Navaeh Naylor barely hung out with Orchid anymore. She joined Hillary's posse of fake bimbo girls and Orchid was seething with rage and jealousy. One day, Orchid made the mistake of stepping into Hillary's territory.

She merely sat at the same table with Navaeh, Hillary, and the fake bimbo girls. She sat silently, but her silence seemed to be too loud for the girls. "Hey, Orchid," Navaeh managed a smile.

"Hi," Hillary said coldly and her posse of fake bimbo girls waved. Orchid waved back but didn't speak. Hillary turned to Navaeh, all smiley. "I heard you and Jackson are officially dating, congrats, girl!"

They weren't before? Orchid thought. Maybe she did need a touch-up on her romancing skills. "Thanks, Hills," she replied, brushing her hair out of her face. "Things are going great."

Hillary smiled again before shifting her focus to Orchid. Here we go, she frowned, poking at a piece of bread. "So, Orchid, what's your favourite class at Riff Hills?" She was acting as if Orchid didn't understand basic English because she often stammered.

She gulped. "L-Literacy."

"Oh, so, like English?"

"Uhm, y-yeah."

"Gosh, for someone who likes English so much, you stutter so much!" Hillary gasped fakely, glowering at her. Orchid shrunk back as the fake bimbo girls giggled, and Navaeh gave a half-hearted laugh. "Are you sure your name is Orchid Gray? Or is it Stutter Gray? C'mon, stutter a little more for us."

"I-I..." Orchid suddenly grew insecure of her stuttering, "I have to go use the washroom. Bye, N-Navaeh." She hurried off, trying to hide her tears, wanting the Earth to swallow her whole.

"Stupid, s-stupid," Orchid spluttered, her glasses fogged with tears. Her insecurity turned into hatred for her stutter. Never. Stutter. Again.

Orchid laid on her bed, unable to sleep. "I'm fine, I'm fine. I don't need Navaeh. I'm fine," she breathed. Maybe if she said it over and over again, she would also believe it.