The Wallflower's Revenge

AWR Chapter 10: More of a torture

The next morning, the usual routine happened again. Stella is the one who will wake up first and she will prepare breakfast and will wake Carson eventually right after. He usually wakes up at five in the morning and helps Stella. Leylah will be the last to wake up but at an earlier time, twenty minutes later than her parents. The cycle goes on every day.

"Sweetheart, I need to tell you something."

"Sorry, in a bit, I'll just have to take care of this." She said as she walked past him going to the kitchen. She opened a bowl of steaming, hot soup and she lifted it with both of her hands. She was wearing oven gloves again.

Carson shrugged her shoulders as he sighed while he was sitting at the dining table. Stella carefully removed the oven gloves from her hands as he smiled at him.

"What is it again? Sorry, I wasn't paying much attention to you earlier."

Carson took a deep breath. "Sweetheart, you see--"

"Hello everyone, good morning." They all looked at Leylah who looked very sleepy as she stepped forward. She is already dressed in uniform but she hasn't combed her hair yet. She's still yawning and half-asleep.

"Good morning, sweetie!" Stella greeted Leylah as she stood up and fixed the collar of her uniform. Carson looked at the two and is now very uneasy.

"Mom, what's for breakfast? I'm hungry."

"There's bread, a potato soup, milk, and some scrambled eggs, sweetie," Stella cheerfully answered. Carson looked at her wife again and doubted for a second time around.

"Alright, enough with that. Leylah, your dad is about to tell me something before you come in. What was that again, hun?"

He looked at her without blinking. He looked serious as he swallowed.

"Something happened yesterday morning."

"Hmm, ah! I remembered what you told me yesterday. It was about the notorious gang that your team caught yesterday, am I right?"

"Yeah." He smiled awkwardly as he tried looking at her. Stella looked at him back in a weird, curious expression.

"So, what about it?" Stella asked but this time, she is eager to know what else he's going to say next.

"Well, I haven't said this much in years but I just want to let you know that I love you so much." Leylah's cheek flustered as she shifted her gaze from her dad and the expression of her mom.

"Oh my goodness! That's too "out of topic" honey, but, thank you!" Leylah saw how her mom blushed so much.

"Oh please, it's too early, you two." Leylah couldn't help but roll her eyes while her mom was giggling with glee.

"Why, isn't your dad sweet? Look at him!"

"I don't agree at all. He's not even allowing me to have a boyfriend, how can he be sweet?" Leylah answered sarcastically.

"Sweetie, it's because you're still young."

"But old enough to handle me."

"Don't get a fool out of me. You're only sixteen and you never even knew what life even looked like."

"Do you have something else to say? I guess there's something more that you'll have to tell us."

He looked at Stella and Leylah without blinking. He looked serious as he swallowed.

"Something happened yesterday morning."

"Hmm, ah! I remembered what you also told me yesterday. It was about the notorious gang that your team caught yesterday, am I right?"

"Yeah." He smiled awkwardly as he tried looking at her. Stella looked at him back in a weird, curious expression.

"So, what about it?" Stella asked but this time, she is eager to know what else he's going to say next.

"Oh," He tried to smile at Stella and he also simply gazed at Leylah who was also eager to hear the thing he's about to say to them at the dining table.

"What's going on?" Leylah asked them too while shifting her gaze to her parents. They both smiled at her and shook their heads.

"I was thinking of treating you again for lunch this coming weekend."

"Wow, hun! That sounds sweet!"

"Oh please, mom. Don't pretend to be excited. It's as if dad never does that every weekend."

"Well, it is something to look forward to, dearest daughter."

"What is it?" Stella and Leylah can't help but say those words in the chorus.

"We'll go to my uncle's house that's in another city that's an hour drive from our house."

"Whoa! Awesome!"

"Better get ready." Stella and Leylah almost jumped for joy when they heard everything Carson said. He is trying to make his family happy and he's getting good at it, however, covering the guilt that is now building deep within him.

----

Leylah is still on cloud nine as she steps into their classroom. She couldn't stop thinking about what her dad said to them this morning.

"Hey, what's with that smile?" Lea couldn't help but be curious.

"We'll be having a vacation!"

"Whoa! Is it going to be in Europe or Asia this time?" Leylah giggled as she looked at Lea's amazed expression.

"That's too much! It's just in another city."

"What? So what should you be happy about?"

