silence isn't empty. it's full of answers.

Thalia cringed as she glanced around the lunchroom. It was just as it was when she'd first arrived at Springwood High - cliques everywhere. It was almost as if she'd stepped foot in a '90s rom-com, with her being the main character. 

A bit cliche if you were to ask her. Her being the new student, befriending the loners on top of already making 'friends' and enemies. She knew the Callie girl that Nathan was friends with wasn't fond of her, not to mention the odd exchange between her and the neighbor boy.

The more she thought of it, the more she realized she'd only 'befriended' one person. That one person was Nathan Woods, the blond boy who grew obvious interest in her the moment she'd approached his table in the morning.

Despite her coming across as eager to find some friends (that's what she let Nathan think), Thalia didn't quite care to make friends. The moment she graduated she planned on leaving this place forever, not caring about any of the faces she'd grow to see on a daily.

It was harsh, but it was reality. Truthfully, Thalia didn't mean shit to anyone. They didn't care whether she was there or not, whether she grew to live a long life or died at a young age. They didn't care whether she was loved or hated, happy or sad. She was a minor character in their own dramatic life story, a nobody on the sidelines that someone noticed after rewatching the third time through.

If it weren't for Thalia's dramatic and confident attitude, she'd almost assume she was a side character in her own story, making her mother and father the main ones.

Looking down at the food, the girl sighed. Lunch didn't look appetizing, and it appeared as though Nathan didn't have the same lunch as her. This meant she was alone, and not that she cared - she just knew she didn't look the most intimidating sitting all alone in the cafeteria.

Thalia glanced around again, tapping her fingers on the ugly blue cafeteria table. She looked and observed everyone - who she thought was trying too hard, who she could see herself acting as a friend to for when the situation called, even the people she knew to steer clear from or make sure they knew who was boss. The more she observed, the easier it was to get ahold of things.

Thalia loved control. She had to be in control all the time, even if she hated to admit it. Without things in her control, she felt lost. She felt vulnerable and that was one of the reasons it was so hard for her to trust anyone but herself. If she puts trust in someone, they could break that trust. If they were to break that trust, her heart would be broken. She didn't and couldn't have that, especially if she set high plans for herself in the future. 

She'd had her heart broken more than enough in her short lifetime. She'd managed to deal with enough heartache that she knew for sure she never wanted to experience it again, even if that meant living the rest of her life sad and lonely. She could just get a dog or something.

Her eyes landed on a familiar face in the corner of the cafeteria. It took little to no time for her to connect the dots, her lips turning upward into a smug smirk as she lifted herself from the empty table.

She took long strides across the cafeteria, ignoring the looks she got from students. Some were from the same people she'd come across the day, others were people just noticing her presence. Instead of reacting, though, Thalia just lifted her chin higher in some sort of false confidence - something she knew all too well.

It was easy for her. Almost as if it were a game she'd been playing and succeeding at - simply because everyone else wasn't aware of the rules. She knew what to say, how to act - even down to the facial expressions. She knew how to master all of it, almost making the confidence real.

She cleared her throat as she approached the other girl. It wasn't long before she was face to face with the girl she'd seen on the outskirts of Springwood, and the smirk only grew as she noticed the look of shock on the girl's face.

The girl recognized Thalia, and this only boosted her ego more.

"How much for a dime?" She couldn't help but ask, shoving her hands into her jacket pocket.

"W-what?" The girl asked, anxiously glancing around. Once she was sure that nobody heard Thalia, she faced her again. "What are you talking about?"

Thalia rolled her eyes, "The- you're kidding right? The drugs? Unless someone paid you for some candy or something. But that's- that's highly doubtful considering this day and age."

The girl nervously glanced around again. It was obvious that she was paranoid that someone was listening in on the words Thalia spoke, despite the fact that the new girl had spoken low enough only for the two to hear.

Thalia caught on fairly quickly that she wasn't meant to see what she saw. It was more than obvious that nobody here in Springwood knew of this mystery girl's side gig, the fact that she did something so illegal so close to home. She caught onto that immediately, and although Thalia could be a bitch - she wasn't going to be one unless it did something that benefited her. Outing this unknown girl to the cliques that belonged to Springwood High wouldn't do anything but get her more enemies, which meant more people to watch out for - like that Callie girl.

"You need to keep your mouth shut," The girl finally snapped. This broke Thalia out of her thoughts, and although the girl did her best to come across as scary and intimidating - she didn't affect Thalia whatsoever.

A snort left Thalia's lips as she rolled her head to the side, popping her neck a few times before responding. "First of all, no." She simply spoke, "You don't know me, but clearly I know more about you than you let on. I don't get told what to do, I tell what to do. I will say what I want when I want, and your empty threats won't work on me." It was rude, and she knew it was coming across as so. She wanted it like this, and by the intimidated look on the girl's face, she knew that she had broken the little barrier she tried to set up between them.

It was honestly only as easy as it was because Thalia was at the right place at the right time. Had she not happened to catch a glimpse of her leaving the corner store, she wouldn't have seen the drug deal. Had she not seen the drug deal, she wouldn't recognize this girl or have something to hold as leverage over her if needed. She wouldn't affect this girl as much as she did, simply because it was more than obvious Thalia happened to witness something so secretive without even actively looking for it.

"Second of all," Thalia spoke up again before the girl could respond. "You're not good at hiding your little double life. You looked suspicious the moment I approached you and the look on your face before I even said anything gave it away. If anyone's going to let your little secret be known to the shitty people of Springwood, I think it might be yourself. Paranoid one, aren't you?"

"You have no idea what I'm like," The girl slowly spoke.

"Mm. I'm reading you like you're a magazine on a display rack right now," Thalia countered.

