Archer's Angels

𝟗. 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞

Bria tried to take her mind off of what had recently been going on around her area there. She sat at the computer in the writing center, working on a column for the school magazine, Primadonna. Bria had only just recently joined, thinking it was a classroom. Bria clearly remembered Nikita telling her that silver-spoon-fed kids were in there. But in reality, it all turned out to be the complete opposite.

Time Bria walked through the doors of the writing center, the look on Zaria's face said everything Bria needed to know about her. She wanted everyone to put her articles, be they good or bad, into the magazine. But every last one of Zaria's written articles was nothing more than garbage about other people, and her desperation to be better than her race. Bria's hands jerked violently as she tried to finish off her column. "You're worrying about the wrong person," Bria jumped, on hearing Zaria's voice.

Zaria stood over her with her arms crossed covering her chest. Bria instantly relaxed her face upon seeing how scrawny she was Zaria was thinking she'd some sort of power over her. And the way she talked sounded like a textbook villain. "What are you talking about?" She'd demanded, glaring at her.

"Nikita doesn't deserve sympathy for all she's put herself through," Zaria retorted, leaning against the desk. She'd unfolded her arms, before hooking her thumbs into her belt loops. "Hell, in fact, Archer's friend, Adam's parents, they paid off the bitch's mom to have her study with us. And you'd think that for all this time, it'd have made some kind of difference. Well ..from what I know, Nikita liked Archer. It's him she always went to, but always!"

"That doesn't excuse what he did to her, and what he'd tried to do to me!" Bria angrily snapped, shaking her head. She stuck a hand out, instantly dismissing anything else she had to say. "Don't ever talk to me again. Ever!" She gripped the arm of her chair to keep herself from slapping the shit out of the bespectacled girl.

Before Zaria could say another thing, the founder of the magazine, McKenzie Nightingale, walked briskly over to Bria's seat. "Is everything okay here?" She asked, glancing from one girl to the other.

"No!" Bria squeaked out, clenching her fists. She sent a death glare to Zaria, who then dared to step back as if she didn't walk over to her first.

McKenzie put her comforting hand on Bria's shoulder. "Why don't you step outside for a little bit, hmm?" She asked in a low soft persuasive tone, and Bria responded by gradually rising from her seat. Before intentionally bumping into Zaria as she left.

"What you said was disgusting, Zaria," McKenzie told her, glaring at her. "And we can't have that here. You need to find somewhere else to publish all the trash you write!"

"Trash, TRASH!?" Zaria cried out in disbelief, deeply offended by that remark. "I...I'm your best writer!" She shouted, pointing to Bria's computer screen. "Nobody's gonna want to read about femininity!"

McKenzie told it to her straight while remaining calm on the outside, despite how livid she was inside. She was well aware that a lot of writers were upset on hearing the truth spoken about them, they couldn't take any criticism they'd just heard. "You knew most of what's been going on for years but you chose to degrade another girl thinking it'd make top news for the magazine!?" Finally, after a small exhale, Kenzie told her, "Get the hell out of here."

"Hope he picks you, bitch!" Kenzie's friend, Elena yelled, trying to comfort another writer wiping her tears.