c h a p t e r 7
m u d b e e r
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NATASHA'S POV

"Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah!" I couldn't stop the words from falling out of my mouth. What he was charging was way too much.

"Whenever you are done, princess," the guy mocked before crossing his arms.

"That's way  too much," I said firmly, shaking my head profusely.

"Sorry, doll. I charge extra for the rumor plus the tax if you’re rich, privileged, and famous." The guy now wore a smug smile, obviously knowing he had the upper hand.

"Are you kidding me?" I deadpanned.

"Time’s runnin’ out. You want this done or not?" He shrugged and looked at me with his brows quirked up in anticipation.

"Ugh! Fine!"

____♡____

PREVIOUS DAY

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Have you ever met someone and just instantly hated them?

The kind of hate that even though your mind told you it might be pointless, you still felt it. Felt it deep in your gut.

It’s like when you saw that person and you just wanted to hurl a brick at them or run them over with a bulldozer.

The kind of person, who, if he’d asked for a high five, you would instead smack them in the face using a fucking frying pan, ‘Tangled’ style.

The kind of person whose parents should have been taxed for disposing such a toxic waste into the world.

The kind of person you wished had their chairs always make farting noises when they took a seat, but only once so they could never prove it wasn't them.

The kind of person... Ugh! You got my point!

The thing was, getting away from such irritating, itching-to-get-kicked-in-the-ass-worthy people was tough, because they were all around us and there was nothing that could be done about it.

For instance, Blaze Warner, who apparently managed to become the so-called heartthrob of half of the freaking Hill Station in a short period of two weeks.

All I wanted to do was squash him to pieces like a bug under my shoes. Even though I was an atheist, I wanted to pray to the gods of lightning to fucking fry his ass. Or just straight-up take a nice long stick to shove it so far up his cocky ass that his mouth starts choking.

But could I really do any of those things?

Not. Bloody. Likely.  

So what if he was eye candy or could shoot a few balls in the basket with his eyes closed, or the fact that Father Joseph, St. Joseph’s dean, known for being strict, was actually his uncle. And yet Blaze was going around breaking the rules and letting himself be called the “Rebel King”.

Like, seriously, why was this moron being worshipped again?

Oh, right…because he just used me  to climb up his fucking ant hill of glory.

It all went back to that night. I had done it. I had completed the stupid dare – fair and square –yet somehow he spread the word that he  was the reason I completed it, and that I had “begged” for his help.

As if!

With an annoyed groan, I tore off yet another poster of me hanging upside down through the barb wires. I couldn't believe he had even gotten someone to draw a series of caricature detailing the wrong events of that night, and then spread the damn posters around like wildfire throughout the school.

That bastard turned me into a laughing stock while he got to play the hero of a story, in which he had actually gotten his ass kicked twice. It was all so nicely planned with spreading the fake story of that night and the posters right before the first game of the year.

Sure, everybody would believe the cute sweaty guy who was taunting his own schoolmates playing opposite him and showing off his basketball skills – because he was such a big bad boy – than the girl that according to the fake story had fallen into dogshit.

That wannabe Warner had not a single bad bone in his body; he was all puny and pucky.

I just didn't understand how people could be such dumb fucks. Like, were they blind or something? Everyone saw me that night coming back to the dorms with not even so much as a bead of sweat, and yet they believed that I had fallen into a pile of dogshit?

I walked towards the dustbin and tore the posters into tiny pieces in the midst of my rage. It had been almost a week since the first few posters and they hadn’t stopped posting more. I was afraid the ‘dog poo girl’ nickname wasn't going to go away anytime soon.

I would definitely like to tear that Warner into tiny pieces as well. I didn't even know what his problem was. I never asked him to follow me or piss me off, and I sure as hell didn't do anything to deserve this.

Whatever his issue was, I was going to make him pay. He could not get out of this. He had no idea who he messed with. That dufus made a mistake of stepping into the devil's den and was now not only going to be deep fried and roasted, he was also going to be chopped and meshed, until all that was left of him was a burnt pulp.

"If you are done murdering the inanimate poster, can we please go to dinner now? Don't know about you but I need snacks before we go walking," Ester complained, tugging at my hands to stop me from whatever I was doing and make me follow her.

I sighed and let go of the papers. Reluctantly, I let her drag me towards the dinner table to grab a bite, but not before I angrily kicked the dustbin.

I had been waiting and praying for Saturday for so long now. As a part of my new boarding life, I couldn't just up and go out for a walk when I felt like it. No! I had to wait for the end of the week for that, when we were all allowed to take our fill of an hour-long walk along various places of the Hill Station.

I could finally get some fresh air that wasn't polluted by the nuns and the annoying teachers and girls of this school. I needed this walk to free my mind and feel relaxed.

