Ring! Ring! Ring!

~ Rhian ~

Damn, I felt really grateful at the sound of the lunch bell because I couldn't take Mr. Hermon's boring class anymore. Everyone scurried out of the class even before the teacher could finish his final sentence.

Thud!

As I banged my red locker shut, my gaze suddenly became fixed upon Yolanda's bright smile, causing me to flinch backwards.

"Shit, Yo...you startled me"

"You're always a scaredy cat ". She smirked.

I sighed.

We both trailed down the hallway which was well arrayed with red lockers like mine, until we arrived at the cafeteria. The whole place was crowded, with every round table almost occupied.

We had to wait  behind the short queue of persons who also wanted to grab lunch, until it was our turn. Pulling a tray from the glossy white table, she gave the lunch guy a dirty smirk before shooting at me with a gaze that meant, 'I'm into cute guys like him'. I scoffed, pulling a tray from the table as well.

"What of the others?", I asked.

"There they are", she responded, gesturing at Ashley and Gemini who were already seated at a table.

I beamed while walking towards their table, but that was when someone bumped into Yolanda, out of nowhere. A frown crawled upon my face as I watched her fall to the ground, bathed in the cup of smoothie which sat on her tray.

"Oops, I think the smoothie missed a spot", jibed the person who bumped into her.

Vera Grant had always been identified by everyone in school as a bully who enjoyed preying on those who seemed weaker than her. Though we never had any reason to cross paths with each other, until that particular moment.

Infuriated by what she did, I placed my tray upon the random table closest to me and walked up to her.

"Hey bitch, I think you owe my friend an apology", I voiced with a frown.

This drew everyone's attention towards us, but I didn't give a damn about what they were gonna think. 

"Think again", she said.

She flung her long blonde hair in my face before turning her back on me, causing my blood to boil. I darted towards the table where my tray laid, picking up my own cup of smoothie.

A sudden gasp escaped her mouth immediately I emptied the whole cup upon her head.

"Shit!! ", She exclaimed.

I stepped backwards, watching as the pink smoothie dripped from her hair onto the white shirt she wore. A smirk crawled upon my face while I listened to the murmurs and whispers coming from the crowd which surrounded us.

My stern gaze remained pinned upon her furious brown eyes in anticipation of her next move. Another gasp escaped her mouth as I grabbed her right hand even before she could slam it into my face, gripping it so tight that she became unable to flex it.

Bang!

I slammed my left hand into her face, causing her to yell.

"Let this be a warning to you and everyone else who loves bullying students... I'll slap harder next time", I spat, glancing at everyone's face.

Yolanda was gone, even before I could offer to help her get rid of the smoothie stains.

I wore a stern look as I grabbed my tray, walking past the crowd until I got the the round red table where Ash and Gem sat frozen.  Sitting beside Ashley, I tried so much to avoid making an eye contact with Gem for some weird reason.

"That was badass", he complimented.

"Thanks", I replied, quickly averting my gaze from him.

"Now, that's how to stand up to a bully", Ashley beamed, before giving me a slight shoulder bump.

**********

"Miss Hadid, you're too new to be in trouble"

The grey haired, middle-aged lady glared at me with a frown, adjusting her incredibly hilarious glasses before leaning close to me. I flinched backwards, trying so hard not to laugh at the sad yellow dress she wore.

"Getting into a fight earns you detention ", she said in a stern tone.

I sighed, trying my best to avoid making an eye contact with her, in a bid to avoid more trouble.

"But Vera was--"

She interrupted me.

"But I'll let you off the hook..."

My eyes widened as I stared at her mouth, anticipating what she would say next;

"I've come to realize that you're a genius when it comes to history, and I happen to have a few students who are struggling with it...", She paused, relaxing backwards.

"You want me to tutor them?", I asked.

She cleared her throat, shifting her gaze to the white file which laid upon the brown table in front of me.

"Yes, and I'll keep you off detention...if they pass the test by next week; or else, you'll be getting a whole week of detention"

She flipped the file open and glanced through it, before shifting her gaze to me again;

"You're already familiar with these students... So, I'm even doing you a huge favor", she paused.

"Ashley Locke, Gemini Walters and Yolanda Wayne", she listed.

A grateful smile crept upon my face as I stared at her; I felt relieved, with all the pressure melting away into happiness.

"Can you do it?... Or--"

"Yes, I can", I affirmed.

"Good...you can leave now. Have a nice day and try not to get into any more troubles... Okay? ", She beamed.

"Thanks... sure thing"

I exhaled deeply as I pulled the door knob, leaving the office with a smile impressed on my face.

There were no more classes for the day, so I hurried back to my locker to grab a few books. I shuddered at the sudden sight of Gemini's worried gaze immediately I shut my locker;

"Damn, everyone's doing this to me today", I murmured.

I averted my gaze from him in a bid to turn away, but I felt his strong grip on my wrist.

"Rhi, you've been avoiding me throughout today...what's up?", his voice sounded calm, but worried.

I rubbed my forehead, thoughts dizzying my mind while I was trying to come up with the most suitable excuse to brush him away.

"Me? Avoiding you?...no, I even sat on the same table with you and Ashley during lunch"

He sighed, letting go of my hand while peering into my eyes. It felt as though he could see through me, causing my stomach to twitch;

"Please stop lying to me, Rhi...is it because of last night?", he whispered.

"We can't do this here, Gem... besides, I can't date someone who--"

He interrupted me.

"Got possessed by a demon, cus you think I'm gonna kill you one day", he said.

"It's not like that, Gem...I-I just....", I stuttered.

I could see pain dancing in eyes, but there was nothing I could do about it.

"Then, why have you been avoiding me? ", He asked.

I remained frozen, unable to utter any word while staring at him.

He sighed. 

"I knew it...", he murmured.

He stared at me for a few seconds and shook his head before walking away. Tears welled up in my eyes as I hung my back pack, pacing down the hallway.