Rachelle

Luckily, I made it to class on time. Jennifer separated from me along the way, much to my relief. I felt suffocated in her carefree aura and I think Chloey would say the same. I plopped down onto my seat and huffed. I missed homeroom but I don't think there are any consequences, it's just homeroom. I felt eyes boring into my head as I took out a pencil and notebook. I bit my lip.

Mr. Emil entered the classroom, seizing the stares. I sighed a relieved sigh and sat down as well. As I listened to the lesson and occasionally wrote down the things Mr. Emil said, a crumpled piece of paper was thrown at me. Well, at my head. I looked at the floor behind me and picked up the ball of paper.

"Banshee girl! Are you REALLY gonna scream when I play this flute?" the note read.

What--

Suddenly, an ear-piercing sound cut through the air and I jumped in my seat. I clutched the note closely to my chest and breathed in and out to calm down from that little jumpscare. I heard a couple of snickers behind me. They were...making fun of me.

My expression darkened and I clutched the note tighter in my hand, further tearing it.

A growl echoed in my head.

Who the hell do they think they are?

I whispered under my breath," Chloey, just ignore them. It's just teasing."

But Rachelle! They're being mean! They're terrorizing you! You should do something about it!

"It's better to ignore them. They'll quit it eventually," I muttered under my breath. I thought what I said couldn't be heard but with only the whir of the air conditioner the only sound that could be heard at the moment, my mutter seemed like a shout.

More snickering.

"Look at Miss goody-two-shoes! She's talking to herself. Crazy, amirite?" That was Kevin, a jock. How stereotypical. He high-fived one of his football friends and went hysterical, like what he said was the funniest thing in the world.

I became further embarrassed when the rest of the class started snickering along. Even Treck had an amused smirk on his face and snickered.

Who am I kidding? Why did I even expect him to react differently from the rest of the class? I flushed a dark shade of red and shrank in my seat, feeling small.

Rachelle. Bathroom. Now.

Before I could process anything, my feet were taking me to the bathroom. I locked the door behind me and slid down it. I cowered in embarrassment and took in sharp breaths.

Rachelle. Mirror.

Once again, I unwillingly stood up and stood in front of the mirror.

It's the girl.

My eyes increased in size. A memory broke through, the memory of a little girl, the exact little girl in the mirror at this very moment, who terrorized me. Choked me. Almost killed me.

Fear rushed through me in waves as the little girl smiled. But it wasn't the smile she gave in my memories. It looked innocent. It looked...friendly.

She waved at me enthusiastically.

Hi, Rachelle! Happy to finally see me?

Hesitantly, I touched the mirror with my finger. :"Chloey..?" I whispered, my voice laced with curiosity and fear at the same time.

Ah, so you do recognize me! I thought you would forget after our recent...encounters.

I flinched away from the mirror and held my hand to my chest. "You're..you're the one in my dreams...? You're the one who choked me?" Disbelief and fear were clearly shown on my face. She almost killed me!

Yes. that was me but I didn't choke you, silly. I was trying to wake you up!

"Wake me up? Wake me up?! You almost killed me!" A sob escaped my throat as I held onto my neck, still remembering the feeling of my life draining out of me.

Yes! Don't cry, Rachelle. I was only waking you up. I didn't actually want to hurt you. I just got carried away.

"..How about that one time here? Just like now?"

That wasn't me! I swear! You might have just been seeing things.

I looked a the girl in the mirror, brows furrowed. "I don't know, Chloey...That looked a lot like you..."

A dark aura surrounded Chloey. Oh god.

So you don't believe me..?

My eyes widened once again. I shook my hands in front of me, as if to dismiss the idea of not believing her.

THEN WHY WON'T YOU TRUST ME?

I flinched and backed away from the mirror, into a bathroom stall. Fear radiated off me as Chloey's eyes dimmed and emitted a dangerous glow.

So...you don't want my help?

I jumped up and smacked the mirror, desperate. I don't know why, but I just did. Wait, her help? Her help with what?

