Neither Charlie or Vaggie could focus much in class the next day. They were still so very curious and confused about visiting Mystique Hollow. At first they both thought that it had only been a dream, but they quickly learned that wasn't the case once they met up and talked about it.
"So what did you tell your mom about last night?" Charlie had asked Vaggie as they walked to the cafeteria together.
"Nothing. She wasn't home when I got back. She was working late again and she slept in this morning, so there was no opportunity for me to tell her anything. What about Stolas?"
"The whole court case with Stella has him so distracted lately. He didn't even notice when I came home. Do you think Levana really did call him and your mom, to get permission for us to stay for dinner last night?"
"She probably did call but neither one of them picked up. Given the circumstances, I'm not surprised."
"Should we ask to confirm?"
"If they don't say anything, then we shouldn't anything. After all, suppose they didn't pick up, found out we had a dinner with a stranger, and blame us even though it was technically they're fault for not picking up."
"Good point. Stolas has blamed me for things beyond my control once or twice. Usually when I babysit Octavia, and she sneaks off to mess with his plants. Yes I know I was supposed to be watching her, but I also had to study for an important test that night, I managed to get to Via before she touched anything, and she knows better than to go near his plants. But who got grounded? Me. I swear, whenever he's not around, he expects Octavia to become my responsibility, and don't get me wrong, I love Via. But she's not daughter and she's not my sister. So why do I have to look after her when he's gone?"
"Beats me."
"I have my own life you know. Just because I'm not a popular, social butterfly, doesn't mean I don't make any plans, or need any down time."
"Well at least Stolas has an understandable reason for keeping you busy all the time. My mother just wants me to focus on school and homework. Nothing else. She never says or does anything to encourage my art. She's so sure that I'll fail at it."
"Hey ladies, what's shakin?" Angel asked, joining them.
"Not much. We're just talking about how our parents suck." Vaggie said. "You know like all teenagers do."
"Gotcha." He replied with a laid-back tone.
Truthfully though, Angel hated listening to Charlie and Vaggie complain about their folks. Not it wasn't that he didn't understand how annoying family could be, after all his family was full of circus performers, con-artists, and astrology obsessors. Hell, he vented about them all the time. But Charlie and Vaggie vented about their families non-stop and they talked like Stolas and Mrs. Ramirez were the worst parents or guardians in the world. When he himself grew up being battered by his father and Blitzo was sold by his. Okay, so Stolas and Mrs, Ramirez could be overbearing and sometimes they didn't consider things from the child's point of view, but Angel could tell that they loved their kids. They weren't bad parents, they were human parents who would make mistakes but were trying the best they could. Why couldn't these lucky broads see that?
Still like any good friend, Angel kept his true feelings a secret and allowed the girls to vent to him.
"After school, my mom is going to take me shopping for notebook to use in class and she was forbidden me to do any doodling in the new one, because that's what I've done with all my other notebooks." Vaggie explained. "Nevermind that drawing helps me relieve stress."
"Stolas is supposed to be home tonight so I'm going to talk to him about letting me try out for the upcoming school play." Charlie said.
"You think he'll go for it?" Vaggie asked.
"I hope so. He's always known that it's my dream to go to Juliard and become an actress."
"If you ask me, acting is just way too much work and pressure." Angel said checking his reflection in his compact mirror. "There are many easier and less dramatic ways to get rich and famous."
"It's not about the fame and the money doofus." Vaggie said.
"It's not?"
"No." Charlie said. "I want to become an actress because that's what my mom was and theater played a big part in her life and my father's. I feel like, if I become an actress then I would be able to connect with them again in someway. I know it's not the same as actually being with them and I know it won't bring them back, but it's the closest I'll ever get to it."
"You?! Become an actress?! Are you shitting me right now?!"
Suddenly all three of them were shoved downstairs by none other than Helsa and her gang which consisted of two of the second most horrible students attending this high school.
One was Velvette, Helsa's right hand-bitch. A brash and arrogant goth girl who was the executioner of Helsa's schemes. If Helsa wanted to steal something, Velvette stole it for her. If Helsa wanted someone beat up, Velvette would punch their lights out. Outside of school, she was the infamous vandal and radical spray paint artist, who loved nothing more to cause property damage as a form of art. And people were often too scared to report her antics. Also she happens to be Vaggie's ex girlfriend. When they first met, they claimed that they were misunderstood artists who didn't care for society's rules, so naturally they started dating. Unfortunately Velvette was a closeted lesbian or bisexual, and she eventually decided to kepe her secret by dumping Vaggie for Helsa's brother and bullying her former significant other.
