Elira's trembling lips parted in her attempts to warn Rhea to not get involved, but before the words could leave her lips, she was shoved violently from her chair, her body hitting the cold floor with a painful thud.
Pain shot up her spine, the impact knocking the breath from her lungs, but the sting was nothing compared to the humiliation burning her cheeks.
Gasps fluttered across the room, but no one moved. Some of the students even had the audacity to bring out their phones and record the moment, while giggling since it wasn't them being physically harassed by Nesta and her gangs.
Elira blinked up, disoriented from the shove, only to see Nesta standing over her with a twisted smirk curling her lips. She had slid off the desk she'd been lounging on like a queen surveying her domain.
"Are you blind, or just plain stupid?" She sneered, her voice cold and dripping with mock sympathy. "I graciously came here to make amends with a complete nobody like yourself, and you're giving me an attitude. Why's that? Huh? Because your little friend showed up?"
The venoms dripping from her words barely registered in Elira's head. Her eyes simply darted to her crutches, lying just within reach, and if she could grab it, she would be able to stand on her feet again. With only that thought in mind, despite being helplessly cornered, she extended a trembling hand, determined to reach for her crutches as she despised the reality of her current situation.
Just as her fingers were inches away from grabbing it, one of the crutches suddenly went flying, kicked hard by Stacy. It landed with a hollow clang in the middle of the classroom, but she didn't stop there. The second one followed, skidding to rest against a desk leg as snickers broke out among Nesta's little circle of vipers.
"Awww, look at that," Stacy cooed mockingly, her eyes glittering with amusement as she feigned shock. "Oops, my bad. Guess who's gonna be the next trending top star on the school's website."
Nesta's laughter was sharp and cruel as she realized Elira was struggling to keep her mouth shut. She leaned in, as if she was challenging Elira to fight back. "You need them to walk, don't you? Go on then. Crawl. What are you waiting for? Do you have something to say? Oh, you poor little thing. Okay, how about this, what if I pay you for participating in this? You obviously don't have the money to pay for your next treatment. Shall I sponsor you? Hm?"
Receiving the cash Mirene gave to her, she threw them at Elira's face, as if rubbing her wealth at her face. "Go on. Crawl."
Instant tears filled Elira's eyes, and this time they spilled freely. Her dignity unraveled in front of the class, and the sting burned hotter than the ache. She turned her gaze to Rhea who remained rooted at her spot, unsmiling for the first time, but she didn't look like she'd intervene. Even when she felt glad that Rhea knew she shouldn't mess with the trios, the feeling stung differently knowing her new roomie had witnessed her getting humiliated like this.
"Ahhh!!" a sudden yelp tore from her throat when Nesta grabbed a fistful of her hair, forcing her to stare at the crutches lying yards away.
"I said go get them," she hissed into her ear. "Drag yourself if you have to–"
But Nesta suddenly stopped talking. Her grip loosened, and her mouth hung open as she watched someone make a move.
A girl with red-tinted glasses stood at the center of the classroom, and she picked up the crutches. The students were fully aware that the new trending student wasn't part of Nesta's gang, neither had she been invited to partake in their cruelty
But there she was, walking toward them with a calmness that sent ripples through the entire classroom. More students pulled out their phones to record watching the new student get taken down as well.
Their jealousy was disturbingly palpable the moment they recognized Rhea as the girl who had tried to seduce (according to them) 'their' Kael Millers.
Nesta's eyes widened at the girl's unwavering approach, a flicker of disbelief cracking through her cruelty. This wasn't going according to her script anymore, and she certainly didn't fancy the unexpected interruption.
"Excuse me," Rhea said, her silken voice snapping Nesta back to reality. The venomous scene halted as Nesta's hand froze mid-tug on Elira's hair. She blinked in momentary confusion, as if wondering if that excuse was for her or someone else.
"That's my roommate you've got your claws on," Rhea continued, pointing at Elira who was also staring in disbelief and pure fear. "You know, I've been watching the whole disgusting show, and something didn't quite add up so I had to step in. It got to a point I wondered– why should I stay silent when I can ask you three."
Nesta and her squad blinked. "What?"
Rhea tilted her head, her smile icy. "I want to know, why waste your time tormenting someone who can't fight back? Where's the fun in that? Cause it doesn't look appealing to me. Tell me– what pleasure do you get from hurting the weak and disabled? Does it make you a bigger person? Powerful? Or are you just too much of a coward to pick on someone who might actually bruise your pretty face?"
"The hell?" Stacy's smile faltered, and Rhea's expression darkened when she noticed the hand still holding her roommate's hair.
"I said," she repeated. "Let. Her. Go. Before I lose every shred of patience I have left."
She slapped Nesta's hand away from Elira's hair with a single sharp motion, then she crouched before her roommate, helping her adjust her uniform with a surprising gentleness that caught everyone else off guard. She handed Elira her crutches with care.
"I was too busy contemplating and forgot to step in," she murmured, her voice softening with each sentence. "Here are your crutches. Let's find another free seat nearby before the teacher comes in. It's not safe for us to linger in the midst of leeches. Try to be more careful from now on."
Elira was no longer in tears at this point. Her eyes were glassy, but she still couldn't believe Rhea had done that. She nodded slowly, accepting whatever decision Rhea wanted, but the peace didn't last long.
"HEY!" Nesta's voice cracked like a whip as she stormed toward Rhea, grabbing her arm and yanking her back with force. "Who the hell do you think you are?" She demanded. "Are you her savior or what? I could end you right here and now! You're just a pathetic newbie– stay in your lane unless you want to take her place!"
Rhea simply remained unfazed, and behind her shades, her eyes were cold and unmistakably unreadable.
"All I hear is barking," she wrenched her arm free with a single, fluid motion. "But I don't respond to dogs."
"WHAT?!" Knowing what she was busy implying, Nesta's nostrils flared. "I see, I'm guessing disobedience runs in your filthy little bloodline. What, never been to a real school before? Didn't anyone teach you that there's a hierarchy here?"
Her lips curled as she gestured around, as if trying to prove a point. "Girls like me– we're the ones who keep vermin like you from crawling out of the cracks. I don't care what little scheme you think you're playing at, but I run this place. It's either you fall in line like everyone else, or you get crushed."
Currently, the whole class was watching the scene unfold like a storm on the verge of breaking, and no one had ever dared to confront Nesta. It wasn't because she was top of her combat class, but because she was utterly ruthless and vicious.
Elira, who still assumed Rhea was clueless about what she was getting into, tried to speak, but Rhea had already moved.
"Apologize to my roommate," she said, her voice low and commanding. "And pray I don't report what I just saw to the headmistress, because if I do, this little reign of yours ends today."
Nesta barked a laugh, and it echoed with the cruel cackles of her gang.
"You're going to report me?" She pointed at herself, her attention shifting between Elira to Rhea. "Go ahead then. Run to them and see if they do anything at all. Do you really think the teachers can save you from me? Are you even aware of what you've gotten yourself into? Or maybe you want to fight. Do you want to fight me? New girl?"
A hush fell over the classroom, and the challenge in her voice was unmistakable. Rhea's fingers twitched, and she suddenly remembered she was not allowed to ever initiate the first strike. Her patience wore thin, and her restraint was on the verge of snapping completely.