11| red

NADIA

"Wow, that was iconic," Ishan says, his eyes still wide with shock. It hadn't even been five minutes since Blue's bold move, and she was already pacing back and forth, her hands shaking uncontrollably. "I can't believe I did that," she mutters to herself, her eyes fixed on the ground.

We're now outside, away from the chaos of the cafeteria, and the six of us are huddled together, trying to process what just happened. Never had I seen someone regret their actions so quickly, especially when it came to someone as deserving as Barbara.

"I can't believe you did that either," Anthony says, a proud smile still lingering on his face. "You showed her who's boss."

I try to reassure Blue, "There's nothing to worry about, remember? She got what she deserved." But my words seem to fall on deaf ears, as she continues to pace back and forth, her eyes welling up with tears.

Just as I'm about to try and calm her down again, the universe decides to throw me a curveball. "Blue Harrison, Belimai Clementine, and Nadia Evens, report to the Headmaster's office immediately." The announcement echoes through the hallway, and I can't help but mutter, "You've got to be kidding me."

I wonder what this is about now. "Seems like you've really built a name for yourself," Anthony says with a chuckle, and I shoot him a sarcastic glance.

I take Blue's hand in mine, trying to offer her some comfort. "Make sure to inform us of anything," Vicky says, as Blue and I start walking towards the Headmaster's office.

Just as we're about to enter the office, we bump into Barbara herself, an ice pack on her cheek, and her puppet of a boyfriend carrying her bag for her. They walk in front of us, and I can't help but roll my eyes. This should be interesting.

"Ladies, good to have you back in my office," Mr. Thompson says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Lord of the Rings closes the door behind us. "Take your seats," he says, and we all comply, our eyes fixed on him.

He exhales, his fingers intertwined. "Who wants to tell me what happened first?" He asks, his tone impatient. But no one dares to speak up. "I don't have all day," he warns, his eyes scanning our faces.

I decide to break the silence. "It was all Barbara's fault," I begin, my voice firm. "She was the one who was bullying Blue -"

"That's not true," Barbara interrupts, her eyes flashing with defiance.

Mr. Thompson raises an eyebrow, clearly confused. "Who?" he asks, his eyes fixed on me.

"Belimai," I clarify. "She was the one who was bullying Blue, and then Blue stood up for herself."

Blue nods in agreement, her eyes fixed on her hands.

But Barbara won't let up. "That's not true," she says again, her voice dripping with venom. "Ms. Harrison is just an attention seeker -"

"And then this little attention seeker decides to call upon everyone's attention -" I retort, my voice rising.

The argument escalates, our voices overlapping, each of us trying to get our side of the story heard. But Mr. Thompson has had enough.

"Enough!" he thunders, his hands slamming on the desk. The room falls silent, and I glare at Barbara, my eyes flashing with anger.

"Crimson and Clementine, your counseling begins today," he says, his eyes fixed on us. "And you, Miss Evens, I'll make sure it isn't your brother who's hearing this - this time."

I fight the urge to glare at him, my anger simmering just below the surface.

As for Blue, she's handed a week's worth of detention. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to get to," Mr. Thompson says, his eyes dismissing us.

I shake my head, getting up from the chair without even looking back. Everton High was slowly becoming a shithole, and I was starting to lose my patience.

□□□

"Belimai, how do you feel?" The counselor asks, her voice soft and gentle. But Belimai remains silent, her eyes fixed on the floor.

"Nadia, would you like to share?" The counselor turns to me, her eyes encouraging. But I remain silent, my arms crossed, my eyes fixed on Belimai.

The counselor sighs, her expression patient. "So, what seems to be the problem?" She repeats for what feels like the 700th time.

The answer is simple: Belimai Clementine.

Isn't it obvious? We've been sitting here for what feels like a half hour, but when I check my watch, it's only been 15 minutes. I'm already bored out of my mind.

"Ladies, the most essential part of resolving any sort of problem is by communicating, and I can see that lacks on both sides," The counselor says, her voice filled with a mix of concern and frustration.

"Maybe we're just two humans who don't like one another, and that's perfectly normal," I say, shrugging my shoulders. I just want to get out of here already.

The counselor explains the first part of any counseling session, but I tune her out. I'm not interested in her words.

"The only reason we're here is because Barbara over here can't stand things not going her way, and I wouldn't care about that if she hadn't forced herself into my life," I say, my voice honest.

"It's not my fault I happened to like your brother," I roll my eyes, exasperated. What does Zeke have to do with anything?

The counselor writes something down in her notepad, her eyes fixed on us. "Before you go, I would like for you girls to write a list of things you like and dislike about one another," She hands us a blank sheet, her eyes expectant.

I share a look with Barbara, and we both know this is a waste of time. But we play along, writing down our answers.

Finally, the session is over, and we're free to go. I breathe a sigh of relief as we walk out of the room.

"How was it?" Vicky asks, waiting for me nearby.

"Crap," I say, making my way to my locker. I take out my phone and text my brother that I don't need a ride and I'll be at Vicky's.

Vicky and I walk to the exit, and my eyes land on her twin brother, Elijah talking to yet another girl but this time he seemed like he was barely paying attention. 

"Oh, these girls, they never get the hint," Vicky says, rolling her eyes.

We make our way to Vicky's brother's car, a Mercedes Jeep. I follow Vicky to the backseat, and Elijah gets into the driver's seat.

He adjusts the mirror, stealing glances at me, a smirk on his face and my mind instantly remembers what happened before the commotion; the memory sending  chills down my spine