The Bitch War

I small smirk slipped onto my face. I felt so...not like me. I'd never been so daring. I grabbed my books out of my locker. I watched Elly as she handed out the white papers. Some who got them, immediately dropped them or threw them out, not even caring what it was about. I saw one boy actually stop read it and hand off to a friend.

"Dude, seriously, read it!" He said to his friend.

"The chick who wrote this is going to be murdered," the guy's Freon replies, still reading.

"I don't know, man, but we have to show Collin."

"He's gonna flip."

"Well, he'd find out eventually."

Suddenly, there's a tap on my shoulder. I see the face of a devil: Brooke Harris.

"Excuse me, bitch," she says, her blue eyes penetrating me. "What the hell is this?" She points to my article/newspaper/whatever-it's-called.

"Read it, bitch," I retort.

"No shit, Sherlock," she replies. "I read it already. I'm not a fucking slut."

"And that's why you slept with Jason?" I say rather loudly.

"Bitch."

I scoff. "Slut."

She walks away, grinning.

"Damn, girl," a guy with blond hair says. "You got balls; I'll give you that."

I'm mad. I am not a bitch. Right? I barely even catch what the guy in front of me said.

"Fuck off," I say, not feeling like talking. Come on; I'm now classified as Brooke enemy. I'm so dead.

"Hey," the guy says holding his hands up in defense. I look up from my schedule, and observe the guy.

"Sorry, it's just that fucking bitch, Brooke," I say with a small smile, greeting him.

"Yeah, well," the guy says, "that fucking bitch is my sister."

My eyes go wide. They do have the same hair color, the same eyes - not eye color, eye shape. His hands are in fists and he looks fuming with anger.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know. Oh god, I'm so sorry."

He bursts out laughing, saying, "It's alright I hate her, too. She's always using me, hurting me, and all that. I agree with you: She's a bitch."

"Thank god, I thought you were going to murder me." I relax my body, and sigh of relief.

"I'm Collin." he puts out a hand for me to shake.

"Rena," I say, shaking his hand awkwardly. "Nice to meet you, sir."

"Same to you, ma'am."

I roll my eyes and the bell rings. So far, everything is going good. Elly and I both head to Biology.

"I see you met Collin," she says as we take our seats.

"Yup," I agree, popping the 'p'

"I went to grade school with Brooke and Collin. They were really close until she started getting into the drugs and parties and sex."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Pay attention, girls! Don't make me say it again!" The teacher shouts. I hated Mr. Tibbets. I don't think he knows anything about biology, let alone teaching. He just yells at people.

The day goes on, and I head to lunch alone. Elly has lunch next hour and so does Kyle. So I'll be sitting alone.

"Hey, Ren!" A girl calls out. Oh shit, I think as I realize that it's Kora.

I stand still.

"Wanna come sit by us?" Kora says, startling me. That is not what I expected her to say. I walk over to her and her table full of people with black or bleached hair and piercing.

"What?" I ask.

"Well, I never gave you a chance," she says motioning me to sit down. "I thought we could like start over; y'know be friends?"

Ryan's by my side all of a sudden. "Oh," he says, smirking, "I'm sorry but she promised she'd come sit by me."

"Wh-" I begin, but Ryan gives me a look that tells me to go with it. "Yeah, it's true. Maybe some other time?"

"Of course." She smiles and asks for my number.

"Here," I give her a scrap piece of paper with my number on it.

With that, Ryan escorts me to his table full of hormonal boys. I think I'd rather sit at Kora's table. Either way, I'd stick out like a sore thumb.

I take a seat next to Ryan. "What the hell was that about?"

"She's trying to use you," he replies.

"Nuh-uh. Is she that bad?"

"Yeah. Kora's more of the backstabber."

"-and Brooke is just like I fucking hate you an you're going down," a familiar voice says. I look up and find Collin taking a seat in front of me.

"Wait. You two know each other?" I ask Ryan and Collin.

"Yeah, we're both on the soccer team," Ryan says.

Collin adds, "And neighbors."

My mouth forms an 'o'. I finish my food and start steal Ryan's fries. He doesn't notice until they are all gone.

"Bitch," he says, chuckling.

"Douche," I reply.

We go back and forth, throwing random insults at each, not really meaning any of it. Well, until there's a heart-wrenching scream. I look over to see Kora soaked in...liquid.

"Fucking bitch!" Kora shouts. The whole cafeteria is silent. She takes her drink and splashes Brooke.

Brooke, then, literally punches Kora. Kora grabs her plate of spaghetti, and she throws it at Brooke. People are chanting, "Fight, fight!" Brooke grabs some kids lunch, a sand wich and fries and, as revenge, throws it at Kora. That's when the teacher comes, sending them to the principle's office.

"Fuck," Collin says. "She's going to be in a bad mood when I get home."

"Sucks for you, man," Ryan replies.

The bell rings. I immediately start thinking of what I'm going to write about lunch. A sigh erupts from my mouth, slowly, a drawn out breathe. I have math next. Not only do I suck at it, but I have to live with Satin through it.

