Life Of A Bitch

40

-elle didn't cheat for herself. She got the papers just for Lucy alone.

I sigh and look at Michelle from the corner of my eye. Turning to Brenna, I ask her. "Are you happy about this?"

She nods faintly.

Which isn't convincing.

Ugh.

I stand up and walk towards the stage and take the jack out of the phone, keeping it in my pocket. Brandon looks at me, expressionless.

I shake my head at him and walk back towards my seat. He gets my signal and speaks into the mic. "We'll have fifteen minutes extra for practice. Except that it won't be practice. You guys do whatever you want, alright?"

There are loud shouts and cheers from all the corners of the field as Brandon descends from the stage, smiling a little.

Good girl. Proud of you.

You should be.

Brenna looks at me and smiles. I smile back at her. Aaron suddenly appears out of nowhere and sits beside me, grinning.

"I saw what you did there," he says, nodding. "That was unexpected of you."

"Hey Aaron," Brenna calls him. "I told you to wait for us in the car."

"I'm not a child."

"You are."

Leaving them to quarrel in peace, I walk towards where Callaghan is sitting and text her to meet me near the huge statue of our school mascot- a squirrel wearing hideous blue shorts and our school varsity jacket. I can't just go in there and face her with the whole gang. It would be awkward.

Why, she texts back.

I've something that can expose you so if you don't come, you'll face the consequences, I reply.

A few moments later she arrives, slightly panting.

"What is it?" She asks, narrowing her eyes.

"You leaked the papers and gave them to Lucy," I tell her. She freezes for a moment, but regains her composure.

"Yeah right, don't just make up anything." She retorts.

I hand her the phone with the recording on it and tell her to listen to it. She looks at me weirdly and does so, but soon her eyes widen and her mouth opens a little.

"How did you-"

I shush her and thrust my palm out at her, wiggling my fingers. "Give me my phone back."

She looks at me for a long time, clutching the phone in her hands.

"You would tell everyone, wouldn't you? That I did all of these?" She says, breaking the long silence between us, while a warm wind blows a little dust dramatically around us.

"I wanted to," I say, looking away, towards Brenna and Aaron, still arguing. "I desperately wanted to. But my conscience won't let me."

She stares at me disbelievingly. "Huh."

"You and me," I exhale. "Are the same. It's weird, now that I think of it, but if you were punished, I would be punished too."

"That's touchingly soppy," she snorts, letting out a dry chuckle.

"I know, right?" I smile, looking down.

There's another silence between us when she clears the throat and hands me back the phone. "I don't have the phone on me right now. I'll give it to you when I visit your house to tutor Alice. Along with the dress. I give my word."

I knew it! She stole the dress!

I nod, taking the phone from her. "I'm not gonna apologise to you for whatever I did."

"Me too," she said, shaking her head. "That would be cringe-worthy."

"We're never gonna be friends," I smile. "We'll remain rivals forever."

"Till we breathe our last," she laughs. "But, no more hurting each other."

"And no more bullying." I say firmly. She raises her eyebrows, as if to say 'someone is turning over a new leaf'.

"And," I add. "I hope you mend your relationship with Brenna."

She nodded, taking off towards her gang. "See you in hell."

I roll my eyes and look at her retreating figure when my eyes meet with Stephanie's. We look at each other for a moment and then I turn away. Some wounds are too painful to just forget them within the blink of an eye.

"Jennifer?" I hear a voice behind me.

"Yes, Brandon?"

"Can we talk?"

*

Brandon clears his throat for the fifth time, without letting out a word.

"Brandon," I say, dead-panning at him. "I think you told me that you wanted to talk?"

"Yeah," he exhales. "So, don't just freak out and start hitting me-"

"Jesus Christ, just talk!"

"I kind of.. knew that Michelle had your phone," he says.

I gape at him, not sure if I heard correctly.

"I mean, I wasn't sure. On the night of the SQ Finale as I was walking out of the auditorium, I saw her walk out of the green room hurriedly just before her performance, which was strange because she was supposed to be in the wings of the stage. But I didn't let it bother me because it seemed, well, trivial. What if she had to use the bathroom or something, even if the auditorium had a bathroom."

But then Alice called about everything that had happened to you, then suspicions started forming in my mind."

"Why didn't you tell me?!" I shout, waving my hands in the air like a stroke patient.

He closes his eyes for a moment and opens them, as if bracing himself for a fight. "If," he begins. "If, Alice had done the same, would you rat her out?"

"That has no relation to-"

"It has." He cuts me mid sentence. "It was the same case with me, only Michelle wasn't my sister."

I walk away from there to prevent myself thrashing him.

But I'm not the same person anymore. I'm good now. I'm a very good person.

I force myself to walk back to him and pat him robotically on the shoulder. "You're forgiven."

"I'm sorry. And, thank you."

"Yeah."