“The two of you are such monsters” Colin remarked with a shake of his head.
Math class just ended. Some of his classmates had their things ready and left the second that they heard the bell rang. The chairs had become empty by the time Colin got up from his seat at the back.
He walked towards the front, approaching his friends. He felt baffled from what he witnessed from today’s activity. They had been divided into teams of 3. Their teacher had handed out small whiteboards and markers. A question would flash from the projector and each team had to raise up their boards before the timer ran out.
The top students of the class had been separated as team leaders and whichever two teams survived the elimination would pick representatives to compete in the final round.
Of course, it was the top students who ended up as the final contenders. It was merely a strategy to get an extra bonus in their grades since the group score affected all its members. The two team leaders stood in front of the board and had to answer several questions with the proper solutions.
Whoever finished first, including the correct answer, would get the point.
They had to score a total of 3 to be declared as the winner.
Colin had to admit he hadn’t seen such a tight race. They both tied and everyone anticipated the last point. Their speed at writing the solutions enraptured them all. Who knew they’d ever care about Math this much?
Max stood up, stretching his arms and yawning. His finger knuckles cracked. He bent his torso on both sides. Once done, he clenched his hands, folding his arms over his chest. He pulled the fists apart and craned his neck.
Alex and Colin rolled their eyes at his theatrics.
“Who is the best at Math?” Max cupped his right ear, pretending to wait for a response. Then, he pointed two thumbs at his chest, “This guy.”
“It was only one point” Alex scoffed. She slung the strap of her bag over one shoulder, “And it was because you knocked off the chalk in my hand.”
He merely shrugged with open palms and snorted, “That’s not my problem. The teacher didn’t say any rules.”
Colin slapped a hand on Max’s shoulder, “It was still foul play and I’ll only acknowledge you if you, Alex and Logan played in a proper competition.”
Max tsked several times and wagged a finger. In return for the hand on his shoulder, he wrapped an arm around both of Colin’s, “My friend, that is very unlikely to happen.”
“And why is that?”
“Because we’d probably be on the same team!” Max exclaimed, pulling Colin closer. His free hand waved at the ceiling in slow motion. He spoke in a daze, “We’re the golden trio, the unholy trinity, the three heads of Cerberus….”
“I highly doubt that they’d want to be stuck with your head” Colin retorted. Alex snorted from behind them. When he heard it, he smirked at Max and stepped away from the arm hug, “See? I told you.”
He patted the black hair roots that sprouted. The rainbow tips reached the top of his friend’s ears, “Better get a transplant first.”
Max scowled.
The unpleasant expression on his face only made Colin more amused.
“Just you wait, caramel apple head” Max taunted melodramatically. His voice dropped to a low tone and he squinted his eyes for better effect, “I shall have my vengeance. The last laugh shall be mine!”
He raised his brows all the way, widening his eyes along. They popped out of their sockets. The violet color in the irises radiated vibrantly. He walked up to Colin until their noses almost touched. He didn’t say anything more and concentrated on a scary demeanor.
Colin chuckled. He pulled two fingers apart and darted them at Max’s eyes. A snicker escaped his lips when his friend flinched. It lasted less than a second before he pulled his hand back again.
He turned away, heading for the door, “Whatever you say, feather duster.”
“Hey! Come back here!” Max yelled and chased after the walking caramel apple.
Alex pressed her lips together and shook her head slowly. She didn’t think she’d see more of Colin’s teasing side. It seemed that everyone’s favorite target was Max. Well, the feather duster did take them like a pro. She trailed behind them, becoming the last person to exit the room.
When she reached the door, she bumped into Max’s back.
“What the—”
“Hey, what do you have there, Colin?” She heard him ask.
The two guys towered over her. They also blocked the doorway. She couldn’t see anything other than the back of their clothes. What the hell was going on? Alex attempted to push them away, “Guys, let me through.”
“Woah!” Max blurted out. He stepped sideways to let her pass. It turned out that the corridor had a big crowd and no one moved an inch. Max held a blue paper in his hand and placed it an arm away from him, “Alex, who did you offend? ’Cause damn! It must have been a lot. They made this bad photoshop of you in a wig and girl clothes.”
Alarm bells rang inside Alex’s head. Her attention focused completely on Max. She snatched the flyer off his hands and read it at high speed. Most of the print out had used black ink but the middle had bold red coloring.
One glance at it and the saturation on Alex’s face vanished. Her muscles turned numb and her sight became blurred. Black spots appeared at her peripheral vision. She did her best to blink them away, forcing herself to take everything in.
The paper began to shake in her hand.
True to his word, Alex found two photos. They had been magnified to occupy the upper half. One of the pictures looked exactly like she did now. The other appeared to be Xandra’s exact replica. With the black and white tones, the resemblance between the two was uncanny.
The background and frames used for mugshots had been incorporated to the layout. The words, ‘A FRAUD AMONG US!’, written in red seemed to bulge out of the paper. A short paragraph followed underneath it.
