*Cerise: Fuck, