- … then I shove Kevin in the locker. I broke my own record. – Dash said with pride, although only Kwan seemed excited for his story.
- Brilliant, Dash. – Star said bored. – You just did the same thing as yesterday. And the day before… and the day before th…
- Yeah, yeah. I get it. – He crossed his arms. – Well, if you think I'm so boring, why don't you share something to entertain us?
- Well, if you want to know… I heard a very interesting rumor. – She smiled.
- The one of Drew and Jessica making out behind the bleachers? – Kwan asked.
- No. A new one.
- Spit it out. – Dash ordered her.
Star leaned against the table and the others imitated her, attracted by the girl's secrecy. All but one person.
- I heard that Valerie Gray is the Red Huntress.
- She? – Dash asked.
At that moment, the three of them turned to the side where the aforementioned was walking with her tray of food and an exasperated expression, followed closely by Nathan who was probably asking her out on a date. They looked at each other again before each returning to their original position.
- No way! – Kwan said.
- I'm with him in this one. – The blonde said. – It makes no sense.
- Just think about it for a moment. She is, after all, a black belt and she picked an interest for ghosts after they ruined her life.
- But being a black belt has nothing to do with surfing the sky in a glider while shooting at ghosts. – Dash argued.
- Besides, where would she get all the money for all those things? – Kwan asked.
- I'm just saying what I heard.
- Well, that's BS. That's like saying that… - Dash inspected the cafeteria quickly. - … Fenturd is the ghost boy just because his parents hunt ghosts.
They laughed and Star added.
- That would explain why Paulina dated him.
Laughing, they waited for Paulina's cry of indignation at the comment to arrive... but it never came. The three looked at her to see that she was staring somewhere in front of her. There was no expression on her face, other than a slight frown that hinted that she was lost in her thoughts. She would take bites of food to her mouth from time to time and chew almost automatically.
- Paulina? – Her bestie asked, but she didn't respond.
Paulina's mind was focused on an internal conflict much more important than a simple school rumor. All her life her name had been an imperative, a synonym of beauty, class, elegance, popularity and style. She was the frame of reference in which the girls measured themselves. Love her or hate her, they all wanted to be her. All but one. And therein lay her current problem.
When puberty hit Sam Manson like a freight train, everyone at Casper began to question that standard and, by extension, her position in the school's social pyramid. Apparently, someone so "pretty" couldn't be a loser (their words, not hers). She used to pick on Sam before simply because the goth hated her and called her shallow. But now it was personal. People ignored her to see that goth freak and even some boys had dared to call Sam "sexy" when that word was reserved for her and her friends. That goth was a risk to everyone's status quo because, if Paulina fell, everyone fell. That was why their verbal sparring had escalated. When she defeated her, the goth walked away on the verge of tears. But when she lost... let's say that the decoration of her room paid the consequences.
She snapped out of her introspection when a hand waved in front of her face.
- Eh? – She blinked quickly to get familiar with her surroundings.
- Damn, you were lost. – Dash said.
- What? What are you talking about? – She asked.
- That Valerie is the Red Huntress. – Kwan said.
- And we were wondering why on earth you dated Fenturd.
- I didn't do that! - She denied energetically, standing up and making everyone in the cafeteria turn to look at them curiously for a few seconds and his three companions look at each other in confusion.
Noticing the attention on her, but not in the way she wanted, she sat down again.
- Except… you did. – Star reminded her.
- No, I didn't. – She stood her ground.
- We had to let him sit with us because you were dating him. – Dash said.
- I had to put up with Foley because of it. – Star added.
- And I had to hang up with Sam. – Kwan remembered. – Although it won't bother me now.
The boy's innocent comment earned him a glare from Paulina, and he just looked down instead.
- You don't remember? – Star asked her.
- I… - She tried hard and a few flashes crossed her mind, but nothing concrete. - … don't.
Before another word was said, the bell rang. She sighed trying to compose herself. Her… dating Danny? It was completely ridiculous just to think about it; however, it seemed that it had happened. She took her tray with the remains of her lunch and headed for the nearest container while she tried to remember a little more about that relationship.
Little by little, the students were leaving the cafeteria, but before leaving, she took a last look at the table where the boy in question was. He was blushing and somewhat embarrassed, probably because of something his weirdo friend had said. What caught his attention was that Samantha was also blushing and a thought crossed her mind: had she gone out with him to make her miserable? And if that had been the case, why did she stop?
The last period of that day had come faster than she thought. Time really flies when you don't pay attention to it. She had come to the conclusion that the reasons to end a relationship with Danny easily outweighed the reasons to keep it, mainly because there were no reasons to keep it. She turned to her left to look at Danny. Taking Sam's boyfriend away might be seen as a victory for her, but would it be enough to show the rest of the school that the Goth wasn't special? Was it worth risking her popularity and reputation to destroy her? And of course, there was the fact that she would have to play with the feelings of the blue-eyed man... But she was Paulina. All the boys in school would die for her to play with their feelings as she planned to do with him.
