The Struggle of the Underdogs

The next morning, Riona repeated the same procedure from the day before: get dressed, go to the kitchen for breakfast. While she feasted on a few pancakes, she told Harriet and William about Jeff, and how much of a fool he was.

"He has got to be the most arrogant idiot in the entire school...and that's saying something" she grumbled.

Harriet snickered and asked her "So he likes you, correct? From what you've told me, he's completely fascinated with you!"

William, who would usually chuckle at a matter such as this, cracked his knuckles and told Riona "If that punk gives you any trouble sweetheart, let me know and I'll mess him up for you."

Riona smirked, knowing that while Jeff was tall and powerfully built, Will would still tower over him and beat him to a pulp if he wanted to.
Harriet rolled her eyes and told Riona "Look, sweety, don't take his love for granted. He may seem like a scumbag-"

"He IS a scumbag, Harriet, and I can't stand him!" Riona snapped, irritated that her foster-mother wasn't seeing her point of view.

"Why do you despise him so much? He seems like the typical gentleman!" Harriet said incredulously.

"He attacked Carl...most likely out of jealousy for his relationship with Maggie" Riona replied.

Will snarled "How dare he! I'll crush that moron with my own two hands!"

Will was very fond of Carl for a reason that Riona didn't know, always looking after him like a severely protective older brother.

Riona went to the door, grabbed her green backpack, and told Harriet "Sorry I yelled at you. It's just that I'm so annoyed that I have to deal with an idiot like Jeff, right when I enter school for the first time in my life."

Her foster-mother smiled serenely at her and told her "Such is life, dear. Be sure to enjoy gym class today!" Riona groaned and walked out the house, starting the long trek to the school.

The first part of her day went as smooth as the previous one, free of interruptions. Before her nest-to-last period of the day, gym, Riona went to her locker to put most of her books away and to grab the athletic outfit Harriet had prepared for her the night before: A plain gray t-shirt that, unlike the t-shirts of so many girls in the school, covered her entire torso, and black athletic shorts that went just below her knees. Riona wasn't interested in looking like any of the girls who had glared at her for wearing that dress the previous day. While she was pondering over what gym would be like, she sensed somebody next to her, leaning against the locker to her immediate right. She turned to look, and groaned when she realized who the visitor was.
Jeff, wearing a smug smile, his arms crossed in front of his beefy chest, was looking down at Riona with the same look of curiosity he had given her yesterday.

She spat "What do you want, moron?" and he frowned, apparently not expecting such a negative greeting. "Did he seriously think I would be anywhere close to cordial with him after he attacked Carl yesterday?" she thought peevishly.

Jeff said softly in a fairly deep voice "Hello to you too, sweetheart. I was hoping you would be more friendly with me. Why are you being so aloof?"

Riona flinched, disgusted that he was using the same word William used with her and thought "You really don't know? How big of an idiot are you?" She snarled up at him "I have no intention of being kind towards a bully like you!"
He sighed in exasperation and asked her "Are you seriously fuming over what happened between me and Carl yesterday, babe?"

Riona snapped "Don't call me 'babe' you scumbag! And yes, as a matter of fact, I'm disgusted that you would attack Carl in what was clearly a fit of jealousy! You're obviously envious of the true love between Carl and Maggie, a love that somebody as insensitive as you will never know!"

He growled in response and told her "I've been lifting weights, working out, playing football and basketball ever since the 8th grade so that Maggie would notice me! She's always ignored me and my attempts to flirt with her, and she chose that loser Carl as her boyfriend! She treats me like trash, even though I've always been nice to her!"

Riona snorted in derision and asked him "You seriously think she would have one nice thing to say to you, when you pick on Carl just because of your petty jealousy? You are a hypocrite, and you know it."
She could tell that Jeff was getting flustered, and that made her quite happy. Here was a fool who thought that they could be friends when he spent his time attacking somebody as innocent as Carl over ridiculous issues of envy. Jeff sighed and casually flexed his muscles for her to see.

