CHAPTER THREE: Her Achilles’s Heel
1804 Words
Tears slips from Angel's eyes as she locks herself in the school bathroom. This is in ninth grade. The one whom she thought was her friend has made up a nasty rumour about her private life and now every hope of leaving it aside has cornered her again.
It is her Achilles' heel.
It is her point of submission.
Angel wipes the tears as she goes through another mental and emotional breakdown. Being an orphan at this age hasn't been easy at all. Her parents have left her to single-handedly carry on the life they were too cowardice to stand up to.
Life with Aunt Cassidy looked like what step mothers did to their step children, but she has no option, no one else would take her in. Where would she go if not here?
After lamenting her pain, Angel steps out. She walks in front of the bathroom mirror and rinses her hands in the washbasin, she looks at herself and her eyes are still watery. The kids would know she cried!
She bends over to the washbasin again after rinsing her hands; she fills her hands with water and downs her face in it. She looks at her reflection again, and inhales with regret.
She dries her face and heads to the exit.
The moment Angel opens the door, she sees Tess, her hands her folded and she has a smirk on her cold face.
She thought this human being was her friend!
Along with Tess are two other girls who eye with her with antipathy and disgust, she doesn't even understand what they still want from her. Haven't they done enough damage to her life already?
She chooses to avoid them; she's not scared of them.
"Look guys, it's the orphan." Tess says blocking Angel's path when she tries to exit.
"You don't say." An auburn haired girl called Trisha says behind her, she's a supporting tool behind Tess and their taunts affect Angel emotionally, her hand balls into a tight fist.
"Leave me alone." Angel calmly says despite being heated, she pushes her shoulders against Tess and walks away.
Before she can step far away, another of the supporting minion's block her way, and from behind Tess grabs unto the rubber band that holds her hair.
Tess again, uses her hand to scatter Angel's hair onto her face as she moves in front of her.
"Not so fast." Tess says with a menacing glare that overs around her like a second power.
Angel's eyes glare at her.
"Look at that glare; I'm sure your parents left you because of that too." Tess, at full volume says and they all chuckle.
"Repeat that." Angel says, her hand curls tighter into an angry fist.
"I said...that your parents—"
Before Tess can complete the statement, Angel shoves her furiously towards the ground, and Tess glowers back in fury when she finds herself on the floor, a bruise on her elbow.
Crestville High,
Lunch break.
2:40pm
Angel takes a mouthful from her sandwich; she brings out her phone from her skirt uniform and checks the time. About thirty more minutes till that bloody assembly that would do no good for her life.
She sighs as she chews her lunch. She has eaten this so many times, it no longer has taste anymore.
It is an assemblage that is well thought-out and arranged by the affluent and blue-blooded kids of Crestville High. This occurs every time their highly exquisite members have something to say to the whole school. And foolishly, every Tom, d**k and Harry would join the committee.
Angel doesn't understand why the school gives them so much importance; all they do is reek of their parent's influence, and nothing more. To her, they have no power of their own, one thing they do is impact intimidation.
They have no name of their own. It has been like this since ninth grade, and it remained the same. They were a group of students who influenced the policies and propaganda of the school, they were called the VIPs, but most importantly they were known as the PEST.
And everyone who went to Crestville High knew of them.
At the beginning Angel didn't pay any consideration towards them, all until Sawyer Morgan walks past her, Angel can never forget.
It was right after gym practice, but she was late as usual. While she was getting into practice after changing into her gym clothes, she bumps shoulders with him as they played basket ball.
She almost lost her footing, but he had a strong hold on her. It was then she met him and began to crush on him like every other girl in Crestville High. He does not remember her though, all until today.
How?
Angel begins to think.
He spoke to her.
And the most embarrassing thing is that he caught her staring at him, as if that wasn't enough of him for a day. He helped her get a drink from the vending machine and said he wanted to sit with her again?
Angel smiles.
She cannot believe it.
Who in the world would believe that Sawyer Morgan, the boy who she has been crushing on for so many years in silence would walk up to her.
