Chapter Ten, Calm

It's been an amazing morning. After a much needed sleep in, morning sex and a shower that lasted just over an hour, the time has come. As much as I want to stay, I have to head back to Blackwell and Joyce needs to get to the diner. I'm surprised that Joyce took the morning off. Isn't Sunday morning the busiest time for a diner?

"Maxine. You didn't have to do that." Joyce startles me a little and I notice she is wearing her work outfit. She looks ready to seize the day which is no surprise after two and a half cups of coffee. I should have heard her coming down the stairs but I guess I was preoccupied doing the dishes. Joyce cooked an amazing breakfast for the two of us so it's logical that I tidy up right?

"Well you cooked so I should do the dishes. My way of thanking you for breakfast. It was delicious." I put the last coffee mug away and give Joyce a little kiss. She puts her hands on my backside. I love it when she squeezes my butt even though there isn't much to grasp onto.

"It was tasty wasn't it?" Joyce gazes down at me, assessing me with those devil eyes. "The food was pretty good to." I can't believe she just said that, no matter how true it is. We both enjoy a good laugh regardless of how much I am blushing.

We both step out into the light of day. The sky possesses no evidence of last night's rain. A few clouds linger in the distance but otherwise the day is perfect. Joyce locks the door and takes my hand. We walk to my car and I place my messenger bag on the passenger seat with care knowing that my 'new/old' camera is inside. Joyce was so damn insistent that I still have it. "So… When will I see you again Joyce?"

"Soon Angel. I promise." She places a hand on my cheek. "Don't worry too much about going back to Blackwell. I believe in you and I know you can handle what ever comes next." She's speaks with an overwhelming passion. I love you Joyce. I'm not ready to say it and you aren't ready to hear it but I fucking love and worship you.

"Thank you, Joyce. I needed to hear that. And thank you for everything. You really are my hero." She leans down and gives me a big kiss. One that can hold me over until I see her again. I blush slightly since we are out in public. Shit, I wouldn't want Joyce's neighbours gossiping about this.

"Get in your car Maxine and get out of here before I lose control and take you back to bed. I have to go back to being a responsible business owner." Joyce's words make me giggle. It's cute when she gets all bossy.

I give Joyce one last kiss on cheek and get in my car.

Once my phone is synced with Bluetooth it picks a song at random and the sound of one of my Dad's guilty pleasure songs fills the car. I'm not the biggest Cheap Trick fan but The Flame is a classic.

There is no denying that as of right now, I am terrified. After what happened with Victoria yesterday there is no telling what I am about the walk into. Various nightmare scenarios run through my mind.

Victoria broke into my room and found my diary.

The words 'No vaccine for Maxine' are commonplace with every Blackwell student.

Victoria, Courtney and Taylor are lying in wait. Desperate to hurt me again.

Chloe found out what room I live in and spray painted a threat on my wall.

Whatever the situation, I can always go back to Joyce's if things get bad. I enjoy the temporary reprieve from all the shit that can go wrong today as I hum gently to whatever my phone decides to play.

I park in the same spot I was in yesterday and Friday. Blackwell doesn't have assigned parking but people with cars seem to pick a spot and stick to it.

It's Sunday so the campus is quiet. Outside the main building I see Warren and Brooke tinkering with a drone. Nerds will be nerds. Despite their drunken shenanigans on Friday night, it's nice to see two people so happy. I also notice a familiar face sitting under a tree. Daniel De Costa doesn't notice me since he seems engulfed in his task of sketching the happy couple before him.

Outside the girl's dormitory I notice nothing out of the ordinary. A few students are sitting on the benches chatting away and a tall Hispanic security guard is doing his rounds. Since I arrived back here, no one has been giving me weird looks or anything of the sort. Maybe everything is okay. A small smile tugs at my lips.

The girl's dorm is deserted. I can hear soft music coming from Dana's room but otherwise, all is quiet. I take a look at Victoria's room slate and roll my eyes. 'Be the change you wish to see in the world' is written in black. If she really believed that, this world will soon become one giant concentration camp and all who defy her or don't follow her trends would get sent to the 'shower room'.

I can't help but notice that her room slate is the only one with both red and black markers. Talk about entitled. All the other slates just have one or the other.

A rush of inspiration hits me. Before I can stop myself, I erase her generic bullshit message and start drawing something a little more suitable for someone like Victoria Chase.

I find myself nodding and smiling slightly at my handiwork. I drew a comical tampon with an angry face and added a few dashes of red on the top end making it distinctive as to what the red represents. Below my little drawing I used both coloured markers to write 'STUCK UP CUNT', an homage to a little joke I read in the comments on reddit a few weeks ago. I know it's a little crude and impulsive to do this but I couldn't care less.

Once I am in my room I don't feel the usual rush of safety and relief that I have become accustomed to.

Maybe my new safe place is wherever Joyce is.

Since I don't have any homework to worry about I decide to take on the herculean task of updating my journal. Once seated at my desk, I read the entry I made on Friday night before I met Joyce and can't believe how much my world has changed in such a short time. It will be nice to write something in there that isn't self pity.

After the better part of two hours, I finally close my journal and place it back in my desk. It normally doesn't take that long but given recent events, I felt like I had to detail everything.

I feel my senses suddenly sharpen in response to shouting emulating from outside my door. I get to my feet and can now hear two voices. One shouting whilst the other is speaking in a regular tone.

I open my door partially to see Victoria with a firm grip on Kate's cardigan. "You think you're a bad ass huh?!" Victoria pulls her helpless victim towards her room slate and shows her what is written on it. Oh shit. Why the hell would Victoria think Kate wrote that? Kate would never hurt a soul. Not even in writing. Victoria slaps Kate across the face with a similar force as Joyce did when she hit Nathan. "You wrote this! You erase it Jesus freak!" Victoria proceeds to grab Kate by the throat and starts using the right side of her face to erase the message I left. This is my fault. All I can hear now are Kate's pleas that she didn't write it and for Victoria to stop.

She awakens.

I feel the beast stirring inside me. Her desires to be fucked by my Goddess have been placed in hold and are replaced by the calling, no the mission to hurt Victoria Chase.

My blood boils with an uncontrollable hatred. The pain from Victoria's beating yesterday unexpectedly returns, as if to fuel and feed the beast. No one hurts Kate. No one hurts me. Not anymore. Those days are done.

Knowing that the element of surprise is all I have, I silently open my door. I am still unnoticed by neither Kate or Victoria.

Kate's face along with her pale complexion has been ruined by all the traces of black and red marker. It's smeared all over her face.

I stare at my target as she tightens her grip on the throat of Blackwell's most gentle student who only begs for mercy between sobs.

Okay Victoria. Time to mess up that pretty face.