Chapter Eleven: ❝ guys fight with guns and girls fight with poison ❞

The eerie silence of the hallway always made Lily feel at peace.

There was something about the hushed breeze of the air conditioning swirling through the metal lockers that gave her thrilling goosebumps. Or the way she could listen to the click of her boots match the steady rhythm of her heartbeat. But, the best part was probably how still everything was.

No shouts or screams. No running or slow-paced strollers. No utters of side conversations or the typing of text messages. No banging of lockers or the harsh zipping of backpacks. Just complete serenity. Like the literal buildings and foundation of the school froze time and took a deep inhale. Then exhale. A technique she definitely needed to practice.

Lily was always self-aware of her inviolable, turbulent streak of anger and passion. After dealing with certain types of people for so long, she was forced to either bend the knee or keep fighting. And some days it was easier to control than others. But with her unfortunate run of bad luck over the past twenty-four hours, her only two emotions seemed to have been that passion and rage.

Like after her boisterous outburst and the vulgar language she used toward Chase, the substitute, Mr. Jacobs, utilized what power he could to send her to the Dean of Discipline's office. She wasn't the only one talking out of turn, but she was the loudest and the first person he could blame the chaos on. Of course Lily also tried to argue her way out of it, or at the very least drag Chase down with her too. But the poor old brown-cladded man had enough of everyone's talking, immediately rebuffing her rebuttal. He signed off the pink slip wordlessly and waited to start class back up until she walked out of the room; all brown, blue, gray, and green eyes following her actions.

Her jaws tighten just thinking of Chase's obnoxious smirk and the glimmer of "I won" shining in his dark eyes like a trophy. She made sure to swing her tote bag at his head as she threw it over her shoulder, storming out of the room with that little satisfaction.

But out of everyone's stares and sly smiles, she felt Maddison's burning a hole in her back the strongest. Lily wouldn't dare look her in the eyes after making the "stupid blonde bitch" comment but knew the look Maddison was giving her was either one of pity, shock, anger, or sorrow. And she wouldn't blame her. The statement was just an "in the moment" thing she never meant to say out loud, but Lily wasn't about to apologize in front of her already grinning dick of a date.

Her steady strut came to a sudden, meager stroll as other brief clinks of heels caught her attention. As stated before, the best part of the empty hallways was just that. It was empty. No people. Especially people who despised her.

And most particularly that person.

As Lily rounded the corner, she immediately stopped in her tracks. The sound of her black ankle boots scuffing the checkered tiles matched the brief pause of her heartbeat. She didn't know whether to be even more annoyed, even angrier, or just plain old confused at the girl that stood before her, so she dabbled in all of them.

Annisa Abdullah stood at least a foot away from her as if she was expecting her presence, briefly glancing at Lily with warm brown eyes. With a sharp stab, she pressed the bright red thumbtack into a corner of her laminated campaign poster. This time making sure it stayed put on the rough brown bulletin board.

"Hope you're not planning on ripping this one down too," Annisa said after a couple of seconds of silence. Her eyes remained only on the poster, straightening it down before retrieving the next thumbtack.

Lily shook her head to snap out of her stare, forming a frown in the process. "Do you really think that low of me? To go out of my way to 'ruin' your little campaign?"

Annisa scoffed. "Oh please, I don't have to think anything of you. I know you."

"You don't shit about me, so what the fuck the are you talking about?" Lily asked. "The only thing you 'know' is the direction of the mall and what outfit you're going to wear next."

"At least I know the difference between an outfit and a truck driver's uniform," Annisa retorted, giving Lily's clothes a good once over.

Even though she would never admit it, Annisa caught her there. She didn't necessarily dress so much as a "truck driver" as she did very... plain. A loose, simple black T-shirt with dark blue denim jeans and her favorite jet black ankle boots. Which were in dire need of being replaced. And she never bothered styling her hair in a fancy way or even attempted ponytails or buns. Since it couldn't decide whether it wanted to be loose waves or tight curls, it naturally chose both; making it a literal pain to brush in the morning. It was easier to just let it down and have its way.

