Chapter 1

“Meri, over here!” I turned to look over my shoulder to look for Venice in the middle of the crowded cafeteria. I found her at the far corner of the place, waving her hands at me while there was a big smile on her lips.

             I get my tray of food after I hand my bills to the cashier and strode towards where Venice and some nerds in class were. Obviously, her squad was the losers of Quasi High. Yup, her squad only, not mine. The only reason that I am hanging out with her because we were dorm mates in Quasi High.

             “Sh*t!” I cursed silently when Baylor almost stumbled on me when his friend, Kevin, pushed him playfully. Good thing that my reflexes were quick enough to avoid his bulky body to hit me and my food.

             Baylor took a quick glance at me that I answered by creasing my forehead. I ignored him and continued to walk towards Venice, who was now looking at me questionably.

             I placed my tray of lunch on their table as I took my seat beside Venice. It’s Friday afternoon and the students have crowded the school cafeteria.

             “A-Are you finally hanging out with us?” the boy with eye-glasses asked as he looked at me with those hopeful eyes. I glared at the nerd freshman guy that made him bow his head out of embarrassment.

             Venice laughs beside me and pinched my cheeks. “Don’t be too hard on the kid.”

             I turned and glared at her as well. But instead of getting intimidated by my deadly eyes, she laughed more.

             I took a spoonful of my carbonara as Venice and the other three nerds kept talking about their chemistry lab that was needed in one of their subjects.

             “So, where are you going to spend your summer vacation?” Venice asked me.

             “House,” I simply answered and continued eating my meal. I have my carbonara, a slice of pepperoni pizza, cheesecake and coke for lunch. I need some heavy meals so I could save energy for our PE subject later.

             “Aren’t you gonna go for a vacay?” She’s obviously overreacting the way she asked that. “Jelanie will go to a Fashion week in Paris at the end of the month. Aren’t you gonna go with her?”

             I heaved a sigh and bite on my pizza before answering her. “As if I want to go with her.” I rolled my eyes in annoyance. Jelanie Green is my sister. I was five years younger than her and she was a famous fashion model. Every single girl in this school knows and admired her for being a beauty which I found funny because her attitude s*cks. Jelainie was not an angel, just like they called her in every magazine they featured her. Her face maybe, but her attitude—oh hell will freeze.

             Same goes with my brother, Jackson. He is the famous lawyer in town and at twenty-six; he got his master’s degree from one of the prestigious law schools on the continent.

             While I am the black sheep of the family—at least that was what they called me, especially my father, who was a senator of this state.

             The two of us are not close to one another—not even a bit. I used to think that it was because I grew up without them in my life. My grandmother, Shiela, raised me from when I was a baby until I turned eleven and brought me to the Green’s household.

             Grandma told me that they are my family and from then on, we will live with them. But I have this feeling that my grandmother was lying. The Green’s have a cold shoulder towards me and I hate them for that. 

             Jackson and Jelanie always make me feel I am not welcome in their family, which I felt the same towards them. As long as I am with my grandmother, I can endure their cold shoulders towards me.

             “Your brother Jackson was so hot yesterday. I saw him on television winning the case of assault against the actor, again.” Venice giggled on her seat. She definitely has a thing for that jerk.

             “Yeah, praise the Saint of Handsomeness,” I said, full of sarcasm. I was about to take a last bite of my cheesecake when someone barged against our table and the next thing I heard were the irritating squeals of cheerleaders in a row and grunts from Kevin.

             My mouth gaped open in surprise as I watched my poor cheesecake on the floor. My eyebrows met in annoyance and looked at Kevin, who even had the guts to smirk at me.

             I grabbed the tray on my table and smashed it against his irksome face. The clang of the metal made the whole cafeteria fall into silence. Kevin shook his head and almost stumbled. And when I saw that he had almost recovered and glared at me, I smashed the metallic tray again on his face.

             This bastard has been getting on my nerves since Monday in our PE class. I hit his face multiple times until one of his friends grabbed me from behind and tried to stop me. I balled my fist and raised my elbow to hit him hard on his neck. I lifted my body and pushed my left foot on the table that made him take a step back. I hit him again, and that made him lose his grip around me.

             I grabbed his hand forcefully and twisted it hard. He stumbled down to the floor at the same time Kevin gained his consciousness and lounged on me angrily. I quickly dodge his attack by jumping above the table before getting my feet to the other side.

             “F*cking b*tch!” he shouted while bloods were dripping from his broken nose. His face was getting red and was ready to choke me to death the moment he could grab my neck.

             Too bad. I am not that stupid to let him touch even the thinnest strand of my hair. I managed to give him my signature smirk that annoys the h*ll out of him even more. Good thing Baylor and the rest of the varsity players were not meddling with this. Looks like they don’t want to be involved with this violence since inter-high school sports competition is approaching.

             Well, this was not the first time Kevin and I got into a fight.

             “Come here, you Wh*re! You dirty s*nken…scr*w you!” Kevin jumped with his hands that were ready to choke me. I readied my feet for some high kick on his stomach. But before he could land on me or I could give my kicks to him, someone grabbed my hand and pulled me away from where I was standing.

             Kevin landed with his face on the ground at the same time a powerful hand forced me down on my knees.

             “It’s you again, Green!” shouted the man that I knew ever since I came to this school. Principal Alleje Castion’s nose flared as he watched me with those angry eyes.

               He was with a few school guards that were now getting Kevin on his feet and dragging him towards the cafeteria exit together with his friend that passed out.

             “In my office, Merida Green,” he shouted at me while I was still on my knees.

