St. Văduva's School for Prestigious Girls

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝕱𝖔𝖚𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖊𝖓

Hanging on by the skin of her teeth, she finished her Psychology assignment before the final bell let out. A page paragraph on the teachings of Freud and each of the psychosexual phases he proposed was written so quickly that the muscles in her hand ached something terrible.

Six classes were really weighing on her, and it was only Friday. She had gotten her notebooks confused and ended up taking down Geometry notes in her English notebook, and sketching Alexandre Cabanel's L'Ange Déchu for Art History on a sticky note because she could not find her notebook, digging through her bag frantically like a dog digging a hole in the garden. It caused a lot of sideways glances, and the teacher just rose an eyebrow. She had to settle for the sticky notes or risk being thrown out for disrupting everyone on accident.

She was scrambled — smushed like roadkill. No matter how good her body and mind felt today, she wanted to curl up in bed and drift away. But of course, that was not an option.

She shuffled down the hall, books in hand. Her lids were heavy with exhaustion as she wandered aimlessly through the students and staff alike. She came down from the second level, sharply turning the corner, and collided with someone.

She grunted as she stumbled, books falling as the person tumbled to the ground. Before she could figure out who she had bowled over, she was suddenly shoved back by strong hands.

"Watch where the fuck you're going," the person growled.

Temperance blinked and cut her gaze from the floor to the scene before her. Ji-Yeong was lifting herself from the ground, picking up some barrettes from the marble floor. And Kanani stood between them. Up close, Temperance could practically see the hateful aura rising from the slightly-smaller woman like a cobra standing up. Her eyes were venom green, and full eyebrows sliced with a diagonal line through the arch. Her full, glossy lips were drawn back into a snarl.

Temperance made her expression neutral, analyzing how this situation would end up if she did anything other than be mild. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"Oh, good for you. You passed Kindergarten and learned how to be sorry. If you're truly sorry, pick her shit up."

Temperance blinked, utterly perplexed at the situation.

Ji-Yeong chuckled awkwardly, no doubt trying to keep the peace. "N-Nini, I'm fine. It's not Temperance's fault. I was walking backward again."

"You're fine," Kanani snapped. "It's this bitch who needs to get her fucking eyes checked. You could have been hurt."

Temperance shifted her eyes briefly to the girl with the reddened knees from falling. "Are you okay, Ji—"

Kanani turned around so fast, borderline giving herself whiplash. "Are you ignoring me?"

Temperance set her jaw at the interruption. She thought about how to respond but went with emotion over logic. "Are you trying to pick a fight where there isn't one?"

That was the wrong answer.

Kanani lunged, her forearm slamming against Temperance's throat as she pushed her into the wall as easily as smacking a fly. She pinned the sickly girl there, eyes furious and pupils small. Temperance choked, her nails digging into Kanani's skin as she tried to divert the arm from her airway. But Kanani held her ground, keeping Temperance pressed up against the wall.

"Kanani!" Ji-Yeong shrieked in alarm.

"I don't know what it is about you but you piss me off," Kanani hissed.

"I'm— I'm not too... crazy about you right now, either..." Temperance gasped out, face contorting into a grimace identical to the girl that was nose-to-nose with her.