The Billionaire High School Bully

16 - The kitchen discussions

"Don't you think you're overdoing it a bit? I think that the sooner you accept her being here, the better for you. Headmaster's got her back, Ben. You know it yourself. You saw what he did at the Art Committee. He vouched for her not getting an F because he believed her work was genuine. And you know that the Committee cannot overrule the headmaster's decision. On top of that, Kirchoff and some other teachers vouched for her as well..." Michael was trying to lecture me. But that wasn't going to happen! I won't allow anyone to tell me what to do!

"You know, I'm just saying. You can, of course, do whatever you want. Just think about your position as the president of our council as well. One wrong move, and it will impact your position. Anyway, I'm going to the meeting of the Art Committee. We are going to check her works now." He sighed while getting up from his chair. Maybe he was right. But I'll just wait until the end of the week and see how things go. If I manage to get her out, the better. If not, I don't have to be overly friendly with her. All in all, there's no way I will want to stay close to her at all. I was never interested in such scum as her.

"What do we do about the food now?" Charles was staring at his sandwich, which he didn't touch since he took it apart, bit by bit. That was because the egg yolk in the sunny-side egg was liquidy and ended up spilling all over the other parts of his sandwich.

"Well, I don't think we can get a delivery..." I looked back at my plate. The salad wasn't edible and so was the sandwich.

"So we starve?" Rex slammed his hands on the table with full force. If it wasn't a sturdy one, it would probably break apart. I exhaled loudly.

"I guess we have no other choice." I looked at Nathan, hoping he would come up with an idea, but he was silent, just soullessly staring at the raisins on his plate. Just what is happening to us? This used to be a comfortable place! Only one wrong meal and the atmosphere just gets so wrong!

"I'll have to call home to make me a big dinner!" Rex was now being a drama queen. His voice sounded like those cheap dramas, where the evil side-heroine pretends she got hurt by the good girl in front of the rich guy. What the girls wouldn't do to win the attention of the rich guys... The poorer they were, the harder they were trying.

Sophia

"Serves them right! Spoiled brats that don't value the food they receive! I'll teach them to eat properly!" I pushed the sleeves up above my elbows while washing the dishes in the kitchen. All the staff was basically gone, just leaving the dishes to me. Luckily there were big dishwashers, so I only needed to put the plates and other things inside. However, the rest like knives and so had to be washed by hands.

"If there at least were less of them..." I mumbled, being unhappy with the situation. I couldn't paint because the Art Committee had confiscated my current painting to check it and I had to slave here in the kitchen for no money at all. I punched the water in the sink, letting it splash around. Stupid school! They make a big deal out of everything! I was mad. With the French teacher, with how things were so snobby and rule-oriented. It was so lame!

I looked at the water, hoping to see my image on the surface of it. But there was nothing. Just countless knives, cutting boards, and what-not under it. I looked up, searching for a sign, that would tell me I was either doing things right, or I should just get out of this prim school. I knew it. I knew that I wasn't welcomed here. I was an ill-fit with all the rules, regulations, rules of conduct... But I was here to paint. I was here to make sure I didn't worry my grandma. And I needed the money support.

I squeezed the dishcloth in my right hand tight and shut my eyes close. I clenched my teeth. I wanted to cry. Let all of this frustration, that was bottling up inside of me out. I was taking deep breaths. You won't cry here, Sophia. You won't let them seize this opportunity to try and do something again! Pull yourself together!

"Are you washing the dishes properly?" I heard a poisonously sly female voice behind me. I was so deep in my thoughts that I didn't hear anyone coming. I quickly wiped my eyes, which were getting watery, with my arm.

"Want to try and see?" I asked that person without having to turn around. The footsteps were getting closer to me.

"Hm, I believe you should use clean water for washing them, soaking them all together is not hygienic at all!" She was looking into the full sink through my left shoulder. She then came closer to it, standing next to me.

"I was sent here to make sure you were doing things right." The way she was speaking wasn't befitting for a girl of her status. I bet everyone at home calls her a princess, her room is filled with tons of roses and she doesn't wear anything that would cost less than a thousand dollars.

"I see, so care to show me? Go ahead!" I forced out a smile, stepping away from her and the sink. I quickly glanced at her nameplate. Alice Rosencrace... Yeah, guessed right she would have to do something with roses. The smell of rose fragrance was too strong on her. Nearly making me want to puke as well! The longer she was staying around, the stronger the smell was getting. The soap-like rose smell...

