─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

Bee had left Malakai's house early the next morning. She wrote him a goodbye note and set an alarm on his phone so he wouldn't sleep in. The two had little time to speak at school, so the boy didn't see her till second period— SLT.

"You look really pretty." Malakai whispered to her. Usually, he would sit beside Amerie, just because he always did and they were good friends. But this lesson, he wanted to sit by his new girlfriend.

Phoebe smiled as he gently kissed the new golden ring that she had purchased on her right hand. "Thank you, so do you." She said.

"Awh, thanks." The boy jokingly gushed.

"So remember, peeps, this isn't a guessing game. It's an exercise in normalising our what?" Jojo said, her hands resting on the wooden box.

"Wants and needs." They all spoke in unison.

"That's right. I don't want to hear any shaming. Am I clear?" Jojo asked, and they all nodded. "All right. Who's first? Harper."

The blonde girl stood and picked out a slip from the box. "I have to know the person properly before I have sex with them." She read out. Bee glanced over to Malakai, and the two nodded in agreement.

"Very good and very common." Jojo said. "Sasha."

"I can only cum to house music." Sasha read out. The class began to laugh at the statement.

"That's Ant." Spider spoke immediately.

"Yeah, so what if it is?" The boy huffed, sitting cross-legged on the back table. Spider turned around and gave him a fist bump. "Respect, bro." He mumbled.

Amerie volunteered for the next one. "Um, it just says foot." She began to giggle, along with everyone else. "Not feet. Just foot."

"All right." Jojo smiled. "Phoebe?"

The girl smiled. She stood to her feet and picked up a piece of paper from the box. She unfolded it and snickered at the words. "Um, I can only wank to pictures and videos. My imagination isn't graphic enough?" She read out the statement, growing confused by it. Everyone else began to laugh at what she had said.

"I'm sure that one's Nathan."

"Shut up!"

"Okay, okay." Jojo spoke as Bee sat back in her seat. Missy raised her hand, and Jojo nodded. "Yeah."

She made her way over to the box. reached inside and pulled a piece of paper out. "Harper likes getting double-dicked." Missy paused for a moment, not believing what she was reading, "By Dusty and Malakai." She concluded.

Spider began to chuckle from behind at the statement. At first, Bee didn't move— she was completely bewildered. Her heart was racing in her chest and she needed to know whether this was a joke.

She turned her head over to Malakai and just stared at him. But the boy was still facing the front of the classroom, refusing to look at her. "Malakai?" She whispered.

"Who the fuck wrote this?" Missy exclaimed, her eyes fixated on her friend.

"Wait, Malakai and Harper?" Sasha whispered.

"Spider, pack your things." Jojo ordered.

"Miss, I did not write that." Spider shook his head, yet he wore a guilty smile on his face.

"No, I don't care! Office!" Jojo ordered.

"Malakai?" Bee pleaded. But the more he ignored her, the more anxious she became.

The boy sighed. "It's—it's not what it looks like." He stuttered.

"It's not?" Bee asked, tears glassing over in her deep brown eyes. "Malakai, look at me. It's not true, right?" She begged.

Amerie had been watching the couple's interactions, her heart breaking for Bee. She turned to her ex-best friend. "You fucking slut!" She yelled out.

"Oh, you are a bitch," Daisy scoffed, her eyes fixated on the bleached blonde.

Frustrated that her boyfriend was unable to explain what was going on with her, Bee pushed her chair back and grabbed her backpack. The girl made her way to the door, ignoring Jojo's calls and the commotion in the room.

"Hey." Spider started, about to stop the girl in her tracks.

She looked him in the eyes. "You think this is funny, huh?" She questioned.

"Uh-oh, Bee's about to sting," Someone remarked.

"It's not my fault Malakai isn't the perfect little angel you thought he was." Spider shrugged.

Bee stared at him with repulsion. This boy was supposed to be her friend, so why was he doing this to her? Unable to control her frustration, Bee grabbed him by his shoulders and raised her knee right into his groin.

Everyone in the class yelled out in surprise as Spider doubled over in pain. He began to laugh as the girl left the classroom, and Malakai jumped up from his seat, prepared to launch himself at him. Ant and Dusty quickly rose, pulling him back.

