KIERAN'S PLAYTHING ?

CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

The next few days were spent blissfully. I spent a lot of time with my friend, Chloe, my brother Kirk, and Kieran with his friends. I loved their little friendly bickering. I’d just finished cheer practice and took a cooling shower. I put on my uniform for class. I felt good and things were going well.

We had music and it was one of my favorite classes. I like learning how to play different music equipment. My favorite so far was the piano. I like how the keys felt against my fingers and it was just amazing how I just knew where to touch to produce the sound and key I wanted to hear. I loved how versatile and different the equipments were , but when played together, it was so harmonized and was music to the ears literally.

I walked into the hallway and saw that a group of people were gathered around. My first thought is that it has something to do with me. I’m just so self-centered like that. I can't help feeling like the world revolves around me.

My anxiety kicks in. Of course, I couldn’t remain happy for long. Something bad had to be going on. Just perfect to ruin my happy streak. I approached the crowd to see why they were huddled around my locker. Could they have found out I was a murderer? Did Kieran do something to hurt me? Did he make me trust him and lower my guard so he could sweep the rug from under my feet? It was but the perfect revenge, served cold.

Emily Darklord’s voice reaches me.

“You have the audacity to touch me. Who do you think you are?” Emily said and I hurried over, arriving at the scene.

A girl was sitting huddled on the floor in front of my locker and looking at the floor as Emily kept kicking her face lightly with her shoe and a few of the cheerleaders were also around. They were laughing at the girl and enjoying this.

“You think you’re pretty enough or good enough to run for Miss Royal Crest? You’re not even good enough to be in this school.”

I looked at the girl. She was pretty enough to go for Miss Royal Crest, but not confident enough to defend herself against Emily obviously. I kind of pitied and felt sorry for her. Emily was a mean girl.

“Where did you even get the money to buy the forms?" She asks the girl.

“Probably from sucking some dicks for a few dollars. Cheap whore.” Glenda Valentine says.

“Or from stealing. I lost forty grand a few days ago. I’m pretty sure she took it. Did you take it? Kaya Sidmond chips in and tries to grab the girl's bag but she pulls it away from her.

"Stop. I didn't take your money. Who has forty grand just lying around?" The girl challenges, still holding onto her bag.

"Someone who is rich enough to do it. I know you can't relate." Kaya retorts.

“What are you hiding? Give it” Jacinta Crowprest says and grabs the bag and they both struggle for it. Kaya grabs her and Jacinta takes the bag. She opens it and dumps its contents on the floor. Her lip gloss, mascara and books come pouring out along with some cards. Maybe they were her business cards or bank cards. Some of them had a logo on them. Was she a brand ambassador for these brands? They weren’t big or well-known brands. I don’t recognize their logos.

Some of the people snickered and others were trying to figure out what the cards were like I was. Was it bad brands ? Was that why they were laughing?

“OMG, how poor are you? How did you even get into this school? Are you the new scholarship kid ? I heard there’s a new girl from the trenches. Is that you?” Tiffany Prowerssays.

“I’m not a scholarship kid. I pay my fees in full just like you. So why do you think you’re so much better than me?” The girl screams from the floor and tears pour from her eyes and down her cheeks.

Emily slaps her hard and grabs her by the shirt, jerking her forward. Even I am taken by surprise.

“Don’t get mad and start talking crazy shit. You literally have soup and shelter cards and all these fucking discount cards at these cheap welfare supermarkets. I literally give donations to feed you. How dare you think we are equal? We are not. I’m indeed better than you. That’s why I’m going to tear this form and you’re not going to join the race for Miss Royal Crest.” Emily says

“Do you know why this event is held? A poor girl like you wouldn’t understand. It’s a fund raiser and all the money is for charity to feed hungry people on the streets, people just like you. So before I ask my dad to withdraw his sponsorship and blacklist all the shelters you go to, you’ll go and get a refund for the forms. I’m sure you could use the money for some food or clothes. You do need it after all. Stop the high and mighty act. You’re not fooling anyone here. It's just desperate and disgusting,” Glenda Valentine adds.