"Dad never invites any vacation not farther than within the vicinity of our city. Sounds exaggerated but it is true."

"Whoa, it's torture."

"You'll find more of it if your dad is my dad. You're lucky enough that you have a different dad." Leylah sighed.

"Leylah, this might be out of topic but do you know who's my crush?" Lea giggled as she covered her mouth with both of her hands.

"Who?"

"Who let the dogs out?" They both turned around and they saw Eveelia and her best friends in crime again. The girls behind her laughed at her nonsense joke.

"Wow, that joke even was worthy of an echoing laugh. I wonder how much Eveelia paid for her minions to do all those things." Lea’s reaction is always epic. Even when she’s whispering in Leylah’s ears, it’s still loud and crisp.

"I don't know," Leylah whispered back in Lea's ear.

"Hey, dog!" Eveelia referred to Leylah and Lea didn't like the sound of it.

"Are you referring to yourself, resident evil?" The minions of Eveelia chuckled because they didn't see it coming from Lea. Leylah couldn't help but be amused by what's happening, too.

"Hey, bug. Don't get yourself into trouble. Stay back," Eveelia gritted her teeth while stopping herself from getting angry so much.

"What did you say? Bug? You even looked like a cockroach!" Eveelia attempted to step forward to where Lea and Leylah were sitting, but their Math teacher suddenly came into the room.

"What is the fuss all about?" When they heard the roaring voice of their teacher, they all went back to their seats. They all kept silent because their teacher is too strict, especially when it comes to noisy classrooms. They tried their best to focus on the lessons. While Leylah and Lea tried to give their full attention to what the teacher was talking about, Eveelia clenched his fist as she looked at Leylah.

She could feel that her classmate is getting on her nerves for being too excellent, too good, and now, too perfect she’s even defended by other people. Eveelia might have what other students don’t have, the fame and the riches and everything. However, she doesn’t have what Leylah has right now, and that is having excellent marks and a “perfect” family, so it seems. In her heart, she will never stop until she will see Leylah cry and feel like she does.

She will never stop.

----

"Leylah, this might be out of topic but do you know who's my crush?" 

This has been the sentence that kept on repeating Leylah’s mind. She’s sitting on the waiting shed outside their school while waiting for her father’s car to pick her up. Lea could have confessed to her about it if Eveelia didn’t interfere with their conversation a while ago. 

It happened that Lea needed to go ahead of her because she needed to buy something and Leylah couldn’t come with her, either. Her dad might be showing up any minute. She doesn’t want to be whipped or scolded by her father. It’s the worst thing to happen and Leylah is avoiding it as much as possible.

When she happened to stare at the people going in and out of the school campus, she happened to see Eveelia laughing while sauntering with her “minions”. She’s drinking her favorite boba tea together with her friends. Eveelia only took a sip of her favorite flavored boba tea. It’s obvious that she only wanted to let others see her being classy when it comes to most of the things she does.

“Hey, there’s my favorite person,” Eveelia and her friends stopped walking to where Leylah was sitting as Eveelia is pointing her to them. They eventually go to where she’s sitting. Leylah suddenly felt nervous that she didn’t know if she’ll stand up and run away or will she sit down and wait for her doom?

“Hello, little fella. Waiting for someone?” She teased as soon as they came closer to her.

“No, Eveelia. I’m just waiting for my dad.”

“Which dad? Your real dad or your sugar daddy?” Her minions laughed as soon as they heard Eveelia saying those words.

“What?”

“Wow. You have to stay quiet and emotionless. Other people might be shocked once they know that their idol is a bitch.” Eveelia saw Leylah clenched her fists as she looked at her with blazing eyes.

“Is that the reason why you called me a dog a while ago?” 

“Wow.” Eveelia clapped her hands as soon as she heard that from Leylah. “You know what? I am always impressed. You always prove that you’re indeed excellent.”

“That’s the reason why you’re always below me because you’re always talking nonsense.” Eveelia widened her eyes with disbelief because of what she heard from Leylah. She never expected that Leylah would talk back like that, just like what she’s doing.

“Whoa…” Eveelia’s minions couldn’t help their emotions.

“Quiet! You’ll regret this, Leylah!”

“Wow, I’m scared,” Leylah answered back, grinning.

“Well, you should be. You might wake up one day, humiliated. You wouldn’t want that, right?” Eveelia could see Leylah’s facial expression changed right away.