Once Ren stepped into the main hall, the mood seemed to mellow and everyone's energy seemed to dissipate. Even those who hadn't been warned knew than something was about to go down- and something serious at that. She strode into the room as if she were walking onto her private yacht, placing one foot in front of the other so methodically she might as well have been walking along a tightrope. Her otherwise smooth brow seemed to tense and wrinkle after noticing the response the room had given her; she was used to taking people's breath away, but not like this. Maybe it was the fact she was already wearing last year's cheerleaders uniform, already presuming her place on the team. Maybe it was the fact she was wearing her back-up Vans instead of her Air-runs, the only shoes the lion hadn't already destroyed. Zeus only knew why.
She bowed her head down, as if the weight of all those eyes was finally taking a toll on her neck, and made her way towards the Elite's Table. She pulled out the only free chair- sandwiched between Vulcan and Hathor- and sat down silently, without so much as a crumb of food in front of her. She wasn't hungry- girls like her weren't allowed to be 'hungry'. Instead, she simply rested her chin on her wrist, and began to stare at a candle on the wall. Watching it flicker and dance finally relaxed her, its warmth unclenching her fists and slowing her breathing.
"Are you alright, R?" Hathor muttered, laying her double buttered slice of toast back down onto its place. Even she felt the need to eat today- riots were getting closer by the hour, and she would need all her strength if she was going to be able to put 'Head Cheerleader 2 years running' on her college application. She would need her A game. That being said, even she had opted not to wear her uniform today; she thought it would be poor taste to the girls who definitely wouldn't make the team, and would just direct more jealous hatred towards the table.
"You seem tired?"
"I'm fine, Hath" She muttered, her jaw till pressed shut by her palm
"Just had another run-in with that bitch in the dorms. You know the one". Aila was swiftly becoming a thorn in Ren's side. She was finally getting to her- a standard that as of yet, nobody else had managed to achieve. To have feelings for another human being- even if these feelings were loathing and hatred- was a complex she was not familiar with. The Cat Goddess' actions and words seemed to sting and burn much more than she had anticipated; there were times when she felt like she was looking into a mirror. Both girls were pretty. Both were fit. Both had experienced things no one else in the school could possibly understand. Both could lash out when they felt as if they were being placed on the defensive, only Ren was villainized for her actions. Why? Because she had the balls to strike preemptively. The had the guts to hate before she was hated. That way she had something to blame for her reputation-- something she could control. Maybe she was a bitch, but she was a bitch who had used her reputation and the fear it bred to put herself in a place in society in which she couldn't be hurt or harassed. Until Aila came along. An outlier in the equation, who knew how to fight her reign. And now she was amassing a following-- something she could not stand for.
"Hey Ren, could I have a word?"
"Piss of Vulc. I'm not in the mood for any of your shit today"
Vulcan turned back towards Louis for one last push of support and reassurance, before diving into the fray. It wasn't going to be pretty, but it had to be done. Louis was doing it for Aila, and he was doing so for his friend...and possible personal gain. Either way, he would be the hero when they came toe to toe, right? He took a deep breath, and continued, he sweats drying and his anxiety fading in exchange for a burst of righteous anger. She wasn't going to get off the hook that easily
"Really? Because you seemed to be in the mood for a lot of shit yesterday. Tell me: How much of 'a shit' do you have to give to sneak into an innocent girl's room, break into her luggage and fill it with toys just to screw with her? Because I'm guessing its a lot of shit"
Ren jolted to a start, taken back by the sudden opposition. Of course, Aila had recruited some lettermen to do her bidding. The cow was practically yellow with cowardice. First getting a cat to do her dirty work and now boys. It was a natural progression...
"Excuse me?" She snapped, striking Vulc with a glare sharper than Louis' spear.
"C'mon Ren, tell us why you did it. Why did you prey on Aila like that? Why did you cross the line?"
"I don't have to explain myself to you, Vulcan; I can practically count the number of brain cells in that thick skull of yours on one hand; I really doubt that you would understand. Maybe if you were a little smarter you wouldn't have sided with that bi--"
"Drop the act, Ren" Vulcan snapped, raised his cheeks up into his eyes. He could play defensive on this one; he would have to push on as far towards the tri line as he could, and if worse come to work, he could always pass the ball back to Louis. If worse came to worse, they could take her on together.
"You're not fooling anyone anymore. Everyone knows your jealous"
"I am not jealous"
"Then tell us why. Why. Did. You. Do. It"
Even under her foundation, it was still clear to the Elites that Ren was going red, not out of embarrassment, but rage. She was approaching breaking point and getting dangerously close to head biting territory. Her fists clenched again, her emerald nails piercing the top layers of her skin. No... she had to compose herself. She wasn't about to let Vulcan provoke her. There was no way in the Underworld that she was going to let him win
"Listen here, asshole" She whispered, leaning in towards the Fire God so that nobody but him, Louis, Hath and himself would here.
"I'm not about to pour my heart out to your new best friend, just because Louis set you up to play me. Just like I said yesterday- it's not going to happen. So you can send your boyfriend back to his new girlfriend and let her know where I stand" She leaned back over to her seat, and placed her cupped hands back onto the table, acting as if nothing had happened. A forced smile appeared on her crimson lips, the perfect defense again any invasion; with nothing but a twitch of her lip, she had dismantled Vulc's entire offensive, convincing him that all of his challenges and tribulations fallen on deaf ears, and done nothing to dampen her mood.
Vulc was stunned by the Ren's words, every line striking deeper and deeper. He had been caught off guard and reduced to a gauping mess. At least Ren had shown the courtesy to whisper her threats as opposed to publically tearing down his reputation. No... he couldn't give up now. For Louis, for his reputation and for doing the right thing, he had to persist, no matter the cost.
"Ren..." Vulcan called out, trying to wrangle Ren's reputation back from the rest of the table. Instead, he was met with a worried look from Hath, as if screaming for the Footballer to just let it slide. Before he could react, Ren was back on the front lines, ready to finish of her wounded prey
"I told you to do something, Vulcan" Her tone was slowly raising, not so much so that the teachers could hear, but that anyone trying to listen in on the gossip could start to pick out a word or two.
"I'm going to ask you again. Tell your boyfriend" He flinched again. Ren knew that her last statement had got a reaction out of him the first time- why did she need to shake up her strategy again?
"To tell his girlfriend- or boyfriend or whatever she fucking calls herself- that no matter who she pays off or bribes or screws to try to stab me in the back, I'm not going to start groveling. I'm not going to ask her to forgive me for having a bit of fun in this damn school. I'm not going to let her sit with us to make up for it and I'm sure as hell not going to 'make friends' with her just because you all want to play Happy Families. Get up and tell her, or I will" And with that, she rose from her seat, her face somehow still masked in passiveness and made her way towards the gardens. She wasn't going to stick around for Vulc to try to scramble together another defense. She wouldn't want him to embarrass himself. Her journey came to a halt as she passed the Usuals, throwing a glare towards Aila, before slowly walking over to the Breakfast Bench. Maybe she would eat after all...
Vulc turned back towards Louis with a face of sheer confusion and fear "See what I mean? She's the Hydra Reborn..." He cracked his neck against his arm and took another swig of his orange juice, drying his strained tongue.
"I'm going to go in again. For retribution or however you described it-- but I'm going to need some backup..."
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