"Fuck you!"

"Whoa! Chill out, dude."

"Okay, that's enough," Jojo quickly intervened. "That's enough."

─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

"This is boring." Jojo crossed her arms at the three girls. "You think it's original to fight over boys and call each other names? 'Cause it's not."

"I did nothing wrong," Amerie shook her head.

"With all due respect, Miss, no one is fighting over Malakai. We were speaking out in Phoebe's defence." Daisy clarified.

"And as we've now seen, Phoebe can fight her own battles."

Daisy looked at Amerie, a confused expression on her face. "So... you'd rather she had kneed Harper in the—" She started, pointing to the blonde girl beside her.

"No!" Jojo shook her head. "No. I wish she had not kneed anyone—we're getting off topic. This has been a constant problem all term, and honestly, I'm quite surprised you've dragged yourself into it, Daisy. The world expects this sort of behavior from young women, and you're proving them exactly right."

Daisy sighed. As much as she hated to admit it, her teacher was completely right.

"Look, I'm just asking you three: do better." Jojo advised. "For your own sake."

"Can we go now?" Amerie questioned, taking Daisy's hand and making her way to the door.

"Um, you can all go fix up the classroom."Jojo ordered, making them both huff with frustration.

"This is such bullshit." Daisy shook her head, shaking off Amerie's hold as she exited the room. She hadn't done it maliciously, she was just so riled up by the conversation and hadn't even noticed Amerie's grip.

But the Wadia girl sighed, thinking it was intentional. "Hey, Daisy... can we talk?" she asked, following behind the girl to the classroom. "I know right now isn't the best time, so probably later? You could come round mine after school."

"Talk about what?" Daisy questioned, picking up one of the wooden stools.

"Us." Amerie stated as she followed her actions. Harper cleared her throat, announcing her presence at that moment. Daisy glanced over at Amerie to see her reaction, but the girl was still staring sadly at her.

"You know, this is low, Harper, even for youp," Daisy told her. "First Dusty, now Malakai? I mean, do you even like your friends at this point?"

"I thought that they were broken up." Harper admitted to the Santos girl. "You weren't there— you didn't see how he yelled at her." The girl sighed. "I know how it looks, but I was just trying to help."

"Well, you did a really great job." Amerie scoffed sarcastically.

"He was completely alone." Harper said sadly. "And—and we didn't have sex. I mean, we nearly did. But he kept on going on about how much he likes Bee and how he couldn't imagine himself doing that with anyone but her."

"So that makes it okay?" Daisy questioned. "Bee's supposed to be your friend, and you tried to sleep with her boyfriend, who, might I add, had just experienced extreme trauma. And you weren't even gonna tell her?" She exclaimed.

Harper's phone chimed on the table, and she quickly picked it up. "I've got to go," she grumbled, making her way to the door.

Daisy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, keep running away from your problems." She had no idea how much her words affected Harper McLean at that moment. The blonde girl stopped in her tracks, her heart growing heavy.

"You know, I don't even know who you are anymore." Amerie shook her head. Harper turned to face her before sighing and leaving them.

─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

"I haven't had to scold you about acts of violence since you were in Year Eight." Woodsey chuckled to herself, reminiscing on Bee's past behaviour. The girl had her eyes on the window, just watching as people walked to and from their classes. "What's happened, huh? I thought those days were over."

"He's just lucky I didn't punch him." Bee shrugged.

"See, I know you give killer punches." Woodsey nodded. "But do you really reckon what you did was appropriate?"

"You're right." Bee nodded in agreement. For a moment, Woodsey thought she had gotten through to her... until she spoke again. "It should've been Dusty." She suggested..

"No, that's not—"

Bee cut her off. "Well, then Spider deserved it." She finalised.

"I'm sure he did." Woodsey nodded. "But Phoebe Laine, you know there are better ways to resolve conflicts." She spoke to the girl carefully, aware of her tendencies toward violent outbursts.

When they were younger, Phoebe and Anthony always found themselves getting into trouble together, and ever since then, their principal would always refer to them by their full names.

"Mhm."

"Now, I'm sure you're aware that your mother must be contacted about this." Woodsey told her.

