"Helia, we need to talk."
The boy looked up, trying to act cold, hands in his pockets. Deep down, the guilt of his past actions were killing him. Why was this monster always resurfacing?
Krystal wanted to scream, she wanted to shout, but she knew that would just end up in people getting hurt again. She was willing to forget about her own feelings for a bit in order to keep others safe.
"Okay.", finally let out Helia, as he followed the girl into a small alleyway behind the school building.
"Listen. I'm sorry about what happened yesterday. I'm on a scholarship, and my grades haven't been very good lately, so I'm really stressed out. I shouldn't have shouted. Sorry."
At least half of that was the truth. If only the boy knew everything that she was hiding from him…
He first tried to keep his cool. He was still angry after all. But when Helia felt the girl's arms wrap around him, his lips couldn't help but smile. The school ice queen never hugs anyone…
"Krys, you know you can always tell me everything."
Yeah, right…
"And I shouldn't have done… what I did, as well."
Helia knew it would have been better for his ego to shove her away, tell her to leave him alone, but he knew he needed Krystal. She drove him crazy, so much that he didn't recognize himself anymore. If it was any other person…
"I have classes now, I guess I'll see you around?", smiled the girl as she pulled away.
"Yeah... classes."
"I'm glad we made up. Bye."
And she turned away, her lavender hair in the wind, getting more and more damaged everyday just like her mental state.
Krystal had doubts, sometimes. Was Flora worth it all? She was her sister, but they didn't really know each other. Only, all of the hate that she felt for her father, all of the pain that she went through because of him, she would never let anyone go though that. Especially someone as sweet and innocent as Flora.
Well, Flora wasn't only sweet and innocent. She had many, many flaws. Right now, as Aisha walked over, she could feel herself freeze. The brunette just couldn't bring herself to say a word about the incident. What if Aisha gets mad? Then she would be all alone during Gym class…
"Hey, Flora, laundry day yesterday?", the girl teased, throwing her backpack over her shoulders.
"Emm… Aisha… it wasn't… emmm… really funny?"
As her friend's glare started to get stronger, Flora felt like she wanted to dig a hole in the ground, and stay in it forever.
"Guys, calm down!", laughed Stella.
Everyone chose to ignore her.
"What are you talking about?"
"Emm… I…"
"She's talking about that stupid prank you pulled on her."
Flora felt an arm around her shoulders, looking up to see Riven.
"What are you doing here?", she asked, flustered by his sudden entrance.
"Yeah, what are you doing here?", added Aisha, irritated.
Stella, who was talking to Tecna about suntans, started walking away, seeing the new girl enter the school gates.
The atmosphere got even more tense without her bubbly remarks.
"McQueen, you know full well what I'm talking about."
Riven's intimidating aura and piercing gaze made Aisha take a few steps backwards.
"Riven, stop…", mumbled Flora. The brunette hated fights, and she felt like she was the cause of it all.
"You all are no fun.", suddenly let out Aisha, walking away.
For a few seconds Flora felt like time had stopped.
"Riven! Why did you say that…", she whispered, worried about what would happen.
"So you liked the prank?"
"What? Emm, no…"
"Then just say it."
There was a small silence.
"Flora, if you don't speak your mind, no one is going to spend their time guessing."
The boy then started walking away.
"By the way, have fun at the dance."
The girl smiled, before realizing. How did he know? Flora shrugged it off. He probably got it from Stella. That girl told everyone in the school, not even sparing her enemies.
Flora took out her phone, opening Instagram. This was a habit of hers by now.
"You wouldn't believe what just happened!"
"Tell me about it."
And the girl started describing the confrontation to her online friend, smiling despite herself.
00000000
"Stella, I see…". Roxanne let out as the girl walked closer.
"Roxanne…"
They glared at each other, both of them not wanting to look away first.
"Have you thought about my proposition?", asked the pink haired girl, unfazed.
"You wouldn't do it."
"You don't know me."
Stella wanted to slap herself. Why was she so careless? Now she had to face problems like this…
"As I said…", continued Roxanne, "I won't say a word to, what's her name? Flora, on one condition. You stay away from Brandon Anderson."
It's just a boy, Stella, there will be so many others, the blonde told herself.
Love is all the same, but friendship isn't. Plus, it wasn't as though the new boy had payed her any attention. Maybe that was what made him even more attractive in her eyes. The fact that he didn't wait on her like most other boys. Only… the more he resisted the more she was fueled to continue.
"Hi, I'm Stella!"
"Oh, hi.", he had replied, looking up from his book.
"We're in the same class."
"I know."
By now, all boys would have made a remark about her hair, or her eyes, or simply her beauty. But no, Brandon kept reading, completely ignoring her.
Stella felt annoyed. He had payed so much more attention to that Krystal, Krystal with the knee length skirts and nonexistent curves. Krystal, for god's sake. Most boys ignored her, and she was known to be stuck up.
"What are you reading?", decided to ask Stella.
"Death in the Clouds."
What a weird name...
"Never heard of it, haha."
"Yeah, I thought so."
Now the annoyance was slowly boiling into anger.
"Why are you so mean to me?"
The boy looked up, smirking.
"You're not my type."
"What's your type?"
Woah, Stella, calm down…he just rejected you for God's sake!
"Girls who have better things to do than paint their nails."
Now this, was the last straw.
"I will pour the whole bottle of nail polish down your throat-"
"Yeah, I'd like to see you try."
With that, he walked away, leaving the blonde to her own anger. But Stella never gives up. She was just more intrigued.
"Well?", pressured Roxanne, pulling Stella away from memory lane, "I'm sure dear Flora would love to know about all of her friends being payed to hang out with her?"
"I'm thinking, Roxanne…"
Was Flora worth it? She was the first one who genuinely listened, who genuinely cared about Stella beneath the bubbly persona she had on the outside.
"You know what? Brandon's yours.", the blonde finally let out. Flora had grown on her in ways she couldn't explain, and she was planning on rejecting the money anyways.
"Good choice. Oh, by the way, call me Roxy."
