You're talking too much

"Thanks for letting me borrow your skirt," I thank Blair.

She shrugs, as we make our way to the same table next to the wide glass windows in the lavish and spacious cafeteria, sponsored by the parents of the students. Including: 5 star Michelin dishes, silverware, and gold platters, in addition to several sculptures displayed in glass cases to make it seem like we're at a cuisine or a museum rather than a regular school.

I explain what had happened beforehand with my unfair marking of my previous test. I had reviewed it the night before.

Trash. Collins is absolute garbage for robbing me of so many marks.

I sigh before looking back to Blair who seems to have ignored my lengthy anecdote.

"Are you even listening to me?" She glances up at me with wary emerald green eyes, like a child that got caught doing something wrong.

She clears her throat, steering her attention away from her nails.

"You know I wasn't. I don't know why you ask."

I roll my eyes and she smiles not-so-innocently with fluttering lashes.

Ever since I came here to Sevit High, I never thought I'd stray from my roots, vowing that I'd never associate myself with the snotty and arrogant heirs who drink directly from their parent's silver pristine cups.

But Blair alleviated some of the bitterness and the petty hatred that consumed me that made me insecure. Her confidence from her good heart rather than stemming from materialistic things, made me gravitate towards her.

We're both so different, but yet we complete each other in a way that I'd never thought would be possible. We seem to balance each other out: She keeps me from being completely resentful, and I keep her grounded.

I reach into my bag and fumble for my textbook to do some essential readings before my next class, but my hand finds a stray batch of papers buried deep under my other books. I pull it out and to my dismay, it's the exam papers from last semester that I failed to turn in after looking at them in class.

I can feel a bit of panic rising in my throat but I shake my head to clear my mind. I purse my lips and begin to skim through the questions to look for my mistakes that Mr. Collins himself had marked a few weeks ago.

"Hey!" I feel the paper being ripped away by Blair whose eyes are hysterical. "Why the damn hell do you have that?"

I shush her and snatch it back from her grasp. "I accidentally put it in my bag and forgot to return it.”.

"Arden, who would believe that? You can get suspended for this!" She hisses.

"I can maybe prove that they're all paying Collins for answers..." I hiss back.

"Hey!"

Both Blair and I whip our heads to the assistant principal, who is a middle-aged bitter white woman that worships money, known for her undying obedience for the principal and sucking up to every student here that are heirs to big companies.

I quickly lower the exam paper from her eye-view and Blair begins to cough loudly. I shoot her a glare, for arousing even more suspicion.

"Shields..." She narrows her usually bulging eyes at me.

I try to suppress an eye roll as I know what would come next. “You haven’t been wreaking havoc have you as of late?”

“No, Miss,” I reply blankly.

She bends her back over, looming over me and I can’t help but gulp, feeling like the exam paper hidden under the desk is a million times heavier.

She straightens up her posture again. “With your demerit points from sneaking out our library books and other precious resources accumulating, I wonder how long you’ll last here.” She says in a matter-of-factor tone.

“It’s a library, aren’t they for borrowing books?” I deadpan.

“You think this school is like others?” She scoffs. “Our resources are top quality sponsored by the most well-respected professors and private tutors.”

“Well I hope to live to see you longer, Miss.”

I watch in delight as she shoots one last glare and then stalks off to hunt down more victims.

Whilst the assistant principal is best at praising the rich, she vents all her issues in dealing with them and their snotty asses onto people like me here who is vulnerable and cannot retaliate.

Blair rolls her eyes but doesn't say anything else as she looks away into the distance.

I tuck the exam papers back into my bag, with Blair’s beading eyes glaring at me.

“I don’t know what you’re up to, but you’d better not get caught and leave this hell hole.”

“I would never leave without you.”

Blair chuckles, shaking her head in amusement.

"You know, this season, my mother is finally releasing a new collection for our cosmetics line, but it’s at the same time as Liana’s brand." A smirk stretches onto her face as her gaze is directed at Liana and her posse sitting at a nearby table. I also turn my head towards them to see Liana gesturing Blair to sit on their table.

But Blair only turns back to face me with a content smile, her face relaxed. "It's sad really that she has to pay people to negatively review our products."

"It's sadder that your brand still does so much better," I also add.

“I’m gonna have to go do some.. Networking,” Blair hesitantly says whilst rolling her eyes again.

“I get it. They probably miss you.”

“They miss my connections,” Blair corrects me.

They also hate it that you’re here with me

I try not to think about it sometimes, but it does make me feel slightly guilty that Blair now spends most of her time with me rather than her old friends that hold more status and powerful connections.

Before Blair can get up, something changes in the air, and a lot of people around us are thrust out of their conversations to acknowledge the presence of a group of guys who had just entered the cafeteria.

I twist my body back to face Blair, and she gives me a knowing look.

"Wonder why they even bother coming," I mutter.

I roll my eyes and turn around again to inconveniently lock eyes with the Jace Archer, the boy I met in the toilets.

I freeze on the spot, and my arms go to my sides.

I can't believe I didn't recognise this jerk.