I take a seat in the front, where Brooke refuses to sit, on purpose. I look around the room, seeing random teenagers laughing, talking, and even kissing. No teacher though. Brooke walks in the classroom, and decides to sit right next to me. She grins like the devil.

"Hey, Ren Ren," Brooke smirks.

"Brooke."

"I am willing to make a compromise."

"Like what?" I ask, not really caring.

"I won't make your life a living hell, if in your little story thing, you make me the winner, if you make me sound amazing and make Kora look like a low-life, desperate bag of saggyness."

"Bag of saggyness?" I scoff.

"Yes," she hisses. She sounded like a snake, a python waiting to inject its venom into me. Waiting for kill.

"So, you're telling me, you want to be Queen Bitch? Or how Supreme Slut of All Bitches?"

"Ren Ren, you know what I mean. You know what I want. If you don't portray me as the winner in the next paper, I will personally drag you to hell," Brooke hisses again, my awful new nickname was dripping with her poisonous venom. "Besides, I already have a plan to murder someone's social life. Either Kora or you. Or maybe your number one supporter, Jenson. You seem like the type of person who rather have yourself go down than someone else. But that won't matter if you don't listen to me."

"Alright, kids, in your seats!" The teacher comes in. Saved by the teacher.

Well, not really. Through out class, Brooke sends me death glares, threatening notes, and even frames me for throwing a pen that she threw at the teacher. The bell rings, and I rush out of the classroom to avoid contact with Brooke. As I'm just out the door, somebody pulls my hair, pulling me into the nearest girl's bathroom.

It's one of Brooke's friends.

"Yes or no?" I think her name is Shyla. Her voice is high pitched and she's particularly a barbie doll with all the plastic surgery and implants. Rich white girls with their dad's wallets shoved up their asses.

"No. I'm not going to lie." I stand straight up. Whatever Brooke does, I can take it.

"Well, sucks for you." She grins. Next thing I know her shiny, pointy, metal rings on her fisted fingers connect to my face. I fall to the ground, and she kicks my head hard. Everything goes painfully black.

When I wake, I'm in the dark, my body squished up on and uneven surface. Soon, my eyes adjust. I'm in a red bathroom stall on a toilet, and I realize I'm the school's bathroom. I get up, head throbbing.

Walking out the stall, the bathroom lights are off. I walk out of the bathroom, the halls dark also. I must have been knocked out...well, I was, but Shyla might have left me in there until everyone was gone.

I grab my phone out of my pocket and use it as a flashlight. Grabbing my backpack, I leave the building. I live ten miles from the school, so I call Elly to come pick me up. She doesn't answer.

I call Ryan, who also doesn't answer. Finally, I call Collin.

"Hello?" He answers.

"Uh, hey, it's Rena."

"Oh, hi! What's up?"

"I - uh - I need a ride home," I say sheepishly.

"Sure, where are you?"

"School..."

"Why the hell are you at school at 8:30 at night?"

"Brooke...Shyla...I got knocked out. Just woke up," I reply into the phone.

"Oh my god, are you okay? I'm on my way."

"Thanks. And, yeah, I think I'm good." I sigh. My head hurts though. "See you in a bit."

A few minutes later, a Audi car honks at me. I walk towards it, assuming it's Collin. He rolls down a window, and smiles at me.

"Hey," he greets me. I get in the passenger seat.

"Sure you alright? Like do I need to take you to the hospital to get your head checked? You could have a concussion," Collin looks at me, talking, before he drives off.

"I'm good, mom," I reply, smirking.

"I'm sorry, Ren; I'm really sorry," he looks at me still, his gray eye impaling my light brown eyes.

"Collin, just stop. I'm fine," I say. "I've been through a hell of a lot worse."

"You're telling me you get beat up everyday?"

"My dad's a drunk. My mom died in a car accident when my dad was driving...drunk. He also killed Jake Waters, a 10 year old kid. His family sued mine, we became poor. He got angry...temperamental. He used to abuse me. So, yes, Collin, this little bump on my head is nothing."

"Used to?"

"Yeah. He doesn't do it anymore," I lie, thinking back to yesterday. Last week. The week before that. And so on.

"Alright, then," he replies, suspicious. "Left or right?"

"Right." I continue to give him direction until he pulls up to me small, rickety, old house.

"Well. Here we are."

"Yup."

"I'll see you tomorrow, then."

I nod and climb out. I begin to walk up to the door to my house when he call out my name.

"Hey, Rena, stay safe. G'night!" He begins to pull away. "Oh, and call me if you need anything!"

I smile and wave good-bye. Walking into my house, my dad is no where to be seen. I sigh in relief. I head to my room, right my next entry to "The Bitch War." I right in detail about the food fight at lunch, and how Brooke is so desperate that she approached me and threatened me. I also right about how she had Shyla knock me out. I, then, go to sleep, not doing any of my homework. Brooke's hissing voice rings in my head.

"...I will personally drag you to hell."