So this is my last upload before I go back to school on Thursday... I will still be uploading regularly though! I've got most of it written in advance so even though I'll be busy you can still get new chapters :) So here's the next chapter... remember to vote and comment!
There is another picture on the side of Sammi... found by xwishingdustx so thank you for that! :)
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The Chemistry lab was hot and provided little ventilation, which meant that especially in the afternoon, when the sun had been shining through the windows for a couple of hours, the room was hot, sticky and almost unbearable. And it was Olivia’s misfortune that her schedule meant she was to spend every afternoon in there.
She tapped her pen against her notebook rhythmically as she stared ahead blankly, waiting for the teacher to arrive in the classroom. She did not even attempt to join in with the aimless chatter of her fellow pupils, most of which was gossip and probably relating to her in some way.
She had certainly noticed the whispers and stares starting to increase these past few days. Whether this was due to the drama with Alyssa, or from her spending a little more time with Ethan, it was unclear. Whatever it was, though, it obviously was interesting as it seemed the hushed conversations and unreadable stares followed her wherever she went.
It was not knowing what they were saying that got to her the most, though. For all she knew they could be spreading rumours that she was now pregnant. As the thought entered her head she immediately wished it hadn’t – what if they were saying things like that? What if she was now the school’s biggest slut, and she was completely unaware of it? With Alyssa now as her enemy, anything was possible, as she had the power to turn the whole school against her in just a few hours.
Just calm down, she told herself, looking down at her blank notebook and trying to take normal breaths. She had to stop this paranoia and try to think normally.
It seemed that altogether Serenity Falls had changed her as a person, despite only having spent a couple of weeks there. Already she had been more confident, flirtier, bitchier... and now she was quieter, and constantly trying to shy away from the spotlight that Alyssa kept shining on her.
The school brochure definitely hadn’t mentioned that.
Moments passed and she was lost in her own daydream – admittedly starring Ethan as the lead – and barely even noticed the girl who strutted into the classroom as if it was a catwalk in Paris or some equally fashion-conscious location, walked straight towards Olivia’s desk and plonked herself down on the empty stool next to her without hesitation.
Olivia turned her head and glanced at the girl, somewhat surprised. Her sleek black hair was cut into a short style which went upwards at the back, and her flawless complexion was obviously the result of a few layers of foundation. She had a lot of eye make-up, so much so that Olivia wondered if it weighed down on her lids, and her school uniform was customised to the extreme limit without being classed as non regulation. Her sleeves were rolled up so they finished at her elbow and she hadn’t even bothered with a blazer.
"Olivia, isn’t it?" The girl smiled, yet she still didn’t seem warm or friendly. There was a glitter in her eyes that told Olivia otherwise, and the way she looked her up and down with a slight smirk made her feel like she was constantly being judged.
"Um, yeah." Olivia looked down at her notebook again, which was open on a blank page. She had written the date at the top, and had mindlessly doodled the word ‘Ethan’ in small text at the bottom of the page with a scribbled heart, which she placed her arm over to hide from this new girl.
"I don’t think we’ve met before. I’m Sammi."
"Oh, um, okay," Olivia said awkwardly. What was she meant to say to this girl? She’d never seen her around before, and yet she was just striking up a conversation like they saw each other every day. She silently racked her brain for something relatively normal to say, that wouldn’t make her sound stupid, although there wasn’t much she could come up with that fitted that description. "Are you new here?"
"You could say that," Sammi answered, with a small smile on her face, as if she knew something Olivia didn’t, which made Olivia feel slightly uncomfortable. "I’ve been away for a while, you see."
"Oh, right."
"And you’re new here too, isn’t that right?"
"Um, yeah." She looked at the girl, inspecting the way her eyes looked at her, the way that her lips were permanently fixed up at the edges into a smug smile. There was just an aura about her, something about the way she looked – and even smelled – so sweet, that told Olivia that she was not trustworthy. This aura, she noticed, was not completely different to Alyssa’s.
At that moment, the teacher walked into the room, causing the noise level in the room to dip slightly as everyone retreated to hushed talking. Olivia stared back at her notebook, thankful for her escape route from this awkward conversation, but Sammi seemed ignorant to the fact that Mr Sullivan was now tapping his pen on the desk impatiently and clearing his throat, waiting for quiet to descend on the room.
"So... I’ve heard you’ve made quite the impression on this school since you’ve been here," Sammi said, her eyes glittering.
"Oh, um, I don’t think so," Olivia whispered, conscious that they were one of the last people in the room still talking, and that Mr Sullivan was currently shooting them looks.
