Seraphina’s Pov

I woke up feeling like the world was against me—and for once, I didn’t care about hiding it. Usually, I’d force a smile, act polite, and let everyone else trample over me just to avoid conflict, but not today.

Today, I didn’t have the energy to play nice. My mood was already scraping the bottom of the barrel, and I wasn’t about to make it worse by putting up with Jolene’s snide remarks or Ashleigh and Liana’s constant nastiness.

When I opened my eyes, they were already awake, lounging in their beds, probably waiting for me to make myself invisible like I always did. Usually, I’d greet them, even though they never bothered responding, and I’d wait until they all had their turn in the bathroom before I went in last. But not today.

I grabbed my towel and got up, heading straight for the bathroom. Jolene, who was obviously preparing to go in, called my name in that rude, self-important tone of hers.

“I was just about to use the bathroom,” she said, like she expected me to apologize and step aside. Normally, I would have, but today, the polite girl they were used to just didn’t exist.

I turned to her, rolling my eyes so hard I was sure they might stick. “If you wanted to use the bathroom, Jolene, you should have gone in sooner,” I snapped. “I’m using it first. You can wait.”

The room fell so quiet you could’ve heard a pin drop. Jolene’s mouth hung open, and Ashleigh and Liana exchanged wide-eyed glances. I had clearly shocked them—and, honestly, a small part of me enjoyed it.

Before Jolene could find her voice to retort, I walked into the bathroom and slammed the door behind me. The sound reverberated through the room, and it wasn’t until I heard it echo that I realized how loud it was.

I sighed, leaning against the door for a moment to gather myself.

It wasn’t like me to snap at people, even when they deserved it, but something about today—about everything I’d been dealing with—made it impossible to stay quiet and act like my usual self.

I turned on the shower, letting the water run for a moment as I stared at my reflection in the small mirror above the sink. My face looked pale and tired, the dark circles under my eyes clearly reminding me of how I barely got any sleep.

I hated how weak I looked, how pathetic I felt, and most of all, I hated how easily people like Jolene, and especially Electra, seemed to control my life on a normal day.

I finished my shower quickly, wrapping myself in my towel and stepping out of the bathroom. Jolene was waiting just outside the door, arms crossed and a scowl plastered across her face.

“Finally,” she muttered, brushing past me with a dramatic sigh.

I ignored her, walking over to my bed to get dressed. Ashleigh and Liana were still staring at me like I’d grown a second head, whispering to each other behind their hands.

I didn’t care what they were saying. Let them gossip. Today, I wasn’t going to let their opinions—or anyone else’s—affect me.

All I wanted now was to spend the day in bed, away from everything and everyone, and I was already slipping on a loose sweater, planning to retreat back under the covers, when Ashleigh’s loud gasp broke the silence in the room.

“Seraphina!” she called, her voice laced with disbelief.

I sighed deeply, turning to face her with an annoyed expression. “What?” I snapped, the frustration from the morning already building up. “What do you want?”

I half-expected her to start lecturing me about the earlier bathroom incident with Jolene. I’d been snippy, sure, but I was in no mood to play nice. Instead, her question blindsided me.

“Are you dating Electra Vale?” she blurted, her tone dripping with shock.

I froze. The words felt like a slap to the face, instantly snapping me out of my annoyance. “What?” I spat, staring at her like she’d just accused me of murder. “What are you even talking about? Why would you ask me something like that?”

The mere suggestion made my skin crawl. Dating Electra Vale? The Electra who had made my life a nightmare? The idea of anyone thinking I was with her made me nauseous.

Ashleigh, apparently unfazed by my reaction, scoffed and held up her phone. “This,” she said, flipping the screen toward me.

From where I stood, I couldn’t see the details, just a blurry image, but her smug expression made my stomach twist. I walked over, grabbed the phone from her hands, and brought it closer to my face.

And there it was. A photo of me and Electra in the hallway from last night. Electra’s hand was in my hair, her expression unreadable yet so intimate that it sent a shiver down my spine. The image screamed closeness in a way that couldn’t be denied, and anyone who saw it would jump to the wrong conclusion.

I felt my face heat up as my grip on the phone tightened. “Where did you get this?” I demanded, my voice shaking with anger.

“It’s everywhere,” Ashleigh said with a raised eyebrow. “Someone posted it on the school’s group chat this morning. Everyone’s talking about it. Honestly, I didn’t believe it at first, but…” She trailed off, gesturing at the screen like it explained everything.

I wanted to scream, and my mind raced as I stared at the picture again, my anger boiling over. I didn’t need to guess who was behind this. Electra. This had her fingerprints all over it. She must have had one of her minions take a picture of us last night and post it, knowing exactly what kind of chaos it would stir.

She wanted this. She wanted the rumors and the chaos. It was another twisted way for her to toy with me and to make sure I couldn’t escape her.

