"Why can't we be together?"
"Its because I'm a human and you're a merman. Please! I don't want us to give birth to abnormal kids."
"But I don't care, Sophia. I'm in love with you."
"Prince, I don't wanna talk about it again! Excuse me."
"Do you want me to tell all your friends? That you're a human?"
"Don't threaten me with that stuff. They'll never believe you. We can be friends, but if you're trying to get attached to me in a romantic way, it'll have to stop."
"I love you, Sophia! And I can never stop!"
~~~~~~
She was tapped on the shoulder by a guy.
"Uh? Em... what?" She realized she had been asleep and the lecture was over.
"You were asleep. Are you ill?"
"No, I'm not."
"Okay....You've got a nice bracelet." Gabriela smiled when she stared at it.
"Thank you! It was a gift from a special person."
"Oh, your boyfriend?"
"No." He sat next to her, with a brightened look.
"I'm Damien. Diana's brother. Have you met her?"
"I haven't met Diana but by the student's talk, I think she's one of the most popular girls around here." Gabriela replied.
"She is."
"I'm Gab - "
"Hey! You need no introduction. I must say, I like what you did with the professor and Nadia." Gabriela chuckled.
"Was it funny?"
"Yes it was. Actually, Nadia has this huge crush on me for a long time. But I don't like her because she's fake."
Gabriela laughed at that.
"Can we be friends?" Damien asked. Before she could reply, the door burst open.
"Are you going to sit here with this hippo or join me for basketball practice?" With that, the guy left, slamming the door. Gabriela's lips parted, unsure of what to say.
"What the fuck?! Did he just call me a hippo?" Gabriela blinked multiple times, trying not to believe what she just heard.
"That's how he is, okay. Don't listen to him."
"Don't feel bad about it."
"Feel bad? He's gonna feel terrible when I crush him!" Gabriela said with gritted teeth.
"I'll show him what a beautiful hippo I can be." She smirked, staring at her clenched fist.
"Gabriela, please don't go out there and create a scene."
"I'm gonna create a movie." She nodded continuously trying to calm down.
"Gabriela, please don't do anything. After what you did here, I know you're capable of anything worse."
"Don't worry, Damien. You're going to love it."
~~~~~ LUNCH TIME, CAFETERIA~~~~~
The cafeteria was noisy due to talks from every table.
Isabella and Gabriela went to the mini kitchen to order food.
"I'll have a classic cheeseburger, please. Can I get that with cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and mayo? And can you make sure the patty is medium-rare? I'll take a side of crispy fries with that, and a large glass of sweet tea to drink. Thanks!"
"Hi, I'd like to order a grilled chicken sandwich. Can I get that on whole wheat bread with avocado, bacon, and Swiss cheese? And can you add some ranch dressing to that? On the side, I'll take a garden salad with Italian dressing. And to drink, I'll have a glass of fresh-squeezed lemonade, please."
"Okay, take your seats, you'll have them in a bit." Isabella and Gabriela went to sit and as usual, eyes were on them.
"Girls! What did I tell you about hanging out together, huh?" A girl approached them facing Gabriela and Isabella was confused.
"Oh...yeah. I almost forgot." The girl was relieved.
"I thought you'd pretend like we didn't discuss back there at the school gate." They both chuckled.
"I'm Diana White."
"Your Dad owns this school? That's freaking awesome!!" Diana took a seat and they started chatting.
They talked about The White's achievements, and past students who were internet personalities from influential families.
"Tell me more about Claudia."
"Gabriela, why do you wanna know more about her? Are the rumors true? That she'll be your sister soon?" Diana asked.
"Yeah. Dad is getting married to Claudia's mother soon."
"Did you know that the professor you insulted was Claudia's mom?"
"I guess...."
"Have you met her?"
"No! That's why I'm asking you about her!" Gabriela yelled.
"Claudia is a bully. And not just a bully, a very dreaded one in school. She never gets detention and nobody dares to step on her toes. Else, they'll lose themselves. They'll lose their esteem." Diana leaned in to whisper.
