Chapter Text
At Westshore High, you have your usual cliques and your usual people who don't do cliques. The ones who prefer to forge their own paths because, let's be real, some people can be pretty annoying. Their ClockTick trends, their relentless obsession with posting selfies every waking minute, and their choice of watching either game shows or brain-dead reality shows on TV. Thankfully, for herself, Bailey Wilson was not that kind of teenager.
For Bailey, life at Westshore High was a major punching bag for her nerves. Rich, snobby children constantly teasing her about her fascination with aliens and her "wild" curly hair, making her feel othered and insignificant in an ocean of nepo babies. But for all the times she hated the rich kids, Bailey felt like her true self with the other "ordinary" middle-class kids who were fortunate to go to this school. But no matter how much she pushed herself to be the best of the best, to be standing with the more elite kids, she was always reminded of her biggest enemy watching over her...
"Alright, now, Terri. Tell me about the Shark-Stix. Is Chelsea playing the Black Sheep?" Bailey demanded her blue-haired friend as they sat down at a cafeteria booth.
"What do you mean by black sheep?"
"Of course, you don’t know what a sheep is." Bailey sighed, "I just meant, when have you ever seen her be mean towards someone?"
"Well, I do know that a sheep is an Earth-type specimen." Terri pointed out.
"Terri, she’s just ruthless, okay. There’s a reason why I hate being around the rich kids. They’ll just walk over anyone who can’t afford a yacht trip or even a fancy Sweet Super 16 party, and I mean, for the most part, she’s just a major drama queen who wants to make a big TMZ story out of everything in this school." Bailey slouched in the booth with her arms heavily crossed. Just then, she jumps at the sight of a plate being dropped on her table.
"Excuse me, diner girl." Chelsea boldly strutted towards the booth with a wicked smile. "Would you mind getting me the vegetarian meal and the vanilla puff cake?.. With your ownnnn money?… I’ll pay you back in return."
The cheerleaders snickered as Chelsea winked her left eye, just like an anime villain hoping to get a sparkle effect with that wink. But Terrina was not fooled. She stood up and slammed her hand next to the empty plate.
"Chelsea. That is not the way to approach the smartest student at this school."
"Oh! Wow I-iiiiiya… Didn’t think you’d stand up to me like that." Chelsea panicked in response, nervously chuckling as she took a couple of steps back from the table.
"Admit it, Chelsea. You’re the richest girl at the school, for Eve’s sake, you’re an influencer!" Terrina shouted, "You influence the school by influencing people on the Internet! Why couldn’t you just pay for it with your own money??"
Her words held power. Enough to stun the Queen Bee to the point where she couldn't find a way to clap back, and still, Chelsea took a deep breath and stared into the blue-haired girl's eyes with malice.
"Okay…. I-I see how it is. Just remember, I’m STILL your boss."
Chelsea took the tray and stormed away with her squad, but Terri couldn't look away. Her eyes still burned with anger, but she turned to Bailey, now feeling pity for her human companion.
"Wow, now I’m starting to see where you’re coming from. No wonder you didn’t want to make friends with anybody."
"I mean, it’s not because of her, I’m just a loner. Sometimes I'd like to think that maybe I shouldn't try to be more like them cause, like, they're so obsessed. Majorly obsessed. I mean what is their deal-"
Bailey still had her arms crossed, both in confidence and annoyance. She ranted on and on, but Terrina couldn't listen. She was too angry to listen. Too angry with Chelsea to let the harassment slide. Too angry to pretend that even the popular girls were saints. Sometimes, popular girls were the devil, and sometimes, even the devil needed to be punished.