Chapter 14 - Revolution
Tris' Point of View
I walk in class like a zombie- looking like one too if we're being real here.
Last night, Uriah and Marlene stayed in our room for most of the night and even crashed there. Christina came back at about ten and stayed up with us to play video games too. It was a very entertaining night, of course now I regret it. Last night was like the alcohol and today is the hangover.
I slide into my seat, with my hand placed on my throbbing head. Since none of my friends are in this class, I sit next to a girl named Amy Castor. I throw her a small smile and she nods at me, the corners of her mouth curving up.
"Hey," I say.
"Hello…" She replies quietly, adjusting her thin framed glasses up her long nose. Most people don't notice her because of her plain facial features; most people would even consider her ugly with her thin but rough muddy hair and unappealing eyes. But she is one of the smartest people I know and honestly, I don't know how she is able to juggle all her studies, considering she's in multiple advanced classes.
Unfortunately, Kayley is in this class, and has a lot of friends here too. Right on cue, she glides into the room with her followers trailing behind her like sheep. She side glances at me, as she takes a seat right in front of me, her golden curls, flipping backwards as she lands on the chair gracefully. The others gather around her and start asking questions like 'where did you get that watch from' or 'did you go to that party' and it makes my head throb even more.
They all shower their queen with praises and questions until she silences them with one finger.
"Amy." One word from her is able to make Amy cringe and I can tell that she is frightened. Kayley's heart-shaped lips forms into a smirk. She must love the fear that she can inflict on someone with just one word.
"How's your mother?" Some people around her snicker and I feel confused.
Amy purses her lips and goes still. "Fine," she replies, her voice strained.
"And how's her special friend?" This earns more laughter form the group and Amy goes pale. I turn around on my seat to face Amy trying to make eye contact, but her eyes stays glued onto the table in front of her.
Kayley then turns to me, her cold icy eyes boring into mines. "Hi, Tris," she says simply, her voice sweet as sugar. I don't reply though. I don't have to because that's when our History teacher starts strolling in.
"Back to your seats, class." She slams her bag on her table and dives into the lesson straight away, not wanting to waste anymore time.
"How was Hsitory?" Tobias asks, as we walk side by side to the dining hall. I am thankful that we're talking again. He seems to be his normal self; his expressions are less guarded and hidden.
"Fine," I reply. "Although, Kayley was there…" His eyes flicker to mine and I feel that thing again. That tingling feeling, every time he looks at me. I learn to ignore it now, dismissing what it could be. It's hard, though.
"Did she try to hurt you?" I know he's trying to hide his concern, but I can tell that he's ready to destroy mountains and break through brick walls to keep me safe by the way his muscles contracts.
"No-no, nothing like that," I say hastily. "Do you know Amy Castor?"
"Not personally."
"Well… Kayley took a shot at her, for some reason. Something about her mother."
Tobias breathes out heavily. "That sounds like Kayley."
"Do you know what that was?"
He doesn't say anything. "Tobias?" He sighs, his eyes dropping to the floor. "Her mom got caught having an affair."
"Oh." My eye goes to the floor too, feeling ashamed, feeling like I had just invaded Amy's privacy. Which I probably had.
"There's more," he says. I look up to him but he doesn't make eye contact. "Her mother had an affair with another woman."
My jaws drop. "How does Kayley know about it?"
"Her dad is a therapist and apparently, Amy's parents are having couple's therapy." He looks back at me. "Put the pieces together."
I shake my head. "That's bullshit. Therapists aren't allowed to reveal that kind of information."
"It's the talk of town," he states.
I furrow my eyebrows. "Why can't people stand up for themselves? Stand up to Kayley?"
His eyes go soft and so does his tone. "You know what she's capable of. People have a lot of secrets; Kayley has a way of knowing them." He pauses. "And a way of projecting them in unspeakable ways."
We finally reach our table and the gang is already there, chatting to each other.
"I can't believe I missed game night," Will groans, slumping on his seat.
"Aw baby… I'm sorry." Christina pecks him on the lips and a smile creeps onto his face. "You just seemed so tired and you have a test today. Maybe next time…" Will leans in for another kiss, but this time, it's longer. And grosser.
"Do it in the bathroom or something," Uriah complains, scrunching up his face. Marlene nods, dropping her burger and brushing her ringlets aside, showing the disgust on her face.