Meanwhile, Annisa dressed like parents who had a lot more money. For that day she wore a chic, lacy white mesh top with long flared sleeves. If she wasn't on good terms with the administrators and people in Building Three, her blouse was a dress code violation waiting to happen. Even if she wore a white undershirt. Her mid-rise, black skinny jeans looked a lot fancier than hers and hugged her hips snuggly. Those flaming red, pointed toe flats on her feet even made Lily's shoes feel self-conscious.

Lily struggled to not roll her eyes and instead sighed. "Wow. Smart and superficial. How did the world get so lucky?"

Annisa pushed the last thumbtack into the bottom left corner of her poster and let a small smile appear on her heart-shaped lips. It took a good chunk of space on the bulletin board, but others would naturally have to go around her work. "Aren't you supposed to be going somewhere? Like the Dean's office?"

Lily almost asked how she knew that until she realized Annisa may have spotted her pink slip. She crumpled the delicate paper in her left fist like she was putting it in a chokehold, wrinkling its thin edges. "Shouldn't I be asking the same of you?"

"Well if you care to know... I finished my work early and convinced Mrs. Prescott to let me out to hang up some of my posters before third," Annisa responded. "Crazy what being nice gets you."

"Crazy what being a bitch does too," Lily said, crossing her arms over her chest and taking a slight step forward. "I wish you the best of luck by the way. Plastic always did look better on you."

Annisa bent down to pick up her beige bag full of identical posters and a small clear box of thumbtacks for her next stops. Lily's comments didn't faze her either, as she continued to respond with a cool tone to her voice. "If anyone's going to need luck, it's you. Heard Dr. Nash isn't in the best of moods today, so hopefully, your punishment isn't too bad. But, who am I kidding? After yesterday, how could it get any worse right?"

Lily's cold grin dropped. "How do you—"

"Everybody who's anybody knows about your little incident with Manny in the parking lot," Annisa said, slipping the straps of the bag through her forearm. "If it makes you feel any better, that's probably one of the least embarrassing things that have happened to you..."

Great. Another person to rub it in my face, Lily thought. "You know what? I don't care anymore. So go ahead and say you're pissed at me for kicking one your 'best friends' and causing 'more drama' if that's what this is about. That way we can save some time and skip to the good parts."

This time Annisa lightly chuckled, flashing a full set of straight white teeth. Though the laugh was full of more contempt than humor. She took a few steps closer to Lily, the scent of her strawberry perfume wafting in the small gap between them. "Okay. Well you know I don't like you and you don't like me. And with that mind, you also know that I am kinda pissed. But you should realize by now that I don't get mad. I get even."

Lily raised her s-shaped eyebrows. "Ooh, I'm trembling. Very scary Annisa—"

"When someone like you thinks they can walk all over and talk to anyone in my friend group anyhow, it makes other people think 'hmm... Well if she can treat Manny like that, then so can I.' And thinking is incredibly dangerous," Annisa interrupted, walking even closer to Lily. "So like I said. I don't get mad, I get fucking even."

Lily straightened up her posture and held a strong gaze as Annisa grinned again. That time, the smile never reached her brown eyes. Lily didn't know how else to respond and was suddenly eager to go to the Dean's office. Not because she was afraid of Annisa but just scared to show weakness at that moment. So she replied with, "Anything else?"

"Have a nice day Lily," Annisa said, and strutted right past her for the double doors at the end of the other hall.

Two periods came and went after Lily's run-in with Annisa.

Though, those two hours flew by and landed right past her memory. Almost as if it never happened. Her visit to Dr. Nash's office where she managed to skate by with a verbal warning for her crude language in class, but also got lectured on the importance of being careful about what you say. Her third-period class, AP Calculus BC, was just a blur of numbers and equations; in one ear and slithering out the other. Even in her Spanish Language and Culture class for fourth period, the only words she could utter was "hola", " ¿Que'?", and "adiós."

Her Puerto-Rican grandmother would've slapped her for that one.

During the rest of that morning, all she thought of was the warning Annisa left her with— "I don't get mad, I get fucking even." By now, Lily should have known better. They were close friends for two years and enemies for at least three. And if the last three years have taught her anything, it's that one should never underestimate Annisa's reprimands.

