Friday finally arrived. I had been looking forward to spending the weekend with Braxton and Amanda. The three of us already made plans to hang out during the weekend.
After arriving early at Oliver West High School that morning, I met with them at the front entrance.
"Gabriana, girl, you make that uniform look GOOD. Look at how well it hugs those curves. As long as you can keep that nasty temper of yours under control, you should have nothing to worry about," Amanda said with a wink.
"Yeah, what she said," Braxton added, blushing a bit.
We all laughed, and I felt a little lighter. But I could tell, deep down, that something felt off as I pushed it out of my mind, though. After all, today was supposed to be a good day, right?
Amanda threw her arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. "Seriously, though, Gabby, you look amazing. Doesn't she, Braxton?
Braxton's eyes widened, and I watched a flush creep up his neck. He scratched the back of his head, suddenly very interested in his shoes. "Uh, yeah. I mean… You always look good. I mean…," He cleared his throat. "The uniform's nice."
"Oh my, you're so awkward!" Amanda laughed, not unkindly. "Just say she looks hot and move on."
"Amanda!" I felt my own cheeks warming.
"What? It's true!" She grinned at Braxton, who looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole despite his six-foot frame and athletic build. He might look like he could take on the world, but put him in front of a girl, and he turned into a stammering mess. It was actually kind of endearing.
"So, are we still on for this weekend?" Braxton asked, clearly desperate to change the subject. "Movie marathon at my place?"
"Absolutely," Amanda said. "Though I'm picking the movies this time. Last time you made us watch three hours of sci-fi nonsense."
"Star Wars is not nonsense," he protested, finally meeting my eyes with a small smile.
I couldn't help but smile back. These two were my anchors. Amanda, with her bold, say-anything personality, and Braxton with his quiet strength that only showed when you really needed it. They'd been there through everything: my dad's death, the Lucy and Jonah situation, the Chad and Rosemary disaster. They'd seen me at my worst and never left.
"You okay?" Amanda asked, her voice suddenly serious. "You seem… I don't know. Off."
I wanted to tell them about the knot in my stomach, about the sense of foreboding I couldn't shake. But I didn't want to ruin the moment. "Yeah, I'm good. Just tired."
Amanda didn't look convinced, but Braxton squeezed my shoulder briefly; his version of a hug. "We've got your back, Gabby. Whatever happens today."
If only I'd known how much I'd need them.
Shortly after, I walked away from them and headed toward the cafeteria, feeling the familiar nerves bubbling up inside. Something in my gut told me it was going to be one of those days. And sure enough, as soon as I walked in, I saw Tonya Malone and her two friends: Alexia McKenzie and Monica Malone. The same girls who had made my life a living nightmare previously at Dalton Junior High School.
"Well, if it isn't our old friend Gabriana," Tonya said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"How have you been, girl? It's been a while since we've seen you. You haven't written or even said hi to me since I've been here. What's up with that girl? While we are here, why don't you hand over your lunch money, and maybe we won't have to rearrange that pretty little face of yours!" She explained in her usual cold tone.
I tried to keep my cool, honestly.
"I don't want any trouble, Tonya, but if you keep threatening me, I will be forced to fight you!" I declared.
"Don't do it, Tonya. You're already on thin ice with the principal," said Alexia as she tried to pull Tonya away.
While Alexia was trying to talk Tonya out of fighting, Monica, Tonya's twin sister, walked away, and she looked like she had something nasty on her mind. I wasn't sure what she was planning, but I could feel the trouble emanating from her as she walked away.
"Yeah, you better walk away, Tonya, and don't you ever try to pick a fight with me again! If you do, I'll be forced to beat you and your little goons up!" I shouted, hoping to put an end to this fight.
Even as the words left my mouth, I knew right there that I'd made a mistake. That's the temper Amanda warned me about. The one that flares up whenever I'm feeling hurt, when I feel cornered, or even when I've had enough.
After everything that has happened this week, Chad and Rosemary, feeling invisible again, I felt that I had nothing left to lose. Or so I thought.
But of course, Monica wasn't done. After she walked off, she later returned with the principal's assistant, Amelia.
"You won't believe what Gabriana said," Monica hissed, her voice full of venom.
"She's been picking fights with us ever since junior high. You have to do something about it."
Amelia grabbed my arm with a firm grip.
