Notes:
So just a quick reminder (I know not all of you might feel compelled to listen, but I have to at least put it out there) I would like to ask that if you choose to favorite this story that you also leave a review. I want to know what it was about the story you liked. Also so it doesn't get confusing the girl Cindy is a character I made up for this chapter. We haven't really seen much of other students at St. James so I'm probably gonna have to make a few up (I didn't want to use Maggie again as I don't want to peg her as the only "bully" character) As a side note "Cindy" is named after a real person that I dislike. With that said let's continue.
Over the next few days, Luz started adjusting to her new routine at St. James. She had even started getting used to her new uniform. The school was not very large, and she soon found herself memorizing the various halls and classrooms. Of course, she always looked forward to lunch when she could sit with her new friends and talk about whatever. She found that she and Anne shared interests in many of the same anime. And, of course, Marcy held an interest in not only Azura but also video games and art. Luz had yet to find some common ground with Sasha, but she still enjoyed hanging out with her. It was a new and exciting feeling for Luz, and she treasured every minute of it.
On this particular morning, she had arrived at her locker a little before the first bell to grab her clothes for the gym. As she arrived, however, another girl was already there. A tall girl with black hair and a punk streak about her. She blocked Luz's locker and stared at the young girl.
"Hey, I hear you're new here," she said in a gruff voice.
"Yes, I've only been here a few days, but this school is better than I thought it would be," said Luz, trying to be pleasant.
"Well, you ain't been paying the locker fee. It's a dollar a day to use your locker. Now pay up or else!" said the girl.
Before Luz could protest, she heard another voice behind her.
"Hey, Cindy, why don't you leave her alone?"
Luz turned to see Sasha approaching from behind her. She walked straight up to where Luz was and looked straight at the girl.
"Oh, Sasha, I'm not scared of you," said the girl identified as Cindy. "I don't care if I don't get invited to your parties. Or are you going to have your parents sue mine?"
"Oh, I'm not going to do anything to you, Cindy, but do you know who you're messing with?" said Sasha, pointing to Luz.
"Her? She don't look like much. I mean, look at her weak, nerd arms. I doubt she could punch her way out of a paper bag," said Cindy dismissively.
"Oh, that's not what I heard," said Sasha slyly.
"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Cindy.
"I guess you haven't been keeping up with the latest gossip," answered Sasha. "You see, I heard a rumor that Luz here was expelled from her previous school. You know why?"
Cindy shook her head.
"I heard Luz has a trained spider—a spider that listens only to Luz's commands, one that's so small it could be anywhere." As Sasha said this, her eyes darted around the hallway. Cindy's eyes began doing the same.
"I heard that some bully tried to mess with Luz, and she had her trained spider bite him," continued Sasha, her tone dropping to an ominous one. "That kid went to the hospital, and I don't know what happened. I don't even know if he recovered."
"I—you're bluffing!" exclaimed Cindy. "I don't believe it!"
"Fine, go ahead and mess with Luz. See what happens," said Sasha nonchalantly.
Cindy looked between Sasha and Luz, trying to decide if it was worth pressing her luck. In the end, she simply mumbled something and walked away.
"Wow!" said Luz, a little breathless. "How did you know that would work?" she asked Sasha.
"Eh, people around here will believe anything, especially if it involves something like being expelled from a previous school," replied Sasha.
"Yeah, about that," began Luz a little sheepishly. "I thought you said that was going to remain between only the four of us."
"Oh, don't worry your pretty little head about that. I didn't say it was true. All I did was say I heard a rumor. Plus, trust me, if it helps establish you as someone to be feared and not messed with, then it's the kind of rumor you want circulating," said Sasha, as she placed an arm around Luz.
"Hmm, I guess when you put it that way," said Luz.
"Although seeing as I did help you out against Cindy, you owe me one," said Sasha abruptly.
"Oh!" said Luz, a little surprised. "Umm, okay, what do you want?"
"Nothing major; just be my partner in the gym today. We're playing volleyball, and I'd like you and me to be a team," said Sasha.
"Oh, you don't need a favor for that," said Luz. "I would have done it, anyway."
"Well, hurry up and get your clothes, then. We still need to get changed," said Sasha. "I'll see you in gym." As she said this, Sasha began walking away.