He winked down at her and asked her "How do you like this, sweetheart? This is the result of me working long and hard with weights of over 200 pounds. Impressive, huh?" Riona took a good long look at him, and sneered.

"So this is how you win over the ladies? By squatting as if you're trying to take a dump? You aren't at all appealing."

Jeff yelled "Are you f---king kidding me?" and several passersby gave him startled looks.

Riona cackled maliciously and told him "You can't fool me, dipwad. Unlike the sluts that roam these halls, I desire a man who has a beautiful heart, and I couldn't care less about physical appearances. Just give up already, and leave me alone. I'm going to be late for gym class if I waste any more time with you."
Suddenly, Jeff's face lighted up in sheer joy and he asked her "You're going to gym class too? Then we can go together!"

Riona gritted her teeth, slammed her locker and started walking briskly in the direction of the gymnasium, desperately trying to get away from him. Something about him was making her extremely uncomfortable, something in his looks and attitude that she couldn't truly recognize. While she mused over this, Jeff appeared next to her, easily matching her pace with long strides.

Riona snapped "Leave me alone, scumbag! Can't you take a hint? I don't like you, and nothing you do or say will ever change that!"

Jeff grinned at her in what he must've thought was a charming manner and told her "You forgot to tell me your name, sweetheart. That's bad manners."

She spat back "I didn't forget, moron, I have no intention of telling you my name!"
Maggie ran past her, trying to avoid being late and shouted over her shoulder "Hurry Riona, the gym teacher doesn't let people get away with being tardy, even on the second day of school!"

Riona groaned and Jeff pumped a fist in the air in triumph.

"So, your name's Riona, eh? Sounds Irish! Then again, I should've known you were Irish when I first saw you, with your beautiful green eyes and wonderfully pale skin."

Riona wanted to scream in frustration, but she merely told him furiously "Quit wasting your breath, compliments will get you nowhere with me! Now leave me alone, for the last time!"

Jeff winked at her again and replied "I will never be able to stop flirting with you, Riona. I can tell that you're a beautiful girl, inside and out, and I want to be your lover! Trust me, you and I are going to have so much fun getting to know each other!"

She rolled her eyes, spat "Trust me, that will never happen!" and ran for the haven of the girls' locker room. Jeff called after her "See you in a bit, Riona! You're gonna love my gym outfit!"

Riona slammed the door of the locker room and tried to calm herself. Then she noticed that the room was full of other girls, who were staring at her like she was a zoo animal. Riona glared at them all and rushed over to Maggie, who was bewildered at her sudden appearance.

"What on earth happened to you Riona?" she asked, completely oblivious to the fact that she had added to Riona's problem with Jeff.

Riona sighed impatiently and tried to gently tell her "Maggie...Jeff was flirting with me...and thanks to you, he now knows my name."

Maggie's bright blue eyes widened in shock, and then she moaned in understanding. "Oh good Lord...I'm sorry Riona, I didn't even notice he was walking with you!"

Riona patted her on the back, expecting this answer. Maggie had made it clear over the months they had already spent together that she did not like paying attention to the details, that she preferred the big picture.

The two of them quickly changed into their gym outfits, very much aware that a large cluster of girls from the popular crowd were glaring at them. Riona smirked, anticipating a confrontation coming quickly, as Maggie slipped on a lavender t-shirt and deep purple athletic shorts, an outfit that was just as decent as Riona's. As she gazed around the locker room, Riona noticed that besides herself and Maggie, the only girls who were also dressed decently were the girls that didn't belong to the popular crowd. Riona chuckled, noting how the girls of the popular crowd were still dressed in booty shorts, only this time, the shorts were even shorter. It was almost disturbing to Riona that such a thing could be possible. Her thoughts were interrupted when the group of popular girls stomped up to them, each of them sneering at Riona's outfit.
One of them stepped forward so that she only a few inches from Riona's face. "Ah, this must be the queen bee, the stuck up would-be leader of the school. Goodness, out of all the sluts here, she dresses the worst!" Riona thought, smirking at the girl.

