[004] stone cold bitch

                              Alice had merely heard of Catherine Roy.

                             She was mostly known as the younger sister of both Roman and Shiv Roy, but she had her own little legacy. She was a stone cold bitch, but her sister was no different. But Shiv tried to hide it a little better, plastering on fake smiles and managing to always outdo her peers in all of the classes she was in. 

                             Catherine, on the other hand, pretty much terrorized everyone around her. She was smart (definitely smart enough to skip a grade to be with her two older siblings) but she was also psychotic. She had her minions who followed her every lead, doing her dirty work so her hands wouldn't be tainted by any mess. If any one in their school could be voted as most likely to become a world dictator, it'd probably be Catherine Roy herself.

                           You'd expect for Alice and Catherine to be enemies because both of them were pretty, popular, and just a little crazy. But, if anything, the two of them simply... co-existed. They didn't really bother each other but Alice's friends hated her. Iris, in particular, hated Catherine but it was all for one incredibly stupid reason.

                            "I hear Damian Han's been spending some time with Catherine," Davina declares as she touches up on her makeup, standing in front of the bathroom mirror.

                           The other girls were doing the same. Well, except for Alice. She felt no need to when she was already perfect. And besides, she had already done so earlier since she had been on her knees hours before - throwing up the lunch she had. 

                            "So?" Alice raises a brow, not the slightest bit interested as she glances down at her nails. "Damian spends a lot of time with a lot of girls. He's a whore."

                            "He hasn't spent time with Iris," Davina adds, sending Iris a knowing look.

                            It was no secret that Iris had a crush on the school's heartthrob. He was handsome but he was an absolute jerk. Unfortunately, girls seemed to fall for it. Alice had been too turned off by his personality to pursue a relationship with him, convinced that he was an actual sociopath. But others were too blinded by his looks to care.

                            "Why would he when she acts so much like a prude? I hear he only likes fun and interesting girls like Alice," Nicole remarked.

                           "Damian's not my type," Alice quickly argued.

                            "Why? Is it because the two of you are alike?" Nicole teased with a grin.

                            "Fuck off," Alice spat.

                            "You two can go ahead and argue later. Right now, I need help in making Damian notice me," Iris whined.

                            "Good luck with that," Davina remarked, causing Nicole to laugh. "Catherine Roy is the only person he's paying attention too at the moment."

                            "I'm serious! What the fuck does Catherine Roy have that I don't? I'm smarter than her and I'm definitely prettier. I swear, Catherine's such a slut. She's slept with the entire male population at this school at some point," Iris ranted, a frown making its way onto her cherry colored lips.

                            "Half actually. If you're going to talk shit about me, get the facts correct," Catherine remarked, causing all four girls to look at her.

                            They definitely hadn't noticed Catherine walking into the bathroom but it wasn't as though any of them were too bothered. If they weren't gossip behind your back, they'd say it to your face. She strolls towards one of the free mirrors, fixing her hair and acting entirely unbothered the whole time. Alice admired her already.

                            "How long were you listening to our conversation? You're such a stalker," Nicole scoffed.

                            "And all you know how to do is talk shit. Why don't you do better things with your time like study? Everyone knows you're gonna need to if you ever think about passing this grade," Catherine remarked, making Alice snort.

                           Iris briefly glares at Alice before she focuses her attention back onto Catherine. "You have some nerve to talk about passing grades,

                           "And what is that supposed to mean?" Catherine turns to look at the group of girls.

                            "I mean, it's just a little hard to believe that you managed to skip an entire grade. What, did you make your dad bribe the headmaster just so you wouldn't have to be left out?" Iris questioned, a wicked smile on her lips.

                            Catherine's smile falters. If there was one thing she hated, it was mentioning her dad. Being the youngest, she already had issues with people taking her seriously. But being Logan Roy's youngest daughter, Catherine constantly had to work hard to prove she wouldn't turn out to be some spoiled brat.

                            "No, she actually passed her classes, unlike you. Didn't your dad have to bribe the headmaster just for you to stay in this school?" Alice remarked.

                            Iris gasps, the words a harsh slap in the face. Catherine looks over at Alice, shocked that she had stood up for her. Alice wasn't really sure why she had either. But maybe it was due to her "friendship" with Roman that Alice felt a little sense of loyalty that probably didn't need to be there.

                           "That's just a rumor," Iris declared, even though Alice knew it definitely wasn't.

                           Alice smirks. "Sure."

                          "I'm not dating Damian. In fact, we're not even friends. He's chasing after me so if you want to be mad at someone, be mad at him. But talking shit about me behind my back and taking cheap shots is actually really fucking pathetic," Catherine continued with a shake of her head.

                          "What did you call me?" Iris scowls, shocked that anyone would be disrespecting her like this. Did Catherine not know her place?

                          "Pathetic. She called you pathetic," Alice chimed in, amusement laced within her tone.

                          Iris whirled around to glare at Alice. "Why are you taking her side?"

                          "I'm not taking anyone's side except for mine. I'm completely ambivalent," Alice says, both hands raised in surrender.

                          "Actually, that's not what ambivalent -," Nicole began to say.

