(Rena's POV)
WHOOSH!
SPLAT!
Everyone in the cafeteria gasped, staring at the both of us in shock. Especially me.
I stood there in complete astonishment, just staring at what used to be my tray of lunch that was now all over my clothes.
"Hmph." Kim smirked evilly, crossing her arms and shifting her weight onto one leg. "What're you gonna do about it?"
I shook my wrists out once to get some of this stuff off of my hands, then slowly brought my gaze from the floor to Kim's dark brown eyes. "Nothing."
The entire crowd of Ranger School students gasped, staring at me in shock. They expected me to flip out, just like how I used to my first week here. Over time, I learned that trying to attack Kim did me more harm than good, so I decided to deal with her more passive aggressively.
Rhythimi, Isaac, and Keith were amongst the crowd of students making a circle around Kim and I. Keith's fan club and Kim's satellites were also present.
"What?!" Kim spat out her words, glaring at me. "Nothing? You're going to do NOTHING!?" Kim's voice rose in volume as she continued to get angrier.
Kim had pushed my lunch tray of food onto me, soaking my clothes in the soup and carton of juice that was previously on my tray. Despite being completely covered in food and pissed off on the inside, I kept my cool.
"Rena."
My Dad's voice suddenly forced itself into the back of my mind, commanding my complete attention as I began to have a flashback of a memory from the distant past.
"Let me give you a piece of advice. Who knows, you might use it in the future. When you face an enemy that's more powerful than you-"
"But Daddy, no one is more powerful than you! So you can just protect me!"
My eleven-year-old voice made me almost break my facade and smile a little.
"Haha... Sweetie. You're adorable, but I might not always be there to save you. You have to learn to stand up for yourself."
"Daddy...what do you mean?"
"Never mind that. Just listen to this. When an enemy is more powerful than you, there's only one thing you CAN do."
"What?"
"Outsmart them."
...
Thank you, Dad. Once again, you've saved me.
"That's right. You heard me." I stood my ground, not daring to move a single muscle. "I'm not going to do anything."
Since I didn't give Kim the reaction she expected and wanted, her face reddened with anger. "Why...you...!" She balled her hands into fists. "You're a worthless bitch, you know that!? Just get out of here already! Drop out!"
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes.
The crowd of students laughed at the sassy remark I threw in Kim's face, making her even more determined to humiliate me and regain her power over everyone.
"Ugh!" Kim let out an exasperated sigh. "Well... At least I don't have a creepy crush on Keith and follow him around everywhere!"
I just raised an eyebrow at this, and the whole crowd fell silent.
"What...?" I shot her the weirdest look ever. "I thought we were talking about me here, not you."
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"
Kim dropped her jaw all the way to the floor at that remark. She hesitated to respond, not really knowing what to say. "I... Uh... NO! I DON'T HAVE A CRUSH ON HIM OR FOLLOW HIM AROUND EVERYWHERE!" Kim threw her balled up fists down to her sides, shaking with anger.
I just looked at her dead on in the eyes "No, you just cling to him like a Slakoth and worship the shrine you made for him in your dorm room." I rolled my eyes, smirking a little.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Kim's face was an impossible shade of dark red. I'm pretty sure she was clenching her fists so tight that her nails were breaking the skin. "THAT'S IT! I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU! YOU ARE A STUPID, WORTHLESS, UNDESIRABLE, DISGUSTING HUMAN BEING-"
I held up my hand to stop her from talking, then pretended I couldn't hear her by pointing to my ears. "I'm sorry, but I can't actually hear you right now because I'm in my sound proof bitch bubble."
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Why...YOU!" Kim, completely enraged (like she wasn't before...) spun around on her heel to face her three satellites. "Bethany! Girls! Let's get out of here!"
And before I knew it, the four stuck up girls had fled the scene, and the crowd slowly dissipated.
"Rena! You were amazing!" Rhythimi ran over to me, about to tackle me into a hug. She then looked down at my clothes, cringing a little. "On second thought, maybe I won't hug you right this second..."
I couldn't help but laugh at that. "Yeah...probably a good idea."
Isaac and Keith caught up next. Isaac gave me a high five, congratulating me on my victory against the bitch. I also got Keith's approval, too. How do I know? Because he obnoxiously ruffled my hair, like a big brother would do a little sister. It was obvious he was proud of me.
