(I'm not a Saint)

*December 1st, 1941*

*10:35 pm*

*Miller Manor*

One hour had passed into the event, and Emily and Marie were still conversing with Anya, Louise, and Judith.

"Judith, you've been quiet since you got here. How come? Don't be such a downer now," Emily asked Judith with a rather false surprised tone while her cousin chucked before smirking back.

"I'm fine. I'm just observing the ball, that's all. I just hope our grandmother doesn't talk to us. I don't want to hear about how I'm a failure while you are quite successful.." Judith responded rather annoyingly, making Emily's expression turn into wonder as she began to speak again.

"Failure? That's not true, although you did allow Calvin not to be your friend anymore, thus allowing him to become closer to Anya. You did vandalize that Emma girl's dorm room a while back, so I guess that's something a failure would do if you want to call it that," Emily responded rather coldly while still maintaining her innocent demeanor as Judith, on the other hand, seemed to grow more annoyed which was picked up by Anya.

"Emily, I think we should change sub.." Anya spoke out but couldn't fully finish her sentence as Judith quickly interrupted her on the spot.

"Anya, I got this. I don't need you fighting my battles, okay? Let me handle this.." Judith advised Anya rather sternly, which was met with Anya nodding in an understanding way as Judith turned her attention back to Emily and Marie.

"And for your information, I just talked to Calvin not too long ago, so there's a chance we might become friends again and as for the vandalism, I did it because I was angry at Emma, and I most certainly won't mind doing it again; however, in the end, I'm doing quite well in my social life and my career. I'm turning seventeen in April, so this allows me to search for job opportunities; oh wait, I'm so rich that I can't work, so I'm already successful," Judith ranted to her cousin while letting out a boastful laugh while Anya and Louise watched with rather conflicted looks on their faces.

"Judith does regret doing those horrible things to Emma. It's just she's too prideful to admit it.." Anya thought to herself while continuing to watch the ongoing conversation that was unfolding.

"I see, how interesting. You must be on track to success, cousin; however, do you truly think you can succeed with your appearance? You've grown a bit of weight since the last time I saw you, hm? How are you going to fix that issue? You know most boys and men prefer girls who are fit like me," Emily responded to Judith's statement while eyeing her cousin as if an eagle was eying its prey.

This interaction made Judith look down with an annoyed to emotional look on her face, and this was enough to make Anya pissed off as she quickly got up from her chair.

"Cut it out!" Anya cried in anger as this was enough to catch some of the guest's attention, including Mrs Hamilton, Calvin, and Sarah.

"A-Anya, what's wrong? I'm being honest. You don't need to shout like someone who's improper. It's rude and disrespectful, you know.." Emily sternly lectured Anya while looking up to see Anya glaring at her in a pissed manner.

"I don't care! Stop talking to Judith, your cousin, in such a manner! It's just plain wrong! You have no right to degrade her like this, and Judith is beautiful just the way she is!" Anya shouted once more to Emily as this caused more whispers amongst the guests to erupt, much to the displeasure of Judith.

"Gosh, calm down. You have anger issues. You need to seek help or check into a mental institution. It's bad for your skin to be angry always," Emily responded to Anya's rant once more while Marie nodded in agreement.

"She's right. Emily is just being honest with her cousin, and you have no right to stick your nose where it doesn't belong." Marie chimed into the conversation while Emily smiled at her, which annoyed Anya more.

"Apologize to Judith, now." Anya sternly ordered Emily while the girl smiled even more before speaking again.

"No, I won't." Emily responded with cockiness in her voice, and right when Anya was going to speak, Judith got up from her chair, looking upset.

"Thanks for making such a scene, Anya. Now everyone is watching because of you. For the love of god, please stop trying to help me.." Judith pleaded with Anya while breathing heavily as she quickly left the scene.

This caused the once quiet ballroom to return to the lively scene, with many guests talking amongst themselves once more.

"Judith, I-I was trying to help.." Anya uttered as she attempted to follow Judith; however, Louise quickly grabbed her sleeve while looking at her sternly.

"Anya, please let Judith be alone so she can cool down, okay? Making her uncomfortable even more won't do her or yourself anything good." Louise advised her friend, as this seemed to make Anya understand the situation, as she nodded while sitting back down.

"You have a point, so I'll wait here until Judith returns, but it's just that I didn't like how Emily was talking about her. Judith was mean to me and my friends, but I refuse to watch someone like her get bullied.." Anya responded in a tone of worry as she looked at Louise with concern and was met with her friend nodding in agreement.

