The one who had pulled Zoey into the classroom was Marvin Fei.
Zoey was a bit confused. His name had been cleared since she released Rose's tape.
Apologies were immediately given. Several gifts were sent, followed by excuses and explanations.
Marvin's father was approached by others for business deals. Some of them being the ones who dumped him in the first place and were now crawling back.
They even had several lawsuits pending against people who attacked them, slandered them, mocked them, or even looked in their direction wrong.
In fact, they were even better off than before.
So why did Marvin look so... empty. His eyes were missing light, his skin lost its tint, and he was just a shell.
" Uhh, Marv? If you're looking for a hookup
.... I would suggest against it you look a little 'drained'."
Zoey joked. Marvin stayed blank.
"Yeesh, tough crowd." Zoey mumbled.
The two just stood in silence and Zoey awkwardly stated. "Uh, well, I'm gonna go. Again, I contact you."
She awkwardly said and turned to leave. Just as she wrapped her hand around the door handle, his dry lifeless tone made Zoey's ear twitch.
"You wanna know why I followed Rose,"
Zoey paused and let go of the door. She turned to face him, eyes filled curiosity.
" When I was six. I started going to school. My parents were always doing some other shit rather than be with me. So, I wanted to make some friends.
As soon as I walked in. Everyone looked like they were back in diapers and they had a fresh load.
I tried to sit down with some kids and one of them pushed me down. They said I was too ugly.
Everyone laughed and I was left all alone."
Zoey felt a minuscule pang in her chest. Kids could be cruel, she knew it. She could remember all too well in her current and past life when she was picked on.
As Jade, all the kids called her a hobo and threw rocks at her.
As Zoey, she suffered from her half-siblings and kids from school.
But just because you had a shitty life doesn't mean you gotta be a shitty person. You are allowed to hurt, even act out some, sometimes for years.
But at some point, you gotta get over your shit. It might be hard, but you always have it in you. She did and he could too.
" I tried everything. I gave out candy, toys, invited them to my house. I was always nice. I even did their damn homework.
But, no one. No one wanted to be my friend.
So of course I acted out. I got so my so bad that my dad almost sent me to military school.
Then one day, Rose walked in. She had bright red hair and orange eyes. 'Cool' I thought. 'Someone else for them to pick on'.
But I was wrong.
People laughed at her at first and she didn't even flinch. Instead, she started talking to everyone. It didn't do anything at first. Then after a few minutes, she was everybody's friend.
Everyone gave her things, wanted to play with her, wanted to do her homework.
I was just thunderstruck. What did she have that I didn't have?
Was I really that ugly? Right then and there I decided to just give up. I would end up alone and sad. A military drop out who's an alcoholic wife-beater.
Then... she talked to me.
She literally just strode right up and asked to play. I was weirded out so I said no.
But she was persistent and she liked the same stuff I did. She was interested in my words. She would let me copy off her tests.
Eventually, I put her on a pedestal and I worshiped her. If she was every hungry I gave her my snacks, if she even hinted that she liked something. I would rush to get it.
I thought she was the most amazing woman in the world and I should do everything to show my love for her."
"S to the I to the M to the P. Simp." Zoey said to herself and Marvin continued.
"But you were right I was an idiot. All along she was this horrible monster.
I looked back on everything she did. She would first notice things about you. Your clothes, type of shampoo, everything. Then she would strike up a conversation with you.
She would keep prodding until she found an opening. Then she would get you to open up and the more you did the more she could shape herself into the perfect person.
A kind, loving, amiable girl. Who everybody loved. She knew everything about every topic. Only because it would benefit her to do so.
So now you were deep in the spider web that you were blinded and dumb. Believing every little lie she told, following her every command.
I should have never bought into it. But I did. Now my life is screwed up."
Zoey said to herself, " Well, cry me a river." She felt a little bad for the guy. A LITTLE. But she honestly couldn't have more than a teaspoon of sympathy.
" The people Rose had me meet, the stuff I paid for, everything I did for her. Was connected to something illegal. The people who I've messed with for her are starting to rise up.
You were right Zoey, you were so fucking right.
Now, my parents blame me for bringing Rose into our lives. They basically told me to stay away from them. I still got their money but I'm basically no longer their son.
They hate me.
Now others are crawling back to me but I know better.
But now I also know that I've got pretty much nothing. I spent all my time on the wrong things and life is just empty and pointless.
I've got nothing and an ugly face. So I'll never find anything meaningful in my life. To make it worse look what Rose sent me."
He pulled out his phone and held it up.
Voice Message|
Marvin. *Sniff* I'm so sorry. I know I owe you an explanation.
I was... *gulp* afraid to say this. To ANYONE.
But I guess I have to.
*HAA HOO GULP*
.
.
.
.
I have... bipolar disorder and I've been in denial for SO long.
I'm always acting out. First, I'm crying. Then I'm angry, or acting out sexually, or doing drugs. Doing reckless things and just having extreme highs and lows.
I didn't want to admit that I was crazy. I didn't want other people calling me crazy either. So I stopped taking my medicine.
Mona and Cecilia knew about this and they made me do all that stuff. They knew how to manipulate me into thinking their plans were my ideas.
They would act scared in front of me then laugh behind my back saying I was an idiot.
They knew just what buttons to push to turn me into their personal attack dog.
But that's no excuse. I'm sorry Marvie. I've been going to a therapist and I'm taking my pills again.
And I'm going to tell the whole world on Wednesday. So, I hope you'll be there.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO FORGIVE ME.
I just... *scoff*. What am I doing? Of course, you won't. And I don't blame you.
...
*Sigh* Bye Marv.
I'm sorry.|
The voice messaged ended and this actually managed to leave Zoey stupefied.
Zoey knew Rose a manipulative little bitch. But now she sounded, more sinister. There was definitely more to this woman than she thought. She almost bought Rose's little performance. Honestly, it was chilling.
But she wouldn't miss any opportunities to get more people on her side. And that's exactly what this recording could do.
"Hey, you mind if I borrow your phone?"
Zoey asked and Marvin tossed it to her.
"Keep it. But be warned there's lots of nudes, porn, and dick pics."
Zoey scrunched up her face in disgust. "*Eh* A free phone's a free phone. Latest model too." She thought to herself.
She put in her pocket and shrugged, " That it?"
Marvin shook his head. " I know you said I could work for you. But I'm so... empty. I hurt, I cry. It's all too much. I just can't anymore. So that's why I wanted to make a proposition. It'll really benefit the both of us."
"Ok?" Zoey crossed her arms and said it with an upward inflection.
"I'll wire as much money as possible to you. If you can do one thing."
"Spit it out, Marvin."
He faltered for a bit. His eyes showed light a little signaling that he was having some kind of internal conflict.
His eyes began to water a bit. But then as more time passed his eyes glazed over. And he looked at Zoey with an even more desolate gaze.
" Well? I'm waiting."
He let out a large such from his nose and said.
"Zoey, please kill me."