Until I'm worthy

Chapter 4

Summer is creeping closer and closer, which means the entire student body forgets how to act. Regina might not be the apex predator anymore, but it should still be common knowledge that no one messes with her friends.

Someone knocks Cady into a locker. It's purposeful. Regina watches him step into Cady's space, knock her shoulder with his, and laugh as Cady stumbles, almost dropping the books she holds. Regina sees red, feels plastic again as she whirls on the boy. She comes to still snarling, Cady holding her arm and the stupid jock cowering his way down the hall.

Regina straightens, Cady's hand falling away as she does. Cady doesn't look happy with her when Regina turns to her. Straightening her own shirt, Regina takes a deep breath and checks Cady over, hand brushing invisible lint off her shoulder, wanting to comfort and not knowing how. "You okay?"

"You didn't have to do that, Regina," she says, eyeing Regina like she's a dangerous dog who got off its leash. "I'm fine."

Regina tosses her hair, acts unaffected even though she hates that Cady is acting like she's back to her old self. "He shoved you into a locker. I wasn't going to let anyone think that was okay."

She rolls her eyes and steps away from Cady. She doesn't wait to see if Cady will respond, leaving her behind as she heads to physics.

Regina had done something good. She stood up for her friend. But Cady had hurt her feelings, treated Regina like she was going to explode because she maybe lapsed back to her old behavior. It was for a good reason. Regina doesn't understand why it matters so much.

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Regina sits down at lunch, looking dismally at the sad piece of cardboard that the school passes off as pizza as she longs for some cheese fries. Maybe she should just not eat. She needs to lose the weight anyways and –

Karen interrupts Regina's spiraling thoughts, sliding over a delicious looking container of stir-fried veggies and chicken. "I packed too much," she pouts. "I thought the package said for one, but it's for one family. Can you help me?"

Regina just blinks at her for a moment before nodding. "Uh, sure. Anything to not have to eat this gross pizza."

Karen smiles at her, scooping food onto an empty section of Regina's plate. Regina gets the feeling she just got played. Karen has always been more perceptive than people think, but Regina's impressed that she even noticed Regina waffling over whether or not to eat. (She kind of wants to cry. Karen cares so much, and Regina is only just now recognizing that. She handles Regina like an expert, flitting around her moods like it's nothing. Regina doesn't know how to thank her.)

As everyone else (minus Cady and Janis, who always have plans at the beginning of lunch. Something that definitely doesn't bother Regina. Why would she care that Cady spends one on one time with Janis?) settles around them, Regina notices that it's quiet at the table, oddly so. Looking up, Regina sees everyone staring at her.

"I heard you, like, totally shoved Tommy into some lockers," Karen says, wide eyes fixed on Regina's face. She's slowly raising her fork towards her own face, and Regina doesn't want to wait to see what she's planning to do with it, reaching out and lowering the girl's hand back towards her food.

"Seriously?" she asks, looking around the table.

"I mean, I heard that you kicked him in the dick and told him you hoped he could taste it," Damian says, smirking at her.

Gretchen says, "It's all over school, Regina. Everyone's talking about the return of the apex predator."

Regina pushes her food away and groans, slumping forward and resting her forehead on her arms.