DEVIATE X / / AN UNORDINARY FANFICTION

XI.

"Hey Isen, are you busy right now? I was wondering if—"

"Gah!"

Despite my light touch to his shoulder, I took a step back as Isen jolted violently before slamming his laptop shut.

"Jesus Christ! Y-you scared me!" He said in a somewhat exasperated tone.

"Sorry...." I replied quizzically as I gazed at his protective grip over his laptop. "I was wondering if I could get a second opinion on my draft. But normally when guys clutch their laptop like that, it usually means they're watching porn."

By the mention of this, everyone in the Journalism classroom looked at Isen with disgust and confusion.

"Isen!" The head newspaper writer of Wellston, Cecile, barked. "If you're watching porn, I swear to god i'll revoke your story from this week's issue!"

"N-no!" Isen shouted, flushing a deep pink. "I-I swear, it's nothing like that, Cecile! You k-know how I am about my work!" He stumbled over his words sheepishly. "I focus better w-when my work is in private! Speaking of which, it's a little loud in here. See ya!"

Isen dashed out the door with his laptop before I could say another word, leaving my draft dangling in my hand.

Cecile rolled her eyes before looking at me.

"Delta, can you come here for a moment? I would like to discuss your story." She said, her eyes scanning over the typed article on her desk.

I sauntered over past my working classmates as she held up my paper.

"'The Faults in Social Hierarchy'," Cecile read the bold black text. "This one of the most excellent stories i've read in all my years at Wellston."

"Thank you." I replied.

"However, I can't publish it."

I felt my sense of dignity flush down the drain, suppressing the chagrin and panic threatening to overcome me.

"Huh? I fact checked all my sources and revised every paragraph. Surely, if you have an issue with my citations, I can definitely choose more viable
sources—"

"Calm down, Delta." She interjected. "It wasn't that. Arlo came in an hour ago and demanded that the story be revoked from this week's issue."

So this was how it was going to be? Playing the passive aggressive game to get me to bend to your will? No, this censorship wasn't because I violated the school guidelines. It was Arlo's stupid personal vendetta against me. He was going to keep worming his way into my life until I saw eye to eye with him.

"I'm sorry, Delta, I can only do so much." She added upon seeing my disappointed expression. "But he has the higher authority in this situation. I may be able to regulate the stories published in the school, but ultimately his decision overrules mine."

I felt my draft crinkle in my palm.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Cecile. This isn't your fault." My voice shook with anger, threatening to boil over.

I turned on my heel and stomped out the the door.

Fine Arlo. You want to talk? Let's do it then.

:;

"Arlo."

He and his blue haired friend immediately whirled around. Before his friend could interject, Arlo waved him off.

"What a surprise." He responded cordially, his voice resonating in the empty corridor.

He seemed to have an amused expression plastered on his face. He already knows why i'm here.

"What the hell is your problem? I worked my ass off to get the headline story this week, and you swept that from under me." I clenched my teeth as I leaned in closer.

"Defiance doesn't earn any rewards, Delta." He replied pompously as he crossed his arms. "You act with no regard to the order that is set in this school. You cause a scene and go out of your way to protect a cripple, and attack me in front of our rival school? People are already questioning your worth."

"What the hell do you want from me?"

"I want you to act your status. With how powerful your abilities are, you can't just roam around acting like you're like everyone else. You're not. You're a god-tier, Delta. There's a reason why people like Seraphina and I hold titles as a Royal. And you deserve one too."

I looked at him quizzically. He was preaching me, yet going out of his way to make my life miserable. I don't understand his angle! Why insult me to attempt to persuade me to join?

"And how should I 'act my status'?" I mocked disdainfully. "Should I go around making those who aren't as powerful fear me? Bend them my will like you did?" I scoffed, dismissing the possibility. "You're so full of it, Arlo."

I turned away and prepared to leave, when he grabbed both of my wrists and pushed me against the wall. I was taken aback by his sudden aggression, knowing his intent was necessarily to hurt me or threaten me, but to provide my undivided attention to him only.

He sighed, looking down as shiny blonde tufts of hair fell over his frustrated eyes, his hands overlapping my wrists. If the situation wasn't so serious, I could've laughed at the harem-like scenario that he was posing, but I felt too dumbfounded and frustrated to even speak at the moment.

"I don't understand you. You and I both know you're strong enough to be Queen. Why won't you accept this?" He questioned earnestly.

I stared at him with a neutral expression before composing myself.

"Worthy or not, I'm not going to seize that title from Remi, Arlo. I have no interest in your hierarchical ploys." I curled my trapped hand into a fist, vaguely aware of his presence invading my vicinity. "Now let go."

To my surprise, the tension on my wrists lessened as he backed away from me before walking away. I shoved my hands into the pockets of my plaid skirt as I thought about the question gnawing at the back of my mind. Despite Arlo's persistent and intrusive nature, there was only one question I couldn't answer properly:

Why couldn't I accept this?

Like it, love it or hate it, but you have to accept your powers as a responsibility, not as an issue anymore. You can't change who you are, kid. I know you've never been in a public school setting like this before, and I hate to break it to you, but the hierarchy, tiers—this is how things are, Doc told me yesterday. And to some extent, he's right.

But not under these pretenses. :;