Side Story 19.2: Athletics Event – part 1.2

By nearly the end of the afternoon, Sophia and Emma's team were the undisputable winner of the relay race event.

There were minor medals given to the winners of the side events, but the relay race was the one that made that crowd of parents come and watch.

Despite some of them complaining that Sophia played dirty and caused a lot of suspicious accidents, and even after the Principal and the teachers watched in the gym all the recordings the parents gave them, no one could accuse Sophia without a shadow of a doubt that she caused all that.

In fact, most of the weird accidents were not even her fault. Several participants got hurt all by themselves or tripped the moment they saw her running, fearing she would trip and fall all over them.

Sophia and her entire team were even called to the gym to face her accusations, with all the parents of the kids who got hurt or lost because of her.

Upon facing her charges, Sophia calmly asked why everyone was accusing her like that, just because she was too nervous and obviously tripped a few times, or because the kids who got hurt fell without her being near them.

Seeing that everyone was not knowing what to say anymore, she even accused the parents of having sour loosing because their kids lost, and that was a very ugly thing to do — to accuse a little girl like her just because their kids were not good enough to win a mere relay race.

With no one accusing Sophia of anything anymore, the Principal declared that the questioning should end because there was no proof of bad sportsmanship and there were still a lot of people waiting outside to see who was going to receive medals.

Like that, Sophia, Emma, and the three boys in their team were at the podium in the first-place position, bearing the medals the Principal put around their necks with enormous smiles and waving at the clapping crowd.

When Sophia and Emma joined their parents and were going towards the limousine already in front of the school's gate and waiting for them, Jack Cross asked in a low tone, "Why did you take so long to come out of the gym?"

Sophia signalled him to be quiet, and she only spoke when they were all inside the limousine and were driving away, gathering a few worried looks around her.

Emma's father glanced at his worried wife and asked, "Sophia, don't you think you took a tremendous risk by causing so many freaking accidents? What if, in those recordings, it was clear you caused all that? They could expel your team from the Competition because of you!"

With a stern look on her face, she asked, "When you were in school, did you ever have a group of girls putting your head inside a toilet and flushing it, almost drowning you in a bathroom full of kids who did nothing to stop them? Or did a group of girls put a rubbish can down your head in the main corridor of your school without anyone saying a thing or serving as witnesses when you complained to the teachers?"

"No… I can't say that something like that ever happened to me…"

"Then shut your mouth. I suffered that, and Emma suffered enough bullying as well. Neither the Principal nor the teachers did anything when we complained, and the bullying only got worse. So don't you ever try to make me feel guilty! None of those kids in our school deserve my pity or care. None of them! I didn't kill them all yet because Emma didn't let me! Today, I only hurt them a tiny bit. Tomorrow, at the Dodgeball event, I am going to hurt every single one who dares to go against our team. And in the Boxing event, I will send all of my opponents to the hospital. And when the time comes for me to give a last speech, I will make sure to tell everyone about all the bullying I suffered at the hands of Eliza Francis and her gang!"

Everyone went silent, and the voyage back home seemed to be extremely long because of the heavy mood.

When the limousine stopped in front of Mia's mansion, she said right before leaving, "You should talk with her, Jack. It is not healthy to hold so much grudge."

Mia entered her mansion, and the limousine drove away to drop off Emma and her parents, with Jack and Sophia being the last ones.

When they finally entered their house, Jack sat at the dining table and called Sophia to join him.

She leaned on her chair, crossed her arms over her chest, and complained, "You are going to scold me now?"

"Do you think you deserve to be scolded?"

"I know I do, but at the same time, I think I don't. I am having mixed feelings, and I don't know if it is because I regret what I did or because of Meryda's memories. Nothing happened in that school to me; They did all the bullying to Meryda. Or Sophia. You know, the previous owner of this body."

Jack nodded and asked, "Do you think you should talk with her and ask her opinion?"

"I know what she will say. I exaggerated, and if I continue this path, I will become a mean girl. But I also know she would like to hear that I punished the ones who bullied her, and I will continue to punish them for the next two days. She will also have mixed feelings, like me."

"You need to remember we are not in Crosslot anymore, kid. This world is peaceful, and society is significantly different from what it was in our World. Violence is not looked upon as a natural reaction to whatever happens to you that you think is wrong. In this peaceful society, talking solves a lot of things and is often recommended."

"Yeah, right… Did you talk those guys to death? You know, on those nights you left to make sure no one went after Miss Mia, you or me?"

"That was an extreme case. This Schools Competition is not like that. It is just a bunch of kids and their parents enjoying a competition. Nothing more, nothing less. Like you said, all that bullying and mockery didn't happen to you, so I see no reason for you to be so angry."

Sophia looked at her hands over the table and spoke as she clenched her fists. "You know, I remember all the frustration and fear that Meryda felt when she was being bullied and mocked in school. When I remember that and see the faces of those who were mean to her or didn't act when she was suffering, I want to break their necks. Last time we talked, she said she was having fun in Crosslot, something that I know she has barely had since her mother died. When I was in Crosslot, I was never at peace and relaxed like I am here, but that school and those kids… The way they now smile and talk to me and call me a hero… Those fakes, those useless pieces of meat… The same ones who didn't help Meryda when she needed it. I want to kill them all, but I know I can't, so the best I can do is use this Competition to hurt them, but in a way that no one would say I did it on purpose."