However, something inside her told her that it was not right. Maybe if she let a few days go by, she'd come up with a better plan. One that didn't involve dating a loser.
The head of the last stuffed animal rolled to the floor of his room. When she ran out of things to destroy, she jumped onto her bed and screamed at the top of her lungs into her pillow. She still had a hard time processing it, but that "incident" had happened and it wasn't something she could change. It had only been 2 days since she had decided to wait and it was all over. The goth witch had won.
It turned out that she was rich. Crazy stupid rich. And now the whole school knew. With a slap on the table, she had seized the position of the most popular in the school and had destroyed the delicate balance of social groups within Casper. Now the goth, the techno-geek and the son of the local ghostbusters were the most popular. And she still had the nerve to pretend that she didn't like all that attention! It was official. To hell with any other plan. Sam had hit her ego and she would hit her heart. She would steal Danny from her, whatever the cost. This was a war, and Sam had struck first. Now it was her turn to counterattack.
She grabbed her phone and quickly made a call.
- Hey Pauli…
- Star. – She spoke serious. – I need all the details of my relationship with Danny.
Star hadn't been much help. Apparently, she had withdrawn from everyone while she was dating Danny. What she did told her, and frankly surprised her a lot, was that during those two weeks she seemed…happy. She checked the information with the rest of the A-listers and they all agreed on that point. "In love" was the word someone had used to describe her. But then why didn't she remember any of that?
"I guess I'll have to check with the source." She thought as she walked over to someone who was taking his books out of his locker.
When Danny had his books in his backpack, he closed his locker door and immediately jumped when he saw someone reclined on the locker to his right.
- Hi Danny. – She said honeyedly.
- Paulina! – He swallowed his fright. – I… didn't see you.
- I noticed. – She smiled.
- What… what do you need? - He said trying to slow down his heartbeat.
- You see… - She leaned her back on the locker while hugging a book. – I was talking with some friends yesterday and they said something very curious… - She paused and looked him in the eye.
- About…?
- About the time you and I "dated". – She observed his expression changing into a full alert state. – Everyone says we were together for a week or two. The thing is… I don't have any memories of the two of us going out.
- Oh. That. – He sighed in relief. – Look, don't worry. Memory lost is a common side effect for people who had been overshadowed by a ghost.
- What? – Her smiled disappeared as soon as she heard those words. For a moment, she even forgot about her plan due to the panic that overwhelmed her.
"Suave, Fenton." He mentally berated himself.
- A ghost was inside of you and made you do things you wouldn't do. Like dating me. Wait… that came out wrong. – He stopped talking when he noticed Paulina's face filling with pure hatred. – That's why I stayed away from you after that! – He rushed to explain.
- You're telling me… - She got a step closer to him. - … that all this time you knew that I was possessed by a ghost, made me go out with you and you just… decided not to tell me? – She said at the edge of hysteria.
Some people who were passing through the hallway were watching the clearly angry Latina berating the blue-eyed for something, which made his discomfort grow.
- Emm… yes? – He smiled to soften the blow.
He failed. Paulina screamed, hit his arm with the book and stormed out of there. On the way, she bumped into the nerdy Tucker Foley, who just looked at her strangely before looking at the blue-eyed, who just smiled awkwardly.
Three periods after that unpleasant revelation, she had managed to go from a state of utter anger to just anger. She was outraged! And worst of all, that wimp had hidden all that information from her on purpose. Surely the pervert had enjoyed it. The goth's laugh brought her out of her musings. She turned to look at the trio of losers and they were all laughing.
"That's probably how they laughed at me." Said a small voice in her head. "If he knew, his friends did too."
Her anger escalated to fury and the sound of a tearing sheet of paper startled her. She looked at her notebook and noticed that her right hand had a tight grip on the sheet and had detached it from the notebook. She sighed irritably and tossed the ball of paper aside. A groan told her that she had hit someone.
"Good, suffer". She thought.
Her plan had gotten off to a rocky start, but it was still on its feet now more than ever. She would destroy the goth and get revenge on Danny. But first, she needed to correct her outburst from a few hours earlier. She needed to earn his trust so she could have wimpy Fenton under her feet again.
Back at the lockers, she approached Danny, but this time from behind. She did her best to hide her anger and touched his shoulder. That simple gesture left her somewhat surprised. Why was Danny's back…solid? And since when was his back so broad?
- Paulina? – He asked when he tuned his head.
- Danny. – She regained her composure. – I wanted to tell you that…
- Hey, you don't have to apologize for anything. – He interrupted her. – I know…
- I'm not here to apologize to you. – She raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms. – Mi reaction was more than justified. I came to… forgive you.