Finally, the girl sighed. She crossed her arms over her chest as she glanced around again, "What do you want from me?"

Thalia smirked, "Now that's the right attitude. I just wanted to formally introduce myself. I'm Thalia." She held her hand out as she sent the girl a fake smile, earning a cautious look from the other girl.

"You're just wanting to introduce yourself to me?" The girl cocked an eyebrow. She didn't move her arms, leaving Thalia's hand in the air between them.

Thalia shrugged, "Might as well know my peers, right?" The girl didn't move, urging Thalia to shove her hand out a little further.

With a loud sigh, she clasped her hand with Thalia's. "Rosalind. My name is Rosalind." She told her, shaking her head.

Thalia pulled her hand away from the shake, shoving her hand back into her pocket. "Well, Rosalind. Hope that's not a fake name, is it?"

"I'd be stupid to give you a fake name considering we both go to school here. It'd be easy for you to catch me in a lie." Rosalind responded.

"Touche," Thalia raised an eyebrow, "You know, I think I'll keep you around. I like your attitude."

"Keep me around for what, exactly?" Rosalind asked with a fake laugh, mirroring Thalia's position by putting her hands into her own jacket pockets.

Thalia hummed, puckering her lips together in thought. "I haven't quite figured that out yet. I'll keep you posted."

She didn't give any time for Rosalind to respond. She'd shaken the girl by exposing that she knew she dealt drugs outside of Springwood, putting more than enough fear in the girl that she basically had her in her back pocket.

With both Nathan Woods and this Rosalind girl being allies, she felt a little bit better about the day. Usually, she'd 'befriended' a good amount of people. However, since she wasn't going to be in Springwood as long as she had been in previous towns and states, she wasn't as worried about befriending as many people as quickly. She had more than enough time to talk with and converse with the people of Springwood, winning them over with the fake confidence and charm she always used.

Thalia had learned from the best. Her mother was the Queen at faking kindness and using things to her advantage, and her father too. She had the best teachers to show her what she needed to do to gain what she wanted, from years of practice she had enough experience to not make similar mistakes she'd made in the past. 

She knew what she was doing, and soon enough she'd be out of Springwood - far away, where nobody could contact her. She'd be living her life, succeeding in everything she was always told she couldn't. She would have everything she wanted without question, without bribing, it would be hers without her even having to ask.

Despite the odd feeling that grew in her stomach as she descended down a staircase in Springwood High. Despite the ever-growing paranoia that resided deep down inside her that her plans would fail - that all of this would be for nothing. She pushed it away and faked a smile, showing a kindness she usually wouldn't care to show to others as she walked by. She made sure to even wave, complementing girls in dresses she'd never be caught dead in. She'd wink at the boys that passed by in an attempt to flirt, smirking in success as they would turn and watch her walk by.

It wasn't long before she arrived at her next class. A few people had arrived - none she'd met yet. She did as she'd been doing the entire day - fake smiling, greeting, and complimenting. Doing things that were the complete opposite of her personality. Things she'd never be caught dead doing a few weeks from now. Once people knew who Thalia Rollins-Campbell was, they would forget the girl from the first day of school.

"Hi," A soft voice spoke.

Thalia blinked a few times before looking next to her. A brunette girl with doe-like eyes sat at the desk next to her, looking at her with a beautiful smile.

For a second, Thalia wanted to roll her eyes and look away. She wanted to tell the girl to get lost - but she couldn't. She remembered she needed to get as much information on who the most popular students of Springwood High were, figuring out the odds and ends of the weird school. So instead, she put on another fake smile and tilted her head.

"Hello,"

"I'm Angelina," The girl spoke softly. "I saw you this morning, was a little bit too afraid to introduce myself. Never know who's going to be a complete jerk, you know?"

Thalia laughed lightly, understanding what she meant all too well. Angelina was lucky that Thalia had a little plan formed in her head, otherwise, that version of Thalia is exactly what the girl would get.

"Anyways, just thought I'd introduce myself." Angelina continued, despite Thalia's lack of response. "Thought it'd be cool to let you know you've got people to talk to if you didn't know anyone. Being the new girl can be a little anxiety-inducing."

Angelina twisted the mechanical pencil in her hand, little clicks sounding at the action. Thalia noticed this, looking from the pencil to Angelina, then back at the pencil. She nodded, glancing around the empty classroom before back at the girl.

"You remind me of a deer," Thalia spoke, ignoring Angelina's statement.

"A-a deer?" Angelina asked. She was caught off guard, the comment causing her tanned cheeks to turn a light pink. "I hope that's a good thing."

Thalia shrugged with one shoulder, "Yeah. Sure."

Angelina's lips pressed together, "Right. Yeah." She breathed out, "Hey, you into drama?"

"Like... theater geeks and shit?" Thalia asked with a snort. As soon as she saw the serious look on Angelina's face, however, her laugh fell short. "You mean theater geeks." She breathed out, clearing her throat.

"Yes," Angelina spoke, "I-I know it's not everyone's thing, so I don't judge you if that's not something you're interested in. I'm just very heavily involved in the drama club, and the club could be an easy way to make-"

"No thanks," Thalia was quick to cut the other girl off. Angelina's lips pressed shut, not having expected such a quick rejection. 

But then, Thalia thought about it. Angelina was saying it could be an easy way to make friends. Theater geeks were always wanting friends, and they could be a good group of people to get some information out of. They probably aren't popular, meaning they would have a good choice of words for those who are popular. They'd know all of the latest gossip and who was who, meaning they'd be a quick way for Thalia to find out who was 'in charge'.

"You know what?" Thalia then asked, "Take me to that little club of yours, Lina dear, I think I'd like to see what it's about."

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I lowkey hated this chapter, but I hope you guys at least enjoy it <3