MRS.WHITLOCK)
Throughout my whole life I've been taught how to be the exact definition of perfection. The perfect girl, a perfect daughter, and the perfect future bride...but what is perfection exactly? A question no one would truly be able to answer. It doesn't matter that much to me anymore though, since I've never really got to learn what that word actually meant. Well actually, I did learn one thing. One huge detail I was told growing up. If a woman full heartedly wants to know what the concept of perfection is, they must know their place in this world first.
No woman shall, or ever be equal to a man. This stuck with me because of how much anger and sorrow those words hold on the eyes of women. I've been told by a lot of men in my life to keep my mouth shut. Do I ever listen though? No I don't. I mean I literally have to sit in front of a huge bulky camera, knowing that people will probably be turning on their televisions to watch as I talk about a story that is filled with so much tragedy, misery, and violence.
This might be one of the hardest things I've ever done. Don't get me wrong though if I had the choice to keep this story to myself, I would have. That or the others would have just found a way to shut me up, but even they know we can't stay quiet forever. We all must learn, what's dead never truly stays dead. The truth will come out sooner or later. Might as well come forward now.
"Welcome back everyone to The Nightly Chat. I'm your host Evelyn Smith, today we have a very interesting story to spill for all of you. Though I must inform you that this story is a bit gruesome and does involve a lot of mature content, so viewer discretion is advised. Also this does involve true events so please don't throw any hate to anyone mentioned here today, and please be respectful. This isn't an easy subject to speak on. It involves five teenage girls, only looking for a chance to have a better life for both them and their families. If this sounds familiar it's because you've probably already heard it before. It's the main inspiration for the world's bestselling book titled 'Secrets'. Everyone, I would love to welcome Mrs. Whitlock, the author of this extraordinary book, to the show. Give a big round of applause."
As I walked on stage I gave a wave to the audience and managed to keep a really convincing smile on my face. Their symphony of applause and cheering filled my ears. This feels strange, I'm not the type to get nervous when doing interviews or book signings, but when I do usually the crowd's cheers and praises would help calm me down…it didn't seem to be working now.
"Mrs. Whitlock, you can obviously tell by the amount of noise in this room that your book has had quite an impact on your life. Now to my understanding you personally talked to each of these girls yourself am I right?" Asked Evelyn.
"Correct." I replied.
"So are they completely alright with you talking about their personal lives so freely on live television?"
"Well yeah, as long as I don't give out any phone numbers or home addresses, while thinking about it now I don't know what kind of deranged person would do that anyways."
"Well then please explain to us this story that inspired one of your most reviewed books."
"Well Ms. Smith, this is a very hard story to talk about, but I'll try my best to explain everything in full detail. Now to be able to get the whole picture of what happened, let's start off from the beginning, it was the first day of Junior year."
THREE YEARS AGO: (August 25, 2016)
(EMIYA LEE)
Junior year is here but to be honest, I'm not at all excited for today. I just can't get rid of this feeling I have, it's a faint nagging feeling that is causing me to be so nervous. Hopefully it's nothing because I just want to get through this whole day without any problems, or so I thought.
"Oh. My. GOD! How long is Deena gonna make us wait."
"Calm down Mari, maybe she has a good explanation." I assuredly proclaimed.
"Oh I bet staying up late is a good explanation, Emiya." Commented Mari with such frustration.
"How do you know that she stayed up late? Maybe her mom just needs her to do something before she leaves."
"Like what? Tell me what's more important than fucking school! That bitch needs a serious talking to, and since Miss Amelia won't be the one giving it to her, guess I'll have to be the one to do it for her then."
Meanwhile Mari was having her little freak out moment with her hands banging and harshly colliding with the steering wheel, I saw Deena coming out of the front door.
"Look Mari, she's coming so calm yourself." I said.
This is surprisingly normal for us. This would usually happen every morning during our Sophomore year, this is pretty much routine. I was just praying for this year to be different. The only tragic thing about this is that we can't control Deena's actions no matter how hard we try.
"Hey girls, sorry for keeping you waiting. Woah Mari, why are you looking at me like that?" Asked Dee as she got into the passenger seat of the car.
Sometimes it's hard not to want to slap Dee right across her face. How can she ask that when we keep reminding her to stop making us late. She's really lucky we all love her way too much.
"Jeez I don't know Dee, probably because we're gonna be late for our first day of school because of you." Sarcastically responded Jericho who was sitting in the back seat between me and Vonney.
"Woah chill girl, just had some business to take care of, that's all." Deena said confidently.
"Oh really then would you mind telling us what business that was." Questioned Vonney.
"I'll tell you guys later, for now let's just get going."
We finally arrived at school. We were just five minutes late. Me and the girls decided to book it towards our first class. I was so sure that being five minutes late was ok, it's not like people would have noticed right. Well...that would be true if it involved being normal. As soon as I entered class everyone turned to look at me, and one boy even hooted out.
"OH SHIT, WE HAVE MISS EMIYA LEE IN OUR CLASS THIS YEAR BA-BY!"
Right after he yelled that out, everyone in the class started to cheer and even the boys started to whistle and cat call me, while the girls just clapped. Mrs. Agarwal looked at me with such annoyance and told me to take a seat.
Everyone wanted me to sit next to them but I chose to sit next to a girl named Calla (Kai-a), who was the only one that wasn't hassling me to sit by them. As I sat myself down Mrs. Agarwal managed to calm down the freak show that just occurred. I placed my head on the desk and covered myself with my blazer. I'm so embarrassed with what happened.
Oh yeah, did I almost forget to mention that the girls and I are well known around the school, after all we are the NSB clique. Let me elaborate on it, NSB stands for the North Sky Babes. I know the name is really cringe worthy but just bear with me please.
This became our name since the middle of our freshman year. Everyone just kept calling us that, and we had no choice but to accept it. NSB is filled with the hottest girls in the school, and when I say "filled" I mean we only had the five of us in it. Me, Jericho, Vonney, Mari, and last but certainly not least, the queen herself-miss Deena Avens or Queen Dee.
Don't get confused with Dee's nickname. We only called her that because she was considered to be the "leader" of the group, not because she was more important or prettier than us. Deena got to control who was able to join the clique and who wasn't, but sometimes Deena needed a little extra help managing the clique, and that's where Mari comes in. Mari is the one who kept us all in check, and acted sometimes like a second mom to us. Some girls would try they're absolute hardest to join, but never could. In order for them to have even a slight chance to join, they would've had to get through to Deena or Mari, but that was easier said than done.
For example, Jericho was the last girl to join NSB and it was all thanks to me. She kept asking me to convince Deena and Mari to let her join, and of course I decided to help her out, after all our families are very close to one another. We practically grew up with each other. The process wasn't easy, it took weeks but they finally agreed on letting her join.
Now I'm not trying to make it sound like the group was cocky, we knew very well that there were other girls in our school with beauty all of their own, but we couldn't just let anyone join, not when we don't know what their true intentions are. We can't just trust everybody. This made it really hard for me to help Jer get into the clique, but once the girls saw how much trust I put in Jericho, they agreed to let her join.
Thank the lord I was able to make it through all six classes, only had one more class left, but for now I was hungry and it's a good thing that lunch had started cause I was legit about to pass out if I didn't get my food. I went to meet up with the girls outside. We chose to sit at a table under this big cherry tree. No joke, it was a literal cherry tree. That's how legit this private school was. This school was so fancy that we even had some pretty good food here, that we sadly couldn't afford but managed to bribe some of the guys into buying it for us. The school was also strict on that every student must wear their uniform that corresponds with what class year you were. The high waisted skirts are so uncomfortable and tight but you end up getting used to them.
It did not matter how uncomfortable the uniforms were though, the school just wanted to show how frickin fancy they were.
"Hey guys, you remember Mrs. Wells? Well apparently she quit her job at the last minute and now we have a new Chemistry teacher." I mentioned
"Are you talking about Mr. Jones?" Asked Dee.
"Yeah, how do you know about him?" I questioned.
"Well because me and Vonney have him for our last class of the day."
"Is that true Vonney?" Asked Jer.
"Yup." Responded Vee.
I might not have Mr. Jones as a teacher, but Mrs. Wells was really close to my family. She was mostly close with my mom however. They were so close that for me I honestly thought that their friendship was indestructible, that was until a month ago. When my mom came home from Mrs. Wells place, she was so upset that all I could do was sit by her side as she collapsed on the floor crying her eyes out. After that day Mrs. Wells never showed her face at our house again.
I had questions, but I knew better than to ask. I don't exactly know her reasons for quitting the school so suddenly, but why would she decide to disappear.
"Oh by the way Jericho, Dee needs you to call Sammy." Said Vee with a smirk.
Jericho seemed really "bothered" to hear those words come out of Vonney's mouth.
"Uh why me? He's your brother."
"Yeah Yeah, but you know he doesn't respond to my calls unlike yours, and plus Dee wants you to call him. Not me."
"Huh…Ok fine, I'll do it."
"BELLS ABOUT TO RING! EVERYONE BACK TO CLASS!" Cried out Coach Miller.
"Come on you guys. Before Mr. John Cena over there gets us in trouble." Says Deena.
We all snickered as we went to throw all our food away. We all dashed away and headed off to our last class of the day.
(DEENA AVENS)
This year is already starting off shitty for me. Not only did I find out that my ex is fooling around with my little sister Jamie, but that on Sunday my dad is coming back home from his business trip. I don't really get along with him that much. We used to be so close when I was a kid but then something happened that drove us to grow apart, and after that I just started to keep my space from him.
Anyways I'm hoping that today doesn't get a whole lot shitty-er cause I need to be in a good mood for tonight, I can't let anything go wrong.
Walking into chemistry class is like walking into my nana's rundown apartment, all the different smells of chemicals hitting you at once, and the traumatizing sight of seeing two people seemingly digging into each other's faces, almost like they are trying to devour each other. Not wanting to see this scene go on any longer, I yanked on Vonney's arm pulling her to our seats.
Taking out my makeup bag, my desk began to look like a salon with all the lipglosses, highlighters, and mascara on it. School might almost be over and this might be our last class, but I would rather wear an ugly old paper bag over my head than let anyone see me without a full face of glam.
I don't think our new darling teacher even noticed his students were in class already. He was writing something on the whiteboard while listening to music on his air pods. Damn I never thought teachers could actually keep up with the latest things nowadays. Not paying much mind into it, I reverted back to doing my makeup.
"Good Afternoon class. My name is Mr. Jones, and I'll be your new chemistry teacher."
While applying lip gloss, Mr. Jones suddenly turned to face his students. I slowly placed my mirror and lip gloss back in my bag. Something about this man was just calling me. He can easily pass as a twenty or twenty-five year old. He had a thin but still noticeable blonde beard growing. His blue eyes complemented his aqua blue suit he had on. Mr. Jones definitely looked like he had his life together, too bad he got put in my class.
"Hey Deena? He's kind of cute." Whispered Vonney.
"Shut up, Vee." I responded back.
"What? you know I'm right." Chuckled Vee.
I chuckled with her but tried to control myself. She gave me a look like "See I was right".
"I'm not confirming anything. Now be quiet before you get me in trouble along with you." I responded.
"Okay, okay."
Not even an hour into class and things are already boring. Look, I know that school is for learning and not for playing around but, I really don't care. All I want is to start some drama, or just something that can add a little spice into my life, and I honestly thought that having a new teacher would give me just that, but guess I was wrong. If you're wondering what I meant by that, I will gladly tell you.
See the only reason we even got a new teacher in the first place, was because of me. Yes, I'm the reason Mrs. Wells quit her job. Let's just say I have a talent for catching liars. I use this technique on my teachers a lot so I can get away with things, and Mrs. Wells was no different. You see, on the last day of sophomore year Mrs. Wells decided to change my grade from a perfect B, to a big fat fucking F! I was so pissed because that would mean I would have to take her class again in my junior year of high school. I was extremely livid and I wasn't going to allow this to happen, that's why it's always a good idea that I'm at least two steps ahead of people.
Though to be honest I didn't exactly get what I wanted since I'm still stuck in this class, but at least now she knows never to mess with me again.
When I heard about Mr. Jones coming to the school, I decided that I would show him how things work around here. So I kept observing him, seeing how he looks at the students, mostly the girls. Checking to see if he has a ring on his finger, or just anything to help me see if there's something I can hold against this man, but no luck. This dude seemed normal.
My head was hurting due to me thinking too hard about this. Usually when I get overwhelmed with thoughts I would always find myself munching on sweets. It's always a good thing I tend to carry three different types of flavored lollipops with me.
"Hey Dee, what are you doing? You know we can't have food in class." Whispered Vee.
I looked at Vonney with a slight confusion and annoyed expression. Seriously? No wonder Vee failed chemistry. Unlike me Vonney was actually supposed to be in chemistry this year, the girl just kept failing every test given.
"It's candy you dumb bitch."
"You know what I mean Deena. We can't eat in class."
"Like I care."
"I would have to agree with your friend miss Avens." Called out Mr. Jones.
What the hell? Who does this guy think he is to talk to me like that?
