"Don't mind Kendra, she's such a mummy's girl" Ashley sneered. Her squad of minions all burst into laughter as if on cue. Across the illuminated classroom, I bowed my head rather shamefacedly, I grabbed my skirt underneath my desk to keep my hands from trembling, if they say how easily affected I was to their taunts, they would never stop.
"You're such a meanie Ash, what if our top student decides to report us to the headteacher or worse, her mom?" She chuckled. I was seething with rage at this point but all I could do was sit behind my desk, pretending to be oblivious to everything.
I really don't know what I ever did wrong to Ashley and her gang to always be the center of their jeers. Well, that's a little dramatic because I was just another victim of theirs. I was only another one of her victims from her long list of "pitiful peasants" she liked to make fun of to boost her narcissistic fragile ego.
I hated my school, I hated being here but I couldn't do anything about it because I was on a scholarship. Royal Heights was one of the most prestigious schools in the state and I had toiled tirelessly for months to secure an admission amongst hundreds of other students. When I got a scholarship, my aunt literally burst into hysterical sobs, she had pushed me to apply and had believed I could secure a spot all along even when I had doubts. She was my biggest and only fan and ironically, it only made me feel even more guilty.
It was soon closing hour and I quietly made my way out of the school's gate, alone. I had no friends, apparently I wasn't anyone's ideal choice of a friend even though I always top of the class. Not that it bothered me at this point, I was only six months away from my final examination and I would be a free bird, done with high school. The thought of finally being free from the shackled of this hellhole called a school after 6 years made me giddy. I was so lonely and miserable.
Being in a school of the affluent and wealthy did nothing but crush my self-esteem, I was always being bullied especially by Ashely my nemesis.
She was the most beautiful girl in my class, apparently the most desirable to those with brains the size of a mustard seed. No pun intended.
It was a rumour that her parents weren't well-to-do but who would care when she wore one if the most expensive clothes to school. Even though we came to school in uniforms, class could still be deciphered by what shoes we wore, school bags, watches and even hairstyles for the girls. Even the perfume you wore mattered!
No one here cares about your grades, I topped the class and was still at the bottom of the class socially. The cool popular kids sat at the back of the class, the popular girls talked about boys and fashion for hours and giggled at the bookworms at the front row who actually cared about grades. They were all hypocrites, but it was the reality. I was a fool to believe in fairytales, to have believed in the real world your academic or intellectual prowess was worth two cents. I was exposed to the harsh reality of life, those tall tales I had believed in my younger years that I could be at the top as long as I studied hard and stayed humble was all bullshit. In real life outside my cocoon, money and affluence was all that mattered. If you can't wriggle free from the claws of poverty, you're bound to remain at the bottom of the food chained condemned to an eternity of picking up the crumbs from the plate of the rich and powerful.
Ironically, I envied Ashley and her friends. I was jealous of them especially Ashley, if the rumors about her was true that she had managed to establish herself and climb the ladder of influence at such a young age, then she was worthy of my admiration. She wore the best boots to school, when we had events that didn't require us to be uniformed, her jaw-dropping outfits were the center of attention. She made heads turn by her fragrance alone, she might be a nasty bitch but she was a hot one and that made me only admire her more.
Ashley was brazen and beautiful, she spared no expenses when it came to her looks because it determined her social standing and she always had to be in the limelight. She made all the girls her puppets even those who were from wealthy families because of her dominant assertive personality, a boss was bitch. All the boys in the school wanted her, I mean who wouldn't? Long slender times legs, she was curvy in all the right places, not even the uniform could hide her curves. She always had three or four buttons unbuttoned to show her cleavage, the righteous teachers complained bitterly about her shamelessness but couldn't do anything about it because it wasn't a written rule not to show skin. Her tight skirt was a few inches below her voluptuous hips and she was always ready to show some skin. She claimed God didn't take his time to create a perfect woman just for her to hide her endowments under a long skirt. Her lackadaisical attitude towards morals made the boys even more crazy about her, most girls jealous and there were the few like myself who were in awe of her. Ashley was a demigod to me, she was perfect in every way and even if she was flawed like any other human, her flaws should redefine perfection. In my eyes, she was the prototype of perfection.
I was almost obsessed with her, I saw her as my gateway to my dream life. If Ashley has accomplished so much at 16, she was going to be my role model. I was her secret stalker and even though she made fun of me and my raggedy looks, I still helped her with her assignments and test albeit in secret because she blatantly refused to be seen in public with me. She used me and I let her, I still held on to a thread of hope that she would notice me someday and introduce me to her glamorous life. I was obsessed with Ashely