"Don't worry about it, Monica. I still owe you and Tonya a favor for helping me get this position. I'll make sure this gets handled," she said with a smirk, practically dragging me toward the principal's office.
Once we got to the office, Amelia turned on the waterworks.
"Principal, I was so worried when I saw Gabriana trying to start a fight with Tonya Malone, the head cheerleader for Oliver West High School."
Amelia's voice took on an almost reverent tone as she spoke about Tonya.
"Principal, you have to understand what Tonya means to this school. She's not just the head cheerleader; she's the heart and soul of our student body."
Her words hit me like a ton of bricks. My stomach turned as I watched the principal nod along, completely buying into Amelia's performance.
"Sir, do you remember when Tonya organized that fundraiser for the homeless shelter just last month?" Amelia continued, her voice dripping with false sweetness.
"She personally raised over three thousand dollars. And the blood drive? That was all her idea. She even donated herself, despite her fear of needles."
I wanted to scream. None of this was true, at least the way Amelia was spinning it. Tonya might have been involved in those things, but she'd made my life miserable for years.
"And we can't forget the big game against the Wild Cats next Friday!" Amelia pressed on.
"Without Tonya leading the cheer squad, how can we expect the students to be excited? The team is counting on her energy, her spirit. If she's involved in another fight or gets suspended, it could devastate the entire student body! We could lose the championship because of this!" she declared as fake tears poured down her face as she desperately rubbed them away.
The principal leaned back in his chair, stroking his chin thoughtfully. He was buying every word she said.
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Tonya, the girl who had tormented me for years, was somehow being painted as a saint, a victim who needed protection from me.
"Principal Bolton Tonya comes from a difficult home situation. You already know about her father and how he's had to work three jobs just to keep the family afloat. I can't forget about her mother, who is battling cancer. We mustn't forget that Tonya volunteers as a tutor for the kids at the same hospital where her mom receives her treatment," Amelia said, her voice taking on an emotional quality.
I felt a flicker of something; was it sympathy? But then I suddenly remembered all the times Tonya had cornered me in the hallway, all the cruel whispers, all the humiliation that I had to endure at her hands.
"This girl carries so much weight on her shoulders," Amelia continued, and I could swear that those tears in her eyes were almost real.
"The last thing she needs is to be targeted by students who are jealous of her success. It's not just about the energy she brings to her cheer squad. Tonya is a leader who has inspired countless students to be better, to aim higher. Her positive attitude, her enthusiasm, her kindness; these are the qualities that have made Oliver West High School a better place."
"We can't afford to lose someone as important, as genuinely sweet and caring as her. Not now, not when she's fighting desperately to keep everything, everyone together through these difficult times at the hands of Legion!"
My heart pounded as I tried to explain myself to the principal. The words barely came out. I was shaking, my voice quiet as I tried to recall everything Tonya and her friends had put me through—years of rumors, bullying, and torment. I wasn't the one who had started any of this, but he wouldn't listen to me.
I looked up at the principal's face, but his eyes were hard, his brow furrowed. I could see the disappointment in his eyes. As tears stung down my face, I fought to hold them back.
"I don't want to hear anything you have to say!" he snapped, his voice cold.
"You've been warned before about picking fights. And now you have the nerve to pick a fight with Tonya, the head cheerleader?" He practically spat the words at me.
"If she gets into another fight, it could cost us the entire game! Not to mention the student body! I can't allow that to happen!"
The words hit me like a slap. I was trying to hold it together, but I could feel my chest tightening, the tears threatening to spill out any moment. This wasn't right. I wasn't in the wrong, was I? Now I'm the one being punished.
"This is your second warning this month!" Mr. Bolton declared.
"If I catch you in my office again for any reason, I will suspend you for an entire week. Do I make myself clear?!"
His voice was loud, stern. I felt like I was drowning in it. All I could do was nod.
Standing there in that office, being yelled at for something I didn't do, I felt smaller than I've ever felt in my life. Smaller than when Chad chose Rosemary. Smaller than when Lucy stole Jonah.
This is what powerlessness feels like: when the truth doesn't matter, when your voice doesn't count, when the system protects the popular and crushes everyone else. And all I could think was: if I joined Legion as one of his disciples, I could be granted powers of my own, and people would have to listen to what I have to say.