"Now may you please go throw away your candy." He gestured to the trash located next to him.
I rolled my eyes. I never remembered asking him about his opinions.
"Sorry sir, but I don't really give a rat's ass about what you have to say." I proclaimed with frustration in my voice.
Every student in class was shocked after saying the word ass. Some students whispered oh shit" under their breath while others looked at Mr. Jones with a "what the fuck" look on their face. Look I know it's petty to start a fight with your teacher on the very first day of school, but I could care less. Nobody, and I mean Nobody, not even a teacher will ever tell me what to do. Oh I promise you if I had some dirt on this Jones guy he would be gone in a flash.
"Is that so?" He asked.
He looked at me as if he was waiting for me to say something, or that at the very least I would change my mind and apologize, but I remained silent as everyone in the class.
"Okay…everyone is free to go early, except for you miss Avens."
Are you serious? Man fuck this.
"Vonney, please wait for me outside." I asked.
Just as Vonney was about to head out the door, I called her out from behind.
"VEE WAIT!"
I whispered something into Vonney's ear before she left so that Mr. Jones couldn't hear. Vonney left the room leaving me and Mr. Jones alone.
So yeah, thanks to my big mouth, now I gotta stay here and listen to Mr. Jones go on and on about how he wants all his students to succeed and not to be held down by their "attitude", and yeah I know it was technically my fault that I'm even in this position, but I can't control it, that's why they call me the leader of the group, because I always take initiative, and I'm not afraid to speak my mind.
"Miss Avens, please understand that I don't want to get you in trouble, so please work with me, and don't disrespect me next time."
Like I said, a leader must always take initiative. So why not be a leader and show Mr. Jones how I take charge. I stood up from my seat with Mr. Jones right across from my desk, I looked him in the eyes and took out the lollipop that I was sucking on from my mouth, and I whispered into his ear.
"Look Mr. Jones. Understand this won't you. Don't think that just because you're a teacher, means that you have power over me. I can do anything I want, regardless of who sees…for example, I can kiss you right now, and you won't have the balls to stop me." A smirk formed on my face after seeing his serious reaction.
His reaction quickly changed and he began to laugh, as if I was joking. He whispered back.
"I would love to see you try."
I stood there frozen with shock. This was extremely strange to me since no male has ever rejected my advances, it wasn't until Mr. Jones was turning his back to me when I went over the table in between me and him. I pulled him back by his shoulder, but this time his face was so close to me that I could see the sky blue in his eyes. He seemed shocked, which made me smile even more.
"Let this be a warning. Don't underestimate me again." I whispered in his ear.
I pressed my lips to meet his. My knees began to go numb on the table so our lips were only able to touch for a few seconds before I got off the desk. I grabbed my bag and ran out of the classroom leaving him shocked. I knew it was wrong, but I told him that I wasn't afraid to do it. It was his fault for underestimating me.
Vonney was waiting outside the door for me, and as I walked out she handed me her phone that had a picture of me and Mr. Jones getting a little too close, if you know what I mean.
"Is that fine enough?"
"Yeah, thanks Vonney."
In truth I didn't even have to respond to Vee's question with words, she could have known the answer just by looking at my expression. My face managed to form a playful smile while my eyes were glued on to the picture like a trance, but not even a moment later Vonney was able to pull me away from that bright screen with just a hand over mine.
"Come on Deena. We should get going."
All the girls were waiting for me and Vonney outside, looking a bit annoyed. I pulled out my phone to see that it was already four fifteen, the academy usually ends at four o'clock. I didn't even notice the bell had rung, damn that guy. Now I'm gonna have less time to get dressed, and it's all thanks to him.
"Thanks for waiting girls but we got to go now. " I rushed through my words.
I pushed past the girl's speed walking to the car. I would run but my legs are weak from my second class, physical education. The others managed to catch up to my incredibly fast walking.
"Ok, but why are you in a rush?" Asked Emiya.
"Well I told you guys that I was handling some business in the morning right."
"Yeah?" So does that mean you're gonna tell us?" Responded Jericho.
As we got to the car, I kept nagging Mari to open the door a lot faster. She was telling me to shut up and be patient, but I don't have time for patience. I reverted my direction from Mari to Jericho.
"Yes but not now. Now we just have to get home quickly. I want you guys to get dressed up for tonight, and then I will tell you everything when I pick you guys up, ok."
All the girls nodded, and we all got in the car. I turned to Mari who was now sitting right next to me in the driver seat, and began heading home.