Clara

18- Conflict In the Garden

It was finally Thursday afternoon with the last class enjoying its last ten minutes, the stress of everyone finally lessening gradually through the day. Even though today everyone seemed more relaxed even when compared to Monday, the horrible five (I've been using that to mention them now) are still making us feel awful. Maya told me not to worry about it much, but this is the most I've been bullied in my entire school life (you might think I'm a little snowflake that is too delicate to experience this world but on Snapshot...it gets pretty dark there).

School just drifted by today even though there were lessons. The hallways also seemed a bit less full, meaning they got rid of those students that didn't pass the tests from yesterday and the day before that fast.

"Don't forget to turn in your notes for tonight's homework. Also remember to start thinking about joining this year's science competition. It goes to the international level for the first time." The 'international level' piques my interest but not for long as Maya and I continue to talk standing by her desk.

"Don't you realize how strange Harmony and friends have been?"

Maya looks at me confused "What do you mean? They always act like bullies and it is never the same level of intensity as the previous day."

"No not that. I mean today Gabbie invited me to sit next to her at lunch."

"Well, they obviously wouldn't want to be sitting next to you— agh —okay sorry. I meant like they would definitely have something else planned to ruin your day." I nodded my head, but how they treated me in the auditorium replayed in my mind.

"I think they might have actually needed me to talk about what happened in the auditorium. Maybe we could have talked about how they bother us and find a common ground?" I try to reason.

"Unless they wanted to end it with an elaborate way to humiliate you in front of the whole school body, then I think not." Maya says, zipping up her bag.

"But they're always picking on me when you're around, never when you're not sitting with me. The same for Lea and Andrew. Don't you find that at least a bit strange?"

The bell rings and she changes the subject. "Can we hang out in your dorm doing homework? Afterwards, we can look through your closet for dresses."

"Why my closet?" I ask, leaving the room and yet going the direction to my door anyway.

"We're around the same size and the closest thing I have to formal wear in there is a white halter that I spilled chocolate sauce on during the first day here."

"Weren't you wearing overalls?"

"After I spilled it."

We're by my door now. "Why don't you just clean it off then?"

"It's like trying to get a Valentina arrow out of your butt." I shivered at the thought. Valentina arrows are notorious for getting stuck in objects for long periods of time. One of the scariest stories is of someone that got one stuck in their hand. Even when they amputated the hand, the arrow stayed and is still on firmly after around a century, even when the hand gave away to bone.

We enter my room and I instantly throw my bag into the floor and join it there with no thoughts. Maya kicks my side and I curl up to protect myself from more blows. "Clara you're so weak~." She jests.

"Well you would be too if you had normal friends that didn't kick you every living, breathing moment." I get up to sit on my knees and open my bag.

"You're exaggerating it." She laughs and moves to my closet.

I ignore her and start working on my math worksheet. I already started at Royale High so it's more of a review for me. Putting my hair back with pins was cute when it didn't get in my face all day. I yank it back out of my face so I can concentrate on the transformations of the... something.