The other was Seviathan, Helsa's brother and Velvette's boyfriend in name only. On the outside he was a strong, popular, good-looking jock that every guy wanted to be and every girl wanted to bang. But inside he was a rude, unfaithful, stupid, male slut or mutt for short. Which was fitting, because like a mutt, he would screw anything female whenever he got in the mood and he'd do it without any emotion or plan to commit. He cheated on Velvette twenty-four seven but as long as he didn't make it public, she didn't care because he was just her beard. Most of the time he just bullied guys like Angel who were considered weird, and barely paid any mind to Charlie and Vaggie.
"You know you have to be perfect to be an actress?" Helsa told Charlie with a laugh. "You have to have perfect hair, perfect skin, and a perfect body. But look at you! Your hair is like a rat's nest, your face, you are so sickly pale, and you have the figure of a total porker. Now tell me Velevette, do you know any actresses who look like that?"
"No I don't." Velvette said. "But I hear strip clubs will take anybody."
"Ooo...That was harsh ladies." Seviathan said. "A bit too early for this, don't you think?"
"Why don't you all go run outside and get hit by a bus?!" Vaggie snapped, picking herself up off the stairs.
"Oh how sweet, the Butch here is defending her girlfriend." Velvette taunted. "You know you two really deserve each other, because no boy will ever have either one of you."
"Maybe, but neither gender will ever have you." Vaggie retorted.
"Excuse me but are you blind? I am literally dating the hottest boy in school."
"You two maybe dating, but you're definitely not banging." Angel said. "Just last week I saw lover boy here screwing your lab partner in his car."
"That's a lie!" Seviathan shouted. "And you're a pervert!"
"Takes one to know one as they say."
"Reminder pal, you only dress like a girl, so that means I can hit you without feeling guilty."
"I'd like to see you try."
"Shut up Angel, you bruise like a peach." Vaggie said.
"Smart girl." Seviathan said. "Better listen to her, cross-dresser."
"Look can we all just calm down and please stop this?" Charlie suggested. "Helsa we've never done anything to you, so why can't you just leave us alone?"
"Because you still come to this school!" Helsa replied. "This is school is for normal people! Not a cross-dresser, poor trash, or a mental freak! We'll leave you alone when you finally get it in your heads that you don't belong here and get out of this school! I can't stand to look at any of you! Especially you Charlie! You make me sick!"
"You are sick Helsa!" Vaggie said. "The way you torment people like this! It's boarder-line sociopath! You're reaching levels of cruelty that could land you in jail!"
"Yeah and you'd know all about that, wouldn't you?"
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Everyone knows you're a shop lifter! Your mom is poor and she can't buy you crap, so you have to steal it! And being poor is the only reason why you're friends with Charlie! Her family is rich and leach off of her!"
"You demented, twisted, little slut!"
Vaggie was ready to punch her, but Angel and Charlie both held her back. The last thing Vaggie needed was to get suspended from school for fighting.
"Okay Helsa I think that's enough." Seviathan told his sister. "We don't want to be late for lunch."
The gang finally left, Angel pulled Vaggie aside to calm her down while Charlie bent down to picked up the books she had dropped when she fell down the stairs. One book was handed to Charlie by a cute girl in a cheerleader's uniform with short, raspberry colored hair.
Her name was Niffty, a member of the cheer squad and of Helsa's gang, but only because she and Velvette were childhood friends. And unlike all of Helsa's other "friends" Niffty was friendly and open. She was the nicest girl in the whole school and that's why she was popular. She knew Helsa and Velvette picked on other kids, but she never knew that it went beyond anything more than harmless teasing.
"Are you okay?" Niffty asked Charlie.
"I'm fine. Thank you." Charlie took the book from her.
"Do you need any help?"
"No. But thanks for asking."
"I'm looking for my friends, Helsa and velvette. Have you seen them? I thought I saw them go this way but I got mixed up the lunch rush.' She giggled.
"They went down the next hall. Right to the entrance of the cafeteria."
"Thank you. Well I better go now, see you in biology class Charlie."
Then she scampered off toward the lunch hall. As Charlie watched her, she couldn't help but think that Niffty was the luckiest girl in the world. Lucky because she was pretty, popular, and it was all because she was a nice and friendly person. Charlie was a nice and friendly person yet she was the biggest loser in school. She figured that luck had to be the only explanation for it. Niffty had good luck and Charlie had bad luck, and no amount of kindness and sweetness would change that.