Before the queen bee could say anything, Riona loudly greeted her by asking "What's up, whore biscuit?"

Everybody besides the popular girls keeled over with laughter, while the faces of the popular girls burned a cherry red.

The girl in Riona's face shrieked "What did you just call me?" and Riona coldly stated "Whore biscuit. Because not only do you look like a whore, you smell like one too."

She wasn't just jesting; this girl smelled disgusting, and Riona wasn't sure where the foul stench was coming from.

The girl screamed "My name, you brat, is Cassie, and I-" Riona spat "Save your breath for somebody who cares, moron! I have so many better things to do with my life than wasting my time arguing with a girl who dresses like a hooker!"
Cassie growled and told Riona "Don't you dare mock my sense of fashion! At least I don't look like my mother when she goes to her yoga class!"

It was quite possibly the weakest insult Riona had ever heard. She retorted "Oh? Well at least my shorts actually cover my entire behind, unlike yours, dear."

Cassie and her followers stormed out of the locker room in fury and embarrassment while everybody else screamed with laughter. Maggie giggled like a child and told Riona "You totally owned her, Riona! I've never seen Cassie so furious, and I've known her for more than 4 years!"

Riona slyly winked at her and asked her "Aren't you both cheerleaders? I thought all cheerleaders got along with each other!"

Maggie smiled and told her "Yes, but I can't stand how she treats the people who aren't her friends. I got ostracized from the cheerleading group when I told her that. Now, most of them hate me, just because I stood up for what's right. There's only about 2 of them who are anywhere near being decent human beings."
Riona nodded and then felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to behold a short Caucasian girl with bleach blonde hair surrounded by 3 African-American girls gazing at her with awe. The white girl told her "Hey girl! My name is Kwanisha, and I love to eat fried chicken!"

Riona blinked in confusion, while the girl's companions gave her a look of sheer disdain and said in unison "Shut up, Mandi. You aren't black like us!"

Mandi rolled her eyes and told Riona "They be mad 'cuz they don't like no fried chicken!"

All 3 of her friends shouted "For the last time Mandi, we're vegetarians!" It was both comical and strange to behold. Riona had never met a white girl who thought she was black. "This school is full of surprises", she mused. The 3 black girls introduced themselves as Camille, Yanine, and Trissa.
Next, Riona was introduced to two very quiet girls who appeared to be quite harmless. One, a brunette who wore large glasses and kept her hair in a ponytail, told Riona her name was Kelsie. "How do you do?" she asked politely, shaking Riona's hand.

Her companion introduced herself as Lindsay. Lindsay had brunette hair as well, though she had no glasses. Lindsay whispered to Riona "Just so you know...I'm a lesbian" and looked her in anticipation of Riona's reaction.

Riona shrugged her shoulders and said "Fine by me. Really, it doesn't matter to me who you are, so long as you're a nice person." Lindsay and Kelsie beamed at her, and everybody else looked at Riona in immense admiration. Feeling uncomfortable with the sudden popularity, Riona walked out of the locker room, Maggie close in tow.

"They all seem to like you very much, Riona!" Maggie said, full of excitement as usual.

Riona shrugged again and told her "I suppose it's interesting. Do they really get amazed by somebody standing up to jerks like Cassie?"

Maggie nodded and replied "Oh yes. You're the first to do that, actually." Riona sighed and thought "How disappointing. Are they all afraid of those scumbags?"

