Ugly Duckling

13 | CLEAN & KEEN

The principal left from the west doors, and Anjo ran off crying through the east doors.

Sachie stared at the scene, bewildered. 

Nobody dared move an inch. Everybody was huddled together, linked in murmurs and cruel gazes, like shadowy eyes inching closer to swallow her whole. Sachie could only hold onto whatever semblance of respiration she could manage. 

She clutched her chest, tightly.

"This isn't what I asked for..."

Fukumi beside her, as befuddled as the rest, asked, "what?"

"This isn't what I wanted!" Sachie replied, eyes wide and heart loud. Asahi could only stare at the panicked look in her eyes. 

"Kikuchi, it's—"

She spun around in a flurry, and ran off behind Anjo, while Fukumi and Asahi called for her fruitlessly.

Sachie couldn't care less about the teachers shouting at her not to run. She was basically sprinting through, beelining any crowd she came across. 

Sakuragi Anjo was expelled. 

The principal arrived at the cafeteria so abruptly. He found Anjo's hand frozen in the air, about to slap a certain Ugly Duckling the moment she entered. 

Even when he announced her expulsion, he seemed quite hesitant, as if regretting what he was about to do. Especially when he looked at Sachie's face—repulsion couldn't find a better visualization. 

When he threw the paper on Anjo's face, she just gaped at him, astonished and furious. She kept screaming as if she owned both him and his school. He retorted that he was barely able to negotiate with Sachie's parents and only expel her for four weeks. She must be grateful, he said. The glittery young miss had the look of someone who's gotten their whole house burned down to debris because of a single sparkler. 

When the gasps and mocking laughter became too loud for her prideful ears to handle, she made her grand escape. 

Sachie couldn't believe this. 

"How could he... do this to her?!" She panted, her legs bringing her to who-knows-where. 

She passed by that same hallway of yesterday, and found Anjo crouched on the ground and sobbing onto her knees. She could faintly hear some profane syllables streaming from her lips, and she could only sigh helplessly. 

The moment she stepped closer, Anjo shot her head up. 

If looks could materialize, Sachie would've vanished from existence long ago. Worse if she could hear all the horrible things Anjo screamed in her mind.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! GO AWAY!" She barked.

"No! No, wait, I'm not here to mock you! I'm only here to—"

"NO! SHUT UP! GO AWAY, YOU FILTHY RAT! YOU THINK I NEED YOUR PITY?!"

Sachie clicked her tongue. "It's not pity! This isn't what I asked for! I never wanted for you to get expelled!"

"OH DON'T PLAY INNOCENT! YOU'RE PROBABLY DANCING IN VICTORY NOW, AREN'T YOU?!" Anjo spat. "SH***Y VERMIN! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO PITY ME?! IN FACT, YOU'RE THE PITIFUL ONE, MAKING THIS WHOLE FUSS JUST TO MAKE PEOPLE SYMPATHIZE WITH YOU! YOU ATTENTION SEEKER!"

"Who ever said that?!" Sachie retorted, trying to be as civil as possible. "I never said I wanted you expelled! I just wanted you to stop! I understood that you wouldn't leave me alone despite apologizing, so I thought the principal could do something about it?"