"Come on." Rhythimi grabbed a part of my forest green cardigan that wasn't covered in gunk. "You should take a shower. I'll grab you a new uniform."
I just sighed, looking down at my uniform as we walked away from Isaac and Keith. "I'm starting to notice a trend here of me ruining uniforms..."
The two of us laughed really hard at my joke, making our way up the stairs. Despite having to deal with Kim yet again, we were completely content.
Although, a the time...
There was no way I could've known that this was only the calm before the storm.
"Kim is becoming more aggressive lately." I inhaled sharply, narrowing my eyes a little. "But, don't worry. I've got it covered."
"Alright... If you say so." Ice sighed deeply, and I could only guess that he was running his hand through his hair. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah." I nodded my head, continuing to hold my cell phone up to my ear. "I can handle her just fine."
"Well, you better. You don't exactly have much choice." Ice mused out loud. "You're gonna have to put up with her in order to complete the job."
"Well of course." I rolled my eyes. "Tell me something I don't know."
"Girafarigs only sleep two hours a day."
I just scrunched up my nose, raising an eyebrow. "What...?"
Ice stifled his laughter. "Well, you said to tell you something you didn't know..."
I just rolled my eyes. "Ice... That was a rhetorical question." I closed my sliding glass door behind me and stood out on my balcony.
"Haha, I know." Ice laughed. "I'm just messing with you, noob." I just groaned at him calling me 'noob' once again. "Anyways, thanks for checking in. Have you been preparing for the upcoming Outdoor Class?" Ice quickly changed the subject.
"Yes, I have." I rubbed my temples, trying to rid myself of my headache. "I've been hitting the books, preparing a list of questions to ask since you gave me the heads up last week." I placed my elbows on the balcony, resting them there. "Thanks for that, by the way."
"No problem." Ice quickly brushed it off. "You know I'll always be there to look out for you."
I just chuckled lightly, shaking my head. "How did you get to Pueltown so fast, anyways? Is the office close by or something?"
"Ah, now why are you suddenly asking about where I am?" Ice's smirk practically burned itself into the back of my mind. "Do you miss me that much, Rena?"
I just dropped my jaw in shock, stumbling over my words. "Wha...No! N-no! That's not what I meant, I..."
I was quickly cut off by Ice bursting into uncontrollable laughter. I narrowed my eyes and quietly growled to myself at his amusement. "I know what you meant, noob. Chill."
"Anyways, I..." I didn't even get to finish my sentence before a loud scream cut me off and echoed throughout the entire school campus.
"HEY! GIVE THAT BACK!"
What in the...? Wait.
My eyes widened in horror when it dawned on me exactly who that voice belonged to: Rhythimi.
"Ice, I have to go." I jerked open the glass sliding door and bolted back into my dorm room. "Something's come up."
"Go ahead and go." Ice was completely understanding, although there was a hint of disappointment in his voice. "Make sure to call me later! ...I get bored."
I just rolled my eyes as I ran out of my dorm, dashing down the hallways. "You act so childish for an adult, you know."
Ice just scoffed. "I do not! Whatever... Talk to you later."
Click!
I hung up the phone and shoved my cell into my back pocket, running towards the sound of the shouts. I ran down the stairs and through the hallways (getting pulled over and written up for detention by Mr. Kincaid, of course. Great...) and I soon found myself outside in the School Yard. I followed the sound of Rhythimi's shouts all the way down the stairs to Ascension Square, and I spotted both her and Isaac standing in front of the pier. Eevee and Mightyena were standing by Rhythimi's side. (So that's where Mightyena went...)
I pushed past Rhythimi and Isaac, standing about a foot in front of them. I spotted Kim and her mischievous Purrloin standing on the pier. Kim was holding something shiny in her hand, dangling it over the ocean.
"What the hell is going on here?" I spoke in a stern tone, standing my ground. I shot Kim my harshest glare.
"Give it back!" Rhythimi screamed at Kim, getting more angry by the second.
"How about...no." Kim sneered at her, making Rhythimi gulp and shrink back into her skin.
