn't get it did she? She had no idea why he was standing here on the roof in the first place.
"I'm going to die." He told her simply.
Erica raised an eyebrow, "Why would you want to die when you go to such an amazing school?" She inquired.
"This isn't a school." Barry replied instantly. "This is hell."
Erica frowned, "Hell?"
Barry glared at her, "Have you heard of the F4?"
"F-F what?" She asked.
"To get a red card from them makes you the target of all the students in the school. It starts off harmless, but it escalates to this." He described, motioning to the blood on his clothes.
Erica clenched her fists in anger, it was bullies that made her blood boil; she hated every one of them. She hated that they either make the rules so that people will follow them or they will be targeted too.
"Bullies are the worst!" She yelled. "They're just cowards! I want to beat up every last one of them!"
Barry laughed, "Your friends are lucky to have someone like you…" He muttered.
Erica looked up slowly. Suddenly, Barry took one step away from the edge of the rooftop. Erica instinctively ran forward.
"NO!" She screamed and grabbed his shoulders before he fell too far.
Multiple students took pictures of her and Barry. Somehow, the picture ended up on the internet, on the news and in magazines. Many concerned parents and guardians commented and shared their concerns. However the school was sponsored by the Emina Company, and headed by the most powerful family in Sinnoh. A young woman watched the news report of a girl saving a student's life, one that went to Emina Academy. She grimaced and bitterly turned off the television. Her dark eyes looked down at the magazine with the girl, now identified as Erica Mariland, standing in front of a local frozen yogurt shop. She couldn't help but feel threatened. Because of the incident, her company was getting bad press from everywhere.
"Riley." She called as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Yes ma'am?" A young man answered bowing slightly.
"I want you to find this Erica Mariland." She ordered. "Find out everything about her."
"Yes, ma'am." Riley replied and left.
The young woman turned around in her chair and looked out the window, she knew she had to silence the bad press before things got too out of hand, otherwise the company would be in danger of bankruptcy.
Meanwhile, Erica was relaxing at the frozen yogurt shop with her best friends Lauren and Misty who was browsing on her laptop. She couldn't get what Barry said out of her mind. She knew she hated bullies and the F4 was a group of them. She would never want to attend Emina High if her life depended on it. Sure, it's a school for those who have money, power and connections. Those were three things she didn't have.
"Geez… what a week…" Erica complained as she sat in one of the booths.
"All of this publicity is wearing you out huh?" Lauren asked her.
Erica leaned back, "Just because I saved a boy from committing suicide, I've become famous."
Lauren looked at her best friend worriedly. She was certain that Erica hated the publicity. Although, it was like her to do what she did. She would never let anyone suffer, no matter how low they are. Lauren cherished her friendship with Erica very much; she wouldn't know what she would do if she didn't have a friend like her.
"Hey Misty, can you look up the F4?" Lauren asked.
"Sure." She replied and typed away on her laptop.
She brought her laptop over to where Lauren and Erica were sitting, setting it in front of them.
"According to this, the F4 is made up of four boys from the richest and most powerful families in all of Sinnoh." Lauren read as she looked at the screen.
She then clicked on one of the pictures of the F4 bringing up more information. Erica looked at the screen, suddenly her expression changed dramatically.
"Ash Ketchum is the Don Juan of the F4." Lauren continued. "His family is connected to many important organizations and underground associations."
Erica rolled her eyes at this; of course there would be playboys in the F4. She looked back at the computer screen just as Lauren clicked on another photo and brought up a picture and a description.
"Damien Reynolds is the Casanova of the F4." She read. "He is well known for his artistic skills. He was the youngest artist to debut in the Lily Conference. His family also owns the largest museum in Sinnoh."
"What?!" Erica exclaimed. "His family owns that museum?"
"Apparently." Misty answered.
Lauren clicked on another photo and brought up its description. Erica looked at the boy for a minute. She didn't know why, but she felt he looked kinder than the others.
"Gary Oak is the grandson of the ex-president of the Pokémon research team. He is also musical genius. He is said to be the next heir to the research team."
"No kidding…" Erica muttered.
Finally, Lauren pulled up the last photo. The description seemed to describe this photo perfectly.
"Paul Hayden is the heir to the famous, well I should say infamous, Emina Group. He is the most popular and richest young man in all of Sinnoh." Lauren read. "He is also the leader of the F4, the most popular and feared clique in Emina Academy."
Erica sat back as Misty took the laptop away. She tilted her head back any slowly closed her eyes. Now she really didn't want to be involved with the F4; knowing how powerful they all were made her hate them even more. She stood and got out of the booth. She took off her apron and grabbed her things so she could go home.
"I'll see you guys later." She called out to her friends before she walked out the door.
She rode her bike home quickly, hoping to avoid the press. When she arrived at her house however, there were two men wearing black suits and earpieces standing outside the front door. She had no idea what was going on, but she didn't like the idea of strangers standing outside her house. When she walked inside, she found her parents sitting in the living room with another man in a suit, except, he looked nicer. She set her backpack down by the door and stayed by it.
"Erica sweetie come here!" Her mother waved happily. "This is Riley Aaron; he's here as a representative from the Emina Group."
Erica froze; there was a representative from the Emina Group in her house. She didn't know whether she should run upstairs or stay where she was. All she knew was that she was in huge trouble.
"You must be the famous Super Girl I've heard so much about." Riley explained to her.
"You heard huh?" Erica asked nervously.
"Everyone has heard honey." Her father mentioned. "You're practically a star."
Erica smiled uneasily, "I appreciate you coming here sir… but please… don't sue me or hurt my family in any way." She begged.
Riley chuckled, "That's not why I'm here."
"It's not?" Erica questioned.
"No." Riley answered. "The reason I'm here is to personally give you an exclusive scholarship to Emina Academy."
Erica's jaw dropped, "W-What?" she stuttered.
Erica's parents were grinning from ear to ear, they practically couldn't hold in their happiness. Erica thought the president would be angry from all the bad press the company was receiving, but this was unexpected. She didn't know why they would even give her a scholarship.
"Did you hear that sweetie? You get to attend Emina Academy!" Her mother explained.
Erica was frozen in shock. She had received a scholarship to a school she never wanted to attend. After the past week, she never thought her life could get any more hectic, but it just did.
"Isn't that great news?" Her father asked her.
"No! It isn't!" She replied angrily. "Mr. Aaron… I appreciate the offer… but-"
"Don't worry; she will be there first thing in the morning!" Her mother finished, cutting her off.
Erica glared at her mother, and then looked at her father who was looking at the Emina Academy uniform in awe. She sighed and hung her head, knowing that there was no way out now.
"I'll expect to see you there Ms. Mariland." Riley told her, bowing to her and her parents.
As soon as he left, Erica ran up to her room and shut the door. She laid face down on her bed and screamed into her pillow. She was in too deep now. Her parents practically are forcing her to go to a school she hates and she'll have to face the F4 and their many followers. She turned over and sighed as she looked at the ceiling. She didn't know what to do, she was out of options.
Erica sighed. "Why did I have to go and save that guy?"
Because no one else would.
"This has got to be the worst week of my life…" She muttered.
Little did she know, her life was about to get worse; much worse.