‘Alex Carter? Who is that? That smart guy? More like a lying and selfish bitch! Yeah, you read that right! SHE’S A BITCH! Yup, you’re correct again. ALEX IS A SHE. And her real name? ALEXandra CARTER-Greenwood.’
‘Read the back to find out more.’
“I think the better question is why are they everywhere?” Colin cut in.
At the sound of his voice, Alex shoved the flyer back to Max. Her eyes swept around the hallway.
As far as she could see, the floor had been covered in piles of blue and pink paper. They covered almost every inch as if they had been blown by a large spinning fan. Several janitors desperately tried to clean them up but it was too late. Every student in the hallway had one in their possession. Their whispers and chatter flooded the air. Some of them pointed in her direction. Others had their phones out and aimed their cameras at her.
Alex shielded her face with her arms reflexively.
“Well, look at what we have here?” Courtney giggled, walking over the mess. She scoffed mockingly at Alex and threw a flyer towards her, “Hiding when you’re already exposed? Guess someone is found guilty. For the record, your threats are nothing to me now.”
“Watch it!” Colin sneered. He took a step in front of Alex and pushed one arm backwards. He glared down at the redhead, using his height to his advantage. A furnace burned in his gaze, “I’ll give you one chance to clamp your mouth or I’ll have to do it for you.”
Curling her bottom lip, the ginger haired cheerleader hissed at Alex before she left the scene.
“Yeah, you better stay away!” Max watched as her back disappeared among the crowd. Then, he faced the rest of the student body. He matched Colin’s stance. Any hint of humor melted away from his character. The hue in his eyes darkened at their stares. It didn’t matter what reason they had, he wouldn’t allow them to gawk so freely.
“Anyone else who wants to pick on our friend?” He provoked them. The intensity of his expression escalated with each eye contact he made, “I have a one way ticket to hell ready for you.”
Colin nudged Alex with his elbow, “Get inside.”
Her foot hovered in the air when a new voice decided to join them.
“ALEX!”
Logan sprinted across another hallway. He shuffled his feet to make a turn, barely missing the chance. He zipped through the mob of people and knocked over anything they had in his way. Books flew to the air, bags dropped to the ground, hands broke away from their significant others… nothing could slow him down.
The closer he got, the more his legs pumped. Colin instantly moved out of his way, leaving his best friend enough space to shove Alex through the doorway. He looked at Max and gestured his head towards the classroom.
He got the message immediately and the both of them went back inside.
“Lo-Logan?” Alex gasped, craving for air.
His grip around her upper arms woke her up from a dream. The sensation brought her back to the living nightmare. Her body shook all over. Her fears had come to life. There was no going back anymore. She felt her fate seal itself, locking the permission to change it.
At this moment, her defense mechanism activated.
She shut off from the outside world.
“Are you alright? Are you hurt? Did they do anything to you?” Logan cradled the sides of her face in his hands. Worry clouded his green eyes. His thumb brushed her cheek, “Alex, can you hear me?
Max broke out of his reverie, leaning against the door. He quickly read through the back. It contained facts and sources to support the headline’s claim. Everything about the flyer was unbelievable. He glanced at his companions. Colin observed from the other side of the room while the other two occupied the center.
Max’s stare mostly lingered on Alex.
He’d normally make a joke but the girl appeared as if she’d collapse any moment. He urged himself to look away and addressed the other guys instead, “Who would do such a thing?”
Logan sighed and looked at him. He was quick to answer with his theory, “Skye did it.”
He slid his hands off Alex’s face and rested them on her shoulders. He needed for her to feel his presence. He had to make her know that she wasn’t alone. She had him. She also had Colin and Max on her side.
None of them would let anything harm her.
“Your psychotic ex-girlfriend did this?” Max gaped, pushing himself away from the door. The paper crushed under his grasp, “She’s still alive?!”
“It’s my fault” Logan groaned. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, “If I didn’t let Skye go—”
“Wait!” Alex demanded all of a sudden. The light in her gray eyes came back. Blood gradually seeped back into her lips and her vitals began to stabilize. She grabbed Logan’s arm and yanked it, forcing him to look at her.
She studied his face, “How-how did you know?”
Her consciousness started working again. Never had she hinted about Skye being the culprit. She knew the others also haven’t said anything. Thousands of possibilities raced in her thoughts.
Each of them made her more nervous than the last.
Was he mad?
Logan gave her a knowing look. Then, he pushed her forehead with a fingertip. Her head leaned back from the pressure, “The same way that I know she’s your kleptomaniac friend from when you were a kid.”
She swatted his hand away and pouted, rubbing the sore spot, “Again… how do you know that?”
Before he could reply, another person spoke above the noise that had inhabited the school. It caught all available ears within range. The amount of fury in each syllable embedded in everyone’s minds.
“GET BACK HERE YOU, DESPICABLE PIECE OF S***!”