I shoved the phone back into Ashleigh’s hand. “This is ridiculous,” I muttered, my voice low but seething. “Electra Vale and I are not—” I paused, the words feeling sour on my tongue. “We’re not anything.”

As I made my way back to my bed, the only thing I wanted to do was bury my head under my pillow and shut out the world, but then Liana’s scoff stopped me dead in my tracks.

“I can’t believe I thought you were some innocent girl,” she sneered, her voice dripping with mockery. “Turns out you’re just another one of Electra Vale’s bitches.”

Her words shocked me, and my body froze. My heart began to pound wildly, and slowly, I turned to her, my face already heating up with anger. “What did you just say?” I asked, my voice low and trembling, though not from fear—this was something else entirely.

Liana sat up lazily in her bed, her expression smug as she crossed her arms. “Oh, you heard me,” she replied, feigning innocence. “I mean, it makes sense now—why you’re acting all high and mighty this morning. You’re sleeping with Electra Vale, aren’t you? So you must think you’re untouchable.”

For a second, the room blurred around me. All I could hear were her words echoing in my head. Sleeping with Electra Vale. Acting high and mighty. One of her bitches.

I could feel something snap inside me—something I didn’t even know existed. I’d been pushed, insulted, bullied, and ignored more times than I could count in my life, but this? This was too much.

“Apologize,” I demanded sternly.

Both Liana and Ashleigh laughed, and the sound only fueled my rage. Ashleigh smirked, leaning back on her bed. “Stop being so dramatic, Seraphina. You’re embarrassing yourself.”

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms as I glared at Liana. “I said apologize. Now.” My voice rose, trembling with fury.

But Liana wasn’t fazed. She just smirked, looking at me like I was some kind of joke. “Or what?” she challenged, her tone dripping with condescension. “Are you going to run to Electra and have her handle me? Or maybe you’ll just throw another tantrum?”

Something inside me snapped entirely. My eyes darted around the room, searching for something, anything to shut her up. That’s when I spotted it—a thick book sitting on my bedside table. Without thinking, I grabbed it and hurled it directly at her.

The book hit her shoulder with a loud thud, and her shocked gasp echoed in the room. Ashleigh’s jaw dropped as she stared at me like I’d grown two heads, and for a moment, there was only silence, broken only by Liana’s angry yell.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” she screeched, clutching her shoulder.

“There’s nothing wrong with me, and I’m not Electra’s bitch!” I yelled, my voice trembling with fury.

My body shook as I stared at her, seated on her bed with that insufferable look on her face. It was like she wanted to get under my skin—and she’d succeeded.

She raised an eyebrow, her tone laced with mockery even while she clutched her shoulder. “Aren’t you, though? Everyone knows it now.”

That was the breaking point. Despite the pain in my right wrist, still wrapped in bandages, I lunged forward, using my left hand to grab a fistful of Liana’s hair.

I yanked with all the strength I could muster, the satisfying sound of her yelp fueling my rage. “Take it back!” I screamed, my voice echoing in the room. “Take it back and apologize!”

“Get off me, you psycho!” Liana shrieked, clawing at my hand to free herself, but I held on tightly, my knuckles whitening with the effort.

Her words only made me angrier. “Say you’re sorry!” I demanded, my entire body trembling as adrenaline coursed through me.

Ashleigh, who had been frozen in shock, jumped out of her bed and rushed toward us. “Let her go, Seraphina!” she yelled, her tone a mix of anger and disbelief.

She reached out to grab me, but instinctively, I swung my elbow backward, desperate to defend myself from what I knew would be an attack meant to help Liana.

The moment my elbow connected with something, I heard Ashleigh’s pained cry. The sound snapped me out of my haze of anger just long enough for me to turn and see Ashleigh clutching her face.

Her hands were covered in blood, and my stomach dropped as I realized what I’d done. Her nose was bleeding profusely, and her wide, shocked eyes met mine.

“Are you serious right now?!” Ashleigh shouted, her voice muffled and nasal from the injury. “You broke my nose, you lunatic!”

Liana took the opportunity to free herself from my grip, shoving me away with all her might. I stumbled back, hitting the edge of my bed, my breathing ragged. My chest felt like it was about to explode from the combination of rage, guilt, and shock.

“I—” I started to speak, but no words came out.

I stared at the blood dripping from Ashleigh’s hands on the floor, then at Liana, whose hair was a hot mess. Both of them were glaring at me with a mixture of anger and disbelief.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Seraphina?” Liana hissed, rubbing her scalp where I’d pulled her hair. “You’re completely out of your mind.”

Ashleigh stumbled toward the door, muttering something about going to the infirmary. “I’ll deal with this crazy bitch later,” she said, her voice thick with pain. “Right now, I need to get my nose checked before it falls off.”

“Wait,” I said weakly, reaching out toward her, but she didn’t even look back. She slammed the door shut behind her, leaving me alone with Liana.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep