EVERYTIME WE LEAVE HOME ECONOMICS, Terrence offers to walk with me to wherever I'm going, no matter where it is.

I want to tell him not to, but he insists. Then if I say no, I'll be making a big deal over an innocent gesture. I don't really think it's innocent though. My theory is that Brittany is sending Terrence to monitor me, though she seems not to care about us anymore.

When we get to my table at the very edge of the cafeteria, Madison is standing there. Her nose wrinkles in disgust, probably as much because of my friends as it is because of the garbage smell. Her arms are folded tightly, and the lush raspberry colour of her nails shines against her skin. Every second, her index finger taps impatiently, each rise and fall stirring a hammering in my heart.

Drew and Leah are sitting side by side, glaring at Madison. What is going on?

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Terrence stops beside me. There is anger in his eyes, surfacing like a menacing shark fin, but I don't know at whom he is directing it. Madison turns at the sound of our footsteps. Upon seeing Terrence, a relaxed sigh seeps out through her glossy lips. Her smile stretches wider, becoming too large to be friendly. It's caustic.

For a second, I'm surprised that the girl in front of me is Madison.

Usually, she's a diva with a sweet voice and a mean personality, who wounds by sprinkling compliments that sound completely patronising. But today, she's different. Less glitzy and more gritty. Madison has mastered the art of turning breath into poison and blood into ice almost as well as Brittany has — maybe even better, considering that Brittany never uses the transition; she's always poison.

"Terry," she drawls. "Short time, no see."

I'm not whether it's the nickname or Madison's voice that makes him flinch. Maybe both. Probably both.

"Madison," he says calmly. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, just what Brittany asked us to do. You know, put the geeks in hell, ruin their lives. Blah, blah, blah." She looks up from examining her nails to give a bored sigh. "Stuff you've done thousands of times."

I turn to Terrence, watching shame escape from his eyes and run rampant across his face, spreading red flames all across his cheeks. All the explanation I need, because I totally called it. Madison looks back to Leah, whose shoulders are hunched inwards vulnerably. Drew inches closer to her, looking about to shield her from Madison.

Except, Madison's not the type who physically bullies. Leave that to Reece and Derek. She has spent her life finding her weapons, sharpening them with her tongue, and spitting them like bullets. And these sorts of bullets never miss their target, because they spread on lips and paper and phones. Inescapable.

"Just think about what I said. Anything that happens after this is completely on you, honey." Madison glides away, arms swaying like willow branches in the wind.

Once, she glances back at Terrence, obviously expecting him to follow. When he stares at me, eyes drowning in guilt, his hazel irises look torn between Madison and me. But he leaves with Madison, rushing to catch up with her side. She hugs him when he does.

It's not like I expected him to pick me over Madison, one of his best friends, but it just reminds me that some things aren't worth the pain and hassle they will cause. My blooming friendship with Terrence is probably one of those things.

The Monarchy is too big to ignore, for the sake of one person. I used to think that a person's friends did not define his character. But now I don't believe that. I wonder how similar Terrence's character is to Brittany's, if they're such good friends. He seems kinder, more easy-going, but I can't get the image of him standing with Brittany as Derek and Reece get closer and closer to hitting me.

I slide onto the bench next to Leah. Her hands are warm, and the spaces between her fingers are slightly sweaty. She won't stop shaking. When Terrence and Madison are out of range of hearing, I ask, "Leah, what happened?"

She breathes for a moment, and Drew says it for her. "Madison here came to threaten us, because Brittany's still suspicious about us. Threats, insults, the usual. But, uh, she told Leah that she could back out now."

"What did Madison mean about it being on you?"

She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, getting her mind together. "Madison meant my sister. She..." Leah has to stop and take a deep breath. Her eyelids drop, and her head dips up to the ceiling. I think it's to stop any tears from leaking out. "She's been really badly bullied. It was completely unprovoked. She didn't do anything wrong, and I told her not to let the rumours get to her. But—"

Leah gulps in a breath, "It's so hard to ignore something like that. Her group of friends deserted her, but she always goes to choir and band practises to keep herself busy. I think she's becoming depressed." Still, Leah stares at the ceiling. An unwanted tear is pooling at the corner of her eyes, and Leah wipes both her eyes with the heel of hands. "Ugh, I can't believe I'm so weak."

I say, "You're not weak for crying."

