Peace is a fragile thing

𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙢𝙤𝙤𝙣: 𝙖𝙘𝙩 4

We were given math textbooks that go over the material, however since this was the first day, the teacher was only going over what can and can't fly in this class, the materials, stuff like that, and as I always experience, the first few school days tend to be the most lax.

“Polli, you seem rather out of it.” I was pulled out of my constant worrying and introspection when Ashley casually called out, I saw her chatting with some other girls, some who were most likely teammates and others were mutuals.

These girls, though present, were like shadows flanking Ashley - their names escaped me. This was her entourage of other notable girls, whether popular, athletic, or wealthy, a sign of her status in this hopeless school.

“Well, you know…math is boring…” I mumbled, struggling to maintain the facade of Polli at that moment. Survival was my priority after all, and my desire to distance myself from Ashley only intensified under her stare.

At this point, the teacher took a brief period because the introduction was finished, this left everyone to interact and have a chance to make connections. It's obvious that my behavior stuck out like a sore thumb.

“I agree, but perhaps pay attention to the conversation?” A new voice, or rather - not all that known to Polli, ugh, I don't even know her name. “There's a lot of important things coming up, and we can't afford for you to be a space head…”

‘Who are they again?’ At this point Polli’s mind might've also been elsewhere but I needed an answer, ‘If I don't have any names, we'll end up embarrassing ourselves.’

The hierarchy of wealth was a little weird, but one of the reasons why Polli could associate so closely with Jace and Ashley was because the Bailey's, Politin’s, and Bianchi’s practically own this city, it made sense for them to associate with each other, even if they're relationships were complicated, so Polli would only concern herself with who ‘mattered’.

However it meant I couldn't easily disassociate from them either, aside from Polli not making it easier.

‘The blond haired skank you're talking to is Paige, the brunette is Rose and the one with the highlights is Sadie, that's all you need to know', I mentally scoffed, it seems like Polli didn't react to this much because she didn't care about the other girls all that much, just Ashley.

“Yes…well, I'm listening now.” I tried to have a neutral expression, I'm not one for starting conflict much.

“If you continued to ignore us, you'd miss the fact we were talking about basketball practice, which has Jace-” Rose brought this up and I was trying to roll my eyes, but Polli reacted, catching me off guard.

“Ahhh! How could I ever forget?!” Even though this was in first person, I could tell her eyes were sparking, “I already have it on my calendar!”

‘ugh…’ I groaned, not that I would berate any teenager for having a crush — it's quite common, but in Polli’s case it was so cringe-worthy and sad to watch.

Jace cared very little about his admirers, he only cares about how he'll use them for his own benefit, which was why Polli died in the first place, and as I already stated, he only cares about Ashley.

“That doesn't mean ignore everything else!” Paige retorted, her eyes rolling in exasperation.

“Yes but…” Rose's voice trailed off, her gaze distant and dreamy, “We get to see how dashing Jace is...!”

“Well, that is true…” they all murmured, collectively sighing as if lost in a daydream, picturing Jace as some storybook prince. Caught in this moment, Polli’s perspective momentarily overtook mine, and I had to participate against my will.