But then again, the sneaky brunette loved t0 bluff and used her popularity as an intimidation tactic. Something past experiences have also taught her. Being anxious and slightly paranoid that at any given moment, Annisa, or maybe even O'Dallas, would rain hail down from the sky while she was sleeping is precisely what she wanted. To scare her.

Lily was the one people should truly be afraid of. Not Annisa. Not O'Dallas. She was the force to be contended with, and whatever petty schemes those girls had to make her life even more miserable wouldn't work. Like how she dealt with Chase and Manny single-handedly, the same can and could be done with O'Dallas and Annisa.

At least she prayed so.

A body bumped into the side of Lily just as someone else in front of her stepped forward, snapping her out of that daydream. The person that bumped into her, a slim, flat-nosed sophomore, mumbled a short apology to which she only nodded with an aloof grin, then stepped forward as well.

The lunch line was regularly crowded toward the last three days of the week since the food was particularly exceptional. On Wednesday, it was lunch lady Hoster's delectable mac n cheese with bacon bits and finely chopped chives. They were nearly out by the second half of the lunch period and had to serve cold leftovers for those who waited the last minute. For that day, it was lunch lady Olive's mouthwatering grilled meatball subs. Those smoky spices hit Lily's nostrils before she even set foot into the cafeteria.

But she never stood in the line to get any of the food and actually sit down with her "peers" to "eat." The bottled spring water and some of the fresh fruit were cheaper to get there than when she went out for lunch. That, and mainly because it was O'Dallas and Annisa's "throne room."

Unlike an ordinary high school cafeteria where certain cliques sat at an unofficial "assigned" table for the majority of the school year, other cliques gravitated to where the most popular cliques sat.

Since Whitney Hills High School had indoor and outdoor seating to accommodate the number of students they had, wherever "The White Vests" clique sat for lunch that day, (for example), other people would try to snag the benches around them. If the dry, Californian heat was brutal one day, the popular kids would sit on the inside, and thus, people followed. If they were getting some brushes of a cold front from the north, making it a nice breezy day, they would sit on the outside. Thus, people followed.

It was an unspoken rule that the popular kids sat where they pleased whenever they pleased, and others would have to make way and adjust for them. People who weren't a part of one of those popular cliques— whether it was "The White Vests" or "The Belles" or "The Crew" — never dared to try and sit with them uninvited. A freshman once attempted that in the early weeks of the beginning of the school year, looking for a chance to make new "friends." But the only friends they ended up making were with people associated with "The Pit". The bottom-of-the-barrel social outcasts and "freaks".

A group even Lily was glad she wasn't a part of.

That day, it seemed all of the teen royalty liked the air conditioning of the inside cafeteria, Lily noted. As she glanced over to her right, she spotted the groups mingling in the middle with every other "lesser" clique surrounding them. Even though you couldn't sit with them without an invitation, being in their proximity, even a smidge, was enough to earn you a ton of notoriety. "Cool by association," Lily heard Chase once say. And as much as she hated to self-consciously admit it, he did have a point.

She once saw her other "enemy", O'Dallas Price, wave hello to another fellow junior. A tall, awkward, gaunt kid who did not have much social prevalence. But by the next day, she heard he got invited to one of the senior parties and a personal request from the basketball coach to try out for the season. She was guessing that was via word-of-mouth suggestion from the popular basketball team captain, Trevor Monroe.

If something as simple as a wave had enough power to change that kid's social standing from awkward to admired, Lily wondered how much power in "getting even" would undo all of it.

"I didn't know you liked caf' food," a soft female voice said near her.

Lily peeked over her shoulder to spot Maddison standing beside her in line with a tiny smile on her face. She wasn't surprised that she managed to skip ahead of the other kids, because again, Maddison Liberty. She was just shocked she approached her. And was talking to her. Again.

"I didn't know you got your own food," Lily finally said, but bit her tongue at how her comment came off. "I-I'm sorry—"

"— for my behavior," Maddison finished, shuffling up in line just as Lily did. "You really don't have to apologize for anything. What Chase did in class today... a complete dick move."

Lily lifted her eyebrows at the fact that Maddison swore, but kept to the point by asking, "Is it because you didn't want his actions to poorly reflect on what I may think of you?"

