Mom showed hers and my ID to the gatemen so they would allow us in, and as she drove into the school compound, my heart rose in my chest. Whether it was from happiness or nervousness, I don't know. I just welcomed the freedom with open arms.
Some students had arrived and most could be seen piling around in groups as they waited to be sorted into their respective dorms. It was a Sunday and classes didn't start until Monday, therefore, only the boarding students were in school so they could settle in well before classes began.
Mom drove down to the parking lot, a few minutes away from the reception block and I got out of the car as soon as she parked. Mary got out after me and we both pulled our boxes out of the trunk, after which I carried my school bag and prepared to start walking to the reception to get my schedule and other information that we would need.
"Hey, no goodbye hug for me?" Mom's voice cut me short, my steps halting on the pavement.
Goodbye hug? Was this some sort of joke? But I pulled a smile on my face nonetheless and turned around.
"But of course, mother." I managed to say without grinding my teeth and I walked towards her and then stoically wrapped my arms around her in a brief embrace, her expensive cologne almost choking me to death. I glanced at Mary and she gave me a sympathetic look. She knew how I felt about my family.
"Be good okay? I love you." my hands fell around her limply as he said those words and anger coursed through my veins at her audacity to say such scared words meaninglessly. I love you. Honestly...
"Do you really?" I raised my chin to look into her dark brown eyes, making damn sure my anger shone right through my words and my hopefully menacing glare. I saw a flicker of hurt flash in her eyes, her arms falling to her sides as she took a small, unconscious step back. But it was only momentary before the witch of the west got back into character.
"Of course I do. Do you ever doubt that?" The hurt in her eyes was gone in a millisecond and the woman I'd always known slipped into position, regaining the wheel and tossing the lovey-dovey facade of lies aside. Her eyes hardened, flicking over to Mary in a split, almost unnoticeable second as she silently dared me to disagree. I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry with the onset of presiding angry tears.
"Never." My reply was a simple lie and I watched her dark red lips turn up in a satisfied smile, then I grabbed my box and walked away. The tears were only a stone's throw from rolling down my cheeks, but I would never let them fall. No, not for that devil of a woman!
I was so overwhelmed by sadness and anger that I didn't realize I was walking too fast and a group of people were in front of me until I ran smack into one of them.
"Hey! Watch it!" A female voice screamed, but I couldn't make out her face through the hazy curtain of tears that now blanketed my cheeks shamelessly.
"I'm so—" I started to apologize, but someone cut me off.
"Oh! it's queen of the slobs. Let her be Clara, that's how she is. Her clumsiness doesn't even surprise the whole school anymore." Another voice I definitely recognized said and they all burst into laughter.
My stomach clenched in embarrassment. I wanted nothing more than for the ground to open up and swallow me at that moment and I felt even worse still because all through my previous years in that school, I'd always tried my best to avoid Stephanie and her posse. I never got in their way. Never got in anyone's way for that matter. And now I'd just given her the chance to talk all over me just like back then in junior school. And it was only our first day back.
I've never once said anything back to these bitches, but not today. Today I didn't care if I hurt anyone...my own mother didn't even care if she hurt me. My anger suddenly erupted, masking the initial embarrassment and I wiped the stupid tears that had managed to escape and turned to Stephanie.
"Did you just call me a slob?" My eyes narrowed into slits and I knew that was a stupid question that needed no confirmation, but I grappled around for a preamble and that was all I found.
"Oh wow! She talks?!" The one called Clara spoke up in a british accent and they all laughed yet again. She was probably a new student cause I've never seen her face around before.
"And who might you be? Pardon me, but you seem like the least wise one in this posse of stupidity," I said and watched her face loose color, surprise and embarrassment colouring her cheeks pink.
She started to say something, but I didn't give her the chance to. I was simply too furious to.
"Just shut up! I don't want your disease carrying spit on my face. And you Stephanie," I turned to Stephanie. "I have just two words for you—Be careful." I said and then walked away from them, anger boiling deep in my veins, both at my lack of great comebacks and at myself still, for crying tears that weren't worth it.
They started shouting and yelling for me to come back, but I ignored their insults and made my way into the reception, blood steaming in contempt towards myself. A few students were there already so I just joined the queue and waited for my turn.
I was so angry. Angry was even an understatement and I knew something could go wrong, so I just took deep breaths and moved along with the slowly proceeding queue.
"When did you develop balls to talk back to Stephanie?" Mary's sarcastically annoying voice suddenly came from behind me and I rolled my eyes, willing her to go away as I wasn't in the mood for her teasing.
"Is it not you I'm talking to ni? Answer me joor!" Her persistent nature prevailed and I sighed and then turned back to look at her.
"When I realized I couldn't rely on my best friend all the time." I said, my tone sharper than intended. The deep breaths had done nothing and I felt my anger re-surfacing as I stared directly into her dark eyes that suddenly mirrored confusion.
"What's that supposed to mean?" She challenged, her brows furrowing in gradual annoyance.
"You were there all along while I was crying and accidentally bumped into them, weren't you? You saw how they called me a slob, didn't you?...what did you do?" The questions I'd been harboring since forever came tumbling out.
"I—" she tried defending herself but I didn't let her. My anger kept stemming higher and higher.
"You what? Held back and let them do whatever they wanted? Yes, you stood up for me when other people picked on me but when it came to Stephanie, you just suddenly disappeared. All the while you were watching from the sidelines and letting them have their way...why?" My voice rose, angry tears threatening to spill out.
"Because...Stephanie is...See never mind, I'm sorry okay? I didn't know what to do and I was scared of what they might do to me if I tried to help you!" she pleaded and I just shook my head and wiped furiously at the stupid tears that were rapidly spilling down my cheeks. I just didn't want to deal with her lies at that moment—I was too furious to.
"It's okay. Please just leave me alone now," I said and prayed that she would listen and go away because I could feel it now...the crazy part of me. It was screaming to be freed.
"I know you don't believe me, Mayo. But it's the truth! Those girls really scare me and—"
"I said its okay! Leave me alone!" I yelled, uncaring about the receptionist handing students their schedules and a few teachers who might be lurking around. I couldn't care less about what anyone would think at that moment.
"No! No listen to me! You're hurt and I know you are but-"
I couldn't hear anything she was saying anymore. My mind suddenly detached itself from this world as the crazy part of me took control. My legs moved on their own accord to the front desk and I picked up the ceramic flower vase on the desk.
I don't know how, but I saw the vase aim for Mary's head and the last thing I heard was her scream and the shattering sound of glass before I collapsed to the ground in a convulsing spasm, with my eyes rolled back in their sockets and foamy saliva dribbling down the side of my mouth.
I did warn her, didn't I?