PANDEMONIUM

TRIGGER WARNING: Explicit/Disturbing content.

***

[I'M so fucking tired.]

Sol wanted to go home and take a bath.

But here she was, on her way to the rooftop of her school's Science Building. It was already two AM, but she managed to enter the school thanks to her "pets."

[God, I feel gross.]

She didn't have time to change her clothes, and there were bloodstains on her white blouse. Her terrible outfit didn't match the luxury bag she was carrying at the moment.

[Argh, I can't take this anymore.]

She ripped her blouse open– exposing her black sports bra in the process. Since she would only be meeting trash people later, she didn't have to maintain her "good student" façade.

[Fuck, they're really up there.]

She could hear the loud music while standing in front of the door to the rooftop.

[Ah, ignorance is bliss.]

She made sure that what happened at the townhouse earlier wouldn't get leaked out because she wanted to make her "schoolmates" believe that their "evil plan" against her succeeded. It was probably the reason why those fools were having a party right now.

Ah, she couldn't wait to see the look on their faces once she made her grand entrance.

[Let's crash this party now.]

She was about to grab the doorknob when the door burst open.

"Sol?"

It was Dusk Quijano, and he looked surprised to see her.

"What happened?" Dusk Quijano asked worriedly, then he gently held her by the shoulders while inspecting her from head to toe. Then he looked at her face with a concerned look on his face. "Are you okay? Who did this to you?"

Aww, she was so fucking touched that she couldn't help but smile.

"Dusk Quijano?"

"Yes, Sol?"

She smirked at his innocent look. "Drop the fucking act."

"Sol, I don't understand," he said, confused. "What are you saying?"

"HHS is a school run by gangsters, and it's apparently led by Quest and Eloise Venosa," she said. "But a shadow leader that pulls the strings behind the scene actually funded and ruled the school." She poked a finger into his chest. "That's you, Dusk Quijano. You're the real leader of the school gang."

He looked hurt by her accusation. If she didn't know better, she might have been deceived. His angelic face was really dangerously necessary for a "main actor" like him.

"Sol…" Dusk said her name in an agonizing voice. "How could you accuse me like that?" Tears rolled down on his cheeks, then he smirked. "You fucking bitch."

Dusk Quijano's façade finally slipped.

His gentle smile was now replaced by a devious smirk.

He sounded pissed, but there was amusement in his eyes. When he combed his fingers through his hair, his face became completely void of emotions. His gaze was now as cold as the night, so was his voice when he spoke to her again.

"Since when did you know the truth about me?" Dusk asked bluntly. "Have you just been acting along all this time?"

"Your concept is too cringey that I saw right through you the first day we met at the fast-food chain."

"Damn," he said, then he chuckled as if he was amused. "From the get-go, huh?"

"Move," she said, then she bumped into his shoulder when she walked past him. "Let's end this quick."

When she walked into the rooftop, her schoolmates who were in the middle of a wild party stopped to look at her. There were a lot of familiar faces, but she only focused on Quest and Eloise Venosa.

Quest looked shocked by her appearance. When he recovered from his shock, he quickly signaled one of the students to turn off the deafening sound system.

And then, silence ensued.

"Surprised?" Sol asked her schoolmates, laughing. But she was on high alert, especially since Dusk Quijano was standing behind her. "Come on, don't look at me like that. I'm here to join the party."

She was paying attention to the Venosa Cousins, so she noticed it when their gazes went past her.

"She knows the truth," Dusk said playfully, then he stood next to her. "Everyone can drop the act now."

Like she expected, everyone was really a part of that badly written concept.

"How did you get here?" Quest asked her in a disinterested voice. Her "clingy boyfriend" now looked at her with obvious disgust. "The report we received from the Auction House said the event was a success."

She shrugged. "Take a guess, babe."

"You bitch!" Eloise yelled at her. Fear was clear in the poor girl's eyes. "What did you do to Kaia?!"

"Kaia, the "scriptwriter,"" she said disapprovingly while shaking her head. "I wanted to kill her so bad for writing a stupid drama."

"Be careful, bitch," Eloise warned her while Quest while trying to soothe his cousin. "You're alone. We can kill you right here, right now."

Then her schoolmates surrounded her.

There were roughly fifty people on the rooftop, and most of them were boys. But she wouldn't underestimate the girls. None of these people was in their right mind, and everyone in that state was unpredictable.

Engaging in a fight where she was clearly outnumbered wouldn't be wise. But she didn't come there to fight, anyway.

"You can't kill me," she said confidently. "Plus, I have what you badly need."

She threw the luxury bag at Eloise's feet.

Since the bag wasn't properly zipped, several wads of cash spilled when it hit the ground.

Everyone fell silent while staring at the huge amount of money on the floor.

"That's the amount of money you sold me for in the Auction House," she explained to her stupefied schoolmates. "I'm insulted, y'all. How could you sell me for such a cheap price?" She clicked her tongue. "But because I'm having fun thanks to you, I decided to donate that money to you since y'all badly needed it. Right?"

The Venosa Cousins gave her a suspicious look.

"Don't worry, that's not my money," she assured Quest and Eloise. "In fact, that's your share."

"Share?" Quest asked, confused. "Share from what?"

"Do you know that a normal-functioning kidney from a healthy eighteen-year-old sells well in the black market?" she asked playfully. "The people who received the kidney I sold were so grateful that they gave me a hefty bonus."

Once again, silence ensued.

But this time, she felt how uncomfortable the silence was. Everyone was nervous, and she could tell her schoolmates were catching on to what she was implying.

Eloise's shriek pierced the heavy silence.

"What did you do to Kaia?!" Eloise asked angrily while Quest hugged her from behind to stop her from coming at her. "Where is she?!"

"Chill, girl," she said while laughing. "The transplant went well."

Eloise let out an angry cry as a response.

"Bitch," Quest snapped at her. "You–"

"I'm hurt, babe," she said sarcastically, cutting him off. "Why are you so cold to me now?"

"Shut up," Quest snarled at her, then he turned to the person who was just quietly standing beside her all this time. "Dusk, what do we do?"

"We might have to work with her from now on," Dusk said nonchalantly. "But first, I want everyone to fucking calm down."

"Calm down?" Quest asked in disbelief. "How do you expect us to calm down in this situation?"

"Quest, are you really that dumb?" Dusk asked disappointedly. "If we touch this girl, we will never make it out alive here. Do you really believe she came here alone?"

"I don't understand, Dusk."

"Yep, you're dumb. It's my fault for expecting something from you," Dusk said sarcastically. "Can you please use your brain to figure out who Sol Fontana is?"

Quest Venosa just looked even more confused now.

Even Eloise, who was still hysterical, calmed down a bit.

Just like the Venosa Cousins, everyone else around them also looked genuinely confused.

"That's interesting, Dusk Quijano," Sol said playfully while looking up at Dusk because he was taller than her. "What am I supposed to be?"

"Playing dumb doesn't suit a person of your stature…" Dusk said teasingly, then he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Miss Mafia."

***

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