"If you make that speech at the end of the Competition, they will all know."

"Yes, and that will for sure serve for them to think about what they did or didn't do to help all the bullied kids, the ones who suffered at Eliza's hands. If I face her tomorrow or the day after, I am going to hurt her so badly that she will stay in a hospital for a year. And even when we grow up, if I am still in this World, I am going to use every single opportunity to hurt her until she begs for mercy. Or she changes. That dumbass still thinks she owns the school, and all the other students should fear or worship her!"

Jack went silent for a few seconds, and he then asked, "If one day we find a way to return to Crosslot-"

Meryda interrupted by saying, "I talked about that with Meryda, and her father, like you, has a girlfriend now. None of us thinks it would be fair to separate you or him from your love. Besides, Meryda also likes a kid there, so…"

"Really? And what about you? Any boy called your attention?"

"Not in that school! I hate them all. I remember their laughs and smiles when Meryda was in pain. Maybe a kid from another school, but I am not paying any attention to them. I only see targets, not love interests."

She then got up and said, "I am going to feed my pets and see if I can talk with Meryda in the mirror."

"It is still early; perhaps you should try talking to her after dinner."

With a silent nod, Meryda left for her room, leaving Jack Cross alone with his thoughts.

…

After dinner, Sophia was in the bathroom, placing her hand over the mirror. She waited and waited, but her reflection didn't change.

After washing her teeth, she came to the kitchen where her father was finishing the cleaning and complained, "Nothing. She is not there."

Jack glanced at the clock on the wall and went to the bathroom. The moment he touched the mirror, his Demi-Cat friend was there, smiling at him. Jack told him to call his daughter and went to the kitchen again.

The moment her father told her to go try again, Sophia dashed to the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

After a deep breath, she put her hand over the mirror, and the smiling Meryda greeted her, "Hello, there!" The smile vanished when she saw Sophia's worried look and asked, "What is the matter? Something happened to you?"

With a nod, Sophia explained everything that happened during the day, making Meryda gasp a few times. In the end, she tried to console her sad Human friend by saying, "I am happy that you are avenging me, but at the same time, I am worried that you get lost in all that anger. Perhaps you could lower just a tiny bit the violence? At least, not to worry Emma? Poor thing, for her to be so angry with you, the day was too stressful for her! She was always a sweet and nice girl, and seeing you do all that might have been too much for her to bear!"

"I know that, but when I look at those dumbasses and I remember what happened to you, and they didn't do a thing, I want to hurt them so badly!"

"Can you at least try not to hurt anyone tomorrow?"

Sophia slowly shook her head and said, "I can't. If I do nothing, I won't be able to face myself in the mirror ever again. I have to hurt them and make them suffer for everything they did to you. Especially Eliza. I am not going to kill her, but I will hurt her so much that she will wish to be dead."

With a frown, Meryda said, "No wonder Pof said I am too calm nowadays! You are a total menace, aren't you? Is that a Demi-Cat thing or what? All that piled-up anger?"

"It is a bit, but it is also because, like you, I had to grow up without a mother. Pof and the others mocked me when I was very young, and we were always fighting because I would lose my temper. I lost a few times, but I beat them up as well. We became the best of friends over the years, but here, I only have Emma… I kind of miss my gang, you know?" Noticing the worried look on her Demi-Cat friend, Sophia quickly explained, "Not that I want to return to Crosslot! I just… I only have one friend here, and Mia is more like my rival than my friend…"

"If I recall, your father is also your friend, and I thought I was as well. And if you give Miss Mia a chance, I think you will find out she can also be your friend."

"Yes, you are right. About my father and you, I mean. As for Mia, I don't know… She pisses me off so much! When I see her face, I just want to punch her!"

Sophia made a slight grin and said, "Could it be that you are jealous because of your father? I mean, a woman took him from you, and-"

"Hey! She didn't take him from me! He just… spends more time with her than with me nowadays…"

"Yup, you are jealous. What about if you try to find a boyfriend and let them be, you jealous brat?" Noticing that Sophia was turning red in anger, Meryda continued, "No need to be so fired up, you know? You can't punch me. Just admit it and move on, geez! I know you, remember?"

Sophia sighed and said, "Fine, I might be kind of jealous. I am happy for him, but that woman… Why did it have to be her? She annoys me so much!"

"Last time my father talked with yours, he said that your father was very happy with her. Maybe you could also be happy for him? And maybe, just maybe, you don't like Miss Mia that much because she is like you: a crazy woman with a bad temper who explodes for the tiniest reason."

"Hey! I am not… Darn it, she is like that. That makes me what, a tiny version of her?"

"And that, my friend, will be why no one will find it weird when you start calling her mommy. They will probably say you both look like a real mother and daughter!"

Sophia opened her mouth wide, making Meryda explode in laughter.

The sound of both girls laughing so much reached Jack Cross' ears, and he smiled.