That Scandalous Year

4. A Classic Scandal

Marie mopped the drops of water she left on the floor. Her mother was still outside with the woman who did her nails.

Just when Marie was done, her mother entered the living room and swiftly sat on the couch. It came with the apartment when they moved in. They couldn't afford to buy a new one, so they kept it. Even if it was ugly and the springs were already peeking out. Marie swore to buy them a new couch once she started working. And that would be five years from that day. She wasn't even sure if that stupid couch would last that long.

She turned around and went to the kitchen to avoid any conversation with her mother. Not today, please, she told herself.

And as if her silent wish was granted, Micah came down the stairs.

"Have you talked to him yet?" Micah asked their mother. She meant their father. And it must've been about Micah's request to raise her school allowance.

Their mother shook her head.

Marie quietly slipped past them and went upstairs to the bedroom she shared with her sister. Whatever they talked about downstairs, she couldn't hear with the door shut.

She unwrapped the towel from her head and threw it on the bottom bunk. Micah slept on the top, and Marie was caved in underneath.

She unplugged the laptop that her father gave her when she started high school. She grabbed it and sat on her bed, with her hair still wet and tangled.

The neighbor's Wi-Fi was on. Marie entered the password that she was easily able to crack. And in a heartbeat, she had free internet. Then she started browsing the posts that students of Holy Rosary School considered their favorite blog, Little Miss Nobody.

Marie continued scrolling down, reading through the comments and reactions.

Most of the new ones were updates from what happened during the summer break. Who broke up with whom, and who's in a new relationship with whom.

There was an entry about Eve, of course. And that Facebook post about Marie. Some more nasty comments came up just recently. Marie read them all.

A user named idontwannatalk2u said: what else is she hiding under that messy head of hers

And another named 5centimetersperse wrote: Just leave her alone.

Marie sighed in relief. But then that last comment could mean either of two things. Don't bother her anymore, or just let her be alone.

She closed the thread in frustration.

Little Miss Nobody was fairly unknown until it gained recognition during the last quarter of Marie's Sophomore Year. It was the gateway to a classic scandal.

There was a male teacher from the high school who was caught spending time with a female teacher from the college department. They were in another town, and the witness claimed the two weren't there as colleagues or as friends.

It didn't say in the blog who the persons were. Neither were clues to their identities at first. But the most interesting part of Little Miss Nobody was the thread of comments and replies.

Online lurkers, who were most likely students from their school, posted their theories in the comments. And LMN followed through with the developing story of that time like an amateur investigative journalist.

The blog still didn't name names, but the clues were easier for the gossip-hungry online teenage crowd. Until piece by piece, they were able to collectively solve the riddle.

The rumor snowballed and reached the school administration. To describe the whole thing as chaotic would be an understatement.

It would've not made such an impact if the two teachers weren't married to their respective spouses. And it wouldn't have been that big of a deal for the whole school if the wife of the male teacher wasn't also a teacher in the same high school, who was once voted Most Favorite.

Since then, Little Miss Nobody evolved into a gossip blog where people privately submit to the admin the things they wanted LMN to post. And the admin, whoever that person was, intricately wrote about them with details.

Almost everyone in their school had read Little Miss Nobody at least once. Hundreds of them patiently waited for updates and actively engaged once they were up. Theirs was a small town, but the goings-on paralleled those of a B-rated straight-to-DVD Hollywood teen movie.

Perhaps the most intriguing part about the blog was that no one knew who owned it. And no one claimed responsibility. Yet.

Marie stopped reading and clicked the log-in button instead. She typed in her admin username: littlemissnobody75

***

For someone who's a logophile, it was so painful for Marie when she had no one to talk to. The things she wanted to say, and she was dying to say them, were trapped inside her head.

The first month of Senior Year came and went, and nothing seemed to have changed. If anything, it had gotten worse.

Her classmates treated her as if she was out there to betray everyone and steal whatever they had. After all, Eve portrayed her as that non-loyal friend who had a secret desire for her boyfriend. If Alex was indeed her boyfriend.

The funny-but-not-so-funny thing about that whole ordeal, Marie thought, was that Eve wasn't even their real queen bee. It was Ruby. Rich girl, pretty, trendsetter, smart, attractive, snobby but bubbly. Eve was just a pretty rich girl who followed Ruby's trends and bullied people for a hobby.

The Seniors' floor was a small world. No matter how Marie tried to avoid crossing paths with either of her former friends, there were always moments such as that one she shared with Steffie in the restroom.

She felt lighter at first because it was Steffie. The one who introduced her to Eve and co. The one who changed her young life.

"Hi, Steffie," Marie nervously greeted her, adding extra effort to smile. "How...how have you been? You know, I heard some song that Micah was listening to the other day, and I instantly thought about you. That you might like it."

Steffie didn't say anything. She was facing the mirror, doing touch-ups to her winged eyeliner.

Marie swallowed a sob as she remembered how she taught Steffie how to do that. And she only knew how because she and Micah were fond of watching YouTube videos. Marie refused to wear makeup again since that summer.

She pretended to adjust the necktie of her uniform, then her pleated skirt of matching green and white checkered pattern. Steffie's skirt was longer than the prescribed length. Eve usually wore hers shorter, which got her sent to the Prefect of Discipline one too many times.

Steffie met Marie's eyes through her reflection. And for a second, she thought Steffie would turn around, hug her, and whisper how sorry she was for what happened to their friendship. But Steffie looked away and down to her purse. She zipped it, grabbed it, and left the restroom.

Marie thought Steffie was the stereotypical smart girl in a popular clique. The one who also happened to be the nicest. Didn't they portray the likes of her like that in the movies? And didn't Marie sometimes think that her life resembled that of a cliché movie? But she was wrong. Steffie wasn't that kind of smart girl in a clique. She was just another snobby spoiled brat who happened to have an IQ level that was Above Average. She was just like Eve and Erika. Just as mean. Just as shallow.

And just like that, Marie was alone again. As she should've been all along.

Since that encounter, she swore she was done considering seeking redemption. She didn't want anything else but get through that year unbothered. She just wanted to not have to deal with her former friends. Forever.

Marie went back to her classroom and sat on her chair. Her assigned seat was, to her dismay, in the middle of the room, where everyone can see her. And so, she tried her very best to not show that she was slowly falling apart every minute of every day.

But if they only knew the truth, they wouldn't have attempted to say what they all said to her, fiction or nonfiction. If they only knew she was Little Miss Nobody, no one would've even dared. LMN knew all the secrets. She just revealed to them portions of the tip of the iceberg.