Chapter 04:
Summer had ended and a new school year started. I still remembered how much I hated school. There was always something horrible happened to me every first day at junior high school. And now, I am hanging with the Winx. I wondered if there was anything different.
"Riven, how many times did I tell you not to fight?" I heard a male voice from the principal's office when I approached it.
"I'm sorry. I'll talk to my son." a female voice.
"Please do, Mrs. Fields. I have to tell you that I'm really upset with his attitude. I know about your family's situation but he is still a teenager, he needs to be behave well. He is a part of this community and a student of my school. I can't let he live that way." The principal sighed. "Riven, if you are caught in any fight again, listen to me, JUST ONE MORE TIME and you will be expelled from school. I hope I won't have to make another appointment with you in a resemble circumstance. You can go now."
A boy walked out of the office with his mother, a woman with purple hair and pale skin.
"Riven. It's been a year so you need to move on. Please, Riven. I need you, your father needs you." the woman said.
There was no answer.
"Promise me you won't be in any trouble, again. You can't get expelled, do you understand?" she held Riven's arm.
"I know. I'm going to class now." Riven walked away.
He caught my stare. An annoying look appeared on his face.
I quickly looked away with a start. I didn't mean to overhear what they were talking about but the principal's voice was too loud. He must have been very angry.
"Oh, hey" I sputtered.
Riven ignored my words and walked away.
What a jerk!
"What is your first class?" Layla asked me as we were walking together in the corridor.
"It's English class, I think." I smiled.
"I have Math." Lay said. "But we will meet at lunch time, right?"
"Yeah!" I nodded. "By the way, I met a guy name Riven in the office. I think he seems to be in some kind of troubles."
"Wow, I'm not shocked. He is kinda bad tempered and gruff. He is trouble, Flora." Layla shrugged.
"If he is that bad, how come you guys still hang out with him?" I asked.
"Well, actually Riven wasn't like this. Although he is quite hot tempered, he used to be really friendly and kind." Layla said.
"So what happened to him exactly?" I questioned.
"RISE AND SHINE GIRLS!" Stella yelled at the top of her lungs and waved at us.
She was standing with Musa and Tecna at her locker.
"Hi" Musa smiled.
Tecna was still busy with her phone. She hadn't changed much since junior high school.
"What do you think of my nails?" She showed me her painted nails with orange neon color as we approached them.
"Eh, nice." I lied. I hardly like neon colors. They dazzle my eyes, but I wouldn't say what was on my mind.
"You are really aesthetic." Stella grinned.
"Good morning girls" Bloom approached.
"Hi Musa" I replied nicely.
"Hey, Musa" Stella mouthed. "Oh wait, your blazer..."
"It's a gift from my mom" Bloom said.
"It's very lovely, sweet heart! But it is orange! I told you that orange looks awful on you. It's my color. I'm the only one in this group wears it" Stella whined.
"Sorry. I just don't want to upset my mom" Bloom sighed.
"Next time, tell your mom to buy whatever she wants but orange!" Stella flipped her hair.
"Okay! See ya later!" with that, she walked away.
Musa came along with Tecna holding their books and followed her.
Since when was the little Bloom afraid of the spoiled blondie?
"I think it looks great on you." Layla smiled.
"Thank you! But I had better to take this off before Stella is mad." Bloom said as she hung the blazer in her locker.
"I think Stella is too much." I sputtered.
"Oh, she is always exaggerating whenever mentioning fashion." Layla giggled.
"I gotta go now. See you later" I said.
"Yeah. Bye" Bloom smiled.
I went to my locker and took out my book. I wondered how Nabu was doing. He took me to school and then went with the boys leaving me alone. I bet he was fine. He wasn't a child anymore. Besides, he is out going. Everybody would love to be friends with him. I should take care of myself now.
I found it quite funny when the Winx hung out with their victim without knowing that she was me. What a pity if they didn't know how the victim overcame their cruelty.
I closed my locker and came to the English class.
The class seemed to be crowded.
