**Disclaimer, read this chapter at your own discretion**
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Her voice felt hoarse, "You said no, right?" She watched Owen avoid her gaze with doubtful eyes, "Right?"
"I've never had so many people come up to me before," he started to pick at the skin of his thumb, "They were talking with me."
'Was he trying to make this out as a good thing?'
Coraline pushed at his shoulders—her voice began to rise, "You couldn't say that with any other girl? Why is it always me!"
Owen slammed Coraline against the wall behind her pushing at her shoulders, "Aren't you into me? Why is it a bad thing if we date?"
Coraline could no longer mask the derision in her voice, "Into...you?"
The last thing she needed was dating rumors, if there were going to be rumors then she would be supported by her actual lover. Not a guy who was chasing for attention.
'They're never different,' every person who tried to edge their way into her life always made more of a mess than she started with.
It reminded her of the play she watched where it older woman would wait at a bus station mindlessly clutching onto a bouquet of flowers.
Each man who walked past her—was unable to contain their disgusting words. One flower would wilt.
The act showed the woman stops waiting for a commute one day. Each man who made one of her flower's soon wilted had passed away in a slow death.
Some experienced terminal illness, others would be involved in a sudden accident and shortly die due to the injuries.
The worst ones were murder by a woman who was one of their victims. An urge drives them to track down their assailant.
It leaves a bittersweet ending when a small granddaughter passed by her great-grandmother's photo and died at a young age because of a dirty man.
Coraline shook her shoulder off from Owen, "I never did and never will get with you or anyone for that matter," she pressed down her nails inside of her fist, "If you won't say it, I will."
And briskly walked away without ever looking back at him.
When she got home she took the bear Owen had given him and ripped its legs off in a fit of anger.
She softly wept as she stitched up the broken bear, "You did nothing wrong Mr. Teddy."
The following school day was full of more scrutinizing peers from strangers. Vivianne patted at her friend's arm, "What's going on?" She stared back at the people pointing at Coraline until they turned away.
"Nothing's going on," Coraline rushed away from Vivianne leaving her behind and not doing their traditional goodbye hug dramatics.
When Coraline entered her class, her desk had been vandalized in deep scratches. Only then were her classmates avoiding her eyes. She quickly looked back at the empty seat in the opposite building where Owen would sit.
'What did that fool say.'
She bit at her tongue there were only a few more minutes until the teacher came. She scanned the room and let her voice fill the quietness, "What did he say! I'm not dating him!"
All the girls in the room watched her with wide eyes as if she had grown a big head overnight.
Coraline kept shifting her head for anyone to answer her.
Only when a hushed voice answered her did she quiet down, "Murderer."
"Murder?"
She looked back at her desk, the words 'Killer,' and 'She-Devil,' were inscribed all over it. She looked back at the other girl's desk.
"Where is he?"
"Everyone heard it. You rejected him when he came to you nicely and he died that same night. You killed him."
"Nicely? Who said that," She tried to retract her memories, who else had seen them?
Until it clicked a girl with pale peach hair briefly strided past her when she pushed Owen.
She didn't think much of it because the girl's footsteps faded away. And her anger had already blurred out everything else.
"You," Coraline pointed at the girl who was hiding behind her friends.
She poked out from the girl's side, "I- I saw it! You harshly pushed him around like some rag doll! Owen is the victim he even set aside some days to prepare you a gift," she tightly shut her eyes and took cover behind her friends back.
More students went to the girl's side all now finding their reason to look Coraline in her eyes.
She felt like crying instantly even if she defended herself what would make them want to choose her side?
No matter what she did or could do—she'll always lose.
Coraline raised her hand to harshly rub at her eyes, if she cried now she'll give them the reaction they were waiting for.
To see the 'perfect' girl crumble before them.
"Did you see what he did to me? Or did you choose to not hear that too?"
The girl grasped at her friend's arm her eyes peering at Coraline's, "Wh- What do you mean?"
"What kind of boy tells people he's dating someone then confesses to her afterward?"
All the girls shot looks at each other as Coraline continued, "What makes you think he's a good person just because he gives me a gift?" She held out her wrists to show the red marks that still stayed from when Owen grabbed her, "Does a good guy do things like this?"
The girls hesitantly looked at Coraline's marks.
"But I'm the one responsible, aren't I?"
The classroom was stifled at this. Coraline dragged out her seat from under her desk. She took a seat at her ruined desk with shaken legs.
Everyone else followed shortly after and none of her classmates had anything else to mummer behind her back.
When she went to get food at lunch with Vivianne, someone threw porridge at her head yelling, "Murderer!" As she stood quietly holding her tray with still arms.
Coraline could already guess the look her classmates would have after learning the truth. Yet, not one stood to her aid.
Only Vivianne.
Her mind quieted all the sounds around her, especially Vivianne's. Who went straight in the direction of the perpetrator, raising her voice and thrashing around her dress.
Coraline was dismissed early that day.
"And that's the end of one of my stupid tales," Coraline held up the teddy bear in the air, waving it slowly.
She never learned how Owen died since it would only add fuel to her problems. But his parents went to the school while she was dismissed and after that, no one ever called her a murderer again.
Even Vivianne kept quiet about what happened in her absence.
'Maybe it was for the better,' it allowed her to keep a clear consciousness after all.
Coraline lightly put away Mr. Teddy before standing up from her bed. She had to pick out an outfit to wear to go with Vivianne tomorrow.
She scrolled through her outfits looking for one that made her look decent but not too 'alluring.'
She decided on a vanilla dress, it revealed her shoulders and had a box cut through where her collarbones peered out. It felt close to her shins and didn't stand out too much.
'My boring dress,' Coraline slid her hand down it. There were only a few times she wore a dress similar to this one. Mostly for meeting strangers, weird clients, and going to places that would keep an eye out for her.
She placed her head under the dress the wooden floor felt cool on her skin.
There were a few times when Coraline asked herself what was the point of it all, 'Why even try?'
What was the use of her putting in so much effort for people who would stomp their boots on her and walk past the scene in loud drums of steps.
'The sun's more kinder than any of them."
She clenched at her necklace before shutting her eyes.
Coraline had vivid dreams where people would track her down and try to make her life unlivable. The worst case was her being exiled.
She'd run endlessly in those dreams barefoot through the streets, screeching for anyone to listen to her.
To believe her.
Coraline's face painted red with the loss of breath and her voice.
She'd run until she fell to her knees and in a secluded place. Then she would bend over until her head bumped with Mother Earth's.
There would be screaming in the background chanting her name in anger. Until her heart felt like it fell out of her chest.
Coraline would start hysterically breathing while her skin was drenched in sweat. She was never the type to settle things with violence but that didn't mean she brushed it off.
If she did then her 'private' dealings would never have been a thing.
Who would believe her if she said that her business wasn't the place the rumors made it out to be.
It wasn't a place for lewdness but instead, Saphire Greens was a franchise selling information of corruption that lives in the shadows of their own kingdom.