Rhythimi grabbed my hand, catching my attention. "Rena... She took my Mother's locket and won't give it back!"
Oh. So that's the problem?
Although I remained seemingly calm on the outside, I was completely furious on the inside. My insides were boiling with hatred and anger. I should have suspected that Kim would do something like this. She's pulling on the puppet strings, trying to figure out which one makes me do what. Since she couldn't get to me directly, she's trying something else.
Picking on Isaac and Rhythimi.
"Kim, can't you just give it back to her...?" Isaac pleaded, playing the 'nice guy' card. "I don't really think this is really necessary, and that locket is important to Rhythimi."
Kim just laughed at Isaac. "How about you go to hell, nerd." Her words were as sharp as a knife.
Isaac cringed at her insult, but remained calm. He then turned to me with an apologetic look. "I hate to ask you for this Rena, but...can you do something about this?"
Just as I was about to answer Isaac's request, someone else's voice cut me off.
"What's going on here?"
I turned around to find Keith walking up to the three of us. A quizzical look was written across his face.
"Nice timing, Prince Charming." I smirked at him, and he just stuck his tongue out at me briefly for the use of his pet name.
"Blue Eyes." Keith rolled his eyes, throwing his pet name for me right in my face.
"Oh, hi Keith!" Kim cleared her throat and adjusted her posture, then fixed her hair.
This girl tries way too hard.
"Kim?" Keith raised an eyebrow, looking over at her. "Why do you have Rhythimi's locket...?" Keith then put two and two together, noticing what was going on. "Hey now... Hand that over. It's not yours."
Kim just scoffed. "Why should I?" She flipped her hair, trying to look cute in front of Keith.
"Look, hag." I addressed Kim with a bitter tone and a serious glare. "If you don't give that back right now, you're going to make me do something I'm going to regret."
"Fine." Kim sighed in defeat. "If you want it, then go get it."
And with one flick of her wrist, she threw the locket into the ocean.
"NO!" Rhythimi lunged forward, only to be held back and restrained by Isaac.
No!
Without even thinking clearly or giving it a second thought, I bolted towards the pier and jumped off without a moments hesitation.
"RENA!"
SPLASH!
Keith's voice was quickly drowned out by the water that now surrounded me. The sun's light caught on something shiny, redirecting my attention to a small golden object slowly approaching the ocean floor. I picked up my pace and continued to swim further down into the deep blue ocean, holding my breath as long as I possibly could. The locket was just out of my reach, and I was starting to feel faint. My lungs were screaming for air, and I was feeling so dizzy. As soon as I grabbed Rhythimi's locket, I felt as if I was drained of all my energy.
Which was was up? Down? Left? Right? I... I can't tell...
Right as I was starting to panic, I saw a shadowy figure dart through the water and towards me.
My eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the gargantuan Sharpedo swimming right at me as I let whatever air I had left inside my lungs escape my lips. "Glub!"
The Sharpedo swam underneath me and quickly began carrying me to the surface. Before I knew it, I was breaking the surface and taking in a deep breath of air.
"GASP!" I quickly filled my lungs with the long-desired oxygen, emerging from the water while standing atop of the Sharpedo's head.
"RENA!" Keith ran over to the pier to greet me, pushing right past Kim and completely ignoring her.
"Keith...!" Kim gaped at him as he almost slammed right into her. If she hadn't stepped out of the way, she would've been knocked into the ocean.
Keith rudely yanked me off of the Sharpedo and wrapped his strong arms around my torso, pulling me back onto the pier. "What were you thinking?!" He snapped at me, shooting me a piercing glare. His voice rose in volume with each passing word, and a dark shadow was cast over his eyes. "Do you have any idea how worried we were?! You were down there for two whole minutes! I THOUGHT YOU DROWNED!" Keith angrily gripped my shoulders, vigorously shaking me. His eyes were absolutely terrifying as Keith's uncontrollable rage took over.
His nails were digging into my skin, making me wince from the pain. He dangerously held me in place, making me immediately get on my guard. My eyes widened in fear, seeing the dark side of Keith's bad temper for the very first time. His red eyes caught fire, glaring into my blue ones and all the way down to my blackened soul. I was actually afraid of how scary he was being right now, and it took all of my strength to resist punching him in the throat to let go of me.
"I... I'm sorry!" I quickly forced out an apology, squirming in Keith's grip. "I honestly don't know what came over me just now..." I stared down at the floor, having an internal battle with myself. Seriously, why the hell did I just do that for a stupid locket? I risked my life for Arceus' sake!
The fire that burned in Keith's eyes was immediately smothered by my saddened look. Keith let go of me and stared down at his hands in horror. "I...am so sorry, Rena..." Keith refused to look at me, just staring off to the side. "I lost my temper again..." He looked absolutely ashamed of himself, and he had no idea what to say. I could tell he was beating himself up on the inside for what he just did.
Despite how much that hurt, I couldn't blame him. I knew Keith had a temper from the start, but this is the first time he ever showed it around me. "Keith, I-"
"Uh, HELLO?" Kim waved her hand in front of my face, utterly crushing this serious moment between Keith and I. "What about me?!"
The seriousness of the situation shattered like a sheet of glass being dropped off of a building, and I turned to face Kim. I pressed my index finger to my lips, looking her up and down and repeating something she had once said to me before right back to her face. "Hmm... Your uniform. It just doesn't look...right." I turned to face the Sharpedo that saved my life, who was still bobbing his head above the water at the tip of the pier. "Thanks for saving me. Do you think you could help Kim here out with her attire? She just looks too...dry."
The Sharpedo smirked devilishly, and Kim's eyes widened in absolute horror. "Wait...NO!"
SPLASH!
"UGH!" Kim, completely drenched in sea water from head to toe, stood there in complete shock. She then turned and pointed a shaky finger at me, completely furious. "YOU! LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO ME!"
Still dripping wet myself, I just shrugged my shoulders. "Me? I did nothing. Sharpedo's the one who splashed water on your ugly face."
Kim stormed off and out of Ascension Square, mumbling something about fixing her runny makeup. We all just laughed as the beauty queen threw a temper tantrum and stormed off. Still shivering and soaking wet, I walked up to Rhythimi and Isaac.
I clutched my arms, then looked up at Rhythimi from the floor with an ashamed look stretched across my face. "I'm sorry I scared you guys like that... I... I really don't know what came over me." I spoke honestly, telling the truth.
"It's ok, Rena. Just don't scare me like that again!" Rhythimi enveloped me in a death hug, not even caring that she was getting soaking wet. "Your life is more important to me than a silly locket!"
My eyes widened as I wrapped my arms around her back and rested my chin on her shoulder. My life...was worth...more than a precious necklace that belonged to her Mother...?
I think that was the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.
I broke away from the hug, smirking a little. "Oh, well if that's the case... Then what should I do with this?" I held the locket in front of Rhythimi's face, letting it rock side to side in front of her grey eyes.
Rhythimi's mournful expression melted away and quickly turned into a delighted grin. "Oh my gosh! You actually got it!" She took the locket from my hand and embraced me once again in a tight hug. "Thank you so much, Rena!"
Isaac and Keith just smiled, watching this whole scene go down. They enjoyed seeing this touching moment between us.
I found myself at a loss for words all of a sudden. "Y-you... You're w-welcome."
Rhythimi let go of me, laughing at the look on my face. "Aww, look at you all flustered! There's no need to be shy!"
My jaw crashed to the floor. "Wha...WHAT?! I AM NOT SHY!"
The three of them all busted out into a fit of laughter at my outburst, enjoying my embarrassment and slightly reddened face. Despite being put on the spot like this, I was...happy that I was able to help Rhythimi.
Jheeze... I'm starting to lose my ever loving mind if I'm risking my life for these idiots.
(Rhythimi's POV)
I immediately froze at her question.
Rena repeated herself, probably not sure if I heard her the first time. "Why is that locket important to you, anyways?"
"Uh-umm..." I stammered, nervously playing with a few strands of my blonde hair.
You see, after coming back to our dorm rooms and changing into warm pajamas, Rena and I decided to hang out and stay up for another hour or so before going to bed. We were talking about the incedent that happened today down in Ascension Square, and that's when she asked me a question I wasn't entirely comfortable answering.
"Oh, sorry..." Rena immediately apologized, putting her hands up. "I didn't know it was a sensitive topic..."