"And sometimes, they lose their lives." Their eyes widened.
"So, she kills people? Why didn't you tell your parents about it? Don't they own the school?"
"We own the school, but she rules the school."
"Are you her minion?"
"No...of course not. If I was Claudia's friend, I would never have approached you."
"I was only kidding." The three girls chuckled.
Suddenly, they noticed students leaving the lunch table and rushing to the bleachers.
Diana stood up too.
"Are you going there?" Isabella asked, ready to follow her.
"What's going on?"
"We want to watch the boys have their basketball practice." Diana left with Isabella.
"Basketball practice....This is gonna be fun." Gabriela rubbed her hands cunningly and left the lunch table too.
~~~~~
The bleachers at The White's Academy were packed with students cheering and clapping as the cheerleaders performed their energetic dance routine. The squad's synchronized moves and fascinating tricks had the crowd mesmerized. Next up was the dance team, which performed an equally impressive show. The audience erupted in applause as the dancers took their final bows. As the excitement died down, Mr. Campbell, the basketball team coach, stepped forward to acknowledge the students' presence.
He introduced Miguel, the basketball team captain, and Daniel, the captain of the opposing team.
The female students in the crowd couldn't help but gush over Miguel's good looks, charisma and athletic prowess.
"Miguel..." Gabriela tasted his name on her lips and grinned wickedly.
"This is just a practice session to determine which team will represent our academy at the annual sports festival," Mr. Campbell explained. "Let's get started!"The whistle blew, and the game began. The boys on both teams played with intensity, their movements swift and strategic.
The score seesawed back and forth, with neither team able to gain a clear advantage. As the game heated up, Miguel's fans started cheering loudly, while Daniel's supporters, though fewer in number, were just as vocal.In the front seat, Gabriela sat with a seemingly enthusiastic expression, cheering along with the rest.
However, unbeknownst to everyone around her, she had other intentions. As Miguel sprinted towards the hoop, Gabriela discreetly threw a pointed object onto the court, aiming it at Miguel's team. The object landed with precision, striking Miguel's foot just as he was about to score. He cried out in pain and fell to the ground.The game was momentarily halted as Miguel's teammates rushed to his side.
Meanwhile, Daniel's team seized the opportunity to score, and before long, they had sunk a goal, taking the lead. As the final whistle blew, Daniel's team celebrated their unexpected win, lifting their captain onto their shoulders. The crowd was stunned, wondering how the tables had turned so suddenly.
"How did Miguel lose?" people whispered to each other. It was unprecedented, and the circumstances surrounding his fall left everyone baffled. As the scene unfolded, Gabriela sat quietly, her expression a mask of concern, while secretly, she wore a triumphant smile.
"How did Miguel lose? I heard his team has been the best since they were in high school." Isabella told Gabriela as they walked together with books in their hands.
"It was fate." Gabriela shrugged.
~~~~ BOYS' CHANGING ROOM ~~~~
"Ah! Ah!" Miguel twitched as the school's nurse applied gentle pressure to his foot.
His best friends, Damien and Rafael stood next to him.
When the nurse stopped the bleeding and bandaged the wound, she left.
"This was why I didn't wanna go to the clinic. Why did you call the nurse?"
"There are bloody footprints all over. Everyone is talking about you. How did you give in to failure like that?" Rafael scolded him.
"Someone....must have planted that object. I'll get him and make his life hell."
"I think it must be a 'she'." Damien thought inwardly, as a smile crept on his face.
"Let's get dressed and leave before the final lecture."
"Is there a final lecture? We should skip it." Miguel said lazily.
The opposing team came in noisily praising their captain for the winning goal. Rafael went towards Daniel who was searching for his outfit and attacked him with a punch.
"How dare you plant an object on the basketball court? That was cheating!" Rafael growled. Daniel smirked, fuming and ready to hit him.
"Your failure isn't my fucking business! Its not my fault you rely so much on a captain. You can't do anything on your own!" With that, Rafael pounced on him and they started wrestling brutally. Daniel's team players rushed to separate the two while Damien and Miguel just stared.
