The Picture ✔️

3- Where it all started to surface

The past few days passed by excruciatingly.

Everyone in the school now knows me as the "chicken girl".

The only ones that didn't treat me differently are Leah—

—and Jaxon, he always treated me like garbage before anyways.

There I was, sitting at Leah and her new friend's table, since it was the only place left.

Leah got up her seat as soon as I arrived, using the excuse that she needed to go buy something at the counter.

"She's been acting quite weird lately, don't you think, Rowan?"

I was way too absorbed into my thoughts by the gruelling debate with my mind about the right way to eat oreos to listen to their incessant talk.

"Uh, yeah? Oh, I guess."

"Like, she seems to be kinda avoiding you since we became friends at the cafe. What do you think?"

"Who knows?"

"I mean, I think she's been weird since they compiled the votes. You know, that little branch of the student council who counts the votes and gives the letter to the teacher? The one she's part of?"

"Mhm."

"Ugh, you're no fun. Are you even listening to me? Whatever. Girls, let's go get coffee!"

Everyone sitting at the table then scurried away like the pack of wolves they were, following the footsteps of their queen.

Which left me alone with Angelica.

Awesome.

"Wait a second-" I said as I ended up making the easy decision of stuffing all the oreos in my mouth. "What did Brittany just say?"

She dropped her fork into her salad and gazed at me with a blank face.

"That... you're no fun?"

"No I mean, before that."

"The fact that your friend volunteered to compilateur the votes?"

"Yes, that. Do you think she might've put the image inside the letter?"

"The one with you wearing a chicken costume at Walmart?"

Wait a minute.

"How did you know it was at Walmart?

"Well, the background looked like Walmart-"

"Nobody saw the picture. The only way the whole school knew about it was because Mrs Watson burst out laughing about it in the middle of the important announcement."

"Well.. maybe-"

"You- YOU DID THAT?! How did you even know where I was, you stalker?!"

"Well, I might've got some help from your friend.."

Leah. She did not. My suspicions were correct, then.

"I- You- you-"

"What's going on, Angie?"says Brittany, catching on to the discussion with a watchful gaze on all of us, drinking the coffee she just came back with as if it was tea.

Angelica muttered something under her breath, resembling "Oh god, Brittany is going to kill me for this."

"Brittany was helping you too?! Just how many people conspired against me?!"

The girl in question, Brittany, widened her eyes in realization, looking evidently frustrated.

"This is horrible! What did I ever do to you guys to deserve this?"