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Aggie was proud of her Champion status, how could she not be? She had proven herself to be stronger and more fearsome than almost any other kid in the Creek.
Sure it meant she wasn't exactly popular at school (the other Creek kids too scared of accidentally annoying her and inciting the King's wrath by proxy and the Indoor kids saw her as brutish and scary), but she had found the best friends she could have wished for within the other Champions, so it wasn't all that bad. She could stand the stares and awkward silences while at school. Afterall, at the Creek she was untouchable.
What she couldn't stand, however, was Maya. More precisely, how Maya was treated.
Maya's status in the Creek was unmatch as the King's BFF. Even the Champions couldn't even dream of having the respect and fear she commanded with her meer presence. Aggie would even have gone as far as to say she was almost a second King, if not for her knowledge of the inner workings of the Creek.
Maya was in as precarious a position as the Champinos were, always walking on eggshells to maintain Xavier's approval. She had been in his company far longer than the Champions and was far bolder than them. But a single look would send her right back to square one, dropping whatever subject she had attempted to bring up.
The other kids, however, knew none of this. Just as Aggie was treated with fear and reproach, Maya was subjected to those same stares down the school halls. All they saw was someone with the power to destroy both them and their toys with a single swing of her bat.
However, unlike Aggie, Maya was not saved from the Indoor kids by her stature. The Indoor kids heard rumors about her that made Aggie's stomach churn when she overheard them in the lunchroom. Some of the older Indoor kids, those in seventh and even eight grade, who had younger siblings in the Creek would be openly mean to her, saying biting remarks as they shoved past her in the halls.
Yet, Aggie couldn't say it was unwarranted.
She and Maya both were arms of the law in the Kingdom, often having to enforce Xavier's rules harshly. All the Champions had destroyed their fair share of toys along with other acts ordered by the king, and Maya had to do even more of it than them.
Aggie knew Maya to be a sweet, genuine friend who deserved better than what she was given. However to the rest of the Kingdom, how could she be anything other than an excedingly cruel arm of Xavier?
It was more than frustrating, but Aggie could do little about it. She had brought it up to Maya once on a hike, asking if she wanted her to step in or walk with her in the halls. Maya had simply said no and continued walking.
It left a pit in Aggie's stomach, but she couldn't figure out what else to do besides abide by her wishes.