☆Glory☆

"I'm going to try out for Scarlett O'Hara in three days," she announces as she sits next to us in the gym. Sunny eyes her with nervousness. "We literally share the same name, don't we? How thrilling."

Starflight speaks up. "Actually, yours end with one t and the character's name ends with--"

"Shut up." Scarlet looks at us, her eyes remaining at me for a long time. Her voice changes into something dripping with honey. "God, tell me your eyes are contacts, because if they aren't I'll be, like, freaking jealous."

"They aren't," I reply carefully. Scarlet's eyebrows raise, her eyes sparkling with interest. If a normal person told me they were jealous of my eyes, I would feel slight appreciation. But when she says it, she actually sounds like she wants to pluck my eyes out.

"You sound, like, really haughty," Scarlet says with a giggle. "I'm sorry. Is it a cancer thing or something? Thinking you're better than everyone else? Sorry, but it's not like you're that prettier than me. It was just a compliment. Like, when you compliment someone to get to know them better when you don't really mean it."

Leave it to Scarlet to make everything about cancer and beauty competition. "Sorry if I was rude, I was just replying to your question--"

"I don't care, let's talk about something else. Did I tell you I was going to try out for Scarlett? Because, obviously, I'm the prettiest one here and Scarlett's supposed to be pretty, right?"

Silence.

"Glory's also going to try out for Scarlett," Clay says bravely. "And she's really good."

"Um. Who are you?" Scarlet laughs at him, showing off her red nails as she covers her mouth. She flashes me an angry look. "Who are you trying out for, a fat circus man?" She turns to Peril for support, but Peril's lips are tightly pressed together.

"He's who your friend has been flirting with." Heat rushes to my face when Scarlet looks at Clay with laughing eyes.

She ignores my statement, although she does flash Peril a look of disbelief when Peril doesn't deny it. "So you're really trying out for the role?" Her voice has changed. "You? But I thought you had-- a disease. What was it? Leukemia?"

That took a turn, because Scarlet manages to ruin freaking everything. I would have brushed it off at any other day, but not today. I genuinely want to know why she's always talking about my cancer. "What does it have to do with anything? Why do you-- always make everything about leukemia?"

"I mean, what if you die or something while we were doing the play? I'm genuinely worried-- shouldn't you be in the hospital, sweetie? And if you're trying out, you're obviously going to get it because Mrs. Kestrel pities cancer children." Scarlet looks at her red nails without much interest, pouting. I have heard about her meanness, but right now she seems like she spits out hurtful things to people for fun. So Kestrel pities me, huh? I wonder what would have happened if she didn't pity me, because even her pitying stage is a literal hell. "Also, isn't leukemia contagious?"

Damn you and your ugly orange hair.

"I think I know my condition better than you, sweetheart," I spit back in return. "And no, leukemia isn't freaking contagious, go educate yourself for God's sake. Aren't you older? Maybe you shouldn't spend your time trying out for a role you aren't going to get and go study if you actually want to go to college. I'm shocked at your ignorance."

Scarlet lowers her hand to glower at me coldly. Probably because I haven't had the courage to talk back to her for a long time. "I'm sorry I don't want to educate myself on a disease I'm never going to get, unlike you. I also have a longer lifespan than a cancer patient, so I probably will have more time to study. Because you're going to die soon, right? Is that why everyone's worshiping you, because they feel sorry? Although, no offense. Did what I say offend you? I really don't want to offend cancer children, everyone will attack me for it."

Stay calm.

You've had this before, Glory. People taunt you all the time. It's nothing new. You should stay calm, ignore them, and move on with your life.

I lower my voice, looking into her ugly yellow eyes. "Yes, it did, your idiotic words freaking offended me so freaking much. Please don't insult my friend for his weight and me for a disease I have no control over."

I fail at keeping calm.

