Compared with the usual bustle of Winslow, Taylor feels tempted to call the school's hallways silent, these last few days. While contrary to popular belief, most of the students are not part of any gang, those who are cause enough friction to make the whole school appear tense.
The students huddle together in their small groups, trying not to drawn attention from the rampant thugs. Taylor would know, she's been doing the exact same thing (well... minus the group thing) since the beginning of her first year, and the difference in everyone's behavior is evident. The gangs, ABB and E88 in particular, have apparently moved to flex their muscles on the school grounds, in addition to the small war currently waged on the city's streets. It's nothing new, to be sure. The delinquents have always been here - only they were hiding in the various nooks and crannies the staff don't usually visit.
Now? They're proudly displaying their colors everywhere in the building. The teachers aren't even trying to do anything about it any more, not after one of them got beaten up for pointing out that school is no place for "Whatever is it they're doing." The culprits got expelled, curiously enough. The girl only expected them to be suspended, but maybe her view on these things has became skewed, after her own crieshave gone unheard for so long.
She wonders what would happen if it were her bullies who beat a teacher up. Would they be expelled, as well? For some reason, she has trouble imagining it. What a slap to the face would that be for her, too. A year of taking shit from half the girls in her year, just for theTrio to be expelled for messing with someone else? Without the school ever acknowledging her own suffering?
...she can see that happening.
Speaking of the Trio... she wonders why Sophia's been absent for the last few days. Ever since the whole Natalie mess started with the girl's death hitting the news, in fact. Without her around, Emma's been much less aggressive with her bullying. She never noticed it before, likely because Sophia had never been away for so long, but her traitor of a friend seems nowhere near as confident with the gangs up and about.
How ironic is it that she has thugs to thank for her relatively peaceful week?
Peaceful enough for her to feel courageous today. She's taken her chance to eat in the lunch hall, for what has to be the first time in a year. And so far, no one is bothering her. Sure she's sitting alone, choosing a seat neighboring the table of five Asian youths in reds and greens will do that, but Taylor doesn't mind. She prefers her solitude. The ABB upperclassmen sitting close-by have elected to ignore her once they realized that it's just "the bullied kid". She's not worth their effort. She's no-one. And it suits the girl just fine.
"What are you doing here?" A voice Taylor has come to despise sounds from her side when she's halfway through her meal.
The teen sets her apple down, and turns her head to see Madison, along with two other girls whose names she doesn't think she's ever heard. it's easy enough to recognize their faces though, they used to hang out with Natalie.
There is something to be said about making others feel misery so that you don't feel your own quite so acutely. If they have it in them to feel bad about their friend dying, that is. Taylor can't be sure if they do. They've sure never shown any degree of decency towards her, after all.
They're part of the second circle, so to speak, hanging on to someone above them in Winslow's social structure to boost their own standing. Well, Madison at least is from the second circle. The other two are technically from the third.
All three share one common trait, though. They're unapologetic bitches on every beck and call of those they latch onto.
Taylor doesn't answer the question, naturally. Doing that just fuels their drive most of the time. She will have to endure, as always. She warily eyes the soda can on Madison's tray, hoping she'll decide that getting another is too much of a hassle to pour it on her victim.
"I asked you something." Taylor starts in surprise. She wants an answer? That's a new one. Their questions are rhetorical at best, simply stupid, most of the time, but they never actually care if she speaks up or not. It's just a way of starting trouble. Can it be that the little hanger-on is thrown off by her appearance here after so long?
Well fuck her, she's not saying a thing.
Madison taps her fingers against her leg, then grabs a bottle of water off one of the others' tray (because of course). Small mercies, she'll dry up within an hour and that will be-
She will later remember the moment an orange suddenly enters her field of vision, to hit her bully in the back of her head as downright majestic. Not because it knocks her tormentor off-balance, no. It's because of the bottle that the girl loses her grip on while flailing her arms, said bottle then arcing through the air and spilling its contents to finally hit one of the Asian delinquents nearby, soaking him and his meal.
The lunchroom does not suddenly go silent. Nor does it fill with palpable tension, and it most certainly does not grow still. There are more tables around occupied by gang members, more important people in the room than Madison and her company, certainly more important than Taylor. It's only their little bubble of the world that even takes notice of the incident, and yet Taylor feels as if her heart is about to still. She freezes up, her bullies too actually, when they realize what's happened.
The soaked boy sharply turns to them, a promise of violence flashing in his eyes.
"Who the fuck?" He doesn't have to finish the sentence to get his meaning across, and Taylor has no trouble pointing fingers.
She'd probably find the eep coming from Madison hilarious, were she not preoccupied with praying that the situation doesn't blow up in her face, as they are wont to do.
The delinquent's eyes narrow, and him standing up is all it takes for the three girls to bolt, one of them still somehow managing to carry her tray. His gaze falls upon Taylor once more and she draws in on herself, still unable to as much as look away. It's bad enough having the trio and their buddies hunt her. If a local gang takes offense to her, too, then she may as well quit school.
"Get the hell out," he all but barks at her and Taylor is all too happy to hurriedly comply with his order. She grabs what's left of her lunch with the intent of finishing it in one of her- wait.
Where did her apple go?