Endbury Academy✔️

Chapter 6

Learning about the different cults really wasn't as boring as I thought it was going to be.

Now this didn't mean I wanted to join one. They were all crazy and I didn't understand their beliefs in any of the cults we researched. All the mass suicides because they thought they could go to a better place or be a better person was sad to me, and it made me almost throw up at the thought that someone could be so manipulative in making someone take their own life.

"So Heaven's Gate is the one we're doing?" Mila mused as she glanced at the list we had. There was a surprising number of cults out there, which made me a little terrified of that aspect.

I grimaced at the thought before nodding my head. "Yeah. We have to choose one, right?" I frowned at the thought, wondering why we were doing this. "Cults are gross..." I murmured, biting my lip in disgust.

Mila nodded her head in agreement, her eyebrows furrowing. "I wonder how no one can see the signs that they are being scammed... like it's so obvious!" She exclaimed quietly so we wouldn't get kicked out of the library. We'd been here for twenty minutes already, and we had ten more minutes before the bell rang for the last class of the day. She pointed her eraser on the tip of her pencil at a cult to emphasize, "this guy thought he was an one thousand year old angel... and got people to actually believe him!" She grimaced at that. "How can people be so naive?" She wondered out loud with a bedraggled sigh.

"Maybe they just wanted to believe?" I suggested with a side shrug, "they were so down on luck that they just wanted to believe he was an Angel and could save them from damn-nation..." Which was a really sick thing to do. You shouldn't just manipulate people into thinking you could save them when you knew you couldn't. Or maybe this guy really thought he was an Angel and could save everyone. I didn't know since I wasn't there, but considering the circumstances I don't think I would have wanted to be.

Falling silent Mila glanced over at the article we stumbled upon once again. It was sad to think that people would actually believe this man was an angel, but who was I to judge? I wasn't walking in their shoes, I couldn't fathom what they might have been going through during this time and age. Everyone deals with things differently and maybe this was just a way they dealt with it. Even though it was obvious that there was something going on.

"For once I hate this assignment, and not just because it's homework..." I trailed off flatly, Mila nodding her head in agreement. Learning about these cults had made me feel sick inside. Knowing that Leia's family had once been involved made me feel even worse. They got out, thankfully, and saw the wrongs that were happening - but how can these leaders be so... manipulative that everyone just believes them blindly without thinking otherwise?

"We'll just have to power through!" Mila tried to sound convincing, but she grimaced at the thought of researching more on this topic. Sometimes it was just better to stay blissfully unaware of some situations.

A few more moments passed as we gathered information for our essay. We looked at the questions the teach gave us and split them so that we'd each have equal amount of work. I was almost done when the bell rang for our last class, indicating that we had to pack up and leave the library.

"How much did you get done?" Mila asked as she started packing her stuff away into her shoulder bag. It was a really cute purple and pink camo shoulder bag that was big enough to fit all of our textbooks, which I thought was quite handy.

I glanced down at my notes. "I got four questions done. Two more to go and then I'm set," I sent Mila a grin, shoving things into my backpack - which was just a simple blue and white stripped backpack. It wasn't anything fancy, but I liked the colors and mom had let me pick it out which was a rare accurence.

"I got about the same," Mila hummed, Velcro-in her bag and placing it over her left shoulder. "Bet you're happy to see Leia again," she teased me, making me scrunch my nose up.

"I don't know what you mean." Was I that obvious? I shudder to think about that. I had only recently discovered I might have feelings for Leia, even though I'd only known her for a short amount of time. However I do see her the most out of everyone considering she's my roommate. So it only makes sense, but I wasn't aware I was into girls. This was a new revelation to me, but I wasn't opposed to it. Most guys I knew were real jerks anyways.

Mila just rolled her eyes at that answer. "Sure you don't Jen, sure you don't," she teased me, making my heart thump at the nickname. It's been so long since anyone had called be by one, and it felt nice. It felt perfect coming from her - like we've known each other for all of eternity. That's what this group made me feel. Made me feel like I knew them for so long, let me be accepted.

Rolling my eyes I followed Mila out of the library, waving slightly to the librarian. We talked lowly about the project and who would do what part when a group of loud girls could be heard around the corner. "You guys heard about Tenley? She's still missing!" A girl cackled, causing Mila and I to glance at each other in curiosity.

We continued the walk down the hall and poked our heads around the corner. A group of preppy girls were hanging around someones locker, gossiping like no tomorrow.

A girl sneered, her lip curling in an ugly way. "She probably just got expelled. You know how Tenley is," she flipped her caramel brown hair over her shoulder as if she owned the world. My hands automatically curled into fists. I could feel my temper rising and Mila put her hand on my shoulder, trying to keep me calm. No one had witnessed my temper yet, but if these girls continued they'd get to witness it today.

Another girl laughed, obviously finding that funny. "Remember that one time she tried to fight Parker Stanley? She got her ass kicked," she snickered, reliving that day in her head. "She's not as tough as she makes herself out to be," she added harshly, and my hands tightened into fists.

"Jenna..." Mila murmured beside me, "lets just go..." She tried to pull me away but it was like I was frozen in place. I wanted to hear what else they had to say. I was ready to fight a bitch if I had to.

"Either that or she's dead and the teachers want to be nice and not tell us," another girl added, chiming in with her friends. That did it. I shrugged Mila off, hearing her protest as I made my way towards the group of girls. They all stopped talking when they saw me walking over to them, raising an eyebrow at me like I was ruining their air space. "What is it, Daughtery?" The one who was talking previously sneered, placing her hands on her hips in a sassy way to make herself seem more intimidating.

Without warning I reared my fist back and punched the girl in the face, earning a shriek. The other two girls stepped back from me with wide eyes, obviously not wanting to be punched next. "You guys want to keep talking? Go ahead, see where it gets you!" I snarled, waving my fist at the other two girls who were giving me freaked out looks.

"Jenna!" Mila squeaked, racing over and tugging me back. "Lets just go before you get into trouble!" She begged, eventually pulling me down the hall where our next class was. "I just got you, I don't want you to get expelled because you punched Jennifer Massey in the nose like you did with the other girl!" She squeaked, ducking her head in embarrassment.

I blinked at that, not knowing what to say. I didn't expect that, and I felt my anger completely simmer down. "Aw, Mila..." I reached out and gave her a hug. She buried her face into my left shoulder, cuddling into me. "I promise I'm not going anywhere..." I murmured, giving her a tight squeeze.