I looked around to find a seat.
Oh great! Stella was in my class, too. And she was making out with Brandon.
Geez. This was a class, not a park.
I found an empty seat at the back of the class, so I quickly made my way to it.
Stella was so deep in Brandon's kiss that she didn't recognize when I passed them.
I took my seat and placed my book on the desk.
"Hey" I heard a boy's voice.
I turned my head to the left, and there sat Sky.
"Well, hey" I smiled.
"I guess we are classmates now, although somebody is not really paying attention." Sky chuckled.
"Yeah, I know what you meant" I giggled.
The bell rang and the couple finally broke off to come back to their seat. Saved by the bell. I was so sick of this make out scene.
"Can I have salad, please?" I asked the lunch lady.
"I can see you only eat vegetable. Are you a vegetarian?" Layla spoke as we brought our trays to the table where the Winx was sitting.
"Well, I'm not. I can eat meat actually. It's just that I got used to eating fruit and vegetable in order to lose weight" I said.
"Oh, you look fit. I think you don't need to go on a diet" Layla said.
"No, I was overweight" I made a slip of my tongue. Oops.
"You meant you were fat?" Layla raised her eyebrows.
"Hey little sis." Nabu tapped my shoulder.
"Hi Nabu." Layla giggled.
"Hello to my beautiful girl" Nabu smirked.
Phew. That was close. I should be more careful of what I said. Watch your mouth, Flora.
I put my tray down and took a sit at the Winx's table.
"How are your classes?" Tecna asked.
"Boring as usual" Stella drawled.
"You are so Stella" Tecna grinned.
"Wait! What did you mean?" Stella exclaimed.
"Hey! Got a second? I just want to tell you girls something very important." Musa said in singy voice.
"What is it, Musa?" Layla spoke.
"Tell us now! I'm so curious." Bloom said.
"Okay okay, my band, The Beat, had won a ticket to compete in a music contest. Therefore, we're going to party this weekend at Brandon's house." Musa exclaimed.
"Congratulation, Musa!" I said.
"How come did you guys join a competition without me knowing?" Stella mouthed.
"Actually, Timmy uploaded online a video of our performance for the first round, and here we are, officially take part in the next round of the contest." Musa squealed.
"When will round 2 start?" Tecna asked.
"Uhm, I think it will be 2 months later. We will have enough time to practice." Musa said.
"Don't worry Muse! Your band is great. I bet you guys will win a prize." Layla smiled.
"Yeah! I hope so" Musa giggled.
Today was a long day. I met new friends lots of who hadn't gone to my junior high school. That relieved me very much.
I came to my desk and took my notebooks out from my handbag. I was going to do my homework.
I pulled the curtains back and saw Helia on his desk reading something. He must have been studying.
His window was shut. As I wanted to have a little talk with him, I used my phone to call him.
He stopped reading and reached for his phone. He looked at the screen, then looked up.
I put a sweet smile on my face, slightly waved to him. He cancelled my call and lifted up the glass.
"Hi, I heard you guys were going to the next round of a music contest. Congratulations!" I said.
"Thank you, Flora. I didn't expect that we could make it. We only play just for fun" Helia shrugged.
"Your band is really great. I'm not flattering." I said.
"Honestly, you make me feel so proud of us." Helia winked.
"Are you studying?" I asked.
"Yeah. I'm reading some materials for my essay." he nodded. "How was your day?"
"It was fine. I made some new friends." I giggled.
"That's a good start! You'll soon get used to living here." he smiled.
I slightly nodded to what he said. He would never know how tough my life was in this town.
Brandon's house was so huge and modern. When I and Nabu arrived, it seemed like the whole school was there. Most of them were talking, while others were dancing crazily to the music.
"Nabu, Flora! We're over here!" I heard Layla yelled at the top of her lungs.
I turned around and saw Layla standing with Sky, Bloom, Tecna and Timmy.
"Hi! Where is everyone else?" I asked.
