STORM - (Intersex)

CHAPTER 12

CLARA

"Rachel?" Fran asks, her expression tight with annoyance.

We're all gathered in the living room—me, Fran, Jade, and Nat. Lee and Tyler are both at work right now. I had a scan earlier today, and while Tyler came with me, she went straight back to the office afterward. It felt easier to just stay home, so I called Fran over to talk. Jade and Nat were already here.

"Yeah..." I reply, feeling the tension in the room rise.

"She's bad news," Fran says, her voice hard. "Like, pure hatred towards her. I don't hate a lot of people, but she's top tier in that department." Fran grits her teeth, the frustration clear in her face.

"What did she do?" Jade asks, curiosity piqued as she settles deeper into the sofa.

"When we first met her, she was... perfect. Like, she played the role of an angel so well. Everyone loved her. Tyler fell for her hard, and they eventually got together. But once they were in a relationship, her true colors started showing. I tried to warn Ty, but she didn't listen. She was too in love." Fran's voice softens a little, remembering the past. "Then she cheated on her. That really broke Tyler."

"Yeah, I could tell," I nod, recalling Tyler's pained reaction from earlier.

"Rachel treated her like absolute shit. Treated us like shit," Fran continues, her frustration building again. "We were already dealing with enough crap at school, but Ty had it ten times worse because of her. It was brutal. Eventually, Ty started working out and building her confidence, and I did the same. We became the talk of the school after that. But even after all this time, Rachel's still hanging around, popping up out of nowhere. Every year, like clockwork, I'd get a message from her asking for money. She tried to reach out to Tyler too, but Ty changed her number."

Fran pauses, her eyes narrowing as she continues. "I don't know why she's come all the way back here now, but I have a bad feeling. It's not good."

"I'm just saying... we should beat the shit out of her," Jade mumbles, and Nat bursts out laughing.

"Yeah, Tyler practically shouted that at her over the phone. Guess it worked—no more texts," Nat adds with a grin.

"As much as Ty talks about hurting her or getting into a fight, she won't do it," Fran says, cracking her knuckles. "Ty's harmless unless she's protecting someone. But me? I'd happily break her bones."

Jade bursts into a fit of laughter, causing all of us to glance her way, amused. Fran, on the other hand, glares at her, unamused.

"I just can't imagine you hurting a fly, let alone another person," Jade wheezes between laughs.

Fran's glare sharpens as she grabs Jade's arm and drags her outside.

"Well, this should be fun," Nat smirks, and we both follow them out to the garden.

Outside, the two idiots are standing face to face in mock fight stances.

"Franny! You have my full permission to hurt her!" I call out, earning a glare from Jade.

"Oww, oww, oww," Jade groans.

"No one asked you to try and fight me," Fran retorts, wiping her bloody nose.

"Well, I got a couple of good hits in anyway," Jade smirks.

"If you say so," Fran rolls her eyes.

Nat and I are laughing so hard that we can barely breathe. The whole fight was ridiculous—both of them knocked each other out within five minutes. Fran's got a bloody nose, and Jade's sporting a black eye, but somehow, they both look pleased with themselves.