Cold washed down Gracie's spine as the unknown group of friend interrogated her. She lacked knowledge of who they were but she veritably recollected them staring her back in the assembly, most unmistakably the tall girl with platinum straight hair reaching her waist, a dauntless malign look plastered on her face with her hands crossed on her chest and the other ivory skinned humans, a girl and a boy, just like her. Mysterious looking.
"Gracie, that's the name." she corrected them in an unflinching tone , her granny preferred it when people addresses her as Gracie not Grace, even every of her documents contained Gracie.
"Oh, dearie Gracie, pardon my error." The rich looking girl smirked, there was a dark, cryptic aura about her that made Gracie ill at ease.
"I'd not recur knowing you." Gracie poured out, she was scared and at same time pissed, because this action was not pleasing, considering the fact that it was her first day back in school.
"Of course not," the silky black haired girl beside the platinum girl laughed as she stepped closer to Gracie, till her expensive perfume was the only thing Gracie could inhale.
"I'm Marmony, by name and considering the offer we'll like to offer you, you can call me Mars."
"And what offer is that?" Sneered Tori.
It wasn't a bombshell that they came for Gracie, Tori knew they would come for her, she just didn't expected it to be real soon like this and by all means she was ready to chase them away from her friend.
Mars as she called herself reeled her thin, spotless neck aside to the girl whose look was too pompous for her liking, she had seen her in some of her classes and she knew her name was Victoria and her boyfriend, Pete Ratajkowski was in clash with his basketball co-captain.
"Victoria, right. Your name is Victoria." Mars smirked at Tori.
"Good to know, you know you don't get to call me Tori." She gave a fierce reply with her head up.
"I know what you guys do in your group and how you deceive people into thinking you're amazing saints when in actual fact y'all are amazing sluts. Stay far away from my best friend, wenches. Excusez-moi."
After the epic fall of awful words, Tori grabbed Gracie's hand and dragged her away for the DEN.
As the girls departed, the calmness the platinum girl had gathered varnished and she loosed her cool as she fisted her hands in balls, blood slowly dripped from the closure. Mars on sensing this called her out, "Countess!"
Countess glanced up at her and looked at her hands, she wasn't surprise, therefore she wiped them on her short pleated skirt, the color won't make a different.
"No one defies me." Countess groaned and stormed off, taking another route.
Mars sighed, she felt relieved that all the students had gone or how would they had handle Countess exhausting control? She peeped over her shoulder to the boy behind her, he had five of his fingers wrapped in hers the whole time.
"Let's get outta here, Sam." The boy nudged and they took same path as Countess.
***
Tori pulled Gracie into a corner she felt they were saved, the girls' locker. She sighed in relief, with her free hand, ruffled her short chic hair. Pacing round the small space from edge to edge, she ruminated on what they could possibly do to her, examining what they've done to other.
Gracie glared at her friend, she had zero idea of what exactly was going on, all she could tell was that she towed away without any reason.
"Okay, now I must say this 'cause you're freaking me out. What on earth is going on?" Gracie demanded, gruffly.
On one of her heels, she rotated and faced Gracie, then she blocked the air between them and seized her hands in tight squeeze.
"You need to promise me to stay away from them, all of them, Countess, Marmony, Samuel, Lewis and Nicholas."
Gracie frowned, utterly dazed. She barely identify the people she mentioned, "What the hell? I don't understand you, Tori. What's happ-"
"Ask no questions, just promise to stay away from them... They're- bad people."
"Okay." Gracie deadpanned.
Tori's shoulder dropped and a pout formed on her lips, she wished to be a better friend. She didn't defend Gracie when painted a whore, instead she had shied away because of her upcoming reputation as the leader of the cheerleaders and now her post was under threat by a brat named Katy Lemkin, when she had a little backup from her boyfriend, Pete, she thought she would shield Gracie from denigration.
"Listen, I know I've been a real jerk and I deserve a big slap on the face for not defending you then... I had useless excuses and I was a coward." Tori stared down at her feet in embarrassment, she was a bad human.
Gracie beamed, she understood her well and respected the fact that her reputation had been chosen over protecting her. Gracie was incensed at first, rejecting every call that came from her then she moved on and let peace off.
"I ain't pissed... anymore."
"What? You were pissed?" Tori's brows knitted, disbelieved.
"Of course I was pissed that my only friend turned away when I needed her the most, because her cheerleading career matters like ores more than I do.'" Gracie rolled her big doe eyes in disgust.
"Okay, yeah, I'm warranted bad things... I promise I won't leave your side again, I never. Cross my heart and hope to die." Pledged Tori with her hands placed on her chest and gave her best puppy look.
"Pinky swear?" Gracie bent flat four of her fingers, leaving the baby finger up.
This was a childish request but the girls were used to it since they became friends in their seventh grade. Tori was the lonely, new girl who was still grieving over the loss of her beloved mother and found it really hard to communicate with people because of her French accent but with the help of Gracie, she survived Mary Hills.
"Pinky swear." their pinky fingers met, curving it edge before the bell sang in the air.
"That's the bell for first period and Mr. Quint still takes history... You should collect your schedule from the principal's office and get started with classes, till then- I'mma see you at lunch. See ya!" She perked Gracie's left cheek and sprinted to the door.
Gracie rubbed her palm together, warming up. She cringed her nose like the ponging stink just strike on its high. Her left hand brushed over her nose, "Holy nose! This place stinks."
She headed out, loping.