It's like he could read my mind because his full lips quirk up slightly and he breaks our gazing streak, turning to the boy beside him, named Grayson - I think.

Jace mutters something to him, and they both leave, just as fast as they came, leaving their remaining posse behind who seems to be confused and lost without their leader.

"They're so hot..." Blair says dreamily, as she rests her chin on her hand. "And rich..."

I scoff. "They're just as pretentious as they seem."

Blair raises a perfectly arched eyebrow as she scans my scowling expression. "Why does it seem like you know something I don't?"

I shrug, taking a sip from my drink bottle. "I may or may have not ran into Archer in the toilets." I say in a-matter-of-factly way, trying to play down the situation so that Blair wouldn't freak.

She exhales deeply, closing her almond shaped eyes for a bit, as if to compose herself, until her emerald gaze falls onto me again.

"What happened?"

I don't say anything and avoid her laser-like eyes.

"Wait, wait, wait..." She shakes her head with a dazed expression like she's trying to figure something out. "Either he doesn't have a dick, or… you..."

I realise where she may be confused but I only shrug.

“Wanna check?”

Blair narrows her eyes at me, annoyed at my evasive attitude. I huff out a defeated sigh. "I went into the boy's toilets by accident, and he was there."

"Oh my god, Arden!" She covers her mouth with wide eyes. "Did you see his-"

"What?" I slap her hard on the shoulders and she recoils. "Stop talking to me!"

Blair rolls her eyes at my overreaction but chooses not to further question me. I try to ignore her very obvious silent curiosity as she taps her foot quietly, and sips her tea.

“Well.. I’ll be back.” She stands up, with her Pandora bangles clanging together as she does.

“This isn’t over!” She calls out before joining her old posse.

After a moment of silence, observing how Blair easily assimilates into the group of girls, smiling and laughing at something funny they’ve said or sharing their new accessories; bringing their phones out to brag about their Summer.

I smile meekly before standing up with the lunch tray in my hands. However, before I can get to the bin, I bump into a slim figure, and she shrieks as the carbonara sauce splattering all over her white halter top.

I gasp, and can sense Blair from the nearby table also standing up.

"I-I'm so sorry, I-" I reach out to help wipe off some sauce, but she shoves me away with her claws, scratching me in the process.

I look up to see Katherine Turner, one of the most beautiful and rich girls of Sevit High, about to ascend the throne to her parent's law firm. Behind her are the four well-known popular heirs that are always on the cover of fashion magazines, and always trailing Katherine like sheep.

These girls travel in packs. And their leader seems to be this girl with long curly brown locks who's glaring at me with unfathomable rage.

If left astray, the others do not have enough to their name and will fall like dominos. They seem to only exist for Katherine, as accessories for her to wear and throw away when she gets bored.

There are no allies in this school, only collateral friendships.

She sucks in a shaky breath in anger with her eyes closed, before casting her piercing blue eyes to me. "You know we have a cleaning lady here to take out the trash, right?"

Her voice is tight and low and she stares down at me. Even though I'm quite tall myself, the few inches she has over me from her stilettos makes her much more intimidating.

"It was an accident," I say, my tone clipped.

I feel Blair's supportive hand on my back as she comes to my defence. "She didn't do it on purpose, Kat."

But I can only gulp as Katherine's glare moves to Blair, her ex-best friend and arch nemesis. Katherine's cold eyes glint dangerously as her lips quirk up in disgust.

"How many times do I have to flush before you finally go away."

Blair narrows her eyes. "You want to talk about deuces now?" She laughs, and crosses her arms. "You really want to know who the real turd is here?" Blair's tone drops a few octaves lower, threateningly.

I choke on my own snicker as I know what Blair is referring to and Katherine's eyes go to me menacingly.

"Shut up you bitch."

"Why are you so still obsessed with me anyway to still have that photo? Do you think you can use it against me for life?" She sneers back, but I don't miss the agitation in her facial expression and the slight tremble in her eyes.

Blair only shrugs. "I saved the photo so I can look at it when I'm down."

Before I can laugh, someone does it for me.

I look to Elijah King from behind who has now stepped up beside Katherine.

His piercing green eyes stand out the most on his dark clear skin, and his full lips form into a smirk. Everyone knows him, we cannot escape his fame and ignore his charismatic presence.

Known for his player ways and the multiple celebrities he's been caught by the press, he's notorious in the school for leaving a trail of broken hearts.

"What are you doing, Elijah?" Katherine hisses with crossed arms, directing her glare at her boyfriend.

He flashes a wide grin, showing off his pearly whites.

"I'm breaking up with you."

The whole cafeteria seems to be invested in the drama now as a few gasps and mutters are spread throughout the vast hall.

Katherine's baffled face twists into a scowl as she points at Blair accusingly with her eyes still trained on Elijah's smirking face.

“You're breaking up with me over some alleged photo?"

"An old embarrassing photo of you pooping your pants at camp," Blair corrects not so subtly.

I can't help but snicker and Elijah only maintains his easy-going and playful attitude as he slowly turns his head to look down at Katherine who's still seething, her chest heaving up and down.

"No, I'm breaking up with you because you're a bitch."