AS THE COMPETITION DREW CLOSER, I WAS GETTING BUSY WITH CHEERING PRACTICE, AND Gianna and I didn't have much time to hang out either.
She seemed preoccupied too since her childhood friend had returned to town and transferred to Justice High. It turned out to be the Oceanarium girl.
She introduced herself as Althea or Aliana, I'm not sure what her name was. I'm not completely certain. I was really uninterested, especially since she was seated next to Gianna's chair.
I was in the same class as Gianna. It was difficult to hide our true relationship, but we are both quite skilled at it. However, Gianna's childhood pal will complicate things for us.
What happens if she finds out Gianna is my stepsister? She appears to be a chatty individual. What if she tells everyone at school about our secret?
I haven't discussed with Gianna about her since I've been so busy, and I've fallen asleep quickly every time I went home from practice due to weariness. At times, I have a habit of forgetting to eat dinner. Gianna will try to wake me up, but because I am exhausted, she typically gives up.
In any case, practice is over, and the cheering competition is the next day. Students from various well-known high schools will attend the event, which will be hosted in the school gym.
The Justice High Cheerleading Squad is always in the top three teams. We came close to capturing first place last year. I've been a member of the cheerleading squad since last year, and my family has been quite supportive.
I went to the tryout since three of my "friends" were going to be there. The "it girls" in our class have befriended me since I transferred. "The Bewitcher" as their pseudonym.
Scarlett, the so-called leader, appears to be a kind girl, but she is a backstabbing bitch when she is just with the girls. Her family is wealthy. That could explain her sense of entitlement. She isn't particularly clever intellectually, but she is an excellent dancer. To be honest, when it comes to dancing, she pales in comparison to me. She aspired to be the cheerleading squad's next captain.
Paisley, the group's tiniest member, is a fiery and violent character. She won't bother being kind to you if she doesn't like you. Paisley is rude as well. She's the daughter of the Vice Mayor, so she's behaving pompously. She doesn't mind.
Claire's mother was a stockholder in the school. Claire is smarter and better in academics than the other two. She's not that nasty, but she's been friends with the two since middle school, so she had to be a part of the group. She adores dancing and is constantly trying to improve.
I joined "The Bewitcher" because I've learned that no one will pick on or bully you if you're friends with them. They began bullying my stepsister before I could suggest adding Gianna to the group, and I had no idea how to respond. My memory flashed back to bullying incidents from elementary and middle school. After that, I decided not to say or do anything else.
My relationship with Gianna had been awkward at the time. Because we live in the same place, I didn't know how to handle the "abandoning" issue. Gianna, on the other hand, simply smiled and pretended nothing had happened. After that, I felt relieved. I attempted to repair my mistakes and stand by Gianna, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. No one wanted to fight with the bullies because they were too powerful. As a result, everyone simply ignores it. Teachers, too, are unable to intervene. I grew afraid as a result.
Fortunately, Willow, the captain of our cheering squad, was like a knight in shining armor. When the bullies are causing Gianna physical pain, she is always willing to help. Miss Amelia was another of The Bewitcher's professors who refused to be tamed. As a result, she is one of the persons who protect the students from bullies, especially Gianna.
The Bewitcher is powerless to inflict revenge on Miss Amelia and Willow, no matter how much they want to. Because Willow, our cheer captain, is the Mayor's daughter. Miss Amelia is also the school's greatest stockholder and the daughter of the school's president. As a result, Gianna has a solid backup. So, how about me? Over time, I began to like the girls; they are mean, but they are also warm and supportive as friends. I've known them for two years and can confidently claim to know them better than their bully alter ego.
Anyway, let's return to the present: practice is finished, and we're on our way home. With three other girls, I'm making my way down to the school's entrance. It was now dark, and from the light post at the school entrance, I recognized a familiar figure.
My heart skipped a beat once again. For several days, this has been going on every time I see her. I'm not sure what's going on with me.
As we approached the entryway, my heart began to race as I noticed Gianna standing there. She wasn't alone this time; the transferee is with her.
The three girls standing next to me talked about boys and crushes, but I was more interested in Gianna and the transferee's topic. Gianna had a large smile on her face as the more tiny girl spoke with motion. The transferee girl is highly expressive when she speaks.
I'm beginning to dislike her. I don't know why, but I loathe her. I understand they were childhood friends, but I am envious that she can make Gianna laugh and grin.
We were close by when they stopped talking and just gazed at us. Gianna was staring at me as I was staring at her. Her smile fades, and she puts on her usual poker look.
My heart sinks when her expression changes. I was hoping to see the smile she was giving the transferee earlier. But I have to pretend I'm not familiar with her, right? Why this is so difficult?
Scarlett crooned, "Somebody got her girlfriend back." They came to a complete stop just in front of them. A deep sigh escaped me. Let's get started again.
Scarlett and Paisley exchanged high fives as Paisley added, "You looked good together. Garbage and a garbage can."
"Welcome back, Aria," Claire remarked, and the two of them exchanged a look. "What?"
That's what I'm talking about. The nicer of the two was Claire. They influenced her at times.
So the transferee's name is Aria.
"Thank you, Claire; I'm glad to see you," Aria said, "but not these two; some things never change, right, Scarlett and Paisley?"
Scarlett mumbled as she continued to taunt Aria, "Is someone talking? All I hear is rubbish."
"Someone else is going nuts and spouting nonsense, as is the mother of someone close to her; oh, so it was contagious after all," Paisley shouted.
Aria was immediately triggered by Paisley's words.
Aria was going to strike Paisley when Gianna leaped in front of her and grabbed the transferee's arm. Based on her reaction, she knows what happened to Gianna's mother. They then catch up swiftly.
I made a conscious effort to keep my gaze fixed on Gianna. Gianna's upcoming acts frightened me more. However, her face remained expressionless. Her poker face remained intact.
"See, being crazy is contagious; that's what you get when you hang out with the offspring of a crazy person," Scarlett continued, her gaze falling on Gianna. As she moved to the car that had been waiting for them, the bully said, "Let's go, girls, before we become infected with that disease." Scarlett was in charge of the automobile.
I had been biting my lower lip the entire time, and I was beginning to feel bad. Before we boarded Scarlett's car, which had been opened by her driver, I returned my focus to Gianna.
Then I saw she was staring at me while Aria is ranting beside her. That was brief, but I observed how she nodded to me as if encouraging me to ride along in the car with The Bewitchers. Everything went smoothly. I bit my bottom lip once more then nodded and hopped to Scarlett's car.
When the car was moving, I spotted Gianna patting Aria's head in the side-view mirror. I felt that unfathomable anguish in my chest once more. What is causing this?
Aria upsets me greatly!
Claire unexpectedly said, "That was a truly low blow." She was in the seat beside the driver. While the three of us are in the back.
"I know! One of these days, I'm going to teach Aria a lesson since she's getting on my nerves!" Scarlett cried.
Claire astonished me by saying, "It's not Aria. You two crossed the boundary, and it was below the belt." We were all concentrating on her. Her stepping up and giving her thoughts on the two surprised me even more. Scarlett and Paisley just gave her the death stare.
Paisley screamed angrily, "What the heck are you talking about? Are you that terrified of her as well?"
Scarlett's voice was determined to make Gianna's life a living hell. "Don't be afraid of her, Claire. She may be the Mayor's daughter, but she can't get away with messing with my target this time." What did Gianna do to make Scarlett loathe her so much?
I joined in, "So Aria was the captain's sister?"
Paisley said, "Yeah, she identified herself earlier, duh. Aria Bonnie Lee. Who named her child Bonnie? Their family is strange."
"You're right," Scarlett agreed.
While Paisley and Scarlett defame the Mayor's family, Claire falls silent. They're well-known for it.
That's why Aria's features looked familiar. She was Willow's younger sibling. Now that I think about it, the captain was in the Oceanarium with her sister when she saw me. Fortunately, they weren't together when Willow approached me.
This is yet another reason why I should avoid Aria. The captain will find out about our secret if her sister does. That was not going to happen to me. I've put in a lot of effort to get to where I am now. I'm not going to be bullied any longer.
I'll advise Gianna to keep her distance from Aria. Yes, I'll let her know. I'm convinced Gianna will listen to what I have to say.
We'd already passed our house, but I hadn't gone down. I pretended to be heading to the mall to purchase something, but the fact was that I didn't want them to know where I lived. They didn't even know Gianna's house was nearby, so I'm just being cautious.
The three girls were born and reared in Justice City. They knew Gianna and her father resided in the old house. Uncle Gary hasn't sold that house yet, but from what I've heard, he will shortly. After his first wife died, he bought the house we now live in, which is only a few blocks from the old one.
He indicated that he wanted Gianna to move on, so he bought them a new home to start again. And, according to him, the old house had many bad memories, thus it was preferable for them to relocate.
I'm not sure why he keeps the old house, and I was scared to ask Gianna about it because I didn't want to bring up her mother again. The last time I did that, Gianna ignored me for two days.
Gianna was devastated by her mother's death. She had been through a lot. It was a delicate subject, yet my so-called friends used it often to annoy Gianna. But... Gianna remained expressionless every time they exploited that topic against her.
However, I'm more terrified of seeing Gianna in that state. Gianna is a lovely, patient young lady with a dark side. I've only heard my mother's version of the story, and I'm not interested in seeing Gianna's darker side. I hope so.