I had done my very best not to ask questions about Zander and Tomasia's relationship. Actually, it was more like I couldn't make eye contact long enough to ask anything, not after catching them in the act. I didn't say anything to Krish or Paulie about it either, because I felt like it was supposed to be a secret. And as it turned out, I was right. No one was supposed to know. The entire school was scandalized by it, especially Khaleel and Hino, which made sense considering how adamant Tomasia had been about disliking the playboy.
I couldn't believe how quick the academy was to expose the couple. I expected more out of the administration. How could they let gossip like that be published on their prestigious site? Maybe it was hacked by one of the students? I had a lot of questions but once again, I had to stop myself from assuming this was my problem to solve. It wasn't. Not unless Tomasia and Zander directly asked me for help.
After biology, I headed to the bathroom on the third floor. There, I found Zander's fangirls gossiping about the former student body president. "What a miserable slut," one was saying.
"You think she seduced him too?"
Someone gasped. "No way! She knows how he feels about her. Is she just toying with him?"
For so long, they thought I was the one who was after their precious playboy, and now they were making Tomasia the new target. I didn't know whether to be relieved or upset. A part of me wanted to scare them into shutting up but another part insisted I mind my own business.
"Sh!" one of them hissed, pointing me out to the rest. I walked into the end stall and closed the door, but I could still hear them talking.
"I can't believe I voted for her last year!"
"She's going to lose the election for sure. No one's going to root for a two-face like her."
Tomasia threatened to kick me out of the academy. I didn't owe her anything. She told Loyal to break up with me. I didn't owe her anything! I should stop feeling bad for her. I should stop pretending that she would do the same for me.
"We should make sure Zander's okay."
"Before that, we need to send a message to that little bitch. One that she won't soon forget."
"Yeah now that her so called brother is out of the picture, there's no one around to protect her."
I didn't even get a chance to use the toilet. I walked out, glared at their backs, and waited for them to notice me again. As soon as they did, I smiled brightly. "If any one of you airheads touch her, I'll take you out myself," I said.
They took a second to absorb my words, before breaking into a laugh.
"Take us out?" Selma asked, walking up to me. I recognized her and Neela from my gym class last term. Selma was the one who told me Zander wasn't mine to have or to embarass. "You think just because you're Loyal's ex girlfriend that you have some sort of immunity? You think because you whore around with Khaleel that you can intimidate us?"
"Aw, sweetie," I gushed. "I don't need to date boys to intimidate trash like you."
Neela and the other girls closed in on me, as Selma's eyes fumed. I scanned the lavatory to make sure no one was coming in, before I crossed my arms, and dropped my smile. Selma's hands moved to grab a hold of my shirt—I think she was trying to rattle me, but I stopped her before she could get the chance. I took her wrist, twisted it, and pushed her back into her group of friends.
"Why you!" Selma was ready to rush in and fight me, when Neela restrained her. "What are you doing? Let me go!"
"You can't do this on school property!" Neela protested. She whispered something else in Selma's ears. I didn't hear what, but it was enough to put the entire confrontation on hold.
Selma sneered at me. "Let's go," she told her friends. All five girls quickly exited the bathroom, all the while glaring at me over their shoulders.
"Bunch of vultures," I complained, clenching my fists. I was about to turn back and use one of the stalls again, when the one closest to the hand dryers swung open and revealed Tomasia Wilson. Her eyes looked puffy, like she had been crying this whole time, but they were also still and resilient. I didn't know what to say to her. It was obvious she heard everything. I didn't want her to thank me. I didn't do it to get on her good side. I did it because it was the right thing to do.
"You were both exposed and while one of you is getting shamed for it, I'm sure the other is getting praised," I told her. "It made me angry."
Tomasia walked past me to a sink. I watched her turn on the faucet and wash her hands. "And just a couple of weeks ago, Loyal was telling me to protect you," she said, looking at me through the mirror.