Maddison chuckled. "Not really. I just realized that I should have done better to stick up for you and not let him walk all over you like that. I guess I can be a 'stupid blonde bitch...'"

Lily took another step forward as the person ahead of them did, and bit the bottom of her lip. "Well, you gotta let me at least say sorry for that. Really didn't mean it, honestly. You're smarter than you look."

"Great, so I'll take that as a compliment," Maddison said with a wider smile. "I also meant to catch up with you earlier, but I also had to talk with Chase and... Well, you know how that goes."

Lily slowly bobbed her head. "Right, it's whatever. I'm sure you're little Prince Charming will find a way to give me a backhanded apology tomorrow. How did you find me here anyways?"

"Asked around, duh," Maddison said, and playfully bumped into her shoulder as they strolled forward. "You're a lot more popular than you think."

"Great, I'll take that as a compliment," Lily said with a half-real, half-fake grin.

"You know my 'friend offer' is still on the table right?" Maddison asked with a slight glimmer in her blue-green eyes. "You wouldn't have to always eat by yourself or hideaway at lunch—"

"— so I could just sit with you and your friends? Nice try, but not going to happen," Lily responded, peering over to the multiple popular people gathered at the center tables. "Annisa and O'Dallas are still out for my blood about something I didn't even start. Don't want them putting a target on your back now do we?"

"It's not me I'm worried about, it's your well-being. Like I said before, I got your back," Maddison explained, twiddling her manicured thumbnails together.

Lily bit the inside of her cheek as she briefly turned away from the bright blonde to grab a thick green apple and cool banana from the array of fruits in the bar. Maddison's efforts to come apologize to Lily were meaningfully sweet in her eyes. But like O'Dallas and Annisa, she was still one of them— popular, powerful, and pretty. A very treacherous combination for any high schooler to have.

"Look, Maddison, really cool of you to come to apologize and want to make amends. But right now, I am really not in the market for new friends or serious relationships. It's nothing personal," Lily said. Even though a small piece of her wanted to disagree with that last statement.

She bobbed her head up and down as she crisscrossed one leg in front of the other while she walked. "That's okay, I totally get your hesitations or 'suspicions.' Guys fight with guns and girls fight with poison... But I'll tell you what." She grabbed a crumpled, folded up piece of paper from the front pocket of her slim baby blue jeans. She smoothed its creased surface before handing it to Lily.

"What's this?" she asked, as she slipped the paper between her pointer and middle finger.

"My number. And no, it's not actually to a Pizza Hut or Planned Parenthood, it's the real deal," Maddison said, tucking her hands behind her back. "If you ever need anything, I'm a phone call or text message away."

"But —"

"Ahh, nope! It's yours. And try not to lose it. You'd be surprised at how many creeps would kill to get their hands on it," she said.

I guess we'll see, she thought and clutched the paper tighter with a sigh. "Thanks. I will guard it with my life..."

Maddison gave Lily a quick hug, which made her flinch, before saying, "Now I got to head back before my other friends start pestering me. But remember, anytime okay?"

Lily looked down at the paper and then back up with a bleak nod, not saying a word in response. Anything to get the conversation to end already.

"Great," Maddison finished as she backed out of the line. "Have a nice day Lily."

Don't think I mentioned this before, but this story is not set in a specific year by the way. For a point of reference, all you need to know is that it's set in very current, modern times (like through the years 2010-2019). The actual year never mattered, since it forces me to put a certain time strain on events anyways. But just in case you were wondering.

Also, thank you to those who have been patient with me. I just finished my summer college classes and can finally breathe. I rewrote this chapter four different times until I was satisfied too. Perfection is my weakness.

This is also the last chapter from Lily's POV, but she'll reappear again obviously. The next two will shift the focus onto O'Dallas and Annisa before we continue where we left off with Hakeem, Rashaad, and Manny.

Happy Juneteenth to all my black brothers and sisters out there, Father's Day to the greatest dad's around the world, and Pride Month to the entire LGBTQ+ community! Anyone that messes with y'all messes with me. So be proud, 'cause this is your month.

~ Robin ~