The two girls found Carl sitting at one of the metal benches, in a similar outfit to theirs, only slightly more masculine. They sat in silence as the other students sat down on the benches, waiting for the teacher, a grumpy old woman who looked like she was always sucking on lemons, to announce the activity for the day. Riona warily watched the crowd of students, wanting to be sure that she could avoid Jeff. Just as she thought this, he walked into the gymnasium, causing several girls to gasp in amazement.
Jeff was wearing blue athletic shorts and a tight a-shirt that showed off his bulky arms and outlined his huge torso. Girls everywhere were giggling, attracted by his looks. Riona rolled her eyes, knowing that all of them did not look on Jeff in love, but only lust for his body. Jeff looked around the room and when he found Riona, strolled over towards her casually, swinging his hips in a futile attempt to be seductive. Before he could get anywhere near Riona, Carl jumped off the bench and walked right up to him, blocking his path. Maggie and Riona inhaled deeply in shock, worried that Carl would get attacked by Jeff again.

Jeff snarled down at Carl "Get out of my way, or I'll beat you up!"

Carl glared daggers up at Jeff, his usually soft brown eyes now smoldering with a deep hatred and replied with fury "I'm not afraid of you, and you should know that by now, you fake fool! Stay away from Riona!"

Everybody in the room gasped aloud, never before having heard Carl insult anybody. The teacher shouted "Calm down and get back to your seats!", officially starting class.
Jeff walked over to where the popular girls were sitting and sat down with them, looking at Riona with his trademark smug smile, winking at her again.

Carl sat back down with his two friends and growled "I'm so sick of having to deal with that pompous windbag day after day! I would love to get back at him for all he's done to me!"

Riona shuddered, not used to these sudden surges of malice that Carl had been exhibiting recently. She made a mental note to ask Maggie later why Carl evidently hated Jeff so much. She mentally wandered into her own world, barely hearing the teacher ordering everybody to jog around the gymnasium until the end of the period. In a trance, she got up and immediately began to jog at a fast pace around the room, beating everybody else. Her daydreaming was stopped when Jeff came running up to her, greeting her with "Nice to see ya again, sweetheart."

She turned and spat "Keep away from me!" and increased her pace, trying as best she could to outrun him.

He easily matched her pace, telling her "That won't work Riona, I'm a top notch athlete. Now, tell me, do you like my outfit? It sure does make my buff chest pop out, eh?"

Riona told him "You're always going to look like an idiot to me, no matter what you wear."

Jeff huffed and begged her "Will you please try to be nicer towards me? I'm doing whatever I can to get along with you, and I don't appreciate how you're treating me."

She rolled her eyes in frustration and coldly said "Don't tell me to be nicer when you continue to be rude to Carl."

Riona heard him huff again and say "He's a loser, I have no intention to be nice to him!"

"My point exactly", she thought to herself, noting how much of a hypocrite he was being.

For the rest of the jog, she ignored his attempts to make conversation, and he eventually gave up, content with matching her pace and preventing her from getting away. Thankfully, the period ended sooner than she thought, and she dashed off to the locker room to change into her usual clothes. Within 2 minutes, she was back in her normal outfit, ready to head to history, her last period of the day.

Maggie, who was still changing, told her "Go ahead and leave Riona, I'll take much longer than you. I'll see you after school." Riona nodded and left, only to see Jeff waiting for her right outside the locker room.

Her anger nearly reaching its limit, she spat at him "Quit following me! You're getting on my nerves!" Jeff smiled at her and said gently "I just wanted to walk with you to history. We're in the same class, you know." Riona inhaled deeply in irritation and suddenly froze in shock.
The scent coming off of Jeff's sweaty torso was all too familiar; the scent of his sweat, nay, his blood, was the same as the brigand who had murdered her parents. She stood for a moment in silence, horrified at the revelation.

Jeff asked her in genuine worry "What's wrong Riona? Are you dehydrated?" His voice broke the reverie, and she snapped at him "None of your business!" and walked away, Jeff following close behind, soon at her side once more.

Now, she was somewhat afraid. She now knew that whether or not he was aware of it, no matter how distantly, Jeff was related by blood to the evil man who had ended her parents' lives, and nearly claimed her own.