Chapter 6: The Shattered Beginning
Eva's POV
"What do you really want, Cassandra? I don't want trouble. I've never done anything to you. Did I ever do anything to you?" I asked, trying to reason with her.
Cassandra laughed, a mocking sound. "You think you're so innocent? You think you can just waltz in here and steal Garvin's attention?"
"I told you earlier, it was a misunderstanding," I protested. "Why do you want to throw my bag away? What's going on with you?"
Cassandra's expression twisted in anger. "I hate you, Eva. I hated you the moment you tried to talk to Garvin. You think you're so special, don't you? Well, you're not."
I took a step back, shocked by Cassandra's venom. "I don't understand why you're doing this. I've never looked for your trouble."
Cassandra sneered, "You don't need to look for my trouble to be my enemy. Just existing is enough."
"Why do you want to throw my bag away, Cassandra?" I asked, trying to understand her motivations.
Cassandra smiled, a cold, calculating smile, as she glanced at her two friends, who seemed to be egging her on. "You don't know me, Eva. Nobody gets away with disturbing me. Nobody crosses paths with me and gets away with it."
I shook my head, frustrated. "I've never bothered you before. Why do you keep saying I'm looking for trouble? Are you deaf? I said it was just a misunderstanding, that's all."
Cassandra's smile grew wider. "That's enough for me to deal with you. You think you can just waltz in here and steal Garvin's attention? I don't think so."
My eyes flashed with anger. "Are you a bully, Cassandra? Is this how you bully other people? By intimidating them and throwing their things away?"
Cassandra's friends snickered, but Cassandra just shrugged. "I'm just protecting what's mine. And Garvin is mine."
"Okay, I won't go near Garvin again. It was a misunderstanding," I said, trying to placate her.
But Cassandra just sneered. "You think this bag is yours? This bag is not meant for poor people like you. You're not worthy of carrying a bag like this."
My eyes widened in shock. "That's not fair, Cassandra. My dad worked hard to buy this bag. It's mine, not yours."
Cassandra laughed. "You think your daddy worked hard? Don't you think he stole it? You're just a poor, scholarship girl. You don't belong here."
I felt a surge of anger. "That's enough, Cassandra. Give me my bag back. Now."
Cassandra's friends snickered and cheered her on as I seethed with frustration and anger.
"You think you can own this expensive bag? Oh, shut up. Who do you think you are? Deceiving yourself, maybe? Your daddy is a thief, and everyone knows it. One of his part-time jobs is robbing rich men."
My eyes flashed with anger. "How dare you! My dad is not a thief. He works hard to provide for me."
Cassandra sneered. "Oh, I'm just telling the truth. You're so sensitive because you know I'm right. You're just a poor girl trying to pretend to be rich. Well, it's not going to work."
My face burned with anger and humiliation. I couldn't believe Cassandra would stoop so low as to insult my father. I took a step forward, my fists clenched. "That's it, Cassandra. I've had enough of your lies and insults."
Fueled by anger, I marched towards Cassandra to retrieve my bag. But she quickly snatched it away, holding it out of my reach.
The girls surrounding Cassandra burst into laughter, mocking my vulnerability. "You can't have this bag. It's for Cassandra now," one of them sneered.
Exhausted and frustrated, I pleaded, "I need my bag, please. I don't want any more problems."
One of Cassandra's friends retorted, "You'll never get this bag from Cassandra. It's not for someone poor like you."
Cassandra chimed in, "Yeah, this bag is too expensive for someone like you. You should stick to your thrift store finds."
The group of girls laughed again, their mocking gazes piercing through my dignity. My eyes welled up with tears, feeling humiliated and defeated.
"What's even inside this bag that's so precious?" Cassandra sneered, opening the bag and revealing my brand-new books.
But before I could even process what was happening, Cassandra callously dumped the contents of the bag onto the ground, sending my books scattering everywhere.
My eyes widened in shock and horror as I watched my new books, still in their crisp, unread condition, fall to the ground. "How could you, Cassandra?" I exclaimed, my voice trembling with anger and disbelief.
Cassandra just laughed, clearly enjoying my distress. "You think you're so smart with your little books, don't you? Well, now they're nothing but trash on the floor."
I felt a surge of fury and helplessness as I gazed at my scattered books. My father had worked so hard to buy them, and now they were being treated like garbage.
Cassandra's mockery reached new heights as she deliberately stepped on my books, her shoes grinding into the pages. My eyes filled with tears of rage and helplessness as I watched my property being desecrated.
"You're really something, aren't you?" I spat, my voice shaking with fury. "You think you're so superior, but all you are is a cruel, heartless bully."
Cassandra just laughed, her eyes gleaming with malice. "I'm just showing you your place, Eva. You're not worthy of these books, or anything else for that matter."
The other girls snickered and cheered, egging Cassandra on as she continued to destroy my books. I felt a sense of despair wash over me, realizing that I was completely at the mercy of these cruel girls.
Then, with one final act of cruelty, Cassandra threw my bag so far that it landed on the other side of a water spring.
I was shocked at what Cassandra had just done. I stared at her angrily, and she simply gave me a mocking "oops" before walking away.
I looked around at the mess—my books scattered on the ground, some torn, some dirty from the dust, and my school bag now soaked. I knew that this was just the beginning. I would experience more of this torment from Cassandra and her friends. This was only the beginning of my nightmare.