- What? – He said confused.
- You hid important information from me. A ghost possessed me for days and did only God knows what with my body. - She stepped forward, fury seeping through her words. – I did them with you…
- I… Danny took a step back until his back hit the locker, nervous about the conversation
- When you told me, I felt… - She knew the word she wanted to use, but the guilt in the boy's eyes dissuaded her from using it. – But I suppose it was as strange as it was to you. Am I wrong?
- No! I mean, yes! You're… absolutely correct! - He stammered even more nervous. – I mean… one day I had a girlfriend and the next day she turned out to be a ghost.
His attempted joke did little to lighten the atmosphere that had been generated and earned him another glare from the girl in front of him. He closed his eyes and sighed before speaking again.
- Look… I know how you must be feeling right now and, to be honest, you're right to feel that way. – He lifted his eyes to hers. – Mi sister went through something similar some time ago and I assure you it wasn't pleasant for anybody. And for that… I'm really sorry.
Paulina inspected the boy's face for any indication that he was lying. Years of popularity had given her the ability to detect lies. But she found nothing but honesty in the boy.
- And if is any consolation, we… - He scratched his nape, embarrassed. - … didn't do anything. – He made a pause to give her time to understand the subtext. – We just went out to places.
- Then… I forgive you. - She said backing up the step she had taken.
- Thank you. – He smiled at her.
The smile threw Paulina off balance because she didn't detect any intention in it. She was used to guys smiling at her just to try to seduce her, but Danny seemed genuinely appreciative of her. She shook the thoughts from her and walked away from the boy calmly. Her mission was over. She was already on good terms with him and she could move on to the next phase of her plan. However, after advancing a few meters, she turned and walked back to him.
- I have a question. – She called for him before he left.
- Alright. – He said.
- Why you?
Danny only raised an eyebrow.
- Well, Kitty said she wanted to make her boyfriend jealous… - He left the comment unfinished when he noticed she raised an eyebrow. – Kitty is the name of the ghost that… you know… - He pointed at her.
- Yeah, yeah. I can understand that. – "I'm doing something similar". She added mentally. – But why you? I mean, you're not…
She surveyed the boy from head to toe, trying to find a word to describe him. Danny imitated the gesture and looked at himself.
- … outstanding. – She said.
- Well… - He scratched his nape. – I think it was because my parent hunt ghosts… or because it's the same ghost that overshadowed my sister… - He shut up after that last part. – But I don't think that matters, right?
"Lie". She detected it as soon as the boy uttered it. Even though that last part had been true, judging by how he berated himself after saying it, Danny had lied to her about why. She would let it go this time.
- No. Not at all.
She left after telling him that. As she turned to go to the room of her next class, she noticed that Danny was still standing there, looking down and rubbing his forehead. Then his friend arrived and he got lost going into the hallway.
The day continued as normal, but Paulina's mind was still analyzing the last interaction with Danny. First there was the lie he had told her, but that information she could get out of him in a following stage of her plan and, conveniently, it would be the perfect excuse to leave him. Then there was the mystery of why a loser like him had a back so…built. As if he had muscles there. And the last thing, which was what intrigued her the most, was his appearance.
"You're not outstanding." That's what she'd told him and she said it with complete conviction at the time. But the more she remembered that moment, the more inaccurate the definition seemed. He certainly wasn't built like Dash, but Danny wasn't a wimp. "Or at least not anymore." And his choice of clothing was very flattering by bringing out the blue in his eyes.
When she met him, she had used the word "cute" to describe him. But she wasn't sure of that anymore.
It had been two days since she had spoken to Danny. She decided to take some time to better process the new information she had obtained before continuing with her plan. Besides, it would be the perfect excuse to get closer to Danny, since he couldn't deny her that knowledge.
- … Kwan made the reception and the touchdown for the victory!
Dash's slap on the table after his story made her pay attention to the conversation.
- We know Dash. We were there. – Star mocked him, making Paulina laugh. – We're cheerleaders, remember?
- Ugh. You're boring. – He rested his cheek on his hand.
- Why don't you stuff Mikey in a locker? You always find it funny. – She teased the blond boy.
- We already did it. – Kwan answered as his best friend took a sip of water.
- Why don't you stuff Danny in a locker? – Paulina asked curious.
Dash choked a bit on the water he was swallowing while Kwan got flustered at the suggestion.
- Are you suggesting me or daring me? – He asked.
- I'm asking you. – She raised an eyebrow.
- You're right Paulina. – Her friend said. – It's been a while since you stopped messing with him and Foley.
- That's because… they don't fit in them anymore.
- So, if I were to ask him, is that what he would say? – Paulina said entertained.