                          "No one likes a know-it-all, Nicole," Alice cuts her off, glaring at her after.

                          Nicole instantly shuts her mouth.

                         "Why are you angry at Alice? Your problem is with me. So talk to me," Catherine challenged, her hands on her hips. "Unless you're too much of a coward."

                        The tension in the girls' bathroom was thick enough to be cut with a knife as the two girls stare each other down. Davina was convinced that there was about to be a physical fight. Alice hoped there would be. She needed some sort of excitement after this boring day. But instead, Iris just scoffs - arms folded across her chest.

                         "I'm not scared of you, Catherine. I'm not scared of someone who makes their Daddy clean up their messes for them. So if I were you, I'd watch my back," Iris spat.

                         Iris then storms out of the bathroom, Davina and Nicole following close behind her to offer her "moral support". Alice stays behind, sitting on the countertop, and Catherine turns to look at her.

                        "Aren't you going to go and follow behind your best friend?" Catherine questioned with a cock of her brow.

                        "No. I'm not in the mood to hear her whining. Besides, I do whatever I want to do," Alice explains with a shrug.

                        Catherine hums before nodding. "I hope you don't expect me to thank you for helping but -."

                        "You don't seriously think I was helping you, right? I did that for my own entertainment," Alice quickly corrects the girl with a scoff.

                        "You belittle your own friend for entertainment?" Catherine asks with a scoff, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "You're a stone cold bitch, Alice Kim."

                         "And you're a sociopath in the making, Catherine Roy," Alice responds back, her smile mirroring Catherine's own.

                         Despite Alice being an absolutely terrible friend, Iris and the other girls still stuck by her side. And by the time the school day was over, they had made plans to hang out during the weekend. Andrew would show up just in time, swooping in to take Alice away so they could spend some time together. Really, Alice was dreading having to do that. She was getting so bored with pretending to feel something that she knew wasn't real. And with an obnoxious asshole like Andrew. 

                         Andrew wraps an arm around Alice's shoulders, holding her close as they walked down the hallway together. Along the way, they'd walk past Roman who had been standing by himself. Andrew gives him a wave before turning around, oblivious to the fact that Roman and Alice also shared a knowing look of their own. Although it feels as though it lasts a lifetime, it only lasts a mere couple of seconds before Alice and Andrew turn the corner and begin walking out of the school entirely.

                       But Alice swears she can still feel Roman watching her.

                       "Our parents want us to have a dinner next week. There'll be paps planted outside the building so they'll be taking pictures of us," Andrew declared.

                       Alice raised a brow. "My parents didn't mention this to me."

                      Or maybe they had and Alice just hadn't bothered to pay attention to them. Either way, Alice knew that she had no choice but to go. 

                      "Well, my parents told me. Wear something pretty, alright?" Andrew responded.

                      "I always wear something pretty," Alice responds, irritated already by his words. She then moved away from Andrew and decided to walk on her own. "Maybe you should be the one to take your own advice. I swear you only have five outfits in your closet."

                      "Not all of us can be fashionistas like you, Alice," Andrew rolled his eyes.

                      "And not all of us can be assholes but good for you, I guess," Alice retorted.

                      Andrew scoffs, opening his car door. "Are you gonna be a bitch for the rest of the day or are you gonna get in?"

                      Alice folds her arms across her chest but ultimately climbs into his car, letting him take her back home. She just stares out the window for most of the ride while Andrew played his stupid music, watching the all too familiar city all turn into one giant blur. By the time Andrew dropped her back home, the two didn't bother to greet each other. It's not like they had an audience to fake it in front of anymore.

                        "Why didn't you tell me that I had to go on another date with Andrew next week?" is the first question Alice asks her dad when she sees him in the living room. Her mom was working at Moderne's headquarters, a place Alice has only been to a handful of times before, so the only person Alice could talk to was her dad.

                       But Iseul Kim didn't care to be bothered.

                       "We did. But you were in your head again, as you always are. Besides, what's the big deal? The two of you are dating," he drawls, his attention focused on the paperwork in front of him.

                       "Only because you and Mom made me do it. How much longer do I have to keep this going?" Alice frowned.

                       "Until we decide you don't need to anymore," he finally glanced up at her, a frown on his lips. "Is that going to be a problem, Alice?"

                       Alice swallows hard, forcing herself to let go of her own anger. She didn't want to start another fight with her dad and risk things blowing up. Alice already seemed to piss her dad off without even trying. She didn't want to try this time. "No. No, it's not going to be a problem."

                       "Good, now go and do something useful. Like leaving me alone. Some of us have actually important matters to attend to," he retorted before he focuses on his work, Alice practically invisible to him.

                       Alice sniffles before she walks away from him, going towards her bedroom instead. She doesn't let go of her cold facade until she's in the safety of her bedroom, locking the door behind her. For all of Alice's life, she had felt trapped. But lately, the suffocating feeling seemed to only be getting stronger and stronger. And Alice didn't know how she was going to escape it.

                       Or if she was going to escape it.

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word count: 2113
notes: solely an alice chapter this time around but the next one will go back to being alice and roman!