Strange? If you would tell her. She would not even believe it if a sorceress where to tell her.
The drink is in her hand as she remembers the moment again.
Why would he want to sit with her again?
She inhales as it sounds too good to be true.
Today is the best day of her life, it has been long since she had this kind of feeling that makes her heart flutter and Sawyer Morgan is the cause of it.
Quite weird huh?
Angel has gone through a lot of downs in her life but yet, the thought of Sawyer Morgan makes her smile despite the many grievances she's still facing. He must really hold a key to her heart that is able to perhaps switch on her happiness cord and turn it off again.
Angel's thumb caresses the fruit drink before she realises the presence of a person beside her. She turns and finds Tess; behind her are two of her minions just like in ninth grade.
Tess's foot is on her sandwich and her eyes are throwing daggers at Angel.
Angel realises that it has been a while since they have pestered and cornered her like this, it is hard to believe that they would still come together like this to attack her once again. She stands, still holding the drink in her hands.
Hi.
Tess says, gritting her teeth and stepping down to have a proper look at her.
I realized that it has been long since we paid you a visit, don't you think?
Angel looks at them.
Didn't you miss us? Cause we missed you, sweet little Angel.
Trisha says, she is the auburn haired girl who is the most active minion in Tess's squad. The most active robot, she would literally do anything that Tess orders her to do, that’s his crazy she is.
What do you want? Angel asks , staring at Tess, cutting their duck drama short.
I don't have time for this stupid game you play; grow up for once would you?
"All of you..."Angel releases a part of her frustration.
"If you have time the time to ambush me like this, you should also have time to concentrate on your studies too."
Urgh! Tess scoffs in anger as she walks closer to Angel.
"Kids like us who have parents do not need to be overwhelmed so much about our future, we are not helpless." Unlike you who has to work extra; you have to live like tomorrow is the last, that isn't my fault. You should blame your parents.
This again? Angel's voice increases and tenses.
"You still stoop this low?"
"You are the reason why kids who have divorced parents are looked down upon in society." You're a sociopath, get treated. Angel spits.
She gives Tess another glare and is about to take her leave until out of nowhere a down pour of mystery liquid gets thrown at her. Angel staggers and falls ruthlessly on the ground and bruises her knee in the process.
She is on the ground, and is completely drenched in something that stenches like egg; it coats every part of her body so densely. Her face is grimy all over by this and she tries to streaks it off her eyes so she can see even if her vision is still blurred.
She hears the giggling of Tess and her minions as they rush away from the scene before someone sees them; Angel sits on the floor as she holds her anger in.
Most of it is tears; she doesn't know what to do. She can't believe she has to go through this again.
Tears streams from her eyes as she senses the sting in her knee. She tried to hold her tears but it rolls off before she even tries.
Angel's lips quiver and shudder in anger as she goes through this traumatic experience once again.
She breaks into tears even when she tries to hold it in, she fails. Every time this happens, she fails. Tess uses the same technique to harass her each time and she fails effectively. Why does it still get to her?
Why does she allow Tess to get to her, she should have pushed harder!
Angel stands.
She looks at her legs and it is bleeding.
Slowly, she brings out her phone and checks the time.
Her current condition would her mates laugh at her if she walks back to her locker like this, she would need her gym clothes and some other essentials to wash this stench off her. Angel grits her teeth in annoyance and sadness; she has no friends to call, no one, her life in Crestville High is this bad and lonesome
Angel prepares herself for another round of public shame as she braces herself. She closes her eyes in an attempt to perhaps envisage.
She opens her eyes and her heart skips a beat, it hit so hard that she has trouble breathing.
All of a sudden, there is a lump in her throat and she swallows it. The ray of the sun is supposed to hit her but he is standing in front of her. The hand Angel uses to hold her knee releases itself as she stands in awe of his presence.
She wants to speak, but she doesn't know what to say.
Her throat becomes parched and her ability speak has left her to fend for herself.
Who did this to you? Sawyer Morgan asks, his voice is rasp and heated.
- Writer