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Putting on my favorite white tee over my studded ankle-cuffed jeans in five minutes, I ran out the dorms to join my house. I pushed past a few girls of the Sapphire House when I spotted Kate standing on a raised platform due to her small height, waving me over.

Upon reaching her, I felt Selen bump into my shoulder, and she showed me her bag. She had successfully managed to get three cans of beer from my trunk as per our plan. I could have taken them myself if I wasn't held back by Mr. Desi for the detention.

Again it wasn't my fault if all the answers of various equations 1921311, 1325, 49311, were “suck my dick” when one counted the letters they represented. I gave Selen a high-five, taking the bag from her as we formed a line.

Yes. Not only were we to go on a walk under supervision, but we were also to walk in two lines with a pair.

Lame!

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Honey Top was indeed quite beautiful, with its lush greenery and slim woods scattered all around, tall hills visible from far away, with a big lake right in the center of it all.

Today our walk was limited only till the Lin Lake’s backwaters and park, which led up to the Mir Hills from where the best sunset of Honey Top could be seen.

Since we were restricted to only an hour-long walk, we took the long route by circling half the lake through the overbridge towards the backwater tracks. The Mir Hill sunset point was saved for next Saturday.

It seemed absurd that even where and how far we walked were planned, but I tried enjoying myself nonetheless. It wasn't all bad. I got to see the beautiful lake, and take in the vibrant colors of the trees and flowers covering every inch of this place.

Besides, I also had some cans of beer to keep me company.

"Not now, N. What if Sister Prudence saw you?" Selen nudged me again to hide the can back in the bag.

I ignored her and took another big slug. "Relax. There are at least fifty girls walking ahead of us. Even if she turned around and jumped like a kangaroo, she won't catch us," I assured Selen and passed a can from the bag to her, but she shoved it back inside the bag.

"Nah. I’m gonna wait till we’re near the backwater track park," she pressed, giving me a hesitant look.

"Fine by me." I shrugged and took another gulp. We were already walking through the narrow track with a small stream of water passing through our left side.

Even though everybody had walked out of the school gates in their respective houses, somehow we had all ended up mixing with our preferred groups of friends. Selen and I had taken up to walk at the very back of the line and were soon joined by Ester and Kate.

Kate was our junior, but she somehow fit perfectly along with us. She was the typical shy girl, spoke only when spoken to, and was definitely way more mature than us three.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this. I mean if we get caught, I could lose my position and I really was hoping to be more than just a perfect student this year." Ester went back to grumbling the same thing she had been complaining about since yesterday, when I originally proposed the idea.

"Ester, for the seventh time. We. Won't. Get. Caught." I spoke the words slowly to emphasize my point but she still gave me a skeptical look.

I took my last slug of the warm beer and threw the empty can back into the bag.

"Dayum! That was fast." Selen laughingly elbowed me while Ester and Kate shook their heads at my antics.

I laughed at them and climbed over a rocky trail made out of small stones inches above the stream bed. I spread my arms out, balancing myself on the shaky stones.

Kate immediately clutched my hand to help me balance properly. One can of beer didn't knock me down but I still let her help me. I didn't have the heart to tell her no. Her big brown eyes and sweet chubby face were permanently set on a puppy dog expression, which reminded me so much of my little brother.

I smiled down at her and splashed some water on her by jumping into the stream. She squealed, dropping my hand and backing away. We laughed as I kick-splashed some water in Ester's direction, too, making her react the same way.

"Move." Some guy suddenly pushed past Kate in full speed, making her fall forward.  The guy came out of nowhere.

"Hey!" I yelled after him, but he was long gone by then.

Selen helped a slightly dazed Kate back to her feet while Ester dusted the dirt off of her clothes.

"Are you okay?" I asked, worried Kate had gotten hurt.

"Hardly. She must be swimming on cloud nine right now," Selen commented, winking at a blushing Kate.

I raised an eyebrow at that. Selen's comment was followed by Kate's immediate blush, indicating a promise of a juicy gossip.

"I need to talk to, um...Meera about something so...um..." Kate mumbled before she ran ahead to join her classmates, leaving Ester and Selen smirking while I stared curiously at them.

"So..." I crooked my head to the left, giving them an expectant look.

"Ester, Sister Daisy is calling you." Some junior girl got hold of Ester’s hand and whisked Ester away with her, leaving me with Selen.

"That was Rydian Churchill from St. Terence, who Kate has a huge crush on," she said as soon as the girl left, linking our arms together as we entered the path towards the park with trees and shrubs lined on either sides.

"Ooh...interesting," I said, jumping a little to grab a stem of flowers from a low-hanging tree branch.

"Yeah. Well, it’s not just her, though. A lot of girls have a crush on him. He is, after all, the most popular guy in St. Terence." Selen kicked a few rocks out of her way.

