LXXXVIII
Angela puts on her best confused face as she listens to the words of the therapist, Miss Kelley.
"What I want to understand, Angela, is why you tore up Jane's notebook."
"I already explained: it was a joke," Angela replies in that deliberately irritating tone that seems to say, 'are you an idiot, that's why you don't get it?'
The therapist lets out a sigh.
When Miss Kelley finally lets her go with the promise that if such incidents happen again "the institution will be forced to notify your parents", Angela goes straight to her friends.
"Can you believe it?" she mutters under her breath, indignant. "That bitch accused me with Mr. Mundy! But it won't end like this…"
"You going to wait until spring break is over? It starts in just two days," says Kate, one of her friends.
Angela bites her lower lip. She doesn't want to wait that long to get revenge, but she also doesn't think she can come up with something too elaborate in the space of a day…
"Wait, I've got an idea," says Madeline, another friend of hers. "Today I overheard Jane and Wheeler talking about their next date. On Saturday after lunch, they plan to go to the new skating rink that just opened in Starcourt.
"And guess what? My older brother works there…"
Will is having, quite possibly, the worst birthday ever.
Firstly, his best friend has completely forgotten about it, and has chosen to ask his girlfriend out on a date that same day. Then, between a rock and a hard place in the face of his claim, he had no better idea to 'fix' things than to invite him to join. Will likes Jane, and knows the feeling is mutual, but being the third wheel on one of their dates?
It's the worst.
And now, to top it all off, he has to watch his friend get harassed in the middle of the skating rink by a bunch of bullies while Mike tries in vain to stop the DJ (and Will adores Mike, really adores him to a point that could be being considered 'inappropriate', yet he doesn't understand why his best friend has chosen to focus on that instead of going directly to Jane).
When the 'show' comes to an end and one of Angela's friends pours a milkshake down her dress, Jane runs off the floor, tears in her eyes, while everyone present bursts out laughing at her misery.
#
Eleven knows that Mike and Will are looking for her. However, since she does not want to be seen in her current state, she takes refuge in one of the 'Personnel Only' closets. Through the blinds, she watches Angela and her friends, who are still laughing at her.
"Oh my God, her face! She looks like she shit herself!"
More laughter accompanies the comment.
This has happened before.
She remembers. When Two and the others had cornered her, all those years ago…
And she hadn't defended herself, then.
Am I going to let this happen again?
She feels humiliated. She feels hurt.
And above all, she feels incredibly angry.
However, even all her fury doesn't make her forget her situation: she can't use her powers. At least, not in an obvious way. She could, perhaps, make Angela trip or something… But what does an accidental slip mean when she has been the victim of a spectacle like that?
Eleven purses her lips.
No, she can't use her powers, that's clear.
But she's not going to take it lying down, either.