𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟎𝟔: 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥

                                    

                                          

                            

                                
                            
                              
                                  
                              
                              
                                
                                  
                                  
                                
                              
                             
                            
                            
                          
                          
For half a day, Alaina had been a Red Card victim, and it had almost broken her. Almost.
Anyone who knew what was good for them would have waved the white flag, surrendered, and transferred schools, but it would take more than this to run Alaina off. She worked too hard to get to this point, adjusting plans for both her life and her father's. Giving up was about more than her ego and dignity, it was about honoring a promise.
Alaina knew what kind of antics were coming her way, childish and simple-minded, she would be prepared for them. Unfortunately, it was only the beginning of what the V4 had planned, and what the school had in store for her. Anyone and everyone had permission to punish her as they pleased, it wouldn't be easy. With the school wrapped around their finger, she learned very quickly that neither the students nor the staff would do her any favors, the V4 held all the cards and it was up to her to create her own solutions.
On the second day of school, a present was left in her locker, a bag full of rotten tomatoes, a scent she was forced to carry the entire day. Luckily, it was tolerable and easy to fix, a bonus was that no one wanted to be near the girl with the backpack that smelled. Fingers were pointed and noses covered as she passed by, pinned as the stinky newbie nobody wanted to be around. It wasn't a big deal, she appreciated the distance the prank had created between her and everyone else. Apart from the headache of staying after school to clear away the stench of rotting tomatoes from her locker and clean up her belongings, it was a rather easy punishment to deal with.
The third day, her schedule was the item of interest, because it didn't seem to exist. Alaina would show up to math class and be told she was switched to a teacher across the campus. Then, that teacher told her that she was switched to yet another class, an entirely different subject. It was a wild goose chase that ended up being a waste of time, she would miss most of the classes by the time she ended up in the right class. It was a tiring back and forth around the campus, however, she managed to squeeze in a reasonable amount of time for each class before it ended. It was a favor really, she was able to explore every part of the campus so she would never end up lost again.
The next day during lunch, her belongings were hung from the lobby ceiling—her gym clothes, her textbooks, her backpack. It was absurd, the lengths V4's loyal minions would go to, yet it wasn't surprising what could be accomplished when half the school was under your authority. With the help of a volleyball, Alaina was able to knock her belongings off their places, not fully in one piece but enough that it could be fixed. It was a small price to pay for having her things back in time for the rest of her classes. Her efforts didn't go unnoticed either, everyone was howling over how foolish it all looked, another headline added to the school's social media.
Finally, on Friday, Alaina arrived at school earlier than usual, she had plans. Damon, too, had plans, for her. In fact, he made an effort to come to school extra early for something special. He'd dragged the V4 along with him, to witness the plans he seemed to be so hysterically excited for. All the events of the week had been leading up to today, a big finale of a plan that he was certain would lead to his long-awaited apology or drive her away for good.