{ T W E N T Y } : R O S E S  A R E  G A R B A G E.

Bonnie Black strolled into the girls dormitory five minutes before light's out.

Chloe glanced at the door as her twin walked in dully, "Where have you been?"

Bonnie eyed her and the sci-fi novel between her hands. She sometimes hated how much they looked so alike. Their similar appearance was superficial because on the inside they were both nothing alike.

Chloe didn't know what it felt like to be the side character in every story without even the confidence to feel like the main character in your own. Chloe fit into the picture as Aubrey Simon's confidante but she didn't. Bonnie knew she only mattered to Aubrey because of Chloe.

Everything she had in this school, Bonnie knew she owed it to being a twin and best friend to Aubrey. She knew the whole school referred to her as the half-wit twin, it was infuriating but she kept playing along because she had no better option.

It was better to be underestimated than overestimated.

That way she had no delusional expectations to really live up to and she didn't need to succumb to the people-pleaser-persona.

Bonnie Black was rooting for an apocalypse.

One that could quake the Earth Bubble Academy was built on. In a good way really.

"Practicing for my post haste, what's it to you?" She retorted spitefully, allowing the door to slam shut.

Chloe sat up straight now.

Tossing her novel aside, she spoke calmly, "Don't use that tone with me, Missy. I'm guessing your day was worse than mine?"

"Roses are garbage, violets are garbage, garbage garbage garbage. I spent valentine with my one true love."

Chloe scoffed.

Bonnie kept on rambling, "Why spread love when you can sprinkle glitter? It's better to lose a lover than love a loser!" She paused and looked to Chloe, "It was even plastic, can you imagine?"

"What or who are you talking about Bonnie?"

"Diezel and the plastic roses he gave that chubby weasel–– oh, look I rhymed!"

Amidst bitter whinning, she collapsed unto her black beddings, "But he's so fine, I can't help it."

Chloe wasn't ready for this conversation so she didn't bother trying. Burying her nose behind those brown pages, she continued to read her story.

"Chlo?"

"Yes Bon?"

Bonnie sat up and asked a question that took Chloe by surprise, "Are you into girls?"

As if on cue, the bell for light's out whistled loudly and they watched from the window as darkness stole into the surrounding.

"Because you never have boy drama, I've known you my whole life Chlo and I've never seen you worked up about any guy at all. Are you like not into boys?"

Chloe had never seen her sister with a more grave and dead serious expression.

"You're serious..."

Bonnie shrugged, "No need to act all aloof, I'm your twin sister, you can tell me anything."

That had to be the weirdest statement that had ever tumbled out of Bonnie Black's mouth.

"Why would yuu– What makes you think?" Chloe paused mid-sentence as realization washed over her, "Oh." She muttered, locking up. "Sure Bonnie, I know."

Chloe wasn't sure she wanted to entertain this conversation and she'd rather excuse herself while she still could.

"So, What's she like?" Bonnie asked incredulously, not taking the hint.

"Who?" Chloe asked back, getting up and walking to the inbuilt wardrobe on her side of the room.

"The girl from the other day, yunno the one you made out with in the shed." Bonnie answered with a promising smile.

"Bonnie, l'm tired, I've had a long day. We can talk about nerdy girls tomorrow." Chloe replied, wiggling into a black leggings.

Bonnie seemed weirdly excited as she giggled, "Okie. Goodnight."

Chloe mumbled something inaudible in reply and by the time she turned around, Bonnie had curled on her side into a fetal position under her shiny black blanket.

Quietly, Chloe exited the room.

| | |

Jazz couldn't believe her eyes.

Head Mistress May Anderson lurking around in the shed after light's out.

"Can someone start talking now?" Jian whisper yelled, not happy that he was hurdled this close to garbage.

The trio unwillingly went into stealth mode as Head Mistress May passed by with a scrubbing can and a wash cloth dangling from her hand.

Grey was the most shaken.

If he ever needed some convincing that something was going on behind the scenes in Bubble, he just got it first hand.

"Someone better start talking." Jian called out, standing to his full height immediately she was out of sight and earshot.

"Do we confront her?" Grey asked.

"Bad idea. We'd get in trouble instead for lurking around after light's out." Jazz conceded.

She needed a plan and she had to think fast.

An idea lit up in her head like an electric bulb.

"What are you thinking?" Grey questioned, noticing the look.

Jazz always pouted to the side when she was lost in thought and of course Grey had noticed it over time.

Jazz felt her lips curving into a girly smirk, "The best liars always tell the truth. See you in the morning Grey." She hugged him and nodded to Jian before she skidded away leaving them to wonder.

"She's hot." Jian commented staring after her.

"And she won't be yours." Grey assured him.

| | |

Jazz felt her head spinning a mile a minute as she raced back to her bedroom.

She was ready for what she had decided to do but what she wasn't ready for was whom she came face to face with in the dormitory corridor.

Livia Solace.