"Hey, tell me about St. Terence. Don't know much about that school," I asked her, throwing the flower aside, my hands stuffed in my back jeans pocket.

"Well, St. Terence is a charity school managed by the money provided through various donors from both St. Mary's and St. Joseph’s. Even my parents donate money to that school every year. Although I don't like saying it, St. Terence is basically a school for poor kids, who can't pay heavy fees like us and are given admission through scholarships," Selen told me.

"Wow. Really?" I had just assumed till now that St. Terence was just like St. Mary’s and St. Joseph’s. I had no idea it was a charity school.

"Yeah. Sometimes I am envious of them," Selen murmured, tucking her windswept hair behind her ears as she continued looking ahead with a blank expression.

"Why?" I asked.

Selen belonged from a wealthy family that owned one of the most prestigious jewelry lines. Hence, it was hard for me to understand why she would be envious of a school that practically runs due to her parents’ money.

"Well, for reasons..." Selen dismissed the topic, making it clear that she had no intention of talking about it.

I didn't push and let it be. I jumped and broke yet another stem of leafs from a tree and started throwing leaves at her. She quickly picked up a dirty long twig off the ground and ran after me.

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We had finally reached the park when some girl yelled and pointed out the huge group of St. Mary boys that were already present in the park.

I cursed out loud when I realized that a certain ape was going to be present in the same place as me. Even though the park was almost the size of a football field, it suddenly felt too small.

"Come on. Let's find a place to enjoy our beer," I said, beckoning Ester and Selen to follow me.

After wasting fifteen minutes in search of an enclosed or secluded place where we could drink, we finally managed to find an ideal big rock that was hidden behind a huge tree surrounded by plants, where we could sit nicely, hidden away from on-lookers.

"What's that smell?" A familiar voice spoke from behind me as we were making our way towards the rock.

Even though I knew deep in my gut who it was and my mind told me to continue walking ahead without looking back, I still turned around to see the face of the caller. Sure enough, it was Blaze Wannabe.

"It smells like dog poop to me." He smirked at me. All around him were his guy friends, along with girls from my school that were in the overhearing range, and they erupted into laughter.

Now, I knew a sensible person would ignore it and walk away, but I guess we had well established that I was anything but sensible. I always thought after I acted and sure that had never ended well for me. But I guess I just didn't learn my lesson as always. Which is why instead of just throwing a snide remark and walking away, I saw an opportunity for revenge and went for it.

I sauntered towards him with my eyes set on the big patch of wet mud just a few steps behind him. Without giving him a chance to figure out my motives, I rammed into him.

Clearly not expecting that, he lost his balance and fell on his ass in the muddy puddle.

"Finally, you’re in a place you belong. Dirt." I flicked my hair back and smirked at him. It didn't even take a second for all the people who minutes ago had been laughing at me, to start pointing their fingers and laugh at him.

I shrugged a shoulder at him, joining the laughter. It died too soon, though, because the idiot unexpectedly grabbed my hand and pulled me in after him. I plummeted head first into the mud, getting dirty all over. I turned around and saw everyone laughing at both of us now.

Blaze tried getting up on his feet, but I tugged at them, making him fall back into the pit. The hell he was getting away with making a fool out of me. After that, everything happened in a blur, too fast for me to realize that the situation had gotten way out of my hands.

In a blinding rage like some rabid animals, both of us started pushing and shoving each other back into the mud; neither one of us was ready to let the other get out of the pit. All around us, boys and girls kept chanting “Mud fight!”

As if we needed more motivation than our own hatred. Like an ongoing cycle, we kept on falling back into the mud while grunting and cursing at each other. Until finally, some officers along with our sisters and wards came rushing towards us to try to pry us away from each other.

Sister Daisy pulled me out first with the help of an officer. Still not willing to let go of that git, I stuck my leg out to his to make him trip one last time.

In his unbalanced state, he evidently ended up punching the officer coming towards him. Even though I was covered in mud and utterly humiliated, I couldn't help but let a victorious laugh leave my lips when he got handcuffed for assaulting an officer.

"Is this your bag?" the officer beside me asked with seriousness.

“Yes,” I said without thinking clearly, still laughing uncontrollably.

He whipped out the cans of beer from my bag and showed them to the other officer. So, of course I ended up being handcuffed next to Blaze.

Fuck.

______♡______

"Well, this is a nice change of scenery."

"We are in jail!" I exclaimed at the moron sitting right beside me, mortified by my current situation. I couldn't believe I got arrested. How did a simple, harmless walk put me in jail?

"I was being sarcastic," he spat in irritation.

Oh, that's right. It was because of him. He was the reason for all the trouble. Ever since I met him, my already screwed up life was spinning way out of control.

