|WORSE THAN A WET SOCK|

Scandalous.

The word echoed in my ears as I felt everything around me happen while I was a mere onlooker. Addison looked enraged as Nick, who had appeared out of thin air along with Zeta, was trying to stop her from hitting Olivia. Sierra, who was held in a corner by many students who were friends with Olivia and she snaked her way out of them and stood beside me, waiting for me to say something. To react.

But I stood there. Staring at the graffiti at my locker, Addison's hand was still in mine. The crowd who had gathered around us to see the commotion waited for how we'd react. How I'd react.

It was a weird assortment of artwork. The words "Scandalous" were intricately written with golden paint on the blue locker door as below it were various phrases-which were hugely derogatory- were printed. I took a deep breath when I looked at the main piece of art above "Scandalous".

"Dicks excite you, don't they?" was what that was written in bold black letters, harsh and perfect for taking a dig at someone who was a heterosexual. The phrase was written around a dick, which was made as if it was hanging on my locker from the ceiling.

Despite the number of skills and time someone has spent on it, the drawing was a major turn off for any sane human because I knew then that staying with the Scandalous and being scandalous has made me lose my brain cells.

Maybe it was how it felt like the time back in Bridgeton but I knew deep within that it was nothing like before as I had real friends, who were struggling to defend me through thick and thin. Maybe I was always Scandalous or maybe I've lost my mind but the dick resembled-

"Raisins?"

Sierra shakes her head in dismay as Addison glared at me wide-eyed, her hand still in mine. Zeta and Nick glanced at each other and then back at me, perplexed.

"Hemmings must be out of her mind," Olivia giggled, as students around her snickered at us.

"Not yet. I'm serious. That dick resembles a shrunken raisin," Olivia opened her mouth to say something but then gulped, unable to process what I just said.

Two can play this game, Olivia Mcleign.

I stood a little taller as I took a step ahead, towards Olivia as I saw her eyes flicker from my feet to my face, which was a lot with a rather sinister smile.

She doesn't have to know I'm scared like hell.

"It looks like a large shrunken raisin rather than a dick if that's what it was supposed to be," The words that left my mouth shocked myself as much as it did to others. But that wasn't something they needed to know. They didn't have to know that my heartbeat had been escalating manically within me. And how my hands were sweating hard from being scared.

"You're right, Hemmings," Nick joined in, having caught onto what I was doing there. Mocking them. He grinned widely at me, as he stood by my side, folding his arms in front of his cream-white sweater, which said "I'm the fucking gay king." And I couldn't help but agree to it.

"It looks like it was made by someone who doesn't know how dicks look. Olivia- did you make it?" He glinted in her eyes, as he grinned sardonically, making me stifle a laugh. Sierra, however, was not at all subtle about it and giggled wholeheartedly.

Addison and Zeta were still contemplating it when Lucas and Felix arrived, running out of breath. I looked over to them from my shoulder, as I saw Lucas move towards me but Addison stopped him from doing so and nodded at me to focus on Olivia.

I turned my head towards them, but I didn't miss the glint in Nick's eyes. He had his hands fisted trying to control his anger and yet he had a bizarre smile on his face.

"I'm sure Olivia that it's you because no one can fall below your stupidity levels-"

"Watch your fucking mouth, Purke," Teresa, Olivia's girlfriend gritted through her teeth, as she jumped in front of her girlfriend and defended her with everything she had. Her enormous body had almost covered Olivia who meekly cowered behind her girlfriend, as Teresa flipped her short strawberry blonde hair as if to mock us back.

"He won't. What will you do, Teresa Willow?" Addison retaliated as she walked slowly and carefully towards her. Teresa visibly gulped as she realized how Addison stood right in front of her while the rest six of the scandalous behind her.

Sierra, overall the commotion, had explained the situation to both Lucas and Felix, it seemed as Lucas patted my shoulder lightly as the rest were busy either gawking at how Teresa was visibly shaken by Addison or how the whole situation had backfired at them. But despite it all, it was a win for us. For me.

"I've got you, Hemmings," Lucas muttered lowly in my ear, as I could feel my nerves tensed up again. Even though I knew that matter had escalated too much, and mocking them certainly didn't help the situation anyhow. It was then when I started regretting the weird thought process which had rubbed off on me by Nick. But the commotion didn't look like something to be solved with ease.

"Shut it, McRae," Thomas stepped beside her, protecting his twin sister. The 6 feet tall basketball lunatic loomed over Addison but her smug look was worse than Thomas's threatening glare. She eyed him from top to the bottom before she scoffed loudly as Felix inched closer towards my locker and tried to estimate the damage done to it.

"Guys, just call it an end-" Lucas started diplomatically, but Addison took a step ahead, threatening Thomas to make a move.

"Hey Nick," She started, smiling viciously at Thomas's face. "Don't you remember about someone who had to be taken into the infirmary on the very first day?"

It then dawned on me that Thomas had trashed Lucas's locker on my very first day at Pride High and Addison had punched him hard, and he had to be rushed to the infirmary for medication.

"You're right. It was you, right?" He pointed at Thomas, who was red with rage and embarrassment. "You piece of-"

"That's more than enough now!" Sierra roared, loud enough to startle everyone and shut all the lingering whispers. She held her head high as she walked in front of us, her finger extended towards Thomas.

"Listen you a wet sock," She started, hearing dramatic gasps from many who were in the crowd but she couldn't care less.