- What? – Her 3 friends replied.
The men with some nervousness and Star with curiosity. Why would her friend bother to talk to Danny about something so…insignificant?
Paulina slid off the table and walked to the back of the cafeteria, where Manson, Foley, and Fenton sat, with star following her. When she got to their table, only Tucker saw her as the lovebirds were sitting together with their backs to her.
- Hi Danny. – She said and Sam immediately tensed.
Danny, on the other hand, just turned to see her.
- Hi?
- Something weird happened when we were talking with Dash a few moments ago.
- We noticed him nor Kwan had picked you up in a while. – Star added, still looking at her friend.
- Do you know why? – She asked putting her hand on his shoulder.
Paulina expected that this contact would make the boy nervous or make him blush like many times in the past, but none of that happened. Danny immediately turned to look at Tucker, who quickly took a quick look at the A-listers table and then looked back at his friend.
- Emm… luck? – They both lied.
- Or maybe Dash realized that the gaping void inside of him can't be filled by the vaingloriousness of a student life and is trying to make amends for the mistakes he made in his adolescent stupidity. - Sam intervened, earning a curious look from everyone around her.
- I think you're giving Dash too much credit. – Tucker said.
And just as she arrived, she had to leave because the group stopped paying attention to her after Foley's comment. They started joking around with each other, completely ignoring the two most popular girls in the whole school. They both left quickly and returned to their respective places at their table.
- I don't know what Fenturd told you, but he's lying! – Dash said quickly.
- They just said they were lucky. – Star said. – But if they're lying…
- Of course they're not lying! – Dash interrupted her. – Those two are really lucky…
Paulina stopped paying attention to the conversation due to the frustration she felt. Danny had completely ignored her. She had touched him and he didn't even flinch! Charming boys was her superpower, but apparently, she was losing her touch because she'd rather die than admit someone wasn't interested in her. Her plan was getting complicated again and she didn't see any way to make her task easier.
She hated to do it, but she had no choice. If someone had told her a few months ago that she would now be watching Danny Fenton's every move, she probably would have laughed it off and ordered Dash to beat that person up. Yet here she was. Glancing from time to time in the direction of the desk where the blue-eyed was struggling to stay awake in Mr. Lancer's class.
She had been "monitoring" the blue-eyed for days and honestly, she was fed up. She had to know who Daniel Fenton was if she wanted to take him away from the goth and she kept telling herself that Sam's public tears would be worth all that sacrifice. In order not to arouse suspicion, she refrained from talking to the boy, which wasn't difficult since she had nothing to talk to him about. However, she would occasionally greet him with a wave of her hand and a smile if she found him alone in a hallway or when she was with his friend. Just to keep him on the lookout. The first few days she was not surprised by what she discovered. She could use many words to describe him, but none of them were good.
Lazy: He was constantly falling asleep in the early periods of the day.
Clueless: Sometimes he was absorbed in his own thoughts for so long that he did not notice anything around him.
Irresponsible: He used to be late for classes and even skipped some. Not to mention that he occasionally didn't do his homework.
Weird: He seemed to be the only teenager in Amity Park who suffered from incontinence, in addition to constantly disappearing. That last word was the one that best described him. "And to think that I once called him cute." She sneered.
However, everything changed a few weeks later, the day he was late for Mrs. Tetslaff class. Like always, she let him through and gave him a detention, but he didn't seem to care. He took his place and exchanged a few words with his friends. But what caught Paulina's attention was a barely visible cut on his left arm. It started at the middle of his bicep and was lost under his shirt sleeve. Coupled with the fact that he was sweaty and his breathing was a little rough, she could deduce that he had fallen or collided with something because he didn't watch where he was walking.
"Predictable". She thought annoyed.
The problem (or the mystery) was that, by the last period, the wound had disappeared. She rubbed her eyes to see if they were lying to her, but when she looked back at Danny's bicep, he was clear of harm. She hardened her features, straining her eyes to detect any trace of that wound until a voice next to her startled her.
- Why are you staring hard at Fenton? – Star asked.
- What? No! I… wasn't… he… he was… - Paulina stammered when she found herself discovered.
The blonde raised an eyebrow and looked at Danny. The boy had his head resting on his hand and was completely ignorant of them. She returned her gaze to her friend.
- I can see the appeal… but he's still a loser.
- You don't get it! - Paulina recriminated her in a whisper. – He had a cut!
- And?
- And not anymore! – She said as if that was the most obvious thing.
- And why do you care?
- Because…! It's not normal. – She said, finding no other way to justify her behavior.
Star sighed.
- As your best friend, it's my duty to warn you that getting back with Fenton to relive that relationship is not the brightest idea ever…
- I'm not…
- But I'm not your mother. If you want to, do it; just don't expect me to support you on that. – She said with a serious expression.