Layla pointed at the corner of the living room. Right there stood Musa playing her music.
Not faraway from where she stood was Stella and Brandon. They were making out, again. Oh my. Couldn't they take a break for just a minute?
"Where is Helia?" I mouthed. The music was kinda loud, we barely be able to hear clearly.
"I don't know. I just saw him a minute before you guys arrived." Layla said.
All of a sudden, we heard a noise.
We turned around and observed Riven shoved someone down the floor.
"What the hell are you doing?" Sky pushed Riven away.
"This damn jerk deserves a punch." Riven smirked.
"Calm down, dude! It's my house. I don't want somebody to be killed" Brandon said.
The poor guy quickly stood up and stormed out of the room.
"What's wrong with you, hot headed?" Brandon said as he gave Riven a drink.
"Like father, like son." Stella pouted.
"Pardon me" Riven frowned.
"Can't you hear me? Read my lips! I said like father, like son." Stella yelled.
"Stop it, Stel. Enough is enough." Brandon said.
"What a dope! I'm not saying anything wrong. You are so obsessed with Krystal. She's died and won't ever be able to come back to life. So stop acting like this or you will go to jail like your father." Stella hissed.
I could feel the tenseness between them. I didn't realize everybody had left and the music had stopped playing. There were only us in the house. Layla covered her mouth while Musa was gasping because of what she was observing.
Stella was sitting on a sofa with crossed legs. A half smirk appeared on her face.
Riven eyes' were full of resentfulness. He held his fist. Brandon must have seen it as he grabbed Riven's shoulder.
"No, Riven. Don't" he sputtered.
Riven cleared his throat.
"Watch your tongue, you b*tch!" he said annoyed.
He put on his helmet and slammed the front door. We could hear the noise from his motorbike as he started the engine.
After he left, the atmosphere became easier to breathe.
"Stella, why did you do that?" Brandon lowered his face into his hand
"Krystal's death is my fault and I made his father go to jail?" Stella whined.
"Why do you have to act as if you are innocent? Cupcake, I know you two are not on good terms but he is my friend. So please deal with it, Stel." Brandon said.
"Fine." Stella frowned.
"And don't ever mention Krystal again. You do perceive we had promised never talk about that, right?" Brandon held her face gently.
"Okay, I got it." Stella said.
What could Brandon see in this wicked witch? Did she put a love spell on him?
I turned around and realized Helia wasn't here anymore. I still saw him while Stella and Riven were confronting.
I came to other rooms to look for him. What is wrong with Helia? He made me suddenly feel worried.
"Hey. Did you see Helia?" I asked Layla.
"He had gone home." Layla said.
Helia left without saying anything? I started being curious what was going on.
"Okay." I said.
"Oh wait, Flora. He is needing space now. Let him be alone for a while" Layla whispered.
"Can I ask you a question?" I sputtered.
"I know what you want to ask, but it's the past, and we made a promise that we will never talk about it again." Layla sighed.
"I understand." I nodded.
"Let's go home, Flora." Nabu approached.
"You can drive Layla home. I want to take a walk for some fresh air." I said.
"Okay. But don't wander around. Mom will kill me if you go home late." Nabu chuckled.
"Good night, Flora." Layla smiled.
"Night." I waved at her.
My town seemed to be peaceful as it had always been. Of course not to a miserable teenager's point of view like me. Anyways, I had to admit my town had great views.
Tonight was a starry night. I wished I had a guy to walk with me in this sky night. We could hold hands and watch the stars, look up for constellations.
But that night was not tonight. And I didn't know if Helia could be the guy. I found my thoughts were funny.
Something abruptly came across my mind. I remembered hearing the name Krystal before. It was the sleepover at Musa's house. I tried harder to recall it.
A full memory came into my mind. I finally remembered Musa's words. Krystal was...Helia's ex-girlfriend.
I gasped for air. My mind felt ambiguous. This really shocked me.
I could understand how Helia felt when mentioning her, but why did Riven react like that? What was their relation? And why Stella seemed to be annoyed about that?
