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Chapter Twelve :The Queen of the poor

Classes had gone really slow next day. Robin hardly felt she understood anything. If it wasn't for Maddie, who was a genius in Math, she would have been lost in the test that morning. And she met another girl, Honey, who happened to have the highest score in grades, but also the highest humbleness she had ever seen in a person. Honey was the older sister of the girl who had gone to the BRI cafeteria and bought a sandwich there, the one Robin had defended from Elliot and the Ravens. Somehow, it felt very natural for Honey to become into Robin's friend. No need of awkward introductions. It was as though a debt had to be paid, yet Honey was glad to do it. She looked as fragile as her younger sister, but had a tongue of steel and was very clever. Yeah, their friendship would last.

During their second break, Robin was walking with Honey and Maddie to their lockers, chatting enthusiastically until they noticed there was a circle of people surrounding something near their lockers. To be exact, around Robin's locker. Feeling her heart would stop beating, Robin left the two girls behind and rushed and made her way through the crowd to see what was in...

HOLY...

"What is this?" Crazily, she imagined it could be a gift from the M-RI given to their "admiration" toward her actions... but then, when she saw everybody's expressions, she had to think twice. This was bad. Somehow.

It was a sculpture of a deform bird painted in red, brown and black. It looked like made of paper and it was tall to her legs. It was hideous. But...

"Hold on..." Robin kneeled beside it and touched it... "These aren't papers..."

She bent closer.

Those were dollars. Ruined dollars that were cut into pieces, ruined with painting and glue. This wasn't right. There had to be something terrible about it but she didn't know what it was. The only people capable of wasting so much money this way could only be...

"Robin! Check that!" Honey cried behind her. Robin, without wanting to, raised her eyes to her locker. There was a huge poster with red letters.

DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON A ROBBER

"My money?" Robin frowned, trying not to fall in despair. "No, no... it's not... I don't have money, it's not mine..."

Oh, no... no, no, no, no way, please...

"It's ours." A boy said among the crowd. "It's the money we gave you to pay for their uniforms."

Everyone gasped and began to yell and shout at the same time in complains, reproaches, hate, anger, frustration. They were accusing one another for doing such a stupid thing as wasting their money away, others were accusing Robin, others were defending Robin, accusing the Ravens. Robin could just kneel down there, shocked, staring at the poster, clenching her teeth to repress the tears that wanted to flow out furiously. Then, the crowd seemed to agree that she was to blame and began to yell at her all sorts of horrible, degrading things, and one even spit on her head. The bell rang and the teachers went out of the classrooms to oblige the kids to go inside, and only a few turned around to see what was happening for real. Some kids pushed Robin and made her fall anytime she got up, others called her many names, and there was no sight of Maddie or Honey, they had been taken to class. Soon, the place emptied.

But Robin didn't move.

She hadn't grabbed the metal box. She had fainted after Elliot King threw it to her head. But she hadn't thought about the money till then.

Then, a laugh broke the silence. A distant laugh. A cruel one.

Miller twisted his fingers with deep frustration. He was trying to comprehend... fate. Fate always did an awesome job in his life; it had brought Robin as a last proof. But why would it just screw it up being she, what Elliot called, a pain in the ass? Why her? If it had been any other girl, he could've struggled just a bit but accepted her if he liked her.