"Agreed," I say, taking a seat along with Tobias. "People are eating," I emphasize.
They pull apart, with Will, flushed but Christina's eyes are wide with annoyance.
"Please," she starts, addressing Uriah and Marlene, "Like you don't PDA all over the place." Uriah shrugs like it's no big deal.
"And you guys," Her attention moves to me and Tobias, "You can literally cut the sexual tension with a knife." I roll my eyes and blush but Tobias' keeps his arms crossed, his tough demeanor never wavering.
"Figuratively," Will corrects. Christina ignores him and raises her eyebrows at me, trying to prove her point.
"Miss PDA is right," Marlene comments.
"Whatever, guys," I say, brushing it off. "I'm going to get some lunch." I stand up and turn to Tobias. "Want anything?"
He shakes his head. "Nah, I'm not hungry." I nod and walk to the front of the hall to where they are serving the food. I stop when I spot Amy coming towards me, her eyes nervously fleeting around the hall.
"Hey!" I approach her and she stops walking.
"Oh… Hi, Tris," she says hesitantly.
"Are you okay? You know…" I trail off, hinting of the incident back in History class. She swallows thickly and nods. "Yeah, I'm okay."
"Look, whatever that was, you shouldn't be too worried," She gives me a small nod. Amy seems to always be nervous- paranoid even. Like if she talks to the wrong person, someone might just jump out and punch her in the face. It's like she's limiting her responses so that there would be a lesser chance of her saying the wrong thing. She then proceeds down the path, squeezing through a few students, with her plate of spaghetti's. I sigh.
Suddenly, in the far corner of the hall, some drastic movements are taking place. Kayley and a bunch of people are gathered. Is there a fight? I ditch my plans of getting lunch and quickly make my way there.
"Please... Kay." I hear someone plead. It's Emma. I push through the crowd roughly, but no one seems to notice. They are all sucked in the drama that is displayed. I stop until I'm right in front. The scene in front of me is of Emma, looking even worse than the last time I saw her. She isn't crying though, she's just miserable. Most of her hair had turned brunette again and her blue eyes are a gloomy grey now. The contrast between Emma's and Kayley's appearance is huge.
"No, you're out of the group," Kayley states firmly, with her hands placed on her hips. Bethany and Caitlyn are behind her, with their arms crossed, and they seem to be unsure of what to do."
"Look, I'm sorry... Just please don't shut me out," Emma begs, looking like she's on a verge of a breakdown.
Kayley scoffs. "You're nothing to me." Those words are enough for Emma to start spiralling. She starts shaking, her shoulders trembling and her eyes are brimming with tears.
"Guys?" She searches for help in Bethany and Caitlyn. Kayley turns back and shoots them a venomous look that screams 'you'll be next if you don't make the right choice'.
They both shake their heads. "I'm sorry, Em," Bethany mutters, letting her face hide behind her thin hair. Caitlyn nods, her short chocolate curls, bouncing furiously.
"See? They pity you. Now go off and cry to your mother, and get some new clothes." Kayley turns around but then turns back again, like she has forgotten something. "An upper size, too. That," she points at Emma's body with her index finger and raises it up and down, "isn't gonna last forever."
Kayley laughs darkly. "Unless, you want to barf it all out like last time." Everyone starts muttering to each other and Emma's face turns more red than a tomato. Some people chuckle- people who are close to Kayley.
"Is that how she lost all that weight?" A person whispers behind me. Is that all everyone is taking from all this? It's disgusting really, how everyone is looking pass the serious issue here: Emma is sick and she needs help.
"You-you promised not to tell..." Emma mutters, her face stained with tears.
"Yeah, well promises are meant to be broken, just like you are."
By now, I've had enough.
"Shut the fuck up." Everyone's eyes land on me and they step back, leaving me to fight this beast.
Kayley steps forward, her eyes glinting dangerously like a knife. "Excuse me?"
"I'm sorry," I say my voice stronger. "You can't be that dim, but I just told you to shut up." Emma's eyes go wide, shocked that I am challenging Kayley's place. Everyone must be shocked too, because some gasp and now everyone in the hall is here, watching this soap opera.
"You can't tell me what to do," she says through gritted teeth.
