Chapter 029
Chapter 29
Allison sat on Trisha’s bed, flipping through her phone mindlessly. The bright screen did very little to distract her from the mess that was her life right now.
Last week had been extremely intense. She couldn’t believe that he mother had slapped her. Actually slapped her. The sting was long gone, but the humiliation was still burned into her mind.
How dare she? Slap her because of that random adopted girl!
How dare she take Sophia’s side like that?
“Allison, you can’t stay here forever, you know?” Trisha’s voice came through, breaking her out of her thoughts.
Allison looked up from her phone, shrugging.
“I don’t know yet.”
Trisha sighed.
“Your mom’s pissed, sure. But are you really going to avoid her forever?”
Melanie, who was brushing her hair in front of the mirror, turned around with a frown.
“Allison, I have to tell you, your mum wasn’t wrong for being mad. I mean, being angry at your sister is one thing, but roofing her? That’s straight up evil. I’d have done the same thing.”
Allison’s grip on her phone tightened, and she shot Melanie a glare.
“You think I did it?”
Melanie met her gaze evenly.
“I think you could have. It sounds very much like something you can do.”
Allison glared at Melanie.
“Just speak your mind.”
“I know you did it.” Melanie finally said. “You hate Sophia. You wouldn’t go and talk to her like that, and you looked like you had a plan that day.”
Trisha, sensing the tension, quickly jumped in.
“Look, I never said that what you did, or if you did it, was right. But I don’t think tearing you down is what you need right now.”
Allison scoffed.
“So what now? You guys want to abandon me too? Throw me a slap while you’re at it?”
Melanie shook her head, letting out a breath.
“What? Of course not, Allison. We’re your friends. But you need to stop being so mean to Sophia. She’s already going through enough.”
Allison rolled her eyes and stood up, grabbing her bag.
“Whatever. Let’s just get to school.”
(
The moment they stepped onto the school grounds, the first thing Allison saw was her.
Sophia.
Of course, just her luck to see the source of her problems.
And right beside her, like some silly puppy, was Caleb. Allison felt sick to her stomach. How had someone like Sophia managed to turn Caleb into her personal guard dog? What kind of hex had she placed on him?
“Ugh, look at her!” Allison muttered under her breath.
Trisha and Melanie exchanged looks but said nothing. They had learned that arguing with Allison when she was in a bad mood was only a waste of time.
Just as they were about to walk past, something unexpected happened.
Allison suddenly felt herself being shoved to the side. Not hard enough to make her fall, but enough to make her stumble.
She whipped around, furious, expecting to see Caleb on the side she had been shoved. But it wasn’t Caleb.
It was Sophia.
Sophia, who had barely ever been able to meet her eyes before, had just pushed past her like she was nothing, and she wasn’t even looking back. Just like she felt she had shoved some pathetic, unworthy person.
For a moment, Allison could only stare. Was she imagining things? Since when did Sophia have the guts to—
Sophia suddenly turned around, and her eyes met Allison’s briefly, and there was something in them that hadn’t been there before. Coldness. Confidence. A condescending air.
She didn’t even say a word. She just continued to walked past, her head held high, with Caleb right behind her.
Allison felt her blood boil.
“Oh, so she thinks she’s a badass now?” Allison hissed under her breath.
Melanie shook her head, with a small smirk on her lips.
“Well it looks like you did mess with the wrong girl, Allison.”
Allison clenched her jaw. There was no way little Sophia was getting away with that.
The rest of the school day was unbearable. Everywhere she turned, people were talking about Sophia. About how she was back. About how she seemed nice and cool. About how she had had some guys wrapped around her finger.
It was infuriating.
Even worse, no one seemed to be afraid of Allison anymore.
For years, she had been the queen of this school. She had been feared. Respected. But now? People barely even looked her way. She was just regular popular.
It was as if Sophia had somehow replaced her.
At lunch, Allison sat at their usual table with Trisha and Melanie, stabbing at her salad with her fork. Across the cafeteria, Sophia sat with Caleb, laughing at something he said.
It made Allison sick.
“What the hell does he even see in her?” She snapped.
“Are they dating?” Melanie asked.
Trisha sighed.
“Looks like. Maybe he just likes her?” Trisha turned to Allison.
Allison scoffed.
“No. He’s under some kind of spell. That’s the only explanation.”
Melanie raised a brow.
“Or maybe, and hear me out, he just thinks she’s a good person. Unlike someone we know.”
Allison’s glared at her friends.
“Whose side are you guys even on?”
Melanie shrugged.
“I’m on the side of reality, babe. And the reality is, Sophia does not seem to be the weak little girl you used to push around anymore.”
Allison gritted her teeth. No. This wasn’t happening.
She needed to do something about this. And fast.
She watched the duo get up like twins as they walked to the door. She noticed the way he looked at her. The way he smiled. It was disgusting.
Sophia was nothing. She was nobody. Someone that had just been found on the streets and taken in. Sophia was a stray.
A slow smile crept onto Allison’s lips.
It was time to remind everyone who the real queen was.
And Sophia? Sophia was about to learn that just because she had a little confidence now, it didn’t mean she had won.
She was going to show her her real place very soon.