You don't want my help to get back at everyone who wronged you?

My hands, which were still on the mirror, balled into fists. Everyone who wronged me..?

The students that bullied you! The ones who whispered behind your back. The "friends" you have who just use you for your kindness. The people who ignore you and your feelings because they think you're so perfect. The people who pry into your business and don't care about your opinion! Everyone! Open your damn eyes, Rachelle! People are using you for your kindness! You're being too good to them! Don't you want to get back at everyone? Don't you want justice?

I stared at her in silence, mouth slightly agape. She was right. I am too good to everyone. I try too hard to be good to people even if I get nothing in return. People push me around and act like I'm perfect. They act like I'm not human. They want to be friends with me probably because they want me to do things for them. My train of thought abruptly stopped.

Friends.

Do I even have friends? Is Betty... really my friend? Is she just using me? She does always comment on how nice I am all the time. Is she just taking advantage of me? Did I mean nothing to her?

"TELL ME WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME!" My scream echoed throughout the bathroom and carried out into the hall. Classes ended and students roamed the halls. They heard me. Some of them stuck their heads in the bathroom and among them was Betty. I was too caught up in talking to Chloey to notice them.

Tears welled up in my eye as I stared at the girl in the mirror helplessly. In the blink of an eye, she was back to her innocent looking self, gray eyes glistening with innocence. She smiled softly at me.

Do you trust me?

I nodded at her feverishly. "I trust you, 100%." The bell rang for the next class but I disregarded it. The students were forced to peel their eyes off of me but are satisfied with what they saw. Betty walked away with concern as well as a thought in her head:

Is...Rachelle going crazy?

I only focused on Chloey.

Do you want to get back at those who've wronged you?

I nodded, no sign of hesitance in my actions. I wasn't ready for what she said next.

Then let's kill them!

Stumbled back from my spot, shock clearly written all over my face. I can feel the fear crashing in once again. "K-kill them..?"

Hm? You were so willing to awhile ago! What's with the shock?

"You-you didn't tell me anything about killing anyone!" I started hyperventilating, my thoughts running wild. I can't kill anyone! I can't! What would my parents say? What would Betty say? What would everyone else say? I'll be a murderer! I'll...I'll be a bad person!

Rachelle! Calm down! Think about it.

And think about it I did. If I were to kill anyone, I would have blood on my conscience. It would haunt me forever. But...I would have justice. Every sin is provided a punishment. The people who have treated me wrong should be punished. If I do it cleanly...no one would know. No one has to know.

Wait. What the hell am I thinking?

Killing someone? Taking someone's life? That's a monster's doing! I'm not a monster! Monsters are crazy, psychopathic beings who don't deserve a place in this world. I'm not crazy! I'm not a monster! I'm normal. I'm human. I'm...a good person.

Rachelle, humans are monsters.

I sank down to the tiled bathroom floor and held my head. My eyes were wide, like saucers. I shook my head over and over again.

No no no, humans aren't monsters. We're good creatures, not monsters. We aren't crazy. Monsters are, therefore, we aren't monsters. We aren't monsters.

We can't be monsters.

What world are you living in? Open your eyes, Rachelle! Do you even know what's happening in the world? People getting killed by their own, stealing, torturing, destroying everything this Earth has to offer! The very creatures you don't call monsters are terrorizing you! Mistreating you! And you still call them good creatures?

She's right.

Of course, I'm right.

We are monsters. They are monsters. And they need to be punished.

"This isn't just about me anymore," I muttered under my breath. Chloey raised an eyebrow at me in anticipation. I looked up and stared at her, right into those big gray eyes. "I'm doing this for everyone else. Monsters need to be punished to prevent even more damage." I stood up and stared her down menacingly.

"I'll be the one to punish those monsters."

Chloey grinned.

Great! But you'll need some help.

I raised an eyebrow at her.

Treck Harvey.

---

In summary, the rest of the day was hell. Students apparently saw me talking to myself in the bathroom. I wasn't even talking to myself! They told me that I was crazy, delusional, weird. They told me I needed help. They mocked me and tossed me around just because they thought I was talking to myself and acting crazy. I'm not crazy! I'm perfectly normal.