- I don't want to date him.
- Paulina… - She sighed tired. – You've been spying and following him around for around a month. And you're not as discreet as you think.
- Well, I mean… yes. But not for the reasons you think.
- That's beside the point. Think carefully on what you're doing. This won't be the first time one of your plans go south.
And without saying more, Star returned to her place. Paulina remained pensive, reflecting on the words that the blonde had said to her. Almost reflexively, she turned to the boy when she heard him laugh at something. "As if I was going to fall in love with him." She justified herself.
How she hated to be wrong. Only a month had passed after the conversation she had with Star and one by one she had swallowed her words, even though she had never said them out loud. Throughout that month she was constantly looking for the boy with her eyes, she greeted him when she found him in the corridors... she had even chosen him as a partner for a work in pairs! She had willingly chosen Danny! The shock of that moment had been such that even Professor Lancer had lost his cool. But it was something she couldn't help; she didn't even remember analyzing it. His name had just slipped from her lips when Mr. Lancer asked who she would choose as a partner for the assignment.
She remembered that day very well because she had spent the entire afternoon with Danny working on that project. She had made an appointment with him at her house (because she wouldn't go to his) and he had arrived on time, he had greeted her parents and what surprised her the most was that he never seemed nervous or fearful. Even though her father tried to scare him a little (as he did with every boy who visited her), Danny remained friendly and calm. But what had angered her the most was the fact that he had only gone to work. He didn't start any conversations that didn't have to do with the project and ignored every advance she made on him. "Accidental" contacts, flirtation, advances, compliments… Danny seemed immune to her charms. The more he resisted, the faster she fell for him. But she kept denying it.
The next day, Paulina was able to overhear a conversation between the trio about her and what had happened in her house.
- Weird how? Tucker asked.
- I don't know how to describe it… - Danny said. – She was laughing at everything I said and I wasn't even kidding. She diverted the conversation to personal topics, as if she wanted to know about me…
"Because I wanted to know more about you!" She screamed mentally.
- Why would she want to know you? – Tucker asked.
- Maybe she's spying on you. – Sam concluded and received weird looks from his friends. – Maybe Dash asked her to extract information from you. You know, to end the whole thing about…
- Again, you're giving Dash too much credit. – Tucker interrupted her.
- It could be though… I mean, what other possibility is there? – Danny said
- Lack of brain oxygenation. - Sam said. – If that is even possible in her.
Paulina felt offended and hurt. She knew that she hadn't treated the boy in the best way in the past, but to think that she would only approach him to harm him… Wait.
- What else happened? – Tucker spoke again.
- Well, she sat very close to me, sometimes she would put her hand on my arm… I think her dad threatening me was the most normal thing. – He joked.
- Wow! She touched you? – Tucker nearly shouted.
- Not like that, Tuck. It was more like… - Danny imitated Paulina, giggled slightly and put his hand on his friend's shoulder.
Tucker's eyes widened while Sam narrowed them.
- Dude. Paulina was flirting with you and you didn't notice it?
- She didn't…! Where do you get that from?
- If she likes you, that would explain it…
- Yeah, right. – Sam retorted with irony.
- You don't think Paulina could fall for Danny? – Tucker asked her with a raised eyebrow.
- I don't think Paulina could recognize something good, even if she was run by it. – She crossed her arms, serious. Until she realized what she had just said. – I mean… - She looked at Danny and when the violet of her eyes met the blue of his, a blush appeared all over her face. – She's not… Danny… I… Maybe it's a ghost! It would not be the first time. – She diverted the subject, trying to suppress the burning sensation in her ears.
"Pathetic." Paulina thought when she saw the goth.
Danny, clueless as he was (and with the intention of ignoring his heartbeats), decided to pursue the new line of conversation.
- You think it's Kitty again?
- I don't know, man. She hasn't been around Amity Park much lately. – Tucker added.
- We could do a test. – Sam offered. – We could shoot her with the Fenton Peeler.
Both males stared at her with raised eyebrows.
- That was dark. Even for your standards. – Tucker said.
- Oh, come on! I was joking. – She said annoyed.
- No, you weren't. – Danny said. – When you're joking, the left side of your lip quivers and… - He forced himself to shut his mouth as Sam stared at him in surprise and he flustered. - I think… - He cleared his throat when his voice came out higher than normal. – I think it would be enough with the Specter Deflector.
- Lovebirds. – Tucker said under his breath as he shook his head.
Thursday finally arrived and with it, Mr. Lancer's exam. Thanks to the fact that Dash had gotten the answers to the test, she knew what to answer to get a decent grade. Filling the rest of the questions with nonsense, her gaze traveled (as had become a habit) to the blue-eyed two chairs to her right. He was frowning slightly due to his concentration, his hair falling in front of his face and the features of his face looking well defined. From time to time, his lips moved as he read the questions on the sheet, or when he went over the wording of the answer he was going to write. With his left hand he used to rub his chin or support his face when he rested his cheek on it, depending on whether he was reading a question or remembering an answer.