“ In fact, you know what, I’ll double the money if you return the forms. I do feel bad for you. That must be your sayings or something. Be thankful we are giving you this opportunity and not just tearing the forms.” Jacinta says.

“So would you do the right thing or do we need to act on your behalf and do what’s in your best interest since you don’t seem to know any better.” Maya continues as she snatches a piece of paper, her fingers positioned and prepared to tear the form.

“Fine. I’ll drop out of the competition.” The girl says defeatedly as she fists her hands and looks down dejectedly.

This was the system that I created. This used to be me before I stopped leading with mean and violent behavior. I was a straight out bully and projecting my insecurities onto those with smaller bank accounts.

I was an Emily darklord, Jacinta Crowprest, Maya Sokelem, Kaya Sidmond, Glenda Valentine. That was the example I set for my team members as their leader and captain. I had never seen it from the view of a bystander because I was busy being a bitter bully. I’m such a pitiful failure. I couldn’t even hate these girls for what they were doing since I was just like them a few weeks ago. I felt like throwing up.

I turned to leave not able to stay and watch, but I stopped. It was not too late. I could still make up for my mistakes. I could still do some right.

I turned and marched onto the scene and took the form from Maya's hands.

"You're not dropping out. " I said as attention shifted to me.

"Captain......" Maya Sokelem begins to whine in objection.

"That's right. I'm your captain and the last thing my team members are going to do is use their power and social status to stop a girl from doing something she has every right to do."

"Aaliyah Waters. You are the queen of Royal Crest Academy. You of all people should not be saying this. It's literally how this system works. You're part of those who instilled it. I get that we are not that much of friends, but we are still team members and you're our captain. We must promote a united front instead of you taking the side of this low-class thieving whore who thinks she's equal to me."

" Why are you worried about a new runner when you were the second runner up last year? You should be more worried about me. I consecutively won Miss Royal Crest. So I should be your problem. Don't you believe in yourself? Or maybe you won by devious means like this one and you're just repeating your actions."

"Are you accusing me of something?" Emily bites out.

"Of course not, sweetheart. I'm just saying if you won fair and square, then you can easily do that without making your competitors quit. Since you're better than this girl, then let her compete and do well to win fair and square. Then you can say that you are better than her."

She doesn't reply or move.

"Unless you don't want to. And you want to go against my word," I said slowly, ensuring she knew the meaning of my words.

"Fine, you win, Captain. I'll win and if I do, then don't stop me from doing whatever I want to do to her."

I shoo her away and she huffs before leaving. The others also leave and head to their various classes.

I turned to the girl.

"I'm sorry. My name's Aaliayh. What's yours? Are you new?" I begin collecting her stuff and putting it into her bag, but she ignores me looking at her torn and broken cards.

One of the girls must have done that when I wasn't paying attention. I handed her the credit card Kieran had given me. I'd probably be punished by Kieran for ''losing' it, but I needed to take responsibility for the actions of my team members.

"Please accept this credit card for those they destroyed."

She pulls her bag from me.

"Yes, I know you, Waters. Everyone knows the queen and Kieran Castle's plaything. So stop with the hypocrisy. You're worse than those girls. At least they don't pretend to be good people. You did the same thing to me and you don't even have the decency to remember and I have to be the one who lives with what you did to me. "

Kieran's plaything?

"I'm sorry I don't know what you're saying. I'm honestly meeting you for the first time."

"Of course you don't. We were friends freshman year. We hung out for the first week before you joined the cheer team and I didn't make it. You made new friends and totally forgot about me. People thought we were still friends and took out their anger they had for you on me. You left me alone, so continue and stay away from me, Aaliyah. I don't need your help. I've been managing just fine with the cruel system you created. How dare you pity me when you can't relate to my struggles? You're the reason all this happened in the first place." She shouts at me before leaving.

I remember having a large friendship group freshman year, but I can't remember every single person. She really can't be mad at me for that. But i feel bad that she's being bullied because she might have known me in freshman year.