Chapter 5

The girl with the yellow hair turned pale. "Do you have any idea who you're messing with? How dare you lay a hand on me? Let go! You're about to break my hand."

"How am I supposed to know who you are? You just come at me swinging without a word. So tell me, who did I ever mess with? I've been minding my own business, just studying.

"You think just because you dyed your hair blonde, you're some kind of street punk? You're just a kid, already acting tough. Honestly, your wannabe rebel look just pisses me off."

The blonde girl screamed even louder. The redhead, seeing things were going south, tried to grab my hair to help her friend, but missed completely.

Redhead was stunned.

I let out a cold laugh and copied my move, grabbing her frizzy red hair. Instantly, the two of them were wailing like stuck pigs.

"Bet you didn't know that Riverbend students aren't even allowed to have long hair!" I said.

Finally, after I showed them who's boss, those wannabe tough girls started begging for mercy.

I let go and flicked away the broken strands of hair. "Out with it. Who sent you after me?"

The redhead was messing with her hair, whining, "How the hell are you so strong..."

The blonde girl muttered, "Yeah, my hand's about to snap."

Heh, eighteen years of snapping corn stalks in Riverbend. No wonder I've got a grip like steel.

After a bit of back and forth, I found out they were the top boss girls from the nearby trade school. Turns out, someone slipped them some cash to come teach me a lesson.

What the hell?

I grabbed both of them by the hair and marched them straight to the office.

It was break time, the hallway packed and noisy. Me dragging two girls in crazy getups from another school had everyone stopping to stare.

My homeroom teacher came out, looking totally lost and stunned by the scene. "Chelsea, what on earth is happening here?"

I shouted, "These two are from the trade school next door—Gloria paid them to rough me up! Seriously, what is wrong with you capital folks? I'm just trying to study, not bothering anyone, and now thugs are showing up for cash! Are the school leaders going to step in or just let this slide?"

As I spoke, I started crying, squeezing out a few tears for effect.

The homeroom teacher looked flustered. "Is this for real? Go get Gloria here right now!"

It didn't take long before Gloria showed up, pale as a ghost. The Moment she saw what was going on, her knees nearly buckled.

Her legs might've turned to jelly, but her mouth was still sharp. Tears shimmered in her eyes as she covered her mouth, trying to look pitiful. "What does this have to do with me?

"Chelsea, I know you don't like me, but you can't just accuse me out of nowhere. Are you really not going to stop until you kick me out of the Ward family?"

Rage boiled up inside me. "Drop the fake innocent act. You really think I don't have proof?"

Just then, my parents and brother came rushing through the crowd, all flustered. Since this was a family drama between me and Gloria, the homeroom teacher figured it was best to get the parents involved before things got out of hand.

My Mom grabbed my hand, looking me up and down. "Honey, are you alright? Did you get hurt?"

I shook my head. "Nope, they're not as strong as me."

Mom wiped away her tears and managed a smile, but then turned to Gloria with a stern look. "What's going on here?"

Gloria's face soured when she saw Mom fussing over me first. And now, with Mom grilling her, her act started to crack, and for a Moment, she actually looked hurt.

"Mom, it wasn't me. You can't just blame me because I'm not your biological daughter. I've grown up by your side. Don't you know me by now?"

Toby paused, looking uncertain. "Hold on, let's hear everyone out before we start blaming Gloria. No need to jump to conclusions."

I grabbed both of those wannabe tough girls by the shoulders and shoved them forward. "Start talking, or you're really gonna regret it!"

Gloria shot me a look, her eyes wide and innocent, playing the victim. "Just look at how Chelsea's treating them. She's totally intimidating them! How can you believe anything they say?"

Before I could even say anything, the two tough girls snapped, "Watch your mouth! We've been in the game for years. We own up to what we do! You really think we wouldn't leave any evidence behind?"

Gloria was stunned for a second, then watched as the redhead whipped out her phone, tapped a few times, and a recording blasted out.

"Here's ten grand. Go teach that new girl Chelsea Dean a lesson. Put her in her place. Some hick from the countryside dares to try and steal my thunder? This is what happens when you mess with me. Once it's done, I'll give you another ten grand."