She'd had a couple of days to process everything she'd been able to discover so far. First, Danny was very handsome. Second, he wasn't popular just because he didn't want to be. Third, she was in love with him. Fourth, she didn't mind being in love with him.
She looked again at the boy's profile in detail and a slight smile formed on her face. However, her peripheral vision detected a black stain. She only had to look a seat behind the boy to notice that Sam was looking at her with a strange expression on her face. She decided to ignore her and return to her test. A few minutes after that, a small ball of paper fell onto her desk. She very carefully and discreetly opened it.
"I told you; you weren't that discreet."
The end of the day came and little by little, the room was left empty, with only Paulina inside. She was still packing things inside her backpack while she was doing some time before going to the field for her cheerleading practice, when she heard the classroom door close. She looked up from her place and turned to see that Sam was leaning against the door, arms folded and a serious look on her face. She just rolled her eyes and turned to concentrate on putting her things away.
- What the hell are you up to now? – Sam said bluntly.
- I don't know what you mean. – She said hanging her backpack on one shoulder. – Now, move. – She crossed her arms.
- Oh, no. – She walked up to her. – I've delayed this conversation for too long and we're having it now.
- Conversation about what? – She said vaguely interested.
- Danny.
Paulina knew it was time to stop being subtle in order to adopt a more aggressive posture.
- What about him? – She smiled.
- I've seen you…
- Creepy… - She muttered but Sam continued nonetheless.
- And I'm surprised that only I have noticed when you're not discreet at all, and I know you're up to something. Now, I don't know why you want to involve Danny…
- And why wouldn't I want to get involve with Danny? He's VERY handsome. – She got closer to Sam. – But you already knew that. – She said acidly.
Sam was struggling not to let her emotions run wild.
- Danny is too clueless to notice…
- That's experience talking, I guess. – She smiled and crossed her arms.
Sam took a deep breath before continuing.
- Whatever game you're trying to play…
- Tell me something, Samantha. – She interrupted her, calling her full name no annoy her. – Why do you care what I do or don't with Danny?
- Because Danny is my best friend…
- There it is! – She touched the tip of Sam's nose with a finger. – That's the magic word. You're just a friend, so act like one.
Sam froze for a few moments, feeling a pang of pain from the Latina's words. She already knew that, but it hurt to be reminded of it.
- Why do you do it? – She said after a moment in silence. – I know it's not for him. So, you must have an incredibly selfish and stupid reason to chase after someone who's way out of your reach and league.
- Excuse you?! – Sha said outraged. – I am…
- An insensitive witch that thinks deserves everything in the world just for having a somewhat symmetric face. – Sam's seething resentment finally reached boiling point.
Paulina had to bite her tongue to keep from losing her cool. If she did, Sam won. And she wasn't going to let her win, not again.
- Said the freak whose only worth comes from having grown flesh in all the right places. – She said matching her tone.
Sam had never been insecure about her body. She knew enough about Biology to understand the principles of attraction that ruled the highly hormonal teenager population of Casper High for a feminine figure like Paulina's, and recently, hers. Consistent with her ideology, she ignored all that unwanted attention and attributed it to the superficiality and stupidity of her classmates, but the fact that Paulina used it against her… made her suspicious.
- Like I care…
- Except you do. – She retorted, earning a weird look from Sam. – Oh, please! Just look at you! Everything about you screams: "Pay me attention!" And when you do receive it, you act like you hate it just to feel morally superior to everyone else. You're nothing but a hypocrite.
- Is that what this is about? Attention? – She said stunned. – Look, I don't care about what you do to get it. But leave my friends out of it. – She said serious.
- My problem with you, Manson, has nothing to do with your friends.
- Then why are you after Danny?
- Funny. I thought I wasn't… what was the word you used? – She pretended to be thinking. - Discreet.
Sam stepped back a bit, studying Paulina. Her gaze fixed so much on the Latina's that it managed to make her uncomfortable.
- You like him. – Sam whispered.
Paulina held her gaze until Sam looked away to start laughing.
- What are you laughing at, freak? – She said annoyed.
- Oh, the irony… - She started as she tried to regain her composure. – You always made fun of him and you ended up in love with him. Tell me something, do you really think Danny's gonna fall for you with just a bat of your fake eyelashes? - She said enjoying the outraged expression in Paulina's face.
- And why not? – She replied, erasing Sam's smile. – I worked just fine in the past, didn't it?
- Danny wouldn't fall for you. He's not like the rest of your mono-neuronal conquests.