"Daniel didn't do it. I know that for sure, it was someone else." Miguel told Damien with certainty.
The lecture room was abuzz with students still discussing the shocking turn of events in the basketball game. Miguel's loss and the mysterious object on the court were the main topics of conversation. As the door opened, Miguel limped in, his face twisted in pain.
Eight girls from his fan club rushed to his side, eager to assist him, but he raised his hand, signaling them to stop.
"Hands off," he said firmly, his eyes scanning the room as he made his way to his seat. The girls nodded and reluctantly returned to their seats, casting sympathetic glances his way.As Miguel settled into his seat, he flinched in pain, and Gabriela, who was sitting a few rows away, couldn't help but react similarly.
She felt a pang of guilt and flinched in her seat, her eyes fixed on Miguel's injured foot. She started making subtle leg movements, as if she could feel the pain too.Her gaze lingered on Miguel, and she knew she had to make things right.
She tore a piece of paper from her notebook and scribbled in bold letters: "I AM DEEPLY SORRY. I THREW THE OBJECT ON THE BASKETBALL COURT." As the lecture proceeded, she stole glances at Miguel, her anxiety growing with each passing moment.
When she saw the extent of his injury, she felt a wave of panic wash over her.As the lecture came to a close, Gabriela waited until the students began to file out before she made her move. She headed to the lockers, searching for Miguel's, her heart racing with every step.
Finally, she spotted it, adorned with his name and a basketball sticker. She opened the locker, the paper trembling in her hands as she prepared to slide it inside.
But then she remembered he had called her a hippo. Anger flared up, and she slammed the locker shut, crumpling the paper in her fist.
"I'll never apologize. He should suffer," she muttered to herself, tossing the paper into the trash can.
With a mix of guilt and resentment, Gabriela turned and walked away, leaving the opportunity for redemption behind.
As she searched for Isabella and Diana, she heard voices in a corner. Her curiosity took her there.
Her eyes widened as a girl was being bullied in the mean girls' circle.
They surrounded her, eyes flashing with anger.
"This girl is a crook! She promised me she was gonna write my business essay assignment, and I told her that I wanted it better than hers so I could have credits in class. And this witch made me get a D minus. Everyone was laughing!" Claudia spat at the girl hitting her head with a plastic bottle she was holding.
"You have crossed the limit by talking to Nadia's crush. You really have!" Sandra added. Nadia stepped forward and as soon as the girl raised her head, Nadia landed a loud and hard slap across her face.
"When Claudia told me how you made her get a bad grade after being paid $5,000, I laughed it off, telling her not to worry too much about it. But after seeing you there with Damien, I knew you were worse than they described!" She grabbed her hair in her fist, and the girl was trembling, sobbing silently.
"You knew Damien was mine, right? You knew I asked him to prom in high school. And just because he turned me down, you saw that as an opportunity to - "
"Hey, girls." Gabriela walked towards them. The girl thought it was another bully. They fell silent.
"You reek of insecurity." Gabriela started, in her sassy tone.
"Boiling up about Mr. Damien? I think I should just connect you guys, so you can pour out all your feelings for him."
"What is she saying?" Sandra put on a confused look.
"I don't have a communication problem, you just can't communicate with me properly"
"Claudia, do something to this weirdo!"
"Gabriela, I don't care who or what you are! Don't step on my toes. It's just the beginning of a college year." Claudia walked closer to her.
"I love stepping on people's toes. Especially students like you who can't just get a hobby." Claudia grabbed Gabriela's chin. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she smiled.
"You are the heiress of the Flores' family. You have a whole bright future ahead. And with the snap of my fingers, I can ruin that. If you think you can be queen bee, you'll end up serving coffee after college." Claudia warned her with gritted teeth. Her minions nodded behind her, with folded arms. Gabriela pushed Claudia.
"Your words have no substance. Your mom should have swallowed you. Maybe her life would have made more sense."