Tangled In The Red String; Stay In The Red Zone

Chapter Two (The Mean Girls And Greater)

This was my first time hearing about it.

Come to think of it, I was never really able to visit them because I was too busy with my own gigs and schoolwork. "Sure, I'll be there tomorrow. I'll talk to my members if they're free. And miss you too.

I'll have a lot of things to tell you," I replied, smiling.

I wonder what will happen tomorrow. The next morning, I made sure to actually answer all that Madison and her friends wanted me to answer. And it took me hours to get it done. As a result, I woke up too late and almost got late for my first class. Thankfully, I was able to catch up.

"Good! Thank you! You're really reliable!" Madison said happily with a grin on her face when I finally handed them back the paperwork they made me answer. I didn't say a word. How should I respond? If I responded wrongly, sure, they're going to just use it as an excuse to do whatever they want to call me.

"Wow! Look at this! You answered in detail. Mrs. Castro might suspect that I am not the one who did it." Yuri glanced at her, smiling mischievously. "Still, thank you.

Next time again?"

Next time? They're planning to repeat this? My hands were fidgeting with each other behind me as I stood there in front of them.

We're currently in the music room, for a reason that if we were in our section classroom, sure we would get caught, they would get caught, and I'm certain they know the consequences. That's why they told me to give it to them here in the Music Club earlier the moment I stepped inside our classroom. I have the power and right to actually report them, but I didn't want chaos or someone rolling their eyes at me. It just makes me feel too heavy.

I smiled hesitatedly and simply nodded.

"Okay then, get lost. What are you waiting for?" Vickie uttered as she raised an eyebrow at me, putting her own paperwork into her bag. Her eyes were sharp. I gulped hard. Is she mad?

I was about to open my mouth to apologize but then stopped when someone behind me wrapped her arm around my shoulder. And I immediately smelled the perfume she was wearing. It was my best friend, Cordelia McMahon, A.K.A. Greater. She's been my friend since childhood. Tita Narrah introduced me to her when I was young. According to Tita, I didn't have many friends to spend time with, and me and….Greater have a lot of big differences.

"Greate—" Her one hand raised up and then covered my mouth as she pulled me closer to her and looked at the trio with deadly eyes.

"Hey, you guys. I heard that you've been tripping my best friend since yesterday." There was no filter to the mouth of Greater who spoke, and the sharp look in her eyes didn't even fade.

The fierce faces of the three immediately disappeared and seemed to look like gentle puppies. It's confusing how they react differently toward Greater than to me. But it's more frustrating that I know why they did it.

"Don't give me that look right now," she hissed irritatedly while still holding me.

I didn't try to actually resist because I knew she wasn't going to let me.

Greater's narrowing eyes turned to the pages of paperwork that Madison was carrying. And then she looked at her two allies. Her face turned into a frown. When she looked at me with disbelief written all over her face, I immediately looked away. I knew that I was dead.

"Goddamn it," she muttered sharply, a secret yet heavy sigh coming out of me the moment she finally released me. I hadn't even looked at her when she already pulled me behind her and then looked at the three.

Madison was the only one who had the courage to look her in the eyes. I winced secretly as I watched them. This was exactly what I wanted to avoid.

"Umm... Great—"

"No," Greater uttered in a firm voice. "Stay where you are, and don't you move. I'll take care of this bitch."

My eyes widened slightly when I heard her sharply say a curse word. I'm used to hearing her angry, but at this moment, I knew the difference. There was going to be a massive catfight. But Greater has the advantage. This woman has a belt, a black belt in taekwondo; that's why guys who know her don't even try to mess with her. As far as I know, Madison is well aware of it.

"Guys, stop it." Finally, I found the courage to actually find my voice and step in. My hand reached out to pull Greater away from confronting Madison completely, who stubbornly stayed her ground. I just held my breath.

"It's fine, really. They just asked for my help," I explained. But she didn't even look at me.

The first time that I met my best friend, Greater, and her sister, I was not really sure about them. Because they're... loud, too loud, and energetic, too different from me.

Hazel, her sister, is a sharper-tongued woman; they're similar, but like me and Greater, they have a huge difference between each other. "Help?" Greater scoffed for a moment. I didn't see my best friend, but my other best friend, who is her sister too.

Greater is usually kind and always wants to avoid conflict like me. Her sister is her opposite, but right now, she was acting like her sister. I couldn't really blame her. "More like making you their slave. They can't keep doing this to you." With a frown on her face and furrowed eyebrows, she tilted her head a little to look at me and then returned her attention to that girl again.

"Greater, please... I don't want a scene; stop it..." I muttered behind her, low and pleading.

I saw her jaw clench a little before she rolled her eyes.

"You, all of you. Give her one thousand for each page of that paperwork and hand it to me. If not, I'll make sure this will be heard in the dean's office. Whoever has the complaints will deal with me." I winced. She literally said 'give it to me' because she knew I wouldn't accept it. One thousand for each page? That would be....too much. As far as I knew, the pages count was up to 100 pages, and then add the written answer formula for 50 pages, so it would be 150 pages in total.

I watched as Yuri and Vickie hesitantly looked at Madison, who was just staring at us, and slowly took their wallets out of their purses. My lips formed into a small smile. At least Greater listened, despite her asking for payment for every page. I could immediately see the disagreement on Madison's face, then Yuri and Vickie frowning, staring at us with eyes that looked so disbelieving. I didn't say a word. Because if I said anything, sure, she's just going to be angry at me. I don't want her to be.

Greater can be really protective sometimes, like her sister. But she's much more mean to others who are mean to me than she is to those who are mean to her. Maybe because there's no one in this university treating her that way, especially since she has a reputation for having a black belt in taekwondo.