The success of the open mic night and the imminent release of the second, even more anticipated issue of 'The Aviary' had shifted the social landscape of the school. Jessica's power, which had once been absolute, was beginning to erode. She was no longer the center of the school's universe. She was just… a bully. And people were getting tired of her act.
Kofi could see it in the hallways. The girls who used to flock around her, her loyal court of sycophants, were starting to drift away. They would offer her a hesitant smile and then find an excuse to be somewhere else. Her two main friends, her ever-present shadows, still flanked her, but their loyalty seemed more like a habit now than a genuine alliance.
Jessica was becoming isolated. And that made her more dangerous than ever.
She cornered Kofi by his locker one afternoon, her face a mask of cold, controlled fury.