"Do I look like an idiot?" Scarlet pushes my shoulder, which makes me walk backwards, and it takes me a while to regain my balance. Her voice is dangerously low. "Do I look like an idiot to you? Do you think I won't be able to attack you because you have cancer and is pretty? I can see through you, you little piece of trash."

"Indeed." Shut up, Glory. Shut up before you get beat up by this crazy psychopath.

I don't shut up.

Scarlet offers me a sneer. "Thrilling." Then, she reaches out and slaps me across the face. The sound echoes around the gym-- as I fall to the ground, I see people staring at us with astonishment.

"Glory!" It's Clay's voice-- he's holding Scarlet back. Scarlet's whips to Clay, disgust on her face. "Peril, GET HIM OFF ME!" Peril's looking at them, back and forth, her hands over her mouth. Seeing Peril hesitate, Scarlet turns to Clay and punches him on the face, rings and all. Sunny's screaming, and Starflight is calling for the teacher as he heads toward us. Clay's cheek is bleeding as he falls, and suddenly Scarlet's kicking his stomach. All I can see is blood.

She looks at me when I grab her foot. Her yellow eyes are crazier than before at the sight of blood. "I'm going to kill you. I'll end you before your cancer can and pluck your eyes out," she hisses softly before she raises her foot again, this time in my direction. Her hands are clenched into a fist.

I think about grabbing her and begging her to stop.

I reach inside my jeans pocket and spray her face with pepper spray instead.

☆

I'm in the car, fidgeting nervously, when Grandmother comes into the car. Tsunami's hands are clenched into a fist as she looks out the window. "Is Clay okay, Grandmother?"

"He's currently in the hospital. So is the girl you sprayed at."

"I don't care about her, how is he? Did you hear anything about him?"

"His cheek is bruised, and there was a lot of blood. I'm not sure about his stomach, but he'll be alright. Honestly, the girl had her fingers swollen and she was writhing in pain because of the spray."

I sigh in relief until Grandmother turns to me, a scary look in her eyes. "Glory, I am very disappointed in you. I gave you the pepper spray for your safety, not to use it on your schoolmate. Thank God the school has no rules against pepper spray because there's so many famous kids there. I convinced your principal that you had many stalkers over the few years and you had to have them. Reluctantly, he agreed."

"Cancer perk."

She ignores me. "You will get punishment for using it, though. We did agree that the girl got quite out of hand, so the principal agreed that you acted on self-defense. Starlight-"

"Starflight, Grandmother-"

"He recorded a voice recorder of your conversation, and turned it in. Everyone was outraged."

Silence.

"Am I suspended?"

"For two days, yes." Grandmother softens when she sees my red cheek. "I swear that I'll get the girl out of that school. Please start driving, Secretkeeper."

"Mrs. Bright, what exactly happened?" Tsunami doesn't bother to hide her fists. "Glory told me some parts, but she was too anxious about Clay to say anything. Something about Scarlet Sky?"

"She insulted Clay and said stuff about my leukemia." Now that I'm explaining it to her, it's almost funny. "She slapped me on the face and when Clay tried to stop her she went on full psycho mode and told me to pluck my eyes out and tried to hit me. That's when I pepper sprayed her."

"Well, that was awesome." Tsunami shrugs, although her eyes are sparkling. "They're suspending you for that? Nobody likes Scarlet. She's a literal demon. Did you see what she said to you when we were writing your name on the clipboard? I knew something was going to happen."

"Tsunami!" Grandmother says. But she's almost smiling. "But honestly, girls, she deserved it."

"I- what?" I'm astonished. "Grandmother, did you just tell me I did well to spray someone?"

"Hush." Her smile is stretching. "Girls, what would you like for dinner?"

"I'm not really hungry," I reply, grinning, as I close my eyes and think of Scarlet's expression when I sprayed her. I wonder if Deathbringer heard.

New beginnings. It started with rejection from my best friend. Now, I'm wrapping everything up by pepper spraying my enemy in the face.

New beginnings are sweeter than I realized.