"Wake up!" Mum shouts, flinging my door open. "You're going to school today, no questions asked."
"Good morning," I mutter groggily.
"Hurry up," Mum barks. She slams the door when she leaves. I rub my hands over my tired eyes and through my hair. If I'm going to school, I'm going to look good. I'll pull a Sandy. Literally. I grab my leather skinny jeans, black polka dotted crop top and white heels. With everything I need for the day, I bounce downstairs to where the rest of the family is eating a cooked breakfast. "Right. Bye," I walk out as if I hadn't seen them.
"Wait, Eliza," Timmy calls. I spin around, not putting any effort into a facial expression. Timmy holds out a piece of bacon. "I saved you some," he smiles.
"Thanks Tim," I ruffle his hair as I go for the bacon.
"Good luck with Eleanor," Timmy says.
"I don't need luck but thanks anyway," I say.
"Who's Eleanor? Is she why you haven't been going to school?" Mum asks.
"Sort of, yeah. But don't tell her that," I say to Timmy.
"Is she bullying you? Oh, Eliza," here it comes, the heart to heart that changes my entire life, "You'll be fine. She's just a girl." Oh. Thanks mother dearest. I'll be sure to keep that in mind. In the mean time, go learn how to be a real mother. Bitch. "Maybe if you tie your hair up maybe she won't bully you today," Mum says, with a raised eyebrow.
"You're a terrible mother. Thanks for the bacon Timmy. Bye Dad," I walk out of the house. My god. I need a coffee.
When I walk through the halls I notice virtually everyone stops to look at me. For once their stars aren't judgmental or disgusted. They're admiring. People admire me. I notice people who used to be friends with Eleanor standing with different groups. I try not to feel too pleased with myself.
As the day drags on I notice very different things. The groups at lunch seem to be bigger. The chatter in the classrooms seems louder. There is laughter in the hallways. I never realised Eleanor had such a tight grip on the school. Even if she hates me more than ever, the rest of the school is happy. I'm happy knowing I helped happiness.
At lunch I sit out and watch the football like always. Finn notices me and jogs over. I take a deep breath, trying to remain calm. I expect to congratulate me or tell me off or punch me in the face or anything except what he does. He grabs my wrist and pulls me into a hug. "You're a legend," he whispers into my hair. I now expect him to let go. He doesn't. "You are exactly the slap Eleanor needed. Thank you. Thank you so much."
"You're welcome," I murmur. He pulls back and smiles. I smile back, trying not to let him see the full extent of my excitement and happiness. Finns smile drops and he bites his lip. "I just hugged you. Shit, I'm sorry," he apologises.
"That's okay. I like... Hugs," I say, frowning at my awkwardness. Finn laughs and scratches the back of his neck. Someone yells at him from the pitch and he smiles apologetically jogging back to the game. I flop to the ground. Leaning against the tree, I can't help but smile. I bury my face in my hands, grinning so wide my face hurts. I drop my hands and return my attention to the game. It's then that I notice Eleanor. She is glaring at me with as much hatred as a person could probably handle. She marches straight through the game towards me. I wait until she's closer before I stand, dusting off my pants. "Eliza Grace Gatsby," she spits.
"Hello Eleanor," I say.
"Don't say my name! Ugh, I am so sick of you. I'm sick of your ugly face, annoying voice, abnormal hair. I'm sick of you. Go back to whatever rock you were hiding under. Oh, and don't try and drag my brother down with you," Eleanor says furiously.
"I'm not your brother! I can make my own decisions and talk to whoever I want to. Plus she's not ugly, she's beautiful," Finn steps in.
"Go away Finn! This doesn't concern you," Eleanor snaps. I shoot Finn an apologetic look. Wait, did he say he's not Eleanor's brother? Holy shit, did he call me beautiful? "This is between Eliza and I. You know what you've started, right? This is war. And by the looks of your army, I've already won," Eleanor says.
"I'm not going to fight with you. I don't want to be part of a war," I say calmly. People are starting to gather. The game has stopped and the boys are slowly making their way towards us. God, can Eleanor and I not argue without attracting a crowd? "You should have thought of that before you attacked me," Eleanor says.
"Attacked? I merely put you in your place. Someone had to do it. I'm trying to help you Eleanor. Life isn't like high school; you can't just bully people to get where you want. And you can't sleep around to get there either. That only happens in movies. In real life, you have to work for it. In real life, people will bully you back. In real life, popularity gets you nowhere. I just want you to make some true friends before high school is over and everything gets harder. Don't be the miserable bitch in the back of the bar, complaining about everything and cackling like a hag. You could be more Eleanor," I breathe sharply through my teeth. "Look, you've made me go all teacher on you."
"What the fuck? I think I know how life works," Eleanor says. "And what is it with you with my friends? I have friends! I have more friends than you do. Oh, and if you wanted to help me, you'd get the fuck out of my life."
"You don't get it. I would gladly get out of your life. It's you who keeps talking to me. We have another six weeks of school. After that, we'll never see each other again. Fine. Good. I'd be happy to see rid of you. But until then, it's your choice," I say. Eleanor gapes her mouth like a fish. She crosses her arms over her chest. She radiates anger but I try to remain calm. It won't do me any good getting angry. I grab my bag, "Are we done?"
"No! I am not done," Eleanor searches for words. "Ugh, I hate you! This is war, if you want it or not."
"Fine," I say, folding my arms across my chest. I can see it in Eleanor's face. She sucks her lips into a thin line and storms off. Finn drops a hand onto my shoulder. I turn to him. "You aren't Eleanor's brother?" I ask.
He laughs, "Thank god I'm not. My parents adopted her."
"Oh." Finn raises his eyebrows. The crowd is still lingering. Finn signals to his friends to go back to the game. Hazel walks towards me. "Hey," she murmurs.
"Hi."
"War, huh?"
"Yep. I won't fight back though. I'll just let her hatred boil up and ruin her own reputation." Hazel nods slowly. She tilts her head. She has a plan. I see it in her eyes. "That's a good plan, but if we do nothing there's no guarantee it will work. We should fight strategicly," Hazel begins.
"We?" I ask.
"Yeah. I'm here for you Eliza," Hazel smiles. "I'm your army."
I hug Hazel tight, "I'm here for you too. Thank you."
Hazel grins, "Anyway, as I was saying. My first plan starts here." She fishes around in her bag until she pulls out a poster. It's for the school talent show. "Eleanor always wins with her Christmas singing, even I have to admit she's amazing. This year, you'll be better," Hazel says.
"That's genius! Only one problem, I can't sing," I say.
"But you can dance." Hazel gives a defiant nod. I know it's worth a try. There's no knowing what'll happen. All I can do is try. "I'll do it, but I'm best at ballroom so I'd need a partner," I say, biting my lip.
"I'll do it," Finn shrugs. I had quite forgotten he was standing there. Hazel claps her hands, nodding eagerly. "Teach me a Christmas dance," Finn says.
"Tomorrow night, after my ballroom class. I'll text you the address," I say. We all look at each other, grinning widely. This is it. Not what I'd call a war, but at least we're fighting. And at least I have a chance.
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A/N
Yay new chapter. Took a while. All good, all good.
Thanks for reading!
Bad Noodle xx
