‘Listen to me very carefully, because I will never repeat it again. Taking to filth like you is not something I want to do for a single second of my day. Do not come near me. Don’t look at me. Don’t walk in the same direction as me. What happened yesterday, was not what you think. I don’t like you, and I never once took pity on you or wanted to save you from Natasha,’ Carola said. Finally, channeling all the anger she had bottled up. It was only after she had finished speaking did she realize that the hallways had gone quiet. Always hungry for drama, everyone was gaping at them, and Natasha stood next to her, smiling like a proud mom.

‘But, you helped me yesterday,’ Ella said, her eyes brimming with tears.
‘Darling, did you think I was helping you? No, I was only saving you for myself. I can’t let Nat have all the fun. I need people I need to terrorize, too, and you, my dear are number one on my list,’ Carola finished and walked away, bumping a crying Ella on the way. She didn’t have to turn around to know that the girl had fallen down.

Carola thought she’d feel happy at the sight of Ella’s broken and hurt face, but she didn’t. She only felt sadness and pity – for both herself and for Ella. And it angered her because she did not want to pity her own self.
Carola found the girl crying in the bathroom. Her dress was ruined, and she sat by the stall and cried her heart out. It was only the first period, and Carola couldn’t help but feel sad at the sight of the girl. She did not take part in the bullying, but she also did not help those who get bullied in the school. She simply just did not care. Not about the former, nor the latter.

But, there was something about this girl.
‘What’s your name, sweetie?’ Carola asked.
The girl only cried.
‘I know you. You are Ella, right?’
The other girl just nodded, her face covered in those glasses and the curtain of hair shielding her from the outside world. Carola sat down in front of her.
‘Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?’ She was hoping that Ella would tell her.
‘My parents don’t care about me, and everyone here makes fun of me. I know this is high school, but I wished I had a friend I could talk to. I feel so alone, to the point where I sometimes wish I wasn’t alive.’