17, PART TWO - Ensnared by Lies

One egg after another thrown at Caress Aragon in all directions made dodging impossible. Thus she stood unmoving. She held her head high, breasts out and bitch face mode, straining  every nerve in her body. However, she doesn’t care as long as she will succeed hiding her inner meltdown. 

"You seriously rot inside!"

"Apologize for your bs existence!"

"Your horns are visible now, devil! What's the plan?"

"Show your true skin, pretender!"

Along with the hurtful words directed at her, the crowd's glares turned the whole scenario into an enactment of witch hunt. She was once again reliving a nightmare long buried.

It's a deja vu, she thought.

Their antagonizing voices were deafening to ears added by the rapid sound of her own heartbeat. She imagined coiling like a curved ball. Then, she remembered who she was.

What is her beauty, wealth and status worth if she backs down from petty taunts?

Forming a quick resolve, she pushed her traumatic past memory at the farthest back of her mind. She first had to stop the shaking of her knees. She focused on feeding on anger rather than getting swallowed by her fears.

Oh, she hated how damp her brand new shirt had become, not to mention her sticky hair!

A bold idea came to mind which she thinks could ease her annoyance. She quickly lifted her hands then undressed her shirt. It revealed her coca cola body figure as well as her lacy black bra.

Onlookers gawked awestruck. Nearly all boys whistled upon her unanticipated stunt while girls were united with one expression, frown. They appeared as hungry coyotes ready to lunge on her.

"What a crowd of hypocrites! You can't badmouth me and at the same time adore the sight of me. And, ladies, coming at me strong altogether now that you've found a golden opportunity. Continue your yapping to no avail. After all, whatever you do, your inferiority to me won't ever go away." she mocked in a condescending tone.

Mandy, one of the onlookers, gestured to one of her minions to begin the vengeance assault. The girl sneaked behind Care's back. Just when she was inches close to grabbing her hair, the lady tigress elbowed her hip putting in extra force than necessary. The poor girl yelped akin to a hurt dog.

"You don't expect me to stay put while you fawn your fangs, do you? Or have you underestimated me because of the Gala? Pathetic. You should know a beast becomes more ruthless after a defeat."

She took a step forward causing the girl to desperately stagger back.

"What the... Aragon?!" an authoritative male baritone intervened.

She abruptly turned to face the owner of the voice too familiar to ignore. There he was! Eliseo Manaloto stands at the end of the aisle for a moment before he goes to them in long hasty strides. The crowded hallways cleared at the center creating a straight path directly to her as though an ocean being divided. She smirked at such a display of authority.

Who knew a mere student president in university had unbelievable perks?

"Hi, Eli!" she greeted him with a wink.

"Look at the goddamn slut, Pres.!" somebody shouted followed by a series of protests.

"ENOUGH!" his voice boomed, silencing everybody even Care, "Get out of my sight or I'd be dropping the names of people present here to Prefect."

It was the realest ultimatum she ever heard. As proof, the halls cleared up in less than five minutes.

Should she rather call it ghost hallways?

Only when she was left with the man that she realized she screwed up big time. He bridged the distance between them and clothed her with his jacket. Before she got her feet moving, he held her wrist.

"You stay," he ordered.

She gulped the enlarging lump in her throat. 

For Pete's sake! His stare was enough of a death sentence. His black irises pierced her heart like a thousand needles drilling their way through.

"Not even a week has passed but you're already causing trouble."

"Not me, them! Look at what they've done to me!"

"Is that why you stripped and attacked Feli, hmm?"

"That's the name of the bitch? Whatever! It's self defense! She attacked ME!"

He sighed and so did she. The argument felt endless. Either of them seems ready to bring and counter allegations.

"I don’t trust your words, Aragon. Come with me to the office so you'll see that all accusations are pointed at you."

They went right away to the office of the Prefect of Discipline(POD). She basically stomped her feet on their way despite noticing Eli's jaw clenching hard in her peripheral vision. He may be annoyed but she is a hundred times more annoyed, though.

The AU admin's lack of consideration is outrageous! She was stinking of spilled egg from hair to jeans yet still forsaken the liberties to change.

What basis?

The urgency of the case. The nerve, really!

Upon entering the office, her eyes and Mandy's met. Her stomach churned for inexplicable reasons. The cocky bitch won't flinch, she inwardly revolted. Another girl and two other boys were present but they easily faded into the background.

Something doesn't feel right, she feared.

"Let's all sit so we can begin pronto." Miss Sanz, head-in-charge and guidance counsellor of the POD, presided.

Everyone settled not making a bit of a sound excluding Care who sat with a rebellious BAM! Eli darted a warning look that she kindly replied with a I-don't-give-an-f smirk.

"Well, Ms. Madelaine Salvador, state your case." Ms. Sanz urged.

Mandy wore a distraught expression perfected by her nibbling on her lower lip to emphasize a damsel in distress façade. It was contradictory to the feisty demeanor she showed earlier.

"Uhmm, I didn't wanna drag things here but Care had gone overboard!" she exclaimed with a matching snivel, "There was this Drunk Jenga game we did and I might have offended her. Care, if my question about Ramses Cooper upset you, I'm very sorry! Fine, I was insensitive but do you really need to go as far as to bully and harass me!?"

"Blah, blah, blah!" She wanted to say out loud if not for Eli's iron steel glare.

"In what way were you bullied and harassed, Ms. Salvador?" Ms. Sanz probed.

"At drama club admissions, she ordered men to cast me out of the venue! Then, most people in the clique avoid me now. I cannot help but think that she claimed I am a whore as rumors say though nobody testifies."

Now that Care stared closer, she recognized the other woman and nameless boys with them. Truly, they were the ones who escorted her out of the auditorium while the girl was the person who Mandy hit with a chair.

What a way to twist events!

"Is any of these true, Ms. Caress Aragon?" Ms. Sanz turned to her.

"Definitely a NO! She was thrown out, yes. However, not on my orders. She acted a crazy lunatic rampaging inside so facilitators had no choi---"

"LIES! We were ordered by Care on the condition that she would sleep with us if we toss Mandy outside." one of the boys cut her off affirmed by the approving nod of his bastard pal.

Care fisted her hands suppressing anger to dominate her over. Mandy watched her unblinking almost, expectant of her loss of composure. She barely concealed her sinister smile slightly teasing at the corner of her lips.

I won't give her the satisfaction of seeing me crumble, Care decided... or so she thought she could. When the other girl blabbered the next second, her mind spiraled down to madness.

"Yes, I testify to that! What's worse is when I tried to stop Care... S-she... She hit me with a chair!"