DELIVER A LETTER TO THE TRIO

DAWN.

"I hate to say this but that was really brave of you." Scarlett acknowledged.

To say I was shocked would be a complete understatement. Hearing such words from Scarlett filled me with delight that was beyond what words could describe. 

"Thank you." I appreciated beaming brightly as I tucked a tuft of my hair behind my ear. 

I had a good feeling that I and Scarlett were going to be great friends. I mean, she didn't seem so bad after all. 

"So how did you get the scholarship, I mean what happened after you saved him, How did you guys meet again after parting at the ambulance?" Charlie came in, throwing a barrage of questions at me at once.

"Well.." I was about to reply to her questions when the bell rang abruptly, cutting me off in the middle of my words. 

The ring indicated Siesta. It was time for a brief break.

"Whoa! I never realized how much time had passed by" Lisa commented, astonished.

" Let's leave guys before that bitch of a governess puts us all in detention for not obeying the bell" Scarlett muttered spitefully, her brows furrowed and her lips upturned into a frown. Just the mere thought of the woman had changed her countenance in a moment. 

I stood frozen in place, my eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

'How could she openly address someone way older than her in such a disrespectful manner?' I pondered, staring at her bewildered by her gross arrogance and rudeness.

Well, what else could one expect from rich, spoilt brats?

The rest of the day went by in the twinkle of an eye, the corresponding days sweeping by just as quickly.

Before I knew it, an entire week had passed.

Life at the academy seemed to be moving quite smoothly, at least for me as I wasn't getting bullied any longer.

Murmurs about me were still flying around the school and l was constantly being shot dirty, spiteful looks, most especially from Scarlett's faction of followers, but Lisa advised me to simply ignore them all, reminding me it would take some time for everyone to get used to my presence as they weren't quite familiar with having a peasant amidst them.

"Dawn Baby" I heard Scarlett's voice behind me just as I was about to take a bite into my hamburger.

"Hi Scarlett" I greeted her with a bright smile turning to her. 

I noticed she had a gloomy expression on her face.

"Is everything alright?" I asked concernedly. 

"No Dawn, I'm in big trouble and I don't know how to go about it" She replied, bowing her head in vivid frustration, her eyes quivering.

I stared at her motionlessly, paralyzed with astonishment.

'Was Scarlett just about to cry?' I wondered anxiously. It seemed completely abnormal of her to do such. 

"What is it about?" I nudged. 

Scarlett stuck her fingers through her lips and began to bite her nails. This was a quite familiar gesture of Scarlett that had come to my notice over the past week.

She was nervous.

" Scarlett" I called out to her, as she hadn't given me a reply to my earlier question. 

"No Dawn, don't worry about me. I don't want to bother you any longer. You have helped me more than enough." She returned hesitantly, and just then it occurred to me what her issue most likely was.

"Oh!" I muttered. "Is this about one of your assignments again?" I asked, noticing Scarlett purse her lower lip, her eyes darting away from me. I was flabbergasted.

"It's alright. Bring it, let me have a look at it." I told her calmly and at hearing my words, she raised her face at mine.  

It was now beaming with cheerfulness, every hint of sadness it once had completely gone.

Of course, I was right. 

"Really?" She asked still beaming. 

I nodded affirmatively, with a welcoming smile. 

"Thank you, Dawn, you are such a lifesaver" She appreciated, tossing at me a heavy backpack that I hadn't even noticed she was holding this whole while.

"Scarlett, please I need your help" I heard a voice say. 

I turned in the direction of its owner, which happened to be Daisy, one of Scarlett's girls.

She approached her, with a backpack that seemed just as heavy as the one Scarlett had deposited with me.

"What is it, Daisy?" Scarlett inquired.

"It's my assignments, I haven't even touched them at all and class is just in the next two hours" Daisy answered, fidgeting. She appeared tense and jumpy and I couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

"Don't panic Daisy, Just gave them all to Dawn. I am sure she would love to help, I just gave her mine," Scarlett assured, taking her backpack from her and dropping it before me with a smirk.

My eyes widened, despair befalling me as I helplessly stared at the loads work before of me, wondering how on earth they expected me to finish all of these in the next two hours.

"Thank you, Dawn, you are such a lifesaver" Daisy appreciated, coincidentally using the exact words Scarlett had made use of earlier, whilst flashing me a wide smile.

My heart began to pound, words halting at my throat, adamantly refusing to leave my mouth. 

Daisy had never smiled at me before, not even once.

She only threw at me looks filled with disgust, right from our very first encounter.

"Is anything wrong Dawn, you don't want to help?" Scarlett asked and I noticed Daisy's face contort into an expression indicating disappointment.

"No, no, no, I want to." I hurriedly assured. The last thing I would want to do was offend any of them in any way.

They were seemingly already starting to warm up to me and accept me as one of their own— I couldn't afford to ruin that with my own hands.

" Please come back in the next one and a half hours to take it" I conveyed to them and Scarlett pouted.

She let out a sigh, pursing her lips. 

" Come on Dawn, why do we need to come collect it ourselves when you can just come to the lounge to give it to us" Scarlett questioned. 

I was taken aback by her words, my profound shock rendering me speechless.

The lounge was where she and her girls converged to just hang out and unwind.

"Are we stressing you too much?" Scarlett asked, her face scrunching into a slight frown, as she most likely noticed my surprised expression.

I hurriedly shook my head, feigning a smile so as not to piss her off.

I couldn't afford that. I needed to conclude the one year I had to be in this school peacefully.

"No worries. Bringing it to the lounge it is" I assured them. 

Scarlett winked at me in reply, before taking Daisy's by the hand and skipping off with her.

I sat there, vividly devastated by the mountain of work before me. 

Eventually, I just had to look past it all and get to work or risk submitting them late.

This is the exact format in which most of my time in this school was spent.

Attending classes, being on my best behavior, avoiding trouble, and cleaning up after Scarlett and her friends.

That spanned from doing their assignments to covering up for them in detention and sometimes even being forced to take the blame for their own wrongdoings.

I never complained though, instead, I very gleefully did and would do more of all of these for them knowing it was but a small sacrifice for a peaceful coexistence amongst them but like the saying goes 'Nothing ever lasts forever'.

On one fateful day, it all crumbled. 

It soon dawned on me that all of their friendliness and kindness was nothing but a facade, including that of the girl I came to love and trust the most.

It all began on a Wednesday morning, on which I went to meet Charlie and the rest of them at their lounge. 

I noticed that as I walked in, the girls giggled as though I was some sort of joke. I felt quite hurt by such a mean gesture but I simply buried the said feelings and just threw them all a warm smile.

"You are right on time Dawn. We need your help" Charlie announced, incessant laughter erupting amongst them all at her words, sweeping through the room. 

My thoughts began to swirl through my head like a tornado, as I looked around, confused and disoriented. 

"With what please?" I questioned, my stomach twisting into knots for a reason I was unable to decipher. 

A strong premonition of imminent misfortune clung onto me like an anchor, a bad feeling in my gut. 

"We urgently need your help to deliver a letter from Scarlett to the trio." She returned, her words hitting me like a train, nearly knocking me off my already quivering feet.

I felt my entire world crash, my head spinning to the point of dizziness as I stared at her, dumbfounded, trying to process the words that had just flowed into my ears.

"What?".