"I can't believe Angela caused all this. How dare she make me look like a bad person in front of everyone… even Chris!"
She clenched her fists tightly, her heart burning with hatred.
.
Chris and his friends had just finished playing basketball at the court.
Sweat glistened on their bodies as they walked over to a nearby bench and sat down, enjoying the cool breeze.
Chris reached into his bag, took out a bottle of chilled water, and poured some of it over his body. He ran his hand through his damp hair, then removed his shirt and sat on the next bench, trying to cool off.
"So… what about Fiona?" Leam said, breaking the silence. "I guess her suspension will be over tomorrow. That means she'll be back in school on Monday. Isn't that good news?"
"Who cares?" Chris replied coldly. "I don't even understand why she keeps hurting other people."
Jerry immediately turned to him.
"And I don't understand why you're so worried about Angela," he said, raising a brow.
Chris frowned.
"I'm just concerned," he said quickly. "We all know Fiona can be a really bad person."
Jerry scoffed.
"Have you forgotten what Angela did to you at first?" he fired back. "She's full of herself… and besides, she's nothing but a cheap slut."
Chris's expression darkened instantly.
"I think we should stop this right here," he said firmly. "Angela is not a slut. You're just mistaken about her."
"Oh, she is," Jerry insisted. "Chris, I don't know why you keep defending that girl. She's a bar dancer."
"Enough!" Chris snapped, clearly pissed off. "You don't know anything about her."
Leam quickly stepped in, sensing the tension rising.
"That's enough, guys," he said. "There's no need to argue over someone who isn't worth our time. Let's just drop it. You're both getting angry for nothing."
Chris let out a frustrated sigh.
"Whatever," he muttered.
He stood up, took another sip from his bottle, then turned to leave.
Just then, his steps slowed.
His eyes caught something, or rather, someone.
Angela.
She was walking across the school compound.
Chris's expression changed immediately.
She's back already? he thought, surprised. She recovered so fast…
A small smile formed on his lips.
"Angela," he called, as he walked toward her.
She stopped.
"I hope you still won't blame me for what happened," he said, his voice calmer now.
Angela didn't reply immediately.
Her eyes lingered on him… slowly moving from his face down to his bare, muscular chest.
For a brief moment, her thoughts drifted.
Angela stared at him… then her eyes slowly drifted down to his muscular, well-defined chest.
He looks more handsome today… she thought, her heart skipping a beat.
"Can you stop drooling and actually talk to me?" Chris said with a teasing smirk.
Angela frowned immediately and rolled her eyes.
"Just leave me alone, Chris," she said coldly before turning and walking away.
They later settled in class, and Elsa pulled out a pack of popcorn from her bag.
"Let's enjoy ourselves," Elsa said with a cheerful smile as she handed some to Angela. Then her expression softened slightly. "But you really should have listened to Chris. You know Fiona is capable of doing anything."
Angela sighed deeply, her gaze dropping.
"I love Chris," she said quietly. "I've loved him since the very first day I saw him in this school. My heart has always beaten for him… and you're the only one who knows about it. I just hope you'll keep it a secret."
She paused, her voice tightening with emotion.
"I'm just so angry at him right now… especially if he really sided with Fiona to have me beaten."
"Come on, Angie," Elsa said gently. "You know Chris wouldn't do something like that. Just try to be nice to him, okay? Aren't you even happy your crush has finally noticed you? It even seems like he wants to be your friend."
Angela shook her head slowly.
"I don't want to force myself on him," she said. "If he doesn't like me, then fine… I'll try my best to forget him."
She let out a frustrated breath.
"But no matter how hard I try, I just can't get him out of my mind. It's like… he's stuck in my heart."
She forced a faint smile.
"Well, let's forget about him for now. What I really want is to deal with Fiona… but I don't even know how. She has made me hate her so much."
Elsa's eyes hardened slightly.
"Fiona is going to regret everything she's done," she said firmly. "She always thinks money can save her from everything… but she's wrong."
On Saturday evening, Angela went to check on her dancing team.
As soon as she stepped in, she was surprised to see them all. The atmosphere felt like a celebration, music playing, laughter filling the air, and drinks in their hands.
"What's the occasion, girls?" Angela asked as she sat down, looking around curiously.
"Mission accomplished!" Susan laughed loudly.
"Job well done," Karen added with a satisfied smirk.
Angela's smile faded slightly.
"Wait… girls, what mission?" she asked, her heart beginning to beat faster. "I hope you didn't do anything bad."
Karen took a slow sip from her drink before replying.
"Well, you should be even happier," she said casually. "Your enemy was put to shame today."
Angela frowned.
"What do you mean? Which enemy?" she asked.
"Fiona, of course," Susan said proudly. "Thank goodness we beat the hell out of her, and her two friends as well. They almost couldn't stand it. We made sure they bled all over."
Angela's eyes widened in shock.
"What?!" she exclaimed. "But… Why would you do that? You shouldn't have! What if they think I sent you?"
"Shut up, Angela," Jane said with a laugh. "You worry too much. No one will suspect us. We dealt with them so badly that no one will dare touch our leader again."
She handed a glass of wine to Angela.
"Come on, girls, let's celebrate. Cheers!" Susan raised her glass. "Now I'm sure no one will ever try to mess with you again."
Angela hesitated, holding the glass in her hand.
"Girls… this is a good idea… but also a bad one," she said carefully. "Thank you, I really appreciate it, but please don't do something like this again. I don't want any of you getting caught by the police."
"Angela," Karen said, looking at her seriously, "we're all here for each other. Besides, I'm sure Fiona will need more than a month to recover before she can even come back to school."
Angela sighed, then gave a small smile.
"Thank you, girls," she said softly as she took a sip from her drink.
Soon, the music grew louder, and they all began to dance, laughing and enjoying the moment.
Angela sat back for a moment, watching them.
A soft smile formed on her lips, but her eyes slowly filled with tears.
This is the life I live… she thought.
I'm the luckiest among them, because I'm the only one who got the chance to attend such a prestigious school. I can't deny it… we are all "bad girls" in the eyes of the world. We are bar dancers, girls who had to fight just to survive.
Her gaze softened as she looked at them again.
But they are the only family I have. We grew up together, struggled together, and survived together. We built this dance group from nothing… and I taught them everything I know, even though I'm the youngest.
She took a deep breath.
Life has been unfair… but we never allowed our happiness to depend on anyone else.