◈A D R I A N◈

I sneezed for the billionth time, my nose runny and my eyes watered. Maybe I was well on my way to pneumonia.

Fuck Logan for jinxing it, I muttered under my breath as I pushed past a group of preppy girls streaming out of the washroom. I swear to God they were performing some vanity cult practices in there.

Vanity, huh?

That was something I will never have. There's nothing for me to be conceited about. Not my terrible grades or supportive parents. Most definitely not my maimed back.

My back.

Nobody must know what happened.

Not even Logan.

Thinking back on yesterday's events had me chewing my inner cheek. Things were going so well. Why must I run away? I could have played it cool and we'll be on our merry way to reacquainting with each other. Not building walls between us again.

Sighing, I shoved my hands deeper into my pockets when I stepped out of the main building as a slight breeze sent arctic shivers down my back. Halfway through the pathway to the science building, a wave of nausea hit me unsuspectingly, causing me to almost trip on the steps as my vision blacked out momentarily. I stopped and tightened my grip on the railing as I waited to regain my sight.

I knew I was screwed the moment I opened my eyes to see my bedroom ceiling started to get trippy this morning. My head felt as if it was stuffed with cotton, slowly suffocating my brain when I sat up from my bed.

As much as I hated to admit it, I wasn't exactly the brightest crayon in the bunch when I sprinted off from Logan's apartment during the downpour on a whim. Not to mention eating ice cream like Olaf craved the summer, I was bound to fall sick.

Yeah. Adrian and common sense aren't exactly BFFs.

With wobbly steps, I slowly made way to the entrance and trudged to the chemistry laboratory. I sighed in relief when I finally reached the room. Any longer and I was sure I would crash to the ground.

The room was already bustling with hushed whispers and stifled snickers when I pushed through the double door. They had their backs facing towards me, some of them tiptoed to get a clearer view while others sat on the tables for a better vantage point.

All surrounding two people. Like a gladiator standoff in the Colosseum.

Ugh, violence isn't really my thing, I mused as I ignored the commotion and focused on getting to my seat before the second wave hits me.

I groaned when I noticed that the access to my seat was blocked by two boys. Two obnoxious, drama-thirsty assholes.

Shit!

Sometimes I hated how people crave for drama to spark some joy in their miserable, dull lives.

Swallowing my frustration, I craned my neck to the side to see they were Roy and Gavin whispering animatedly at the scene before them. Gavin was making a bunch of gestures at the 'gladiators'. Meanwhile, Roy was nodding his head at Gavin's words.

If I didn't know better, I would have thought they were analysing some sports match.

"You bitch!" a shrill voice cut through the murmurs. Everyone stilled their activities at once and waited for the climax to unfold.

Gavin too stopped his wild gestures immediately and focused his gaze on the girl who screamed. As much as I hated the hypocrisy, my curiosity was piqued like a cat enticed with a feather toy.

"I never knew you could stoop so low. How could you do this?" the girl continued, her voice slightly tinted with anguish. I couldn't hear any response from the other party apart from an exasperated sigh.

Giving in to my curiosity, I tried to sidestep Roy to take a peek and managed to see Amanda seething like a feral cat. Her eyes were red and I swore her hair bristled like a provoked feline. The other girl stepped into my limited viewpoint and said, "Believe it or not, it wasn't me. I don't need to play dirty tricks when I have the intelligence which you clearly lacked."

A laugh inadvertently escaped from my lips while the boys hooted at the comeback. No one can counter an argument like Kelly and that snarky remark just confirmed it.

Amanda's cheeks grew red. Seeing as she was on the losing end, she decided to tip the scale back by taking a few threatening steps towards Kelly, cornering her until Kelly hit the table behind her.

"Intelligent? I think you mean manipulative," Amanda sneered. "Just because Mr. Hawthorne believed you doesn't mean your little trick can fool me."

Now it was Kelly's turn to get hot and impatient. She pushed herself off the table and straightened her back, making herself look as imposing as a dwarf Viking.

"Mr. Hawthorne made himself clear last Friday that absence without a valid reason will not be given a second chance to perform. You were absent without informing him," Kelly rationalized. She then took another step forward and poked at Amanda's shoulder. "It was your mistake so suck it up, little buttercup."

Amanda slapped the finger away and scoffed, "My mistake? Ian told me you were the one who insinuated that I was playing hooky when Mr. Hawthorne asked about me."

Kelly whipped her head around to look for that perpetrator. I caught sight of Ian before she did to see him retreating discreetly from his front row seat when he was called out by Amanda.

This needs to stop before things get ugly, I thought to myself as I glanced at my watch. Knowing how punctual Mr. Chan was, he won't be entering the class for another fifteen minutes.

"Mr. Hawthorne asked me where you were so I answered you were absent since you weren't in class for the first and second period. That's that. I don't know what Ian heard and I don't care," Kelly said and turned to leave but Amanda stopped her.

"Mr. Hawthorne, Mr. Hawthorne. Always the good girl, aren't you?" Amanda circled Kelly like a shark. "Bet you spread your legs for Straight A's," her voice dripped with poison.

The crowd immediately started to get noisy, everyone voicing out unnecessary opinions. I heard the word 'slut' and 'whore' thrown carelessly at Kelly's direction. Kelly must be furious because I could see her eyes redden and her lips tremble.

My feet unconsciously took a step closer to her before I caught myself. Rationality told me to be wise- no reason to put myself under the spotlight when I was a bully's target too.

But she's my friend.

I lifted my head just in time to see a tear rolled down Kelly's cheeks. This time, I fisted my hands in resolution.

Yeah, she's my friend.

"Spare me your act, this is no drama club," Amanda spat.

I began to push through the stubborn crowd as best as I could when I heard a loud smack. Doubling my efforts, I pushed harder and finally managed to stumble into the arena. I was stumped to see Amanda cradling her left cheek.

This could only mean one thing.

Hell is about to break loose.

Enraged, Amanda grabbed a nearby test tube and charged at Kelly. Seeing the fluid in the test tube, I had a bad premonition and ran towards Kelly too.

But I was too late.

Kelly's face was already wet by the time I got there.

"What's going on, guys? Go back to your seats please," Mr. Chan ordered as he deposited his bag on the desk.

The crowd dispersed quickly, leaving only the three of us standing. Amanda brushed past me and stopped to whisper in Kelly's ear.

"You're lucky it's distilled water this time."

✈

Author's note

Hey guys, Happy Lunar New Year 🍊!

Phew, that was intense. Amanda had finally made an appearance. Yeah, I just remembered I can't create a character only to forget about them 😅.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you liked it, please consider clicking on the little star to vote :)

{Song: Bury a Friend by Billie Eilish}