"It's been, like, forever since I joined this school, and you haven't been nice to me even once," Octavia complained, trailing after Seraphina as they walked to school.
"Oh, sorry, I guess I didn't notice," Seraphina replied, rolling her eyes with a total lack of interest. Octavia blocked her path, determined to get her attention. Seraphina glanced at him, rolled her eyes yet again, and gently pushed him aside to make her way through the school gates. Octavia couldn't help but smile a little and followed her, only to be intercepted by Angelina, his biology partner, who seemed to have a thing for him.
"Hey, Octavia, good morning, you amazing human!" Angelina greeted him, flashing a bright smile. Octavia returned the smile and glanced past her to see Seraphina entering the school building. He quickly refocused on Angelina. "Morning, Angel."
"Still tryna be friends with Seraphine ..some dreams don't happen you know?" Angelina said rolling her eyes .
"we're totally gonna be friends, even if Seraphina won't admit it she already considers me a friend," Octavia confidently declared as they strolled into the school building.
As they entered, they noticed a commotion. A crowd had gathered around two girls who were engaged in a heated fight. "What's happening over there?" Angelina asked, looking puzzled. Octavia shrugged and urged her, "Let's check it out." He manoeuvred through the crowd until he reached the brawl, discovering Seraphina throwing punches at another girl. Without hesitation, he jumped in and pulled Seraphina away, though he accidentally took a punch meant for the other girl. Angelina rushed over, concerned.
"Octavia!" Angelina exclaimed, rushing to his aid. "Look what you did, you little brat," she scolded Seraphina, shoving her aside while assisting the injured Octavia.
"Don't you dare call me a brat! I told him to stay away from me. He brought this upon himself. How many times do I have to tell you not to meddle in my business? It's barely been a month, and you think you know me. Octavia, stay away from me. And you, don't you dare call me a brat," Seraphina snapped, pointing a finger at Angelina.
"What's going on here? Seraphina, Angelina, Amara, and Octavia, my office now!" the principal's furious voice echoed through the chaos. "Actually, Octavia and Angelina, head to the school clinic. The rest of you, follow me," the principal ordered, storming off.
"I'll have to suspend you for two weeks, Seraphina," the principal reprimanded. Seraphina retorted, "Why don't you just expel me? Save yourself the trouble and get rid of me."
"I won't expel you. I'll keep you in this school as long as I can. Do you hear me, Seraphina?" the principal insisted. "I don't freakin' get it. What do I have to do for you to let me leave this school? Ugh, I hate you!" Seraphina angrily stormed out of the office, accidentally bumping into Octavia and Angelina as they made their way to the principal's office. Octavia reached out to stop her, but Seraphina snapped, "Don't freaking touch me! Don't you dare come near me again. We are not friends, so stay away!" With that, she stormed out of the school building, leaving Octavia frozen in shock. Her eyes reflected an intense anger he had never seen before.
"Who does she think she is?!" Seraphina yelled, taking another swig from her father's whiskey bottle. As she drank, her father walked in, furious. He approached her and slapped her hard across the face. "You stupid idiot!" he shouted, throwing the glass she had been drinking from against the wall. "Fighting in school again and drinking? Disrespecting your own mother with your attitude!" he screamed, gripping her shoulders tightly and shaking her forcefully.
"I don't know what I did to deserve a child like you," he muttered, shoving her away. "I hate her, and I hate this school. I begged you not to send me there, but you didn't listen. This is what you get," Seraphina spat.
"You've damaged school property six times in two months, skipped classes, and even failed some. You spend whole weekends out, showing up on Monday mornings drunk. I've tried everything. What more do you want me to do? No other school would accept you," her father explained desperately.
"So you had to dump me in that woman's school?!" Seraphina shouted.
"She's your mother; show some respect," her father retorted. Seraphina glared at him, then walked out on him, snatching his car keys on her way. She drove until she reached the one place where she could find solace—the cemetery. She made her way to her mother's grave and lay down, tears streaming down her face. "I hate her and him. In fact, I hate them both," she sobbed.
"Who cares if she gave birth to me? She was never there. You're my real mother, not that lying bitch. I don't know why you had to leave me. I should have gone to Kolkata with Grandpa and Grandma. I hate it here, Mommy," she cried, pouring out her pain.
Ever since she lost her mom, Seraphina couldn't bear the agony. She transformed into a completely different girl, living her life recklessly, drowning in her own turmoil.She hated her biological mother and never liked her father because she held him responsible for her mother's death.