The mention of her mum caught Bee's attention, and she finally looked at her principal. "Seriously?" She questioned.

"Of course," Woodsey nodded. "Do you have your phone with you today?"

"No." Bee said, despite her phone being in her back pocket.

"Phoebe Laine, you're a smart girl." Woodsey sighed. "Which is why I'm sure you understand that if your mother doesn't either contact us back or come to the school, child services will be involved."

"Why are you guys so obsessed with my mum?" Bee questioned. "I stay with the Vaughns. Isn't that enough?"

"Yes, I'm glad that you have a stable and safe place to stay. But the Vaughns are not your legal guardians." Woodsey shook her head. "And just why are you staying with them again?"

"Because my mum is on a business trip." Bee stated.

Woodsey pulled out a pen. "How long has she been on this trip?" She inquired.

"Not long." Phoebe shrugged. "It's an on-and-off thing. You guys just always catch her at the wrong time."

"If something has happened to your mother, you know you can tell me, right?" Woodsey asked, her voice gentle.

"My mum is fine. She's just a workaholic." Bee forced out a laugh.

"This conversation isn't over, Phoebe Laine." Woodsey told her. "But for now, Miss Vaughn will be contacted, and you will be in detention and library duty all of this week. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Miss."

─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

"Bee, I am so sorry," Malakai spoke. This was maybe the twentieth time he had tried to apologise to her, in person and over text. It was now the end of the school day, and Malakai had followed the girl to her car.

"Malakai, just drop it, okay? You don't have to apologise. It's not like we were even together— I mean, you could fuck whoever you wanted." Bee told him, holding back tears as she climbed into the driver's seat. "Just next time, maybe try people who aren't so closely connected to me."

"No, Bee, you don't understand."
Malakai shook his head, desperation evident in his tone. He placed his hand on the car door to prevent it from closing. "I didn't have sex with them."

Bee looked over at him, confusion written over her face. She sighed before harshly shutting the driver's door but opening the passenger's. Malakai took a breath of relief before making his way into her car.

"I was going to tell you." Malakai started.

"No, you weren't." Bee shook her head.

"I was, I was," Malakai assured her. "Last night, after you told me your story, I was going to tell you, but you fell asleep." She didn't say anything, so he continued. "I just wanted to forget about that night. I felt like I lost something, and I didn't want to lose you too. That's why I didn't—I couldn't have sex with them."

"But you did other things?"

"Uh... yeah." Malakai admitted to her, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Bee sighed, putting her head in her hands.

"I'm not proud of what I've done." He told her.

"I just wish you had told me sooner." Bee said to him. "It's not right what happened. They shouldn't have done that to you."

"It's not an excuse. I just— I wasn't thinking straight." Malakai explained. "And we were all drunk and high and—"

"But it's still wrong, Malakai. You get that, right?" She asked, her eyes welling up with emotion. The boy remained silent. "Look, if you need time or space or anything, that's okay with me."

"No." Malakai shook his head. "No, I don't want space, not from you."

"But, baby... you're not okay," Bee spoke through tears. "And I wish I could help you."

"It feels like I don't even know myself right now." Malakai explained, his voice trembling with vulnerability. "It's like nothing makes sense to me."

"Malakai—" Bee started.

"Nothing but you, Bee." He concluded.

She glanced over at him. "Are you sure? I mean, I promise you it's okay if you'd rather break up. I will be here, waiting for you. You know that, right?"

"I'm sure." He confirmed, nodding his head.

"Okay. We take it slow, though," Bee explained. "And we need boundaries."

"I agree." Malakai nodded. "Thank you, Bee."

"I just want the best for you, Malakai," Bee told him, reaching over and taking his hand in hers. "I want to help you to be okay."

"You are helping." He told her truthfully. "Could you take me home?"

"Yeah, of course." Bee nodded, reaching for her key in the ignition.

⎯ ❃ jania speaks!
edit: WHOOPS I FORGOT THE TITILE
been a while but i'm back! super excited for season 3 and im trying to remember the season 2 plot so there will definitely be more frequent updates🩷🩷🩷 i hope everyone who celebrates had a good Christmas!!