Our Differences

Chapter 8

Chloe's POV

It was a bright, sunny morning as my black limo drove down the freshly tarred streets. White fluffy clouds hung high up in the air like enormous cotton balls. It was two days since I had told Felicity my deep, dark secret (okay, maybe not that dark). 

Two days since I had promised myself that cliques would finally cease to exist. 

However, I didn't do it. For one thing, I was scared that it wouldn't work out the way I want it to. And for another, I didn't quite know how. I arrived at school. 

I stepped out of my limo and saw Kristen holding a plastic Starbucks coffee cup in the distance. I felt indignant. It was only three days ago when she had pointed out to Jennifer, Mira and I about how coffee was just cheap, flavored water and that young classy ladies like us don't drink that kind of stuff after she saw me sipping a vanilla latte. And look at what she's doing now.

I walked up to her. "Hey, Kristen," I greeted. "Ooh, what's that?" I asked (as if I don't already know), pointing to her coffee cup filled with some multi-colored liquid. 

"Oh, it's Starbucks's unicorn frappuccino. Isn't it cute? It's the in-thing right now. Everybody's drinking it." She used her phone to take some more selfies of her and her drink. 

"But you said that coffee wasn't for 'classy young ladies' like us." I said. 

"Oh yeah, of course not," she said, tossing the plastic cup into a trashcan nearby. "I was just using it as a prop. It looks super cute and trendy." 

Kristen just makes me sick. She thinks that just because her dad is rich it means that she can just spend however much she wants and let it go to waste in the end. Just like how she spent her daddy's money on that cup of frappuccino and then toss the whole thing in the trash. Such a waste.

Nothing happened much after that. But drama starting brewing up during recess and that was when I made the biggest mistake of my drama-filled life. I sat at my usual table when Kristen shoved a banana peel into my open palm. 

"Ew, what was that for, Kristen?!" I said, annoyed. She doesn't expect me to throw her garbage for her, does she? 

"Look behind you." She said. I did and I saw Felicity holding a tray of food. My eyes widened. I had a pretty good guess on the devilish plan churning in her brain. 

"Drop this banana peel," Kristen said. "And watch dear old Fe slip on it and fall. It'll be hilarious!" 

I hesitated. Putting my foot down would result in being kicked off the top spot in the ninth grade social ladder. But not putting my foot down would result in breaking Fe's heart because I betrayed her and did something so awful. 

Without a second thought, I let the banana peel drop from my hand. Felicity slipped, sending her tray flying. It landed on her face and the food splatted all over her clothes. Spaghetti was all over her face and some were on her shirt along with mayonnaise and tofu stains. A bowl of hot soup landed neatly on her head and drenched her hair in soup. She was a total mess. 

The entire canteen erupted into laughter. Even the food caterers had tears of laughter spilling down their cheeks. Everyone pointed at her and some even took pictures and videos of her. 

Except me. 

I felt as though my heart had sank into the very bottom of my heels. This was the worse thing I had ever done in my entire life as a Regina George wannabe. She would've been proud of this. I wasn't. Because I wasn't Regina George and I knew that I had to stop. 

Felicity looked at me with sadness in her eyes. She knew I had done this and I could almost hear her heart shatter. Tears filled her eyes as she fled the cafeteria with everyone still screaming with laughter. I stared guiltily at the mess on the floor. I lost my first real friend. I wanted to cry as much as Fe did. 

Kristen patted my back, still laughing. "Oh. My. God. That was the funniest thing you did all year, Chloe. I'm proud of you." She said. 

I got up and followed Felicity as fast as I could. I saw her heading towards the girl's bathroom. I went in. Only one cubicle door was closed so I figured Fe was inside it. I laid my ear on the door. I could hear her sobbing. I knocked.

The sobbing stopped. "F-Fe....?" I asked, hesitantly. 

"Go away." She replied. 

"Look, I-I'm sorry. I-" 

"I don't care whether you're sorry or not," she said, harshly. "Just leave me alone. I don't want to see or hear you ever again." 

"Please just open up." I pleaded. The door opened. 

"Leave. Me. Alone." She said. 

"Fe, please just hear me out." I begged. She still had food all over her and her eyes were red. Her face were stained with tears and I could see some more tears ready to spill out.

"No," she yelled. "You were my friend. I trusted you. I knew how obsessed you were with maintaining your cool kid status and I accepted that. But I thought you would still do things that were right. Maybe all you care about is being popular and you'd do anything to make sure you are." 

"I promised to keep your secret and this is how you repay me?! By humiliating me in front of the entire school? By making me an even bigger loser than I already am?! You're horrible, Chloe. Maybe that's why you don't any real friends." She slammed the cubicle door in my face and cried again. 

I felt like an even bigger loser than she felt. I failed my friend. I went straight to the classroom, took out my journal and wrote in it. I expressed my feelings and how awful I felt. I prayed that it was all just a terrible, realistic dream. I pinched, slapped and banged my head on the table. I was still in my classroom. I didn't wake up and see the beautiful painting on my bedroom ceiling. It was real. 

And so was the friendship between Fe and I. It was all my fault and now.... Now I'm alone with pretentious, fake people like Kristen. 

Maybe Fe was right. Maybe all I care about was being popular. I cried and wished that I could just sink into the floor forever.