She stood ominously by the door of room 028 with her slender arms crossed under her breasts. The hallway lights were dim, so dim that the corridor felt like a horror scene.

"There you are." Livia said as she pushed herself off the wall, "We need to talk."

"Has hell frozen over?" Jazz Brown's sarcasm was deep seated.

"Don't make this difficult, little red riding hood." Livia gave her outfit a once-over.

"On a normal day I would've taken that as a compliment, Minnie mouse. And here I was hours ago thinking how I might already like you and how you're handling head prefect position. Getting all cozy in Aubrey's position." Jazz spat.

"I don't care if you like me or not, journalist girl but I'd say this boldly, Aubrey Simon was a menace."

"I'd better watch my back if I were you instead of getting so cozy and throwing all these parties. Trust me when I say this Olivia, Bubble Academy won't be ready for Aubrey's return."

"I'm not fazed. Look, we're deviating, I didn't come here to pick a fight–"

Jazz wasn't ready for whatever this was, "If you want me to listen to you, you either help me or forget about it."

"Does it have something to do with why you're returning back to your room long after light's out? You're daring things, Jazz Brown."

Jazz hissed and shoved past her. She didn't have the time to waste on petty drama.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway.

Livia and Jazz who had a hand on her door knob paused rapidly, their heads snapping around.

"Did you hear that?" Livia's daring voice had reduced to a whisper.

Yes, fear could do that to a person.

Jazz sighed as she spotted the Auburn hair mass, letting go of her door knob in relief.

"Am I late for the witchcraft meeting?" Chloe asked, her green serene eyes dancing between the girls.

"Chloe, thank goodness."

"I mean well, Jazz. See you in class." Livia said, backing away in her minnie mouse pajamas.

Immediately they heard Livia's door shut few meters away, Jazz began to divulge what she'd seen tonight.

"No way!" Chloe covered her mouth dramatically, "Are you sure?"

"One hundred and three percent. Grey and I were returning from our indoor movie date, and I wanted to get sour Skittles..." Jazz paused and groaned, "I didn't get them in the end but then yeah that's how the story goes."

Chloe sighed, "Normally I would ask what was Livia's deal but you seem like you have something else to spill."

Jazz tipped her lips into a smirk and winked, "I have a plan that would get me up close and maybe even personal with Head Mistress May Anderson."

| | |

Head Mistress May sighed deeply as she listened to the seventeen year old teenager standing before her large desk.

"I'm not sure how you want me to intervene, Miss Brown. You young kids pull pranks way too often for me to take you serious. This is a boarding school and you should expect these pranks more often."

"You'd call what happened to Aubrey a prank? She almost died!" Jazz was loosing her patience with this woman, "Someone could be targeting my family, first Aubrey, now me. You're supposed to ensure my safety as your pupil and you're telling me you're not sure how to intervene?"

Head Mistress May squirmed in her leather office chair, thankful that her office was soundproof.

Jazz itched to bring up the incident from the other night but it was too big a risk. Herself, Grey and Jian would face the penalities of their dilly dally.

"Fine." Head Mistress May was exasperated with this girl, "How would you suggest I intervene?"

"Move me into your apartment on school grounds. I'll feel safer there being flatmates with my Head Mistress."

Head Mistress May Anderson gaped at her insolence, "I disrespectfully decline, Miss Brown. And you're not going to make me feel guilty. Either you want me to sanction every girl in your dormitory for the rest of the semester–"

"What? You can't do that!" Jazz protested.

This wasn't going as planned.

Things seemed to be escalating too quickly.

She has messed up her side of the shared dormitory quite early this morning and came to Head Mistress May with the broken glitter palette and letter from Purple.

Yes, she was responsible for scattering her dorm room but the best liars always told the truth. Yet head mistress May was refusing to bite.

"I am the Head Mistress. I'll give you thirty seconds to change your mind and walk out that door with your freedom as well as everyone else's intact."

Jazz was dumbfounded.

This was a total dead end.

She'd cut in on her sleep for nothing. Head Mistress May was such a hard brick.

"Miss Brown," Head Mistress May called out to her when she reached the door, "I'd advise you to stop visiting the Refectory after light's out. Whatever it is you're involved in don't you dare drag my son into it. My family is still healing so take my advice. I'm not the type of woman you want as your enemy."

"I think you should take your own advise first. You seem very fond of the old shed yourself." Jazz clapped back, twisting the knob and opening the door.

"And you're one sentence away from being fond of classroom five."

Hmph, detention.

"Drop the macho act, Miss May, it gets old." Jazz retorted one last time before she fled from the office.

Coffee.

She needed her coffee.

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A/N: chitty-chat chapter! Any ideas what Livia might have wanted to discuss? What was head mistress May doing in the shed? It's a puzzle y'all. Shout-out to that one little girl on tiktok who started the 'roses are garbage' thingy. Vote, comment, share, thank you my butterflies.
TheShadyButterfly🦋.