Bracelet of Beauty

Chapter 2: Envy

Mr. Antonio Feliz is a very busy man because he is managing many businesses. He let his wife and daughter have bonding moments on one of their lands. Despite his busy schedule, he never misses any events for his daughter and makes time for his family. On the other hand, Mrs. Lucia Feliz is an heiress but decided to pursue her passion for music. She taught Elizabeth how to play various instruments such as violin, piano, and guitar. She also enhances Elizabeth's singing by having voice lessons. In simple terms, Elizabeth is already a gifted child but her supportive parents nurture this gift.

Whenever Elizabeth Feliz goes to her school, she has a chauffeur to drive and accompany her. Her classmates are also from wealthy families. She is currently in High School. However, she does not have friends in her school either because they often bully her. Her classmates find Elizabeth a threat and a show-off. Oftentimes, Elizabeth is eating her meals alone. One morning, they will be having a graded recitation. The teacher enters the room and everyone was nervous even Elizabeth. She did prepare and reviewed for this recitation but there are times she cannot avoid being anxious.

"Good morning, class." The English teacher said.

"Good morning, Ms. Nicole." The class stood up and greeted their teacher.

"You may now sit down. For today, we will be having a graded recitation. I hope you reviewed it previously because I informed the class about this matter last week." Ms. Nicole said while preparing.

She sat and looked at her list of students' names. "In our last recitation, we had it in alphabetical order. Now, we will be having the recitation in no specific order."

Murmurs around the room were heard because everyone was nervous not knowing when it will be their turn for the recitation.

"Class, please remain quiet. We will start now." Ms. Nicole silenced the class.

"The first one to recite is Denise Cruz." Ms. Nicole said.

Denise stood up nervously because she did not review for the recitation. She will now rely on stock knowledge instead.

"Denise, what is hyperbole?" Ms. Nicole asked.

A moment of silence filled the class. After a few seconds, Ms. Nicole is still waiting for an answer.

"I will repeat the question, Denise. What is hyperbole? You could simply give it a try." Ms. Nicole repeated the question.

"Hyperbole is related to a sound?" Denise answered but she is not confident with her answer.

"Denise, onomatopoeia is related to a sound, not hyperbole." Ms. Nicole replied.

"Sorry, Ms. Nicole. We had a family event last time so I am not able to read beforehand. I just relied on my stock knowledge." Denise was defensive because of her wrong answer and to avoid embarrassment.

"Now your knowledge was stuck. Please sit down and read your notes next time before going to class. Because you have a wrong answer, you will have zero for this recitation, Denise." Ms. Nicole was disappointed and gave a failing mark to Denise because she answered incorrectly.

The class laughed at Denise Cruz but Ms. Nicole silenced the class once again.

She proceeds to continue with the recitation.

"Next student will be Elizabeth Feliz." Ms. Nicole said.

"Same question with Denise. What is hyperbole, Elizabeth?" Ms. Nicole gave the exact question to Elizabeth since Denise did not get the right answer.

Elizabeth stood up nervous as well but she knows the answer.

"Hyperbole is about exaggeration and these statements should not be taken literally. For example, I have watched this show a thousand times already." Elizabeth stated her answer.

"Very good, Elizabeth. I am impressed. You know the meaning and even cited an example. You will have 100 as a mark for this recitation. Please have a seat now." Ms. Nicole smiled and gave Elizabeth a high mark because of her familiarity with the topic. Ms. Nicole noticed that Elizabeth prepared well for this recitation because she even gave an example while Denise could not even provide the correct meaning earlier.

While Elizabeth Feliz was happy because she was able to pass the graded recitation, Denise Cruz is angry at her. Denise felt insecure because she was not able to answer correctly the question and envied Elizabeth's high grade. She thinks Elizabeth does not deserve the high mark and this is the reason she will bully her during recess time.

Ms. Nicole calls the next one to recite. A new question was asked and the recitation goes on until all the students are called. The bell suddenly rings indicating it was time for recess.

"Okay, class is dismissed. See you next meeting." Ms. Nicole said and bids farewell to the class. She prepares to leave the room also.

One by one, the students started leaving the room to go to the canteen and buy some snacks. Elizabeth Feliz brought some chopped fruits in her Tupperware prepared by her mother, Mrs. Lucia, so she does not need to go to the canteen anymore and saves time as well. By having packed food and fresh fruits, Mrs. Lucia is certain that her daughter is eating healthy foods.

On the other hand, Denise Cruz and her friends do not have packed food and always buy junk food in the canteen. They took their wallets loaded with cash because they have a big allowance from their wealthy parents. They left the room afterward and went to the canteen. While walking, Denise and her friends decided to talk about the recitation earlier.

"Hey, Denise. Are you okay? Even though you are not able to answer the question correctly, you could still do better next time." One friend said.

"Of course, I am fine! I would not die even if I fail this English class." Denise replied.

"Well, your family can afford summer classes anyway even though the tuition fee here is high." Another friend said.

"Excuse me?! I said if I fail this English class and it is not that I am actually and deliberately going to fail. I got a 70 on the quiz last time and you only got 55, remember? You should be the one preparing for summer classes." Denise emphasized that despite her failed mark earlier, she is still better than her friends.

"Woah! Calm down both of you. Let us not add fuel to the fire. Relax and just buy your favorite snacks at the canteen." Another friend tried to prevent the fight and tension.

"We are not enemies here, Denise. Remember who the real enemy is. It is Elizabeth Feliz." The friend stated.

Denise Cruz eventually calmed down. "You are right. Elizabeth is the true enemy. She is a show-off and she really emphasized earlier that she knows the answer. I mean she only needs to define the term but she even gave an example. Who does she think she is? Does she think she is better than me or all of us?! I will teach Elizabeth a lesson." Denise said with anger because of the embarrassment she felt earlier.

"What do you plan to do now, Denise?" Asked by her friend.

"Well, you will find out later. Let us see if Elizabeth will continue to show off after what I will do to her." Denise has an evil plan for her classmate, Elizabeth.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth is simply enjoying her snacks and feeling happy because she will tell her parents that she got a high mark in her English class today. What could possibly happen next? What is the plan of Denise to the innocent Elizabeth? Will this be another traumatic experience of bullying for Elizabeth? Oh poor, Elizabeth. She is simply doing her best but unconsciously, some people are not happy with her triumphs. Some were envious of her.