"I agree, and I'm sure that things will work out. It takes time and patience, and I know you have the patience, my good friend." Louise spoke to Anya once more as she placed her hand on Anya's shoulder, giving her a smile that made Anya smile back.

Meanwhile, Judith, in a more private area, angrily walked across the ballroom and was heading upstairs toward her bedroom; however, she heard an elderly voice calling out to her, and it was none other than her grandmother.

"Judith Miller! Your little friend caused a scene! Don't you realize that you could be a laughingstock? Emily took note that Anya might have anger problems." Mrs Hamilton sternly ranted at Judith as she saw her granddaughter turning around, looking rather upset still.

"Anya is NOT my friend. I don't know why she always tries to help me, but she's not my friend. She's only here because Calvin made me invite her and switch the topic to Emily; she was talking down about me! Making passive-aggressive comments about how I look? What cousin does that to their flesh and blood!" Judith responded with clear upsetness in her voice while her grandmother closed her eyes, shaking her head in shame.

"Judith, you need to stop acting like a spoiled brat. Emily has done so much for our family, and she's only looking out for you. Are you aiming for another year of being a disappointment to your grandmother by running to your little room, hm?" Mrs Hamilton spoke to Judith once more while waiting for an answer from her granddaughter.

This, in turn, made Judith feel more upset as she felt tears coming from her eyes; however, she held them back as she spoke once more, smirking in the process.

"No, I'm only going to wash my face. I'll be back in the ballroom before you know it, grandmother." Judith responded while still smirking, and this, in turn, made her grandmother smirk back.

"You liar; however, I'll entertain your little game for a bit, so you better be back in the ballroom by five, right?" Mrs Hamilton sternly advised Judith before turning around to walk back into the ballroom, thus leaving Judith alone as she began walking toward the bathroom.

"Heh, maybe I am a disappointment. I'm not a saint. I constantly bully others when I get the chance. I burned Emma's diary and made fun of her due to her being gay. Hell, I even vandalized her dorm, which led me to go to summer school in Scotland. I'm such a terrible person. What gives me the right to complain.." Judith thought to herself while walking toward the bathroom, opening the door to enter it as she washed her face.

"But why does Anya waste her time trying to be nice to me? Is she doing this because she feels obligated, or is she genuinely nice? I won't be surprised if it's the latter, but Anya has been kind to me these last few days. I've somewhat opened up to her in ways I've never imagined," Judith continued while she finished washing her face and looked at herself in the mirror, sighing.

"Anya isn't so bad after all…" Judith uttered to herself before exiting the bathroom toward the ballroom. Judith continued to walk the hallways and eventually found herself in the ballroom again.

There, she saw Anya sitting alone, as it seemed that Emily and Marie had walked off while Louise was talking to Calvin.

"Hey, Anya. I wonder if I can sit with you, not as friends or anything, so don't get any ideas!" Judith asked Anya while looking to her side with embarrassment, which made Anya smile warmly.

"Of course, you didn't need to ask since you are always welcome to sit by me," Anya responded kindly as she saw Judith sitting next to her, and from there, there was silence between the girls until Judith broke it.

"A-Anya, T-thank you for sticking up for me back there; it means a lot to me. I don't deserve your kindness; I truly don't…" Judith thanked Anya before finally smiling warmly at Anya, which caught her by surprise as it was the first time she had seen Judith's genuine smile.

"You're welcome, and I refused to allow Emily to talk badly about you like that, and you've done some awful things; however, I still believe you deserve kindness." Anya responded warmly, smiling back as Judith chuckled at the comment.

"Maybe Calvin inviting you here wasn't a bad mistake after all, and to be honest, I would rather talk to you than have to deal with Emily and her little friends, so consider that a compliment; however, don't think we're going to be friends or anything. I'm simply appreciative of you being bearable." Judith responded warmly with a hint of smugness, which made Anya smile back.

"Oh, I know, I know. Although, the idea of us being friends is quite wonderful." Anya responded as this made Judith laugh rather heartily.

"Friends? In your dreams! You have a good sense of humor, and I'll give you credit for that, Anya." Judith responded while continuing to laugh, which eventually made Anya laugh.

"Oh, you'll be sorry for that one, Judith," Anya said to Judith while the girls continued laughing.

In the end, Anya could see that she managed to cheer Judith up, which was more important than trying to form a friendship quickly; however, the shadow of Mrs. Hamilton and Emily still loomed over Judith.