The worst thing about this was the fact that Betty wouldn't even come near me. She avoided me, didn't talk to me or even make an effort to at least acknowledge me in the halls. She looked so...embarrassed.

I'm offended and disgusted. Her last words to me were, "I can't be seen with a crazy person." She can't be seen with a crazy person? Is she that desperate for a high social status in this school? She would just give up on our friendship, just like that? Is it that easy to forget everything I did for her? Everything we've been through? We've been friends since kindergarten! Did our friendship mean nothing to her?

Chloey was right, again. People do just use me. They're only nice if they need something and when they get it, they'll throw you away. Disregard you, toss everything you've done for them down the drain. It doesn't matter to them if it'll break your heart, break you, cripple and leave you in pain, leave you to question your own life's worth, leave you all alone in your own abyss of self-doubt asking yourself, "What have I done wrong?" over and over again. They won't care. They never did.

All the more reason for them to be punished.

I walked out of the school with a new ambiance surrounding me. It felt like an actual raincloud was above my head. I kept my head down, regretting my choice of clothes due to the lack of ability to hide. Students stayed away from me and whispered behind my back. Ugh. Can't they just quit it?

Eddie arrived at the gate and I got into the car, shrinking in my seat.

Rachelle, let's go to Warm Mugs. Maybe it'll make you feel better!

I furrowed my eyebrows together. "Why would I want to go to a cafe?" I whispered under my breath, thankful that the radio was playing some kind of Kpop song.

It'll make you feel better! And they said that their coffee there is amazing.

I nodded in agreement. I asked Eddie to take me to the cafe and he obliged. In a couple of minutes, we arrived at the cozy looking cafe. I enjoyed the warm feeling that wrapped its arms around me the moment I walked in. The aroma of coffee surrounded me and I inhaled deeply, savoring it. Why didn't I ever go her before?

Right???? It's so cozy here!

I giggled at Chloey's enthusiastic tone and walked to the counter, ordering a warm cup of white chocolate latte. It sounded the tastiest to me. I smiled at the woman at the counter. Her nametag read Emily. She looked to be about 20 years old and seemed nice by the easy-going smile she gave me. I ordered the latte and gave the exact amount of money she asked. I waited for my drink and decided to take a look at the cafe.

It was small but gave off that homey, cozy feeling. The walls were painted warm colors of brown and were decorated with swirls a lighter shade. The lights were hidden in the ceiling and gave off enough light for it to look warm. They had a corner with books, bean bags, fluffy pillows and a fluffy blanket spread across the floor to create a very fluffy and warm looking environment for customers who wanted to be extra comfy.

I grinned and made my way to the corner. I plopped down on one of the bean bags and took out a book. Notes From the Midnight Driver. Hm, it seemed like a nice read.

I got so caught up in reading that I didn't notice the bell signaling that my drink was ready. I frantically stood up and made my way to the counter to grab my drink. I didn't expect a familiar face there.

"Treck! What are you dong here?" I took ahold of my drink and brought it up to my lips to take a sip. Oh my god, it's heaven in a cup.

OoOoOoHhHHH That taStEs sO GoOd.

I giggled at Chloey and redirected my attention back to Treck. "Uh, I work here?" he replied sarcastically, raising an eyebrow at me. Yeesh, sassy much?

I felt my mouth form into an O shape. I smiled sheepishly and awkwardly made my way back to the cozy corner and plopped back down on the beanbag. I may have plopped down too harshly.

The hot drink splashed on my crop top and I yelped, the heat of the drink shocking me. Once my brain processed that a very hot drink was burning me, I let out tiny cries of pain. I set the half empty cup aside and rushed to the counter. Treck was there, cleaning the counter.

I let out a very quick, "Hey, uhm, can I please have a tissue?????" I guess I said that too quickly since he stared at me like I said something alien-like. The burning started to fade but hot beads of coffee still slid down my skin. And my crop top was soaked. I groaned internally.

Ugh, indeed.

I bit my lip and glanced around the counter. I looked at every corner but there wasn't any tissue paper.

WHAT CAFE DOESN'T HAVE TISSUE PAPER????

After an extended amount of panicked searching, Treck sighed and reached under the counter and pulled out a pack of tissues, pulling some out and handing them out to me. In my state, I didn't notice and just swiped at the liquid. I heard Treck grumble under his breath. He leaned over the counter and lightly swiped at my arms. I jumped back at the sudden contact. I gawked at him stupidly, as if I've never experienced human contact before. When my brain processed everything, I let out a yelp and warmth spread across my cheeks. Treck raised an eyebrow at me. "Uhm, w-what are you doing?" I stammered, very flustered.

"What? I'm helping you." He rolled his eyes then tossed the box of tissues towards me. I caught the box and fumbled with it, struggling to get a grip on it.

Once I got a proper grip on it, I started wiping at the droplets of coffee on my skin and squeezed my crop top, letting the tissue soak it all up. As I was doing so, Treck cleared his throat, still looking at me. I stared back at him, blinking multiple times.

He clicked his tongue. "Not gonna thank me?"

My eyebrows shot up and my mouth formed into an 'o'. "Uhm, thank you, Treck," I muttered, a warm blush spreading across my features again.

An amused smirk played on his lips and kept his one eyebrow raised. He walked away and went to the coffee machines, cleaning them. I shuffled back to the corner and plopped down on the beanbag, gently this time. My crop top still had this huge stain but I disregarded it. I'll change when I get home. Besides, I want to continue the book I picked up. I looked to my side and saw the half-empty cup with more coffee inside. I took a sip of it. It isn't that hot now but it's still heaven in a cup.

I sighed contently and picked up the book but not before glancing at the counter. Treck was tending to a customer. I took another sip of my drink.

Does someone have a crush?~

I choked on my drink. After coughing for a couple of seconds, I stared at the air in front of me with bewilderment. "WHAT???" My screech echoed throughout the cafe and everyone there, Treck, a boy, a girl, and the customer, looked at me with concern and confusion.

I slapped a hand over my mouth and sheepishly glanced at everyone in the room, silently apologizing. I picked up the book and waved it around as if to say that that was the reason as to why I had an...outburst. I sighed and sank further into the beanbag, relieved. Now in a hushed whisper, I exclaimed, "I do not have a crush! What are you talking about??" Chloey giggled.

Treck is cute, isn't he?

I glanced at Treck. He was preparing coffee, his beautiful blue-green eyes filled with concentration. His messy, tousled strawberry-blonde hair slightly covered his eyes in a cute way. His lips were pinkish and looked very...kissable.

I shook my head and a warmth spread all across my face and neck for the millionth time today. Chloey was hysterical.

yoU LIKE HIM~

I groaned and held my head in my hands. "Shut uuuuppp." I could just feel her dancing in my head.

Oh my god, you liiike hiiim~

I sighed. "Ok, ok, fine. I might like him a little..." I admitted, covering my burning cheeks. "It won't mean anything though."

It means everything! We need his help, remember?

My eyes widened in realization. "Oh yeah. But why do we need his help in particular? Why not some other person?" I took hold of the book again, caressing the cover.

He'll be a great help. Trust me.

I nodded my head, not really taking her words in since the customer pulled out a chair and it created an annoying sound that made me writhe. Oh god, I hate that sound so much. I glanced around the room and saw something.

Treck was helping a boy up, smiling warmly at him. I barely caught the name when Treck asked if he was okay. His name was Tyler. Tyler shyly smiled up at Treck and murmured a thank you. Treck grinned.

He grinned.

I have never seen him grin. It may have been beautiful but that grin was towards someone else. A strange feeling bubbled in my chest. I felt my brows furrow and my lips form a frown. I was so caught up with the scene in front of me that I didn't hear Chloey's quiet statement.

Everything's going according to plan.

---

[chapter spam ahead]

11/30/17