             I rolled my eyes at him and slapped one of the school guards’ hands when he tried to drag me too. “I can walk by myself. Those morons were st*pid not to defeat me.”

             I grabbed my bag and marched towards the cafeteria’s exit with heavy feet. I didn’t mind the stares of the students giving; I ignore them like I used to. I rolled my eyes when I caught a glance of Lindsey and the rest of the cheerleading squad glaring at me. What? Were they angry because I beat Lindsey’s boyfriend into pulp? Pathetic!

            

             “WHAT?” I shouted in disbelief when Principal Castion told me about my punishment for the trouble that happened in the cafeteria.

             “You heard me, Ms. Green. You will not be competing into Inter-high School sports competition this coming two weeks. You are out of the fencer’s team,” he answered firmly.

             I jumped up from my seat and glared at him. “You can’t do that! I am the player and I brought home the trophy for those two consecutive years!”

             I almost slam my fist on his glass table because of the heavy emotion that I am feeling right now. He can’t do this to me!

             “You give me no choice, Ms. Green. And may I remind you, I am still the head of this school and you are just a mere student. You should show some respect!” He retorted as he glared back. “I should have kicked you out of this school last year.”

             I let out a stern laugh and shook my head. I frustratingly combed my hair using my fingers and mockingly laughed again. “Why don’t you?”

             He seems startled by my question. That made me smirk even more. I messed up my hair again and leaned on his table. “Why? Do you think I do not know what my father gave you to let me stay in this freaking school?”

             Principal Caston was in his forties. With a good physique and Chinese features, he had all the glory in life except being an honest and humble one.

             “T-That’s for school’s donation.” He swayed his swivel chair while looking everywhere but me.

             “Donation,” I scoff. “You mean… donation for your pocket?”

             Principal Castion clenched his jaw with my bluntness, but he didn’t answer. I guess he knew where to stop?

             “I am not that st*pid, Mr. Principal. I wouldn’t be the cunning Senator’s daughter if I am what you think I am. I’m going to compete in the Inter-High School competition. If you tried to stop me with that punishment of yours, I will let the whole school know what you were doing behind that prim and gentleman look of yours.”

             “Y-You can’t do that to me!” He tried to be vigilant in front of me. But too bad, I knew the likes of him. I knew well what type of person my fathers’ have.

             I smirked at him. “Try me, then.” I flipped my shoulder-length brown hair and grabbed my bag before storming out of his office. That nincompoop man thinks that I am st*pid not know why I was not kicked in this school the very first time that I broke one of the seniors’ nose during my sophomore year.

             He was like a leech that keeps sticking to himself with Miguel Paul Green the fourth. Well, I heard my father will run for a president of the state this coming election which I found funny. He always has a warm smile and hugs for the people that will give him their vote. I want to roll my eyes at that idea. He was the greatest pretender of all time. I am her daughter, but he cannot even give me a little smile or ask how I am doing? If not for scolding me, he doesn’t have the intention to talk to me.

I can swear, I can joke

I say what’s on my mind

If I drink, if I smoke,

I keep up with the guys

And you see me holding up my middle finger to the world

Fuck your ribbons and your pearls

‘Cause I’m not just a pretty girl

I fished my phone out of my bag when I heard a familiar ringtone. I smiled when I saw the name that flashed on my phone’s screen.

“Grandma,” I started with a big smile on my lips.

“Meri,” I heard a Phina crack’s voice from the other line that made my brows knitted.

“Where’s Grandma Momma?” I asked and clenched my fist when I suddenly felt nervous about whatever she would answer me. Grandma’s private nurse was crying.

“Meri…” she sobs.

“D*mn it! Tell me already what the h*ll was happening?”

“Y-Your Grandma is—”

“No.” I shook my head in disbelief when I already had a hunch about what she would say.

“She didn’t make it. She was rushed to the hospital this morning. She died at exactly twelve in the afternoon.”

I huffed with the unfamiliar heavy emotion that rushed down on my chest. I shook my head repeatedly, at the same time my hand, shakes and my whole body. I tried to open my mouth, but no voice came out. I want to speak. I want to shout at this woman. That she was a liar, that my grandmother was alive and breathing. She said that she will watch me compete in my last Inter-high school fencing competition.

I felt my body become cold and rigid, that I felt numbness all over my system. I tried to open my mouth again to speak, but a sob came out instead. I felt a hot liquid flow from my eyes and run down on my cheeks.

“N-No…” I finally voice out. “Y-You were lying.”

“I am sorry Meri. She loves you and she’s calling your name before she finally closed her eyes.”

“No, you liar! Momma is not dead!” I shouted and made some of my schoolmates look in my directions. “She told me she will watch me get the trophy again.”

“Your grandmother will have a wake at the chapel near the Green’s mansion. I’m sorry.”

I shook my head again, not believing whatever she was saying. “No! She’s not dead. You were just saying that because that son of a b*tch Jackson told you to do so. He has been rude to my grandmother all this time. Tell him I will kill him for doing this prank.”

I kept blabbering but the other line was dead after I heard Phina saying about her condolence. I frustratedly throw my phone against the wall. I saw how it smashed on the wall and landed on the cold and tiled floor. I angrily kicked the poor phone, which was now broken into pieces.

I balled my fist and marched along the corridor with a heavy pain in my heart. Although I am angry with Jackson for the reason I made, I know to myself that he was not that st*pid to do that prank. He knows I will kill him if he makes a joke about my grandmother. I hate myself for not seeing her last week.

I hate her for leaving me alone.