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𝐅𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞, 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐦𝐚 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐮𝐩 𝐛𝐚𝐠, rummaging through the contents until her fingers wrapped around her small eyeliner pencil. The sound of a toilet flushing caused her to partially tense for a second, listening to the sound of shoes pat against the tile until the door opened.
Ignoring whoever may be behind her, Chari pulled off the cap and began coating her bottom lash line, her heavy hand of anxiety making her line much darker than normal. Placing it back in her bag, she pulled out her powder and dabbed her nose and underneath her cheek, mimicking actions and grabbing her lip gloss.
She could feel wandering eyes upon her and from her peripheral vision, she could see Rebeka watching her through the mirror while washing her hands. The two girls met each other's reflection through the glass and Charisma frowned, muttering 'creep' in between breaths. Leaning closer over to the mirror over the edge of the sink, she puckered her lips and applied a new layer of nude shine.
Rebeka laughed in the back of her throat and wiped her hands on a towel, stopping at the sink besides Charisma, leaning on her side. Blue eyes met Rebeca and she popped her lips after rubbing them together.
"Can I help you?"
Tossing the lipstick back into her minibag, she zipped it up and threw it in her purse, mindlessly running her hands through her hair, still ignoring the girl observing her presence. Charisma knew Rebeca was observing her evermore, that's what the princess 'drug lord' did, she didn't need to utter a sound but knew everything right off the bat with just a look in her eye.
"You'll get addicted if you're not careful," she said nonchalantly and Charisma's hands stilled, falling from her hair. Her head turned and she looked at the girl. Her dimples shined as she smiled widely and shrugged one shoulder, "I don't know what you're referring to."
Rebeka took another step closer to her and reached out towards Chari's neck, making her jump in her place. Just as the darker brunettes finger grazed the lighter brunettes locket, Charisma took a step back and placed her hand on her chest. Her fingers tightened around her locket like her most prized possession and her eyes narrowed.
With a tight lipped crooked smile, Rebeka's eyes shined 'I told you so'. She tilted her head to the left with curiosity and arched both of her brows, stealing Charisma's confident stature. "Mmm," Rebeka hummed, "beautiful locket."
Charisma's confident shoulders slightly fell but she was quick to hide her lack of composure with a fake smile, "a gift," she dropped the gold to her chest, watching as Rebeka stalked out of the restroom with a pep in her step.
Her eyes watched the door rock until it stopped then went to the stalls behind her, a sigh of relief coating the mirror before her when she realized she was truly alone. Staring at her reflection, her eyes fell to the locket on her chest and she groaned in annoyance. She wasn't dependent on the powder in her locket. Chari could go days without using, only getting a quick pick me up high when she truly felt she needed it. Mainly when she was upset or drowning in her own overly stressed thoughts and anxiety.
It wasn't anything to worry about but she did worry that someone she didn't even talk to, someone like Rebeka took notice. Then again, it was her own fault for not paying attention to the fact someone had managed to unlock the door and come in. She truly had been lost in her own world.
Grabbing her purse, Chari followed Rebeka out of the restroom, stopping when her principal was lingering in the hall. Her eyes met Ander's mother and she grinned, "morning."
Azucena frowned and pointed to the nearly empty classroom, "inside." Charisma's eyes trailed the principal's fingered direction, her grip tightening on her purse when she noticed the group seated in waiting. Frowning, she slouched her shoulders, her grip on her bag loosening as she strolled inside with the principal's hand aiding her path.
"Take a seat," she muttered and Chari did as told, slouching in the back of the room. Pearching her elbows on the table, Charisma rested her chin on her hands.
Her brother sat a few desks before her diagonally and she couldn't help but scoff at his facial exterior. His left jawline and apple of his cheek already began to swell with small pinpoint sections of blood while the rest evolved to pink and purple hues. Violence was never the answer but she did believe he deserved it, a kiss to the face was expected at some point.
"Do how know how embarrassing this is for the school?" Azucena rallied, "from now on, the slightest misconduct or lack of discipline will mean immediate expulsion," her eyes wandered over the group, "no excuses, no exceptions...that means you won't graduate."
Everyone seemed to gasp lightly and shake their heads at her new decisions and Guzman spoke up out of the lot, "that's unfair."
"Very well," she sighed, walking down each aisle, "let's talk about fairness and justice... the judge dropped the charges against your classmate."
Charisma squinted her eyes at the back of Polo's head, noticing how every other person seemed to tense and subtly glance the oldest Villada's way.
"He is a murderer," Samuel spat and waved his hand.
Her own shoulders tensed and she kept her eyes fixated upon her older sibling. She knew gears were turning in his head and the fact his anger was arising. Polo's blue eyes were frozen of ice into the edge of his desk while his fingers deeply pressed into the opposite unharmed side of his face. If he were to press any harder than it wouldn't be surprising if he created wounds of his own. It was taking everything in him to not snap but he didn't want to give anyone any other reason to spill hatred towards himself. Guit, anger, frustration, heartache, there was only so much the boy could handle.
Only time would tell.
"The person who accused him retracted her statement and she may well face legal consequences," Azucena revealed and everyone looked to Carla, who awkwardly looked away as if refusing to meet their gazes meant she were to become invisible. "So to make things very clear: if anyone so much as touches a hair on his head again," she stood in front of Polo, motioning to the top of his ruffled hair, "I will personally make sure they don't finish out the year and that it goes on their permanent record. Understood?"
Samuel and Guzman made no effort to hide the frustration and irritation under their breaths, however, everyone else nodded in agreement whether or not they truly felt the same as the two boys.
All the youngest Villada wanted was one peaceful day, for things to return to normalcy and once again, the girl was reminded how haunting and unforgiving the past could be.