The laugh that rips through her teeth is so broken, it twists my throat into knots. She's never been as steely as Brittany or Madison, but here, hiding her fingers in the sleeves of her baggy denim jacket, Leah looks just as powerful, in the anguished way. Her testimony to her strength is the fact that she's still here, fighting. She can overcome the Monarchy, just like her sister can. But it doesn't seem like she agrees with me; I've never seen Leah this ready to give up.

Then I realise. She's already been taking on the Monarchy, long before I even suggested the plan. A tear snakes its way down her cheek. Leah doesn't wipe it away, and it drops onto her sleeve before melting into a dark dot on light blue. She lets herself cry, while telling us, "I know it was Madison. It wouldn't be this bad if it wasn't. You know, even though they can b— be annoying, you still love your siblings."

I do know.

If I found out Luke was going through what Faune is, I would feel like the worst big sister. Like I failed at my job: to protect your younger sibling. I would feel full of rage, with nowhere to direct it. Wanting to help yet helpless. I would feel how Leah is now.

I pull her hands from her chin, parting them just enough for me to slide in to hug her. Her hair smells like lilies. The floral scent wraps around me the way Leah's arms do, and I feel her quiet sobs while she talks.

"And... It's just, I was supposed to protect her. I'm her big sister, and it was my job to make sure she didn't get hurt. Faune was in her room crying last night, trying to hide it from me, and it was like someone was twisting a knife into my heart," Leah recounts painfully. "She got hurt, because I wasn't there. I could have stopped this."

She sniffs, the rise and fall of her breathing rattling my ribcage. I had no idea how bad this was. I never would have put her in that position if I had known. "You can still stop it," I murmur.

"The whole point of the plan is to stop stuff like this happening," Drew adds. He's been sitting to the side, occasionally patting Leah on the back in what he hopes to be a comforting manner. I don't think our words have any effect on her, but she nods numbly anyways.

"This is why I was so reluctant to join, Soph." I think back to the Saturday afternoon we spent in her house, how subdued she was. "What if Faune became more of a target? I don't know how much more of this she can take before she really does something to hurt herself. But, I don't think things can get much worse. I'm doing this for her, and all the other kids crying themselves to bed because of the Monarchy."

At some point, Benjamin and Delaney arrive. They don't say anything. They just sit down and set their lunches on the tabletop. Delaney holds Leah's hand, looking as concerned as a naturally cold person like her can look.

I used to wonder if Delaney had a soft, caring side at all. She seemed really unsympathetic when talking about bullying, just fuelled by a personal vendetta. But now, I see that she does. It's just hidden beneath layers of steel and sarcasm and wit. I guess it only ever sees daylight when Delaney chooses, when a friend really needs some comfort. Benjamin helps in his own way too, by pulling out a tissue from his magic bag of neatness and stationery, offering it to Leah.

Leah completely recovers after a minute, I break the hug and move back to give us some space. She gives us all a smile, while pulling out the elastic in her hair and redoing the fish braid that got messed up before. "You guys are the best."

Casually, she pulls her tray in front of her, starting to eat. Delaney and I lock stares from across the table, surprised at how well Leah seems to be managing after a near breakdown. We both worry, because anyone who can hide their pain so well might be dying slowly, unnoticed — until it's too late. I should pay more attention to how Leah behaves.

I don't dare to look over the heads of the chattering students, lost in their own dramas, to where the Monarchy is sitting. They are surely watching us with smug smiles and triumphant postures. They've won this round, and they know it. I just don't feel like getting that rubbed in my face. One round is a worthy sacrifice for an entire war.

Drew told me most of the school hates them but are too scared to do anything about it. That statement should have angered me; students are too afraid of them so they endure this injustice. But instead, I feel pity for the Monarchy. I bet they never anticipated that with popularity and power, so much hate would come. They are literally the most hated people in school.

Terrence's weirdly stubborn attempts at befriending me seem a bit more normal now, if I was the only person in the school, other than his current friends, who didn't hate him on sight. Was.

No-one has thought about how this will end. Well, at least I haven't. I can tell that this is the only school they've known. How hard must it be to imagine a different, albeit better, one? My hope is that the students of Carsonville won't have to just imagine happiness for themselves. I want them to be truly happy.

But still, the massive unknown possibilities are scaring me. What will happen if we win? Does the Monarchy disintegrate and they become regular students? What if a new Monarchy takes over? And the cycle starts all over again? Will we have made things worse?

I know that if I have to fall, I will fall forwards. People like Faune don't deserve one more minute of this. People like Luke don't deserve to get excited about high school, only to come to a place like this. No-one deserves this.

I'll do my best for them before I graduate, even if it's not enough.