"No, you're fine." I sighed, then took a seat on Rena's bed, sitting down right next to her. "It was my Mother's locket." I unhooked the golden clasp from around my neck, then opened the heart-shaped locket. I showed Rena the two pictures that were inside. "The first one is a picture of my Mother and Father on their wedding day, and the second is my little sister Stacey and I."
"You look so young in this picture..." Rena observed, staring at the picture of my ten-year-old self.
"That's probably because that's the last picture my Mother ever had of me and Stacey." I answered her statement with a somber look on my face. Rena's eyes snapped wide open. "She died in a car accident shortly after she had this picture fitted into her locket..."
"Oh..." Rena squirmed uncomfortably, not sure how to respond. "I'm so sorry for your loss... I didn't know."
Now that's a weird thing to say.
"You didn't know?" I raised an eyebrow at her, staring Rena right in the face. "I thought Keith would've told you, since you guys are so close..."
"Keith?" Rena shot me the weirdest look ever. "Why would he-What does Keith have to do with your Mom's death?"
I was completely shocked that he never told her. "Well, I told you that Keith and I knew each other since we were really little, right?" I asked her.
"Yeah." Rena nodded her head, answering my question.
"Well, I met Keith through our Mother's. They were work friends." I explained to her. "They worked together by raising money for charities. My Mother and Keith's Mother died in the same car crash..." I awkwardly scratched the back of my head. "I seriously thought he would have told you...but I guess not."
Rena wore the most shocked look on her face that I've ever seen her make. She was completely speechless, and it looked like she was thinking something over.
"I'm sorry, did I say something weird?" I sheepishly smiled at her, unsure of what to say.
Rena's eyes quickly darted from the floor and to my face. "Oh, not at all! I was just thinking something over..."
"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow at her, a little curious. "Like what?"
Rena glanced at me nervously, probably wondering if she should tell me what it was she was thinking. She then stood up from the bed and looked out the window. "I just found it odd that we both have similar keepsakes from our Mother's."
What...? "What's your keepsake, Rena?" I asked her.
Wait, if she has a keepsake of her Mother's, does that mean she...? No, she couldn't possibly be dead. Yeah, Rena probably just misses her Mother while she's here at Ranger School, so she has something of hers to make her feel better about being away from her. Yeah, I'm sure that's it.
"...a bracelet." Rena answered shyly.
Huh. Rena got very quiet and shy all of a sudden, two traits I've rarely seen her demonstrate. She then opened a drawer on her nightstand and pulled out a small wooden jewelry box and sat back down next to me.
Rena opened the lid and pulled out a beautiful silver bracelet that was decorated by strange little blue stones that glittered in the light. "This is my keepsake."
"It's beautiful." I smiled at her brightly, admiring the bracelet. "Why don't you wear it? I'm always wearing my Mother's locket."
"Oh... Uh, I..." Rena shyly tore her eyes away from me. "...jewelry was never really my thing."
"Oh, nonsense!" I laughed, waving her off. "Come on, put it on! It's your Mother's, so you should wear it with pride!"
Rena cautiously slipped it over her left wrist. "Huh... This is the first time I've actually worn it."
"And...?" I grinned at her. "How does it feel?"
Rena's momentary shyness melted away and was replaced by a gentle, warm smile. "Pretty...nice."
So I bet I'm seriously confusing you guys about Rena's past XD good! You're supposed to be confused!
Also, I'm being really mean to my wattpad readers, since I have more of them on that website AND because my friends all read this book on there XD so here's what I did. People started commenting who they shipped, and I noticed about 50% ship RenaxKeith and 50% ship RenaxIce. The thing is, I already have one of those ships set in my mind for this book, but I didn't tell them which one it was XD so, I created ship names for BOTH of those ships to throw them off so they'll be really surprised at the end. So RenaxKeith is now FabricationOfLiesShipping, and RenaxIce is ColdHeartedShipping. Funny thing is, if you look closely throughout the book at the dialogue and everyone's emotions, you can CLEARLY tell that the book only supports one of those ships.
Moral of the story, I'm being a tease to my wattpad readers and half of them are going to kill me by the time the book is over XD eheh...
Read, review, and enjoy the story before they kill me!