"Why don't you just understand it simply that we don't intend to deal with your crap because we don't find it amusing,'' she pointed at my locker, as I averted my eyes away from it as I couldn't stand to look at it. "And I seriously don't remember when Kaia had asked you for a locker revamp because she didn't like it."

"So be a bit civilized and leave us alone. Now," She seethed through her teeth, as she slammed her hand onto the locker as I felt a chill down my spine as the realization settled.

She had one heck of a temper.

Sierra walked past Thomas but stopped a step away from Olivia, her blue eyes as threatening as the stormy sea.

"And you," She glared at Olivia, who looked down to meet her ferocious gaze. "Don't mess with us. You are worse than a wet sock." With that, she walked away and soon walked outside the glass doors, towards the greenhouse.

Addison was the first person to cross them and followed Sierra, not before dramatically bumping into Olivia and uttering a rather loud "Oops" and then apologizing in the most unapologetic tone I've ever heard.

Soon, the rest of us walked towards the greenhouse and closed the glass doors behind us, as the students had started to disperse, apparently getting the signal that the fight was over. Sierra sat at the last stair as she fumed, pouting to herself as Addison looked over at her and shook her head, incoherently muttering something under her breath.

"We need to do something about the locker," Lucas started, as he started pulling Felix back to the corridor. Felix nodded, as Zeta and Nick quickly volunteered to help in the damage control. Sierra stood up too as she marched past me, pulling Zeta towards the locker as most of the students had left the small corridor.

Hesitantly, Zeta retreated along with the others as I sat on the edge of the stairs, taking slow yet deep breaths to calm my nerves. The incident moments before was daunting, and in tremendous ways, reminding me of the reasons why I had decided to switch schools in the first place.

But the astonishing segment would be how I stood up for myself despite the fear which had captivated me from within before it vanished for some time. How I sassed Olivia before realizing how that wasn't who I was. I was just a mere teenager who had always been looked down on by others because I was treated like a weirdo. A total outcast. Someone who was always looked down on because of my parentage and my skin colour.

And yet some people stood by me even after knowing me for a week, they felt closer like family. It felt weird, yet right. I couldn't recall the last time I felt at ease like when I'd feel around my Dads. They'd believe that I belong somewhere in this world and maybe I found my place at last.

"Kirlia?"

I looked up to meet the gaze of the green eyes, which were concerned and perplexed for me. Loose strands of blonde hair which escaped her loose ponytail were almost covering her forehead, as she carefully sat right beside me, a safe distance between us.

"You did amazing back there," Addison started, as she looked at me and gave a small smile. "You stood up for yourself and acted calmly. Although it looked like you were about to shit stones," she offhandedly mentioned as I let out a breathy laugh.

"That was oddly comforting."

She groaned as she leaned back, her hands propped on the marbled floor, her green eyes never leaving mine. "I knew I suck at comforting but others said that it's better to give you some space to clear your thoughts and-"

"-And you think it's not, isn't it?"

"Technically yes. You leave a sensitive and overthinking human alone and then they would imagine all the worst-case scenarios and it never ends in a good way," she shook her head lightly while I eyed her weirdly.

Despite how true it was, there was a tone of satire beneath her voice, as her eyes were set on something distant. I sighed as I ruffled my hair, pretending to be nonchalant about the fiasco, but what I felt within was chaos.

"For someone who'd appear as insensitive and hot-tempered, I've some brain cells working, Hemmings," she mumbled lowly as I disbelievingly scoffed at her. "Liar," I shot back before my eyes widened in astonishment at how it escaped my mouth so swiftly.

"Did you just say that?" She narrowed her eyes as she leaned towards me, our arms lightly touching each other.

"I didn't mean to-"

"You think a lot, Hemmings," she just smiled at me, vaguely looking at me and then shook her blonde head. "Listen, all you need to know and remember is that we will always have your back no matter the circumstances. Whatever the time and place, you can rely on us."

The sincerity in her voice and determination in her green eyes were clear, which made me trust her words instinctively.

"Thanks, McRae," she gave me a hard look before standing up abruptly. She bent a little to pat my head as if I was a stray cat, but then she stood straight and started to walk away.

"Don't mind me leaving abruptly but I've got some stuff to take care of," she gave me a two-finger salute as she started to walk away, leaving me to watch her walk away as she gave me a crooked smile. Not before leaving through the glass doors, she turned around and was smiling broadly, a rare sight to catch her smiling without care.

"I did notice how you and Zeta twinned your clothes today. Even though the start of the day wasn't very favourable, but this looks good on you," she quickly summed up, walking away swiftly and leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I smiled to myself, admiring the foliage around with a bunch of questions in the back of my mind, wondering carelessly about their answers. But something was crystal clear in my mind.

I've got to talk to a certain someone about it all.

This is too short as compared to the last chapter. And that is not something which I'd be regretting.

So, let me sum it all up, pointing out the obvious.

So, Kirlia Hemmings, who is brought up by Noah Benedict and Peter Hemmings but was tagged a weirdo in Bridgeton High.

Things take a turn when she's bullied at the end of her junior year and she's shocked about it. Seeing how devastating the experience was for her, her Dads switch schools and she ends up in Pride High.

Pride High turned out to be an interesting place where she finds herself being friendly with the weirdest assortments of people. There, trouble tries to pull her down but her friends keep her afloat, warming up to her quickly.

So, Kirlia is determined to talk to someone about it. On the other hand, others are busy scrubbing off her locker and she's going all bold.

I hope she works calmly and does not become a second furnace( I'm content in writing about Addison)

peace out,
Sasha