Luz and Sasha entered the gym in their sports clothes. Luz was glad for a chance to wear shorts again. Two volleyball nets had been placed in the gym. Sasha began talking with Luz about strategy.
"So, you ever played volleyball before?" she asked.
"Not really," replied Luz. "I'm sorry in advance if we lose. I've never been good at sports."
"Eh, you can't talk like that," said Sasha. "You have to at least pretend to have confidence."
"But how can I have confidence if I don't have any skill?" wondered Luz.
Before Sasha could answer, the Coach blew his whistle, getting the attention of the other students.
"Alright, listen up!" he yelled. "I have the tournament bracket right here. Teams of two, first to 5 points wins. The team that wins the tournament doesn't have to do any laps. For the rest of you, it will be ten laps." The coach blew his whistle again, and the first two teams got to their spots. Luz and Sasha weren't part of the first game, so they sat on the bleachers and watched.
"Volleyball isn't that complicated," said Sasha, as she directed Luz's attention to the field. "Each side gets three hits, so all you have to do is follow the formula of: hit, set, and spike. One person hits the ball, the next person sets it up, and then the third person spikes it hard to the other side."
"Okay, that sounds simple enough," said Luz, "but I'm not very coordinated. Plus, look, I really do have weak nerd arms."
"Luz, if you don't want to have weak nerd arms, you need to do some sort of physical activity," said Sasha. "Take me, for example; I do cheerleading. It's great for building up strength, especially in your arms. I know you may not like to hear it, but it's the truth. Now listen, I have a strategy for us. All we have to do is make it so you always take the second hit. I can handle spiking the ball, so all you have to do is get it high in the air for me."
"Well, I'll do my best," said Luz.
Before long, the girls were called up for their match. Luz was nervous as she and Sasha took the court. Still, Luz concentrated on the strategy and did her best to play accordingly. It actually ended up working very well. Sasha would get the first hit on the volleyball, then Luz would get the second, and finally, Sasha would spike it to the other side. Sasha had great physical power, as her spikes would often devastate the other team. They ended up winning their first match rather quickly. Luz and Sasha continued climbing the ranks until, finally, they were in their last match. But even then, their strategy prevailed, and in a surprise for Luz, they ended up winning the whole tournament. As they won, Luz let out a squeal of delight, unable to believe it. Sasha came up to her and gave her a hug that lifted her off the ground.
"Wow! It worked! I can't believe it!" exclaimed an excited Luz.
"So, how do you feel, Luz?" asked Sasha.
"I feel a little bit more confident," answered Luz.
As they were sitting on the bleachers enjoying their victory, Sasha turned to Luz.
"Hey, Luz, come with me."
The two girls left the gym and went to the restroom. Once Sasha was sure they were alone, she pulled out a pocket knife, causing Luz to jump a little in surprise.
"We won an important victory today, Luz, and I think everyone should know about it. Even future generations of kids who come to St. James long after we've died," she said. "We need to carve a little memorial of ourselves into the bathroom to stand for all time." With that, she pointed to a mirror near the far side of the restroom.
"Umm, I'm not sure about this," said Luz with heavy hesitation in her voice. "Isn't this vandalism? Won't we get in trouble?"
"Oh, Luz, no one ever reports vandalism in the bathrooms. Come on, get real," said Sasha, handing Luz the pocket knife. "All you have to do is carve your initials in that mirror. I'll put mine next to yours, along with the words 'winner.'"
"Listen, Sasha, it's just that I got expelled from my old school, and I had to face my mom, and I remember the feeling of shame when she looked at me. I just got started at this new school, so I don't want to do something that will make me feel that kind of shame again," said Luz.
"Oh, I see how it is," said Sasha, her tone changing from one of friendliness to anger. Luz noticed the change and was taken aback by it.
"Look, I tried to help you this morning by scaring off Cindy, and then I helped you to play better at volleyball. I helped you get out of running laps, and now, after all that, you won't do something for me. I guess you don't appreciate what I've done for you," said Sasha in an annoyed voice.
"No, Sasha, it's not like that," protested Luz. "I do appreciate what you did for me. It's just that I don't think we should do something like this. There's no reason to. We already won the game, so can't we just leave it at that?"
"No, Luz, we can't. We need to prove to the rest of the school who we are. Do you want to get bullied?" asked Sasha.