"Oh, come on," Sammi said, in her usual tone of voice. "Doesn’t everyone in this school know your name? That’s quite impressive, for someone like you." As she said the last sentence, she looked down at her, obviously eyeing her up in a way that made Olivia feel uncomfortable. Who was this girl, and why was she striking up a conversation as strange as this one?
"I don’t think everyone–"
"Sammi, Olivia, would you two please kindly finish your conversation so we can all start the lesson?" Mr Sullivan said, glaring. His faded white shirt was stretched to the limit over his large stomach and his thick-framed glasses kept falling down his nose, resulting in him having to push them further up every couple of seconds. Overall, he was the perfect target for student ridicule.
"Sorry, sir," Olivia said, looking down and feeling her cheeks start to flush.
"It seems like you’ve made quite an impression on Ethan, in particular."
Olivia looked at her quickly, to make sure she wasn’t kidding. "Did Ethan... did he say something, or..."
"No, he didn’t say anything." Sammi’s expression had changed now; she was no longer smiling. "That’s just what I’ve heard. From many people, actually."
"Oh, well, um..."
"You two at the back! Be quiet!" Mr Sullivan said, his tone harsher and his voice slightly louder now. However, it was still a feeble attempt and most of the class weren’t paying any attention to him anyway. It was a rare occasion when they did.
"Let me tell you something, Olivia, or whatever your pathetic name is, because you obviously don’t know who the hell I am," Sammi’s voice was hushed now, her face twisted into a glare that unnerved Olivia. "I don’t know who you think you are, but there’s one thing I do know – Ethan is mine. So consider this your warning, okay? Stay the hell away from him, and we won’t have any trouble."
"Wait, what?"
Sammi narrowed her eyes. "Don’t act all innocent, bitch. I may have only been back a couple of days, but don’t think I don’t know what’s going on around here. Everyone knows you’ve been practically throwing yourself at Ethan. Oh, and just so you know, he hates girls that do that."
"I have not been throwing myself at him!" Olivia said, her voice raised, causing half the class to look round at her. Normally, she would have been mortified at receiving this much attention, but she was too consumed with anger towards Sammi to care about anything else.
Who was she to just walk in here and act like she owned Ethan? It wasn’t as if she owned him – he wasn’t her property. The thought of someone trying to do that just made her unbelievably angry.
"For the last time, will you two be quiet!" Mr Sullivan shouted across the classroom. His voice echoed around the room. The whole class was now sat in silence, watching the drama unfold before their eyes.
"Hmm, well. That’s not what everyone else in school seems to think," Sammi raised her eyebrows. "Last I heard you practically begged him to walk you home." She rolled her eyes. "Here’s a tip – desperation? Not a good look."
"I did not beg him!" she protested.
"Oh, really?" Sammi smirked. "Did he ask you himself? Did he suggest the idea? I didn’t think so. Just stay away from him, and we’ll all be better off."
"Just shut the fuck up!" Olivia suddenly screamed, standing up in her seat. Anger boiled inside her, only increasing with every second that passed. She didn’t even care that she had just cursed loudly in earshot of the whole class. Sammi had made her so furious that she was unable to think of anything but arguing back. "You don’t know anything!"
"Olivia Webb!" Mr Sullivan shouted. "Get over here and sit down at the front!"
Olivia snatched up her books quickly, and started to walk to the front of the classroom, glaring at Sammi as she went past. However, she didn’t seem the slightest bit unnerved, and her signature smirk was still plastered on her face as she watched Olivia head towards the other desk.
"If I hear one more peep out of either of you, I’m sending you to the principal’s office!" Mr Sullivan warned, as Olivia plonked down on the seat nearest to his desk, where he would be able to keep a constant watch over her and her actions. Although there was one advantage to being moved – at least sitting here, she wouldn’t have to deal with looking at Sammi’s smug face.
The lesson passed extremely slowly, especially with only Mr Sullivan’s monotone voice to listen to. Despite trying to concentrate on the notes in front of her, Olivia was extremely conscious of Sammi’s glare burning right into her back. She didn’t even know how she was aware of it, but it was ever-present, and when the bell’s shrill sound finally filled the room, she was thankful for her route of escape.
"Don’t make this a regular occurrence, Olivia," said Mr Sullivan sternly, as she began to pack up her books and slip them into her bag. He was looking downwards at her through the thick lenses of his glasses, with a disapproving expression written all over his face.
"Sorry," she murmured, looking at the floor. She could feel her cheeks begin to flush.
"I suggest in future that you keep away from Sammi in class, hmm?"
"Yes, sir," she responded, nodding before turning to walk out of the classroom, just glad that Sammi had already left the room and was not close enough to give her another one of her signature smirks.