"Uh-huh! Well, keep your sarcasm to yourself. You’re the reason we’re in this mess." I stood up and faced him, pointing a finger in his face.

"Really— My fault? You pushed me in the mud, you fucking drunk lunatic. This is all on you," he yelled in my face.

"Shut up!" I kicked at the iron bars in frustration. The officer standing on the opposite wall gave me a peculiar look. "What?" I snapped at him, making him immediately leave his position to walk back to the sheriff's desk.

I knew that it was indeed my fault. Why couldn't I have been a better person and just simply walked away? Or maybe settled on some comeback like a normal person. Why did I always need to react extremely and thoughtlessly?

After an hour of waiting, glaring, with me and Blaze downright giving detailed death threats to one another in front of all the shocked beyond belief officers, the sheriff finally came and opened the door.

We followed him out to see Mrs. Famina standing with an outraged look on her wrinkled face. Without saying much, we both were escorted out where a car was waiting for Blaze. I, on the other hand, had to suffer a chilly silent ride with Mrs. Famina as she drove us back to the school.

_____♡_____

TODAY

_____♡_____

Last night I had vowed to get back at Blaze Warner by using his own game against him. He had spread false rumors about me and now I intended to do the same.

It had been difficult falling asleep last night. I kept tossing and turning until I finally gave up at trying to sleep completely. After coming back to school with Mrs. Famina, I had expected getting into big trouble, but she promptly dismissed me without giving any punishment.

I mean, sure, my bags were searched and my precious alcohol collection was dumped in the drain. But besides that, no harsh measures were taken. I was way too curious to know why she would not ground me or call my parents or take any strict actions towards me at all.

It’s one thing when a person was disappointed at you and completely another thing to have someone give up on you. I was used to disappointment, but the latter was new to me.

Then I recalled what Mrs. Famina told me. “The whole point of giving punishment is to make a person realize their mistakes and make them learn about the repercussions of their actions, Natasha. But it’s pointless on someone who has no will of learning or even bothering to understand it. Which is why I feel no point in wasting my time giving you a punishment.”

She was certain it would have absolutely no effect on me. Oddly, her honest words stung like a bee, kept me up all night. But I couldn't just change myself overnight, like I could suddenly be something I was not. I was a hot-headed mess and I had been one for years. It's an irreplaceable persona. I couldn’t change my personality and my short-tempered ways just like that.

I still somehow convinced myself into doing this one last thing to settle the score, and then I would be done with the whole Blaze Warner chapter and would never engage with him again. I would instead try being a little less of a total mess.

Now, I paced back and forth in agitation, waiting for Rydian Churchill to show up at the backdoor on the south side of the graveyard.

I had woken up Selen in the middle of night to ask her everything she knew about St. Terence when I recalled a comment regarding my poster and ‘dog poop’ story, about how they were the ones who spread all the news around, and how they were “never wrong”.

Selen told me to contact Rydian, as he was the head of all the various networks that ran around St. Terence – from selling passwords on the Internet that was only accessible by the teachers, to sheets of possible questions that would come in the next exam,  and from my stupid posters to how long Jessica spent in getting ready today.

Somehow the students of St. Terence had all the nooks. They had actually devoted their precious spare time in knowing everything about St. Mary’s and Joseph’s. They had turned it into their ways of earning through wagers.

If you required something from the local market, ask a St. Terence student.

If you wanted to know if your crush was single, ask a St. Terence student.

If you wanted to know if you were failing this year, ask a St. Terence student.

If you wanted to spread a false rumor, well you had to ask one particular St. Terence student for that one.

With Selen's help, I had snuck into the reception office and called up Rydian using the number she provided me. Apparently, only some girls knew his phone number. I found it a little unfair that we had no cellphones allowed with us, and yet he had one.

After a quiet few seconds, I saw a figure coming out of the trees. A reasonably tall guy walked towards me. He was wearing his cap backwards and grinned when he saw me. The guy was cute with his shabby look and warm brown eyes. He seemed the type of guy that was liked by everyone.

"Well, if it isn't the famous princess herself. Really, it’s an honor to be at your service," he said as he bowed like a ballerina.

I couldn't help but laugh at his demeanor. Yep. Definitely likable.

"Like, seriously. I can't believe you went to jail like...dayum, doll." He genuinely looked impressed.

Even though somewhere a part of me was beating myself up for being stupid, another part of me was feeling quite proud in a silly way. "Yeah; I know...so I need you to spread a rumor for me about Blaze Warner," I said, getting straight to the point.

The guy roared a laugh, as if I had told him the joke of the millennium. Quickly composing himself, he rubbed his hands together and stared. "That’ll be 150 bucks," he said with a smile.

______♡______

Ever been in an mud fight ?

Peace out Bitches 💋