"No way. This is something people like you should be doing! I'm only here per the orders of the chairman of the Tea club. Nothing more or else." She covered her mouth with a white handkerchief, pretending the smell of the kitchen was making her sick. And at that moment I got an idea. If she wasn't leaving herself...

"What are you doing! You can't be serious! You ruined my uniform!" She was screaming at me, taking steps back, away from me.

"Well, I thought that going to the kitchen you should be wearing an apron to not get your clothes dirty. Also, you are supposed to have at least two sets of the uniform, so I think you'll be fine." I kindly smiled at her. I managed to splash quite a bit of the sink water on her, just a few drops. It wasn't like I poured a whole bucket of dirty dishes water on her. The knives and cutting boards were already clean, I was only washing them the second time to make sure they wouldn't keep the smell of the food they were used for preparing.

"You... You dirt! I'll make you pay for this!" Her face was getting crimson red and I could see her eyes having little tears. Is this the first time she got splashed with a few drops of water, which wasn't from the Swiss Alps? She wasn't saying anything. With that last threat, she disappeared from the kitchen faster than she came. I exhaled all the air that was inside of my body.

"No one is going to mess with me," I said bitterly while starting to scrub the leftover things from the sink. I wanted to be done with all of this soon, so I could catch an earlier bus home. It was finally quiet here, no one was ordering me around, there were no annoying presences around, either.

"Let's just go home and relax. This is starting to take a huge toll on me and my confidence. If this goes on, I might have to find a psychology specialist for consultations." I sighed, putting the last clean cutting board on the drying rack. I took the apron off and stretched. Standing at the sink without moving around made my back feel really stiff.

"Are you going home already?" My heart jumped up. I got so startled! I put my hand on my heart, taking deep breaths. I got seriously so scared!

"You don't want to hear the results of the Art Committee meeting about your artworks?" My heart was beating fast. Even if he wasn't talking about this, it would be. Somehow it was the reaction I always got whenever he spoke! I jumped around. Michael was leaning on the doorframe, gently smiling. He's seriously an angel in disguise! I was melting. My heart, my body... It was all melting. He was my angel saint! Always coming to help me whenever I was in deep dung!

"Well?" He asked me, since I was still silent, quietly admiring everything about him. His face, the way his hair was lining his face, his kind facial features...

"I... um... yes?" I snapped out of it and tried to make my brain cooperate for the sake of the discussion. Even though it was in the land called Michael.

"I said, do you want to hear the ruling of the Art Committee?" He was coming closer. He's getting closer to me! Stay there! My heart will explode! And seeing me in this messy state! I panicked. My hair was messy, my uniform wasn't looking well, either. I looked as if I just finished tennis club activities and just put the uniform on without any care! Not to mention I was sweaty from all the kitchen work as well...

"Y-yeah." I was moving along the kitchen surface, away from him.

"Something wrong?" He sounded worried. I gulped. Snap out of it, Sophia! You can't just be a sheep that can't even bleat in front of him!

"N-no. Everything's fine! So, how did it go?" I asked him, trying to sound natural. I slapped my cheeks. My brain was still not working well!

"You sure?" He was too close! He put his hand on my forehead. His face was too close! He was looking into my eyes and then my face. Butterflies were dancing in my belly. It was a butterfly party of the year there!

"Yeah! I am! My body is quite strong, you know?" I showed up my biceps to him, the same way as guys do when they want to try how hard their arm muscles are. He started chuckling. Then he stepped away, pulling his hand off of my forehead as well. I'm such an i***t. I couldn't have come up with something else?! Why this one! I'm such a freak! Aaaah, Sophia, you stupid donkey!

"Seriously, what is wrong with you? Always surprising me with your little stunts!" Michael was now laughing out loud and he wasn't stopping. I was standing there, staring at him, my brain giving up any functions it was supposed to have. I felt like a monkey, just standing there, stupidly staring at a guy, who was laughing.

"You're so interesting!" He blurted out while not being able to contain his laughter. He was even starting to cry from laughing so much!

"Was it so funny?" I asked, not having a single clue about this.

"Yes! You're seriously refreshing! You make this stuffy school feel more bearable!" Michael was trying hard not to laugh. My mouth corners were twitching. His laugh was genuine. It would make anyone want to laugh with him, or at least smile. The warm feeling was pushing through my whole body again.