Suddenly, so many questions appeared. How could I get the answers?
I was stepping on the sidewalk, still deep in my thought, I heard a noise. I stopped and tried to listen to it. It sounded like there was a fight near where I stood.
I looked around and noticed the noise came from an alley. I knew I should stay out of trouble so I intended to walk in another direction. But I soon recognized something.
There was a motorbike next to the alley that looked so familiar.
Where did I see it? I thought hard and realized it belonged to Riven. That was Riven's motorbike.
If his car was here, he must have been somewhere near. In the alley? My heart pounded.
I held my breath and silently took small steps to the alley. I hid behind the fence and peeked over it.
Oh my. There was Riven. He was punching somebody.
Riven was really a bad guy. I bet he fought a lot.
The principal's words suddenly hit my mind.
"Riven, if you are caught in a fight again, listen to me, JUST ONE MORE TIME and you will be expelled from school."
Oh God. Did he not even care if he got expelled?
Riven still didn't know my presence since he kept hitting the other boy's face.
I unconsciously took out my phone and switched on. I opened the camera application to snap a video. His bad actions were recorded in my video.
I switched off my phone and silently ran away. I ran as fast as I could. I didn't want to be busted.
"Hey Flora" I heard someone calling me. Is that Riven? I began shivering. I'm so dead meat.
I slowly turned back.
"Hi Sky" I sighed with relief.
"Why are you running?" Sky got out of his car.
"Err. I-I.." I stammered. Can't tell him what I just saw.
"Exercise?" Sky narrowed his eyes.
"Yeah!" I gasped. Running made me exhausted.
"Get in! I'll drive you home." Sky said.
"Oh, thanks" I said.
"How is Brandon?" I asked as I buckled up my seat belt.
"He's fine, trying to get rid of the party's mess." Sky said.
"Are Stella and Riven always like that?" I asked.
"They just don't get along very well." Sky shrugged.
"Oh, I see." I slightly nodded.
Silence came between us. I felt awkward.
"So..." Sky and I accidentally said in union.
"Oh, you speak first" I smiled.
"I..." Sky said.
My phone suddenly rang.
"Sorry, it's my phone." I took out and swiped it across.
"Hello" I spoke. "I'm sorry...Yes, I know...No, you don't have to...Sky is taking me home...Okay. Bye."
"Your mom called?" Sky asked.
"No, it's Nabu." I giggled.
"Nabu? Wow, he really takes care of his sister." Sky chuckled.
"You're telling me." I grinned.
"We are arrived, princess." Sky parked his car in front of my house.
"Thank you." I smiled.
"You're welcome. Good night, Flora." Sky winked.
"Good night, Sky." I waved at him as I got out of his car.
I had to hear Nabu's long speech before getting into my room. I knew he was trying to be a good brother, I loved him but he seemed to a little overreact.
I pulled the curtains back to see if Helia was there. His room was dark. He must have gone to sleep.
I grabbed my phone to connect it with my laptop. I copied the video to my laptop and watched it.
After all, I realized I didn't have to be afraid of him that much.
Furthermore, I still need to find out the mysterious secrets of my enemies and that girl, Krystal. I just knew how to do it.
No P.O.V
Flora stared at her laptop screen. She was thinking of something that no one would ever know. Her lips curved up, a slight smile full of implication.
My ideas have changed a lot since the first chapter, so I'm getting a little bit confused with the storyline. It is more complicated than I expected. Moreover, I just got an inspiration to start another story that I want to write it right away. Anyways, I will try to continue this one :)
To dropdeaddivaisback: As you had suggested, I watched the show, but I had to begin from season 1 since I haven't seen it before. By the way, great series :3
To fanficfairy22: You make me realize there are some similarities between Mean Girls and my story :( I'll try to make mine more different.
To Update: I like your idea but Nabu is here with Flora, so there's no way he let then Winx break his sister down once again without knowing it. Anyway, thank you for your suggestion! :D