- Manson… Just because Elliot did you the favor of going out with you, doesn't mean you know how a boy's mind works.
- You know nothing about Danny. - Sam crossed her arms awkwardly. The more Paulina talked, the more vulnerable she felt because she was indirectly admitting her feelings for the blue-eyed man. – He values other things…
- I imagine he does. – Her smile widened. – Intelligence, tenacity, independence… all those qualities you boast so much about. Tell me, what use have they served you? – She asked amused. – You changed the way you dress, your makeup… and you're still not enough. Because he doesn't even see you. At least not in the way you would like.
Technically, she was lying. But if the goth was so dense that she didn't notice that Fenton was in love with her, it meant that she was extremely insecure in that regard. And she was going to exploit that insecurity.
- That's why you hate me, isn't it? - She closed the distance between them again, only this time she started backing Sam against the door. - Because without even trying, I was able to do what you haven't been able to in years. Because as much as you want to convince yourself of everything you just told me, you know that I can make him fall for me if I try.
Sam's features hardened as she tried to maintain an even-tempered appearance. Inside, however, she was falling apart. Every word Paulina said was a direct blow to her heart, but she refused to let the Latina see her cry.
- But I gotta give you some credit. After all, your strategy worked wonders for Valerie. – She looked directly into her eyes. – So good that she had the luxury of rejecting him after a few days. - Sticking the knife into Sam's heart had been fun, but twisting it gave her even more pleasure. – You must be very… inept for not being able to conquer an emotionally vulnerable boy like Danny was weeks after Valerie.
- You are despicable if you think I would take advantage of him. – Sam said with revulsion.
- Querida… - She said feigning sweetness. – You wouldn't even if you tried. You lack…- She inspected her from head to toe. - ... femininity. But don't worry: Amity Park is full of ghosts. Maybe you can attract some spook. – Her satisfaction reached her limit when a tear escaped Sam's eye. - Now, why don't you repeat what you did with Valerie, and step aside?
Sam cursed the tear she couldn't hold back and then gave up, letting them flow freely. "She's right". The little voice in her head that she hated so much whispered. However, she would not be the only one who would sink that day. Because even if Paulina was right about that, she could also be right about other things.
- Enjoy it. – She said with a bitter smile. - Because it will probably be the only satisfaction you will have in this life. You see… - She took a step forward, making Paulina step back with a confused face. - You are useless.
Paulina just snorted.
- If you think you're going to pro...
- You have no knowledge in any science, no memorable interest and no relevant qualities. Your beauty makes you feel important now, but when you get out of school you will realize that there is nothing special about you. – Sam saw that she was about to interrupt her, so she increased the volume with which she spoke. – I literally only need to search 2 words on the internet to find thousands of girls just like you.
Now it was Paulina's turn to get serious, feeling her insides burn every time Sam spoke.
- Even that won't last. Your beauty will expire in the next 5 or 6 years and there's nothing you can do to change or stop it. Sam's tears were replaced by anger, which grew with each word she uttered. - But you already knew that. That's why you spend every moment adjusting your makeup, with the vain intention that others will only notice your beautiful exterior as they ignore the complete filth that you are on the inside. Because no one wants to be with you for who you are, but for the benefits of being with you.
- You don't know me. – She said in a threatening tone.
- I don't have to do it to know how your future will look like. – A macabre smile formed in Sam's face. - If you make it into college, you'll find the first rich somewhat attractive guy who pays you the least bit of attention, you'll marry him, and become the trophy wife you always wanted to be. At least until he finds a younger, more attractive replacement. You'll fight with all your might to find someone who can provide you with the same standard of living, but with your age and appearance in decline, you'll know you don't stand a chance against the shallow girls who will take your place.
Sam could see the effect of her words on the Latina's face. Her features had hardened, her pupils were agitated with anger, she was swallowing hard, her eyes had glazed over, and her right hand was shaking involuntarily. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't enjoying hurting the girl, and to be honest, she didn't want to stop.
- Then you'll have to settle for any guy who's willing to pay attention to a tacky thirty-something divorcee, just to be flattered by him so you can ignore the emotional emptiness inside of you and be satisfied with at least that much of your miserable, lonely life.
- Shut up. – Paulina whispered furious.
- That's why you hate me, isn't it? – Sam copied the tone she used on her previously. – Because I'm the only one who dares to burst your little artificial bubble to remind you of the fantastic future ahead of you. Because, in case you didn't know, even when the whole school surrounds you and fawns over you, nobody actually cares about you.
- Shut up! – She screamed for the goth's satisfaction.
- So, please enjoy it. – She ignored her scream. - Because we both know what I just said was the best scenario possible. - She separated slightly from the girl who was now trembling with anger. – What's more likely to happen is that you'll end up pregnant before finishing high school and forced into marriage with…
SLAP.
