The Teenage Guide To Popularity [COMPLETE]

Chapter 33: Teenagers,

Newton High was ruined. It had gone to the ground. Turned into one great big pile of crap. Ashton Rhodes had lost all control over it. Some might think it shallow to obsess over popularity. Some might stick their noses in the air and say they're above it. Some are delusional. It was Ashton's belief that one's status in high school solidified their status for the rest of their lives. Statistics stated that student council presidents, head cheerleaders and sports captains had a better chance of becoming CEOs of major companies than most other students. Asking Ashton where she got those so-called statistics would result in your social castration.

The semester was nearing an end, and Ashton couldn't believe how quickly it had all fallen apart. So she decided to do what any normal, level-headed, mature person would do in her position. Get that annoying Carter girl kicked out of school. Restore balance. It made perfect sense.

She knew those two suck-ups, Sterling and Dawn, were trying to get back at Carter. All their attempts so far had been laughable. Worms? Soaking Carter's homework in soda? Clearly they were stuck in middle school. Scratch that, not even middle school. More like kindergarten, she thought as she made her way through the halls that used to be hers. She spotted the two by Carter's locker, probably planning on spray-painting the word Slut on it again, or something else just as stupid.

"Stop whatever it is you two freaks are doing," she said, bored and yet demanding. She then examined her perfectly-manicured fingernails, for effect.

Both of them jumped back, like the locker had electrocuted them, and began flattening out their cheerleader outfits. Sterling was the first to recover. "Oh, hi Ashton. We weren't doing anything."

"I'm sure. Anyway, I have an idea that might help your little plan."

"Really? I mean, what plan?" Sterling's lame attempt at acting innocent made Ashton cringe.

"Right. But, in case you were thinking of getting back at Carter, you should put some pills in her locker. I'll let it slip to the Principal that someone might have a stash, and there you go."

"But... that's too much. Why would we do something so awful? And we could get caught. We don't wanna get her expelled-"

"Stop talking," Ashton put up a hand to Sterling's face and looked at Dawn. "You're the victim in all of this. That girl slept with your boyfriend. She probably slept with everyone else's boyfriend too. You'd be doing this school a favour."

Dawn fiddled around with a pen in her hand, looking more like a lost puppy than someone willing to ruin a life. She then began biting her lower lip, a habit Ashton saw as an irritating sign of weakness.

"You two are pathetic," Ashton hissed, turned on her designer heels, and started walking away.

"Wait!"

And there it was. The reason why Ashton deserved to be back on top. Like Carter could ever manipulate people like that, command attention, get exactly what she wanted without ever showing petty, sympathy or mercy. That was how the world worked. Those who were nice would get trampled on, and those who were confident and mean would win it all.

So the plan was set. The girl's head would be cut off, and no more would grow in its place.

***

"You're crazy," Tala replied after Ashton finished telling her about yet another plan. What was this, a school for random vendettas and evil plans? Had she missed the memo that this place was now educating super villains instead of normal people?

For the last week, Tala had kept herself busy by preparing for her transfer from Newton High to a well-established, very privileged private school in another state. She would be free of all these silly plans and get back to her studies. What was important. Her scholarships. These children could stay at Newton for another year and obsess over who's dating who, who's cheating on whom, and whatever else their tiny brains could handle.