Chapter 4 04

FLORA

The laughter erupted even louder around the cafeteria like a wave crashing over me. I tried getting up but it only increased so I laid back there on the cold marble floor, salad dressing soaking into my skirt, bits of chicken scattered around my hands. 

My face burned in further embarassment as Selene’s group pointed and howled at me relentless.  “Did anyone else feel that earthquake?” Stacy yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth. “I swear the ground shook when she hit the floor!” she said in mock fear. 

Chantel doubled over, wiping fake tears from her eyes. “Oh my god, yes! Run for cover, everyone. The new girl’s got seismic activity going on!” she inquired, her voice loud enough to draw even more eyes on me. 

Grace joined in, her voice carrying across the tables. “Move aside for the human wrecking ball! Where’s the structural engineer when you need one?” she continued, laughing harder.

More students laughed. Phones flashed. Someone at a nearby table shouted, “Replay that fall! It was epic,” he called out.

I scrambled to push myself up, my palms slipping on the mess, my thick thighs making it harder to get leverage quickly. My arms trembled as I tried again, but the laughter pinned me there longer than the spill ever could. My chest tightened as tears pooled in my eyes. I secretly blinked them away so it's not used against me. The words, pig, fatty, useless, human wrecking ball was far enough. I don't need cry ball baby attached. Fuck even I was finding new mockish name to call myself. 

“Clumsy much?” Selene stood over me, arms crossed, a triumphant smirk on her perfect face. “Stay down there where you belong, fat fuck. This school’s got standards,” she said.

I lay there for a second, the mess sticking to my skin, heart pounding. Tears pricked my eyes but I blinked them back even harder like my life depended on it. I desperately wish the ground would open up and swallow me whole. 

I finally got one knee under me, then the other, rising slowly while brushing chunks of food off my blazer.

Chelsea burst through the cafeteria doors right then, her eyes widening the moment she caught sight of me all pathetic and drenched in my own food. 

“What the hell is wrong with you, Selene?” she snapped understanding the situation immediately. She rushed over and shoved past Chantel. “This is low even for you,” she barked looking red with anger.

Selene crossed her arms, smirking. “Just welcoming the new girl properly, Chelsea. But then the fatso tripped and fell. Not my fault she’s… unbalanced,” she replied.

Chelsea ignored her and crouched beside me, grabbing my arm firmly. “Come on, Flora. Up you go. I’ve got you,” she said.

I took her hand, letting her pull me the rest of the way. “Thanks,” I mumbled, avoiding everyone’s eyes.

“Seriously, Selene, back off,” Chelsea said again glaring fiercely at her now. “Or do I need to report your bullying to the admin office? Again?” she inquired. Selene rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Let’s go, girls. The view here stinks anyway,” she said.

They sauntered off, laughter trailing behind them. Chelsea turned to me, her expression softening as everyone finally started to mind their business again. “Ignore them. Let’s get you a change of clothes this time because this won't come off as easy as the coffee stain.” she sighed.

She marched me straight to the admin office, explaining the situation to a secretary who didn’t ask too many questions. “This is Flora, the new student. Selene and her crew spilled food on her deliberately in the cafeteria. She needs a fresh uniform,” Chelsea explained firmly to the secretary who looked one more sentence away from dozing off.

The secretary nodded with a bored carefree expression. “I’ll pull one from the spares. No need for a full report unless you want one,” she said.

Ten minutes later, I had a fresh uniform. A perfectly crisp white shirt, new blazer, and a skirt that actually fit better around my waist. I almost felt grateful for the embarassing incident as it gave me more fitting clothes. 

I changed in the private restroom, dabbing the last bits of dressing from my skin, the cool water helping ease some of the sting on my arms.

“Better?” Chelsea asked when I emerged. “Much,” I said, adjusting the blazer. “You didn’t have to do all this,” I added.

“Yes, I did. Come on, class is starting soon. I’ll introduce you properly,” she said.

We hurried down the hallway to our classroom. Chelsea pushed open the door just as the teacher, a tall woman with sharp glasses was settling in. “That's Ms. Rivera and you might want to keep a really low profile during her classes. Her questions are as difficult as they are unavoidable.” Chelsea whispered as we walked further in.

“Everyone, quiet down,” Ms. Rivera called. “We have a new student joining us today. Flora Brook. A scholarship recipient of the Grayson family. Class president, would you like to introduce her?” she inquired.

Chelsea stepped forward with me. “Sure. This is Flora. She’s smart, she’s tough, and she’s one of us now. Be decent, people,” she said.

A few murmurs rippled through the room. Selene, seated near the front with her minions, leaned back and called out loudly, “Decent? Good luck with that. We don’t do charity makeovers here, Flora. Try not to break the desks. They are expensive,” she said.

Stacy snickered beside her. “Yeah, or the floor. We all saw the cafeteria show,” she added. Chantel added, “Careful, everyone. She might need reinforced seating,” she said with a grin.

Ms. Rivera clapped her hands. “That’s enough. Take your seat, Flora. Welcome to our school.” she said sternly. I scanned the room to find that most seats were already taken. 

The only empty one was right beside Denji, who sat by the window, his letterman jacket draped over the back of his chair. He watched me quietly, blue eyes steady but unreadable. No smile, no frown. Just watching like staring into space mid conversation. 