The sound echoed in the empty room, breaking the tension that had been generated minutes before.
Sam's head had had to move uncomfortably due the contact and, seconds later, she felt the pain full on her left cheek. She quickly brought her hand to the impact site to try to ease the sensation. Her gaze ended fixed at some point on the ground and her hair covered the entirety of her face.
Paulina didn't even remember having moved. One moment she was furious and the next thing on her mind was her hand on the goth's face. Seconds after this action, a burning sensation took possession of the entire palm of her right hand. Being completely shocked, she fixed her gaze on her hand, which was trembling and somewhat reddish.
She had just crossed an unofficial limit in their conflict. Years of verbal combat and it was the first time she had escalated to the physical aspect. And that scared her. Little by little, she looked up to the girl in front of her, who was just as shocked as she was and her cheek was red.
However, when Sam looked up at a shocked Paulina, she only saw red.
- I… - Paulina stammered, but…
PUM.
The punch that Sam connected to her nose sent her back until she collided with the desk behind her. She automatically brought both hands to her nose, where the pain was intense, as was the sensation of heat. She then felt something wet. Paulina removed her hands from her nose and looked at them. Blood.
- You broke my nose! – She finally exploded in fury, pain and tears.
- If you ever dare to touch me again… - Sam pointed at her with a finger. – I will destroy you! Do you understand?!
In all their years of rivalry, she had never seen that look on Manson's face. And that scared her. Not only because she had the strength to do it (as she had just shown her), but because she also had the resources to do it. Fearful, she only managed to nod.
Sam left the room and slammed the door behind her, allowing Paulina to finally break completely under the pain of her nose and everything she had said to her.
Getting out of her cheerleading practice had been so easy, after all, she had a broken nose. What hurt her was that no one had cared about her when they saw her like this, they just limited themselves to asking what had happened to her and wishing her a fast recovery. They didn't even question the lame excuse of hitting against the lockers when she slipped on the wet floor.
Her parents had worried, but they were her parents. It was their job to worry about her. She had told them that she had an accident during her practice and with that she had thrown them off her. The good thing had been that she had given him permission to skip school the next day; the bad thing is that the doctor had told her that she would have to wear a stupid mask for a week.
Paulina caught everyone's eyes when she walked through the school gate, just not for the usual reason. She decided to ignore everyone, until she ran into Star, who informed her of everything that had happened over the weekend and the rumors that had originated after her "accident". Most of them were trash, though she was greatly annoyed that a freshman nerd named Timmy had gained popularity by saying that she had bumped into his locker. That proved that Sam had been right.
She didn't run into her all day, and although they shared classes, they never turned to see each other. What hurt her was that Danny hadn't even looked at her once. Even when the mask screamed that she was hurt, he just looked at Sam asking for an explanation for her behavior. Apparently, she was avoiding spending a lot of time with her two friends (courtesy of her, probably) and Danny was chasing her around like a puppy. She wanted that attention from Danny and that's when she knew there was only one way to get it.
Finding her wasn't that difficult or on purpose, after all, she was hiding too. Sam was sitting behind the bleachers, distracted as she ate her lunch. Paulina slowly approached her from behind, with the intention of making things clear between them.
Sam jerked her head around as a pair of turquoise pants entered her peripheral vision. She quickly collected her things and stood up.
- Wait. – she said. – I have to talk to you.
- I don't care. – She said without looking at her.
Sam started to walk away, but Paulina reached out and took her forearm. Sam immediately jerked off her and spun on her with a fist in the air, causing Paulina to freak out and raise both hands in a sign of peace.
- Sorry. – She said remembering the last thing Sam said to her.
They both started a staring contest, Sam wanting to decipher Paulina's intentions, and Paulina trying to calm the goth. After a few seconds, Paulina lowered her hands.
- I'm sorry. - She repeated. – For what happened on Thursday. – She looked away, embarrassed. - We crossed a line that...
- "We"? – Sam replied. – You crossed the line.
- You say that like you didn't do anything. – She pointed her mask.
- Nothing you didn't do first. – She reminded her.
Paulina sighed in frustration.
- Look, I'm not here to fight.
- And I'm not interested in your apology.
- Fine! Me neither. – She raised her voice.
- Then why are you here?
- I have to if I… - She left the idea unfinished, unable to believe what she was about to say.
- If you what? - Sam asked.
Paulina looked directly into her eyes, with the intention of not leaving anything to free interpretation.
- I like Danny. And I will do something about it. – She said as serious as she could. – Deal with it however you want.
After that, it was her who left. On the other hand, Sam was paralyzed where she was, feeling how her heart twisted again and sobbed in solitude. Because, even if she hated that girl, she would like to have the same determination that she had just shown her.