"And what makes your opinions so important that you think everyone should actually give a damn about what comes out of your mouth?"
Before she says anything else, I cut in. "You look at everything like a game. But no one wants to play your stupid games anymore."
"Tread carefully, bitch. I own this place." She says slyly, narrowing her eyes at me. I feel strong hands on my waist, pulling me back and I recognize the strong build behind me right away.
"Let's go, Tris," Tobias coaxes., trying to 'save' me from the situation. But I don't budge. Instead, I shake his hands off and take a step forward.
"You may be a leader now, here in the school. But what happens after this?" Her lips are screwed shut, and she's glaring at me. "In the real world, people won't have time for your shit. Your popularity doesn't reach any farther than this school. Eventually all your minions," I pause to look at Bethany and Caitlyn and their eyes fleet up to me hesitantly, "will leave you."
"They need me," Kayley replies evenly.
I scoff and address to them. "Are you going to let her step all over you?" I ask. Bethany doesn't say anything but Caitlyn clears her throat and says, "She's not."
Kayley smirks, victoriously. "People who are worthy enough, are my friends."
"You're not their friend," I spit. "You look at them like they're nothing but objects for you to use... Then re-use until they're obsolete."
Kayley clenches her skirt, her knuckles growing white. "You're wrong!" She yells, her temper getting to her. "I made them who they are."
"Right... Right," I confirm dismissively. "They're your little followers. You all are!" I gesture to the crowd. They all look at me blankly and I'm unsure on what's going on through their heads. "If you aren't, then why didn't you guys stop this? She's controlling you without you even realizing it. Using fear and threats, forcing you to become someone you're not." Some look down guiltily and I turn back to Kayley who is rolling her eyes.
"But what is a leader without any followers? Because it seems to me that the question isn't about whether we will exist without you but whether you will exist without us."
The crowd goes silent and Kayley's mouth twitches, her confidence wavering. "I-"
"You don't have to answer to her!" I shout to the crowd, stepping back so that everyone can see me. "You can't let her use you." Suddenly, I feel someone taking a step beside me. It's Christina.
"She's right, it's time we take a stand." In a matter of moments, I am joined by a few people on my side. All of Kayley's victims stand behind me and all of Kayley's followers, behind her.
"You losers are pathetic," Kayley spits. Then a tall guy with dark skin steps up from my side. "What gives you the right to talk to us like that?"
Kayley looks at me her expression full of rage. "Wow, you've really stirred things up little girl," she says darkly. "You'be been in this school for not more than two weeks, and you've already fucked everything up?"
"You all are going to regret this!" She screams. With one final piercing glare at me, she struts off out of the hall with Bethany and Caityn trailing her heels. Emma is left standing alone in the middle of the two sides. The 'popular' group leave too, some of them stop to shout profanity and Emma and a boy, I recognize- Peter Hayes swipes Emma's legs and she falls to the ground with a thud.
"Bitch." He starts laughing with his mates and Emma stays down on the floor clutching her stomach. I quickly approach her and Marlene, Christina and I help her up. I grab one of her arms and hoist her up.
"Get her in our room," I suggest.
"I want Four," Emma says, weaky, her voice croaky. I bite my tongue to stop me from looking annoyed. We're helping her and all she can say is that she wants Four to carry her?
Christina shoots me a glance and I know that she's thinking the same thing. "Four!" I call him, but he doesn't turn around. He probably isn't used to me calling him that. I call him again and this time, he turns around and runs to me. "Can you help carry Emma to my room? I'll be there soon." He nods but looks hesitant and I walk back to the group that was formed behind me earlier on.
Amy is in the group too and she looks at me appreciatively. "Thanks for sticking up for us," one of them speaks up. They all gather around me like I'm some savior and suddenly, I feel nervous.
"Yeah... It's fine," I say modestly.
"We needed that," another says. "We needed someone like you to stand up to Kayley."
I shake my head. "You guys can stand up to her yourselves. You just need to be brave." They all nod and I say my goodbyes.
"Good luck, guys..." I run off, but not before I catch what one of the guys say next.
"That was hot."
CREDITS:
This chapter belongs to BlankSpaceBabe. Check her out, she has a new story up if you haven't looked all ready! Divergent belongs to Veronica Roth.