I walked over, sliding into the seat carefully. “Hi,” I whispered our of courtesy, not really expecting anything back.

Denji gave a small nod but said nothing. His presence felt warm beside me, that same golden boy energy from the basketball court and from home with Johnathan. My heart skipped, but I focused on pulling out my notebook and keeping a low profile as Chelsea advised.

Class dragged on with Ms. Rivera lecturing about literature. Selene kept glancing back, whispering to her friends. Every few minutes, I’d catch her smirking in my direction.

“Hey, new girl, pass that note up here if you can reach without falling again,” Stacy whispered loudly across a few rows during a quiet moment, she said.

I ignored it, but the tension built as more eyes flicked my way. Chantel leaned over to Grace. “Think she’ll snap another chair leg by the end of class?” Chantel inquired softly but audibly.

Grace chuckled. “Probably. Those scholarship kids always take up too much space. The Grayson's have to stop with the charity work it's getting annoying,” she replied.

Ms. Rivera continued her lecture, but the undercurrent of whispers never fully died. I kept my head down, scribbling notes furiously, trying to focus on the words about classic novels and themes of resilience. The irony wasn’t lost on me, but I managed to push through it somehow.

When the bell rang and Ms. Rivera left the room and Selene and her crew stormed over immediately. Stacy planted her hands on my desk. “Get up. That seat’s not for you,” she demanded.

Chantel nodded. “Yeah, move it, pig. Denji doesn’t sit with… that,” she said. Grace hovered. “You heard them. Out,” she ordered.

I let out a sigh and stood slowly, gathering my books. “Fine. I'll find another seat,” I replied quietly. But Denji’s voice cut through before I could step away. “Leave her alone,” he said firmly.

The whole class went silent. So silent you could hear a pin drop. All heads, including mind, turned to Denji immediately. Selene’s eyes widened in shock.

“What did you just say?” Selene demanded, turning to him. Denji leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. “I said. Leave her alone, Selene. She’s sitting there. End of story,” he replied.

Selene laughed, but it sounded forced. “Denji... babe, come on. You want that gas ball sitting next to you? You never let anyone sit with you since we broke up. And now you're letting... Her?” she inquired, her tone shifting.

She leaned closer to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, her voice dropping to that sugary tone. “Seems you just miss having me as a seat partner huh? Maybe I'll come back. Remember how we used to—” she started.

Denji shrugged her hand off bluntly. “We’re used to nothing, Selene. Leave me alone. All of you. Go,” he said.

Selene’s face twisted. “You’re kidding. This fat—” she began.

“I mean it,” Denji said, his tone flat and final. “Walk away,” he added.

The girls hesitated, then Selene huffed, flipping her hair. “Whatever. You’ll regret this,” she said, her voice laced with venom.

She stormed out, her friends trailing quickly behind her. The door slammed behind them with a sharp bang that echoed through the room.

Whispers exploded across the room. “Did Denji just…?” one student murmured. “No way he defended the new girl,” another added. “Selene’s pissed,” a third whispered.

I sank back into my seat, stunned. “You… you didn’t have to do that,” I said softly. Denji glanced at me, his blue eyes meeting mine directly for the first time since I'd laid eyes on him. “Yeah, I did. They were out of line,” he replied flatly.

The rest of the afternoon classes passed in a haze of stolen glances and quiet notes. Denji didn’t say much more, but he didn’t ignore me either. During the next period, he slid a spare pencil my way when mine rolled off the desk. “Here,” he said simply.

“Th-thanks,” I replied, surprised.

In the following class, Selene’s group kept their distance but shot dirty looks across the room. “This isn’t over, scholarship girl,” Stacy mouthed silently at one point, she signaled.

Chelsea caught up with me between classes. “You okay after that cafeteria mess? Denji stepping in like that… that’s new,” she inquired.

“Yeah, I’m managing. Thanks again for earlier,” I said.

“No problem. Just watch your back. Selene doesn’t let things go easily and now Denji of all people...” she warned.

The hours blurred with more lectures, group work where partners avoided pairing with me until Denji nodded me over for one assignment. “We can work together,” he offered.

“Really?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Why not? We'll handle it after your done helping Johnathan with his homework.” he replied.

His quiet support added layers to the tension in the air, especially when whispers followed us down the halls afterward. “What’s Denji thinking?” someone wondered aloud. “Selene’s going to explode,” another predicted.

When the final bell rang, I packed up quickly and headed out alone, waving a quick thanks to Chelsea in the hall. “See you tomorrow,” I called.

“Stay safe,” she replied with a wave.

The walk toward the bus stop felt longer than usual. My new uniform was still clean, but had sweat patches at my pits that definitely stink if I wore it tomorrow. Cars zipped by, each more expensive than the last. The sun dipped lower, casting long shadows that made every passing vehicle feel like a potential threat. I kept glancing over my shoulder, half expecting Selene’s group to appear around a corner with more taunts or worse.

Soon, the bus stop came into distant view. 

What if they followed me? What if Denji’s defense only made things escalate? The questions swirled, but I kept moving.

A sleek black sports car slowed beside me, the window rolling down smoothly.

“Get in,” a familiar voice said. I turned, freezing in place.

No way...