"No, of course not," answered Luz.
"Then you need to stop being weak. You need to take a stand," said Sasha, as she offered the knife to Lua once more.
Luz looked between Sasha, the knife she was holding, and the mirror. After a long beat of silence, she sighed and finally acquiesced. She took the knife to the mirror and carved in her initials, L. N. Sasha smiled and took the knife from Luz, adding her own initials and the word "winner" to the carving. After which, she took out her phone and took a picture of the carving.
"I'll make sure and send it to you," said Sasha, smiling.
"Yeah, okay," said Luz dejectedly.
"Hey, don't be like that," said Sasha. "We had fun, didn't we?"
"Yeah, we had fun," said Luz, still dejectedly. "I better get going. I have to change back to my regular uniform." With that, Luz left, not wanting to spend any more time with Sasha.
As the day went on, Luz couldn't help but feel in a bit of a funk. She had never worried before about succumbing to peer pressure, as she hadn't had any friends. But now she was concerned about what she had done in that locker room. Her day had started so well and was so promising, but now she was feeling guilt about what she had done. While Sasha was probably right about no one reporting the vandalism they had done, Luz still knew about it and hoped that her mother would never find out. The guilt she carried weighed on her.
As she returned to her locker, she noticed Cindy from earlier was standing next to it again. This time, she wasn't alone, though, as a small group of girls had gathered with her, blocking Luz's locker.
"Grrr, what do you want now?" asked Luz with a tinge of frustration and anger.
"Oh, whoa, it's not like that," said Cindy, putting up her hands defensively. "We all heard about that new carving in the girls' bathroom at the gym. We just wanted to know, was that really you?"
The group of girls were staring intently at Luz, waiting for her answer. Luz herself was surprised at this, so she quickly put on a mask and decided to give an ambiguous answer.
"I mean, the initials L.N. could belong to anyone," began Luz casually, "but seeing as I'm friends with Sasha, whose initials are also there, I'd say that's your answer right there. Now, can I please get to my locker?"
"Sure, of course," said Cindy as she and the girls moved away from the locker, allowing Luz to use it.
Luz went to her locker, but out of the corner of her eye, she kept looking at the girls. They continued to stare at Luz, but not in a way that seemed as though they were making fun of her. Instead, it almost looked as though they were afraid of her. Luz pushed it out of her mind and finished gathering her things before leaving. Though privately, she did find the attention a little rewarding.
"Hey, Luz, there you are," called out a voice. Luz turned and saw that it was Sasha.
"Oh, hey, Sasha," replied Luz, somewhat downcast. "What do you want?"
"I was looking for you. I wanted you to know that people are viewing you with an air of mystery. Do you know why?" she asked.
"Hmmm, let me guess, is it because word has spread about both my being expelled and that stunt we pulled in the bathroom?" Luz asked sarcastically.
"Yes, exactly. I told you not to feel bad about that. Everyone in school thinks you're a cool rebel, and who helped you with that? Me, that's who," proclaimed Sasha proudly. "You should be thankful."
Luz was going to reply, but then a random boy came up to her to talk with her.
"Hey, are you Luz Noceda?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied.
"Hey, you're pretty cool, you know. I heard how you aren't afraid to leave your mark. Up top!" he said, offering Luz a high five.
Luz awkwardly slapped his hand. As she did, she noticed other students were smiling at her. Some were waving at her and giving her thumbs up! Luz could hardly believe what was happening. Was she getting recognition at her new school? Not only that, but the other students were regarding her as cool—something that had certainly never happened before. After looking at the other students, she turned back to look at Sasha, who was still smiling. Luz's anger with Sasha began to abate as she realized perhaps her new friends had actually done her a favor. Finally, she spoke to Sasha.
"I guess I owe you one."
"You know it," said Sasha. "Don't worry, I'll collect all debts later. For now, be happy and enjoy your status. We'll make sure and put it to good use later." With that, Sasha walked off to parts unknown.
Luz watched Sasha leave, and as she did, she couldn't help but feel a small sense of pride from how the students were admiring her.
I know vandalism is wrong, she thought, and it was risky, considering what happened at my old school, but maybe this time it was worth it. I've never been regarded as a cool kid before, so maybe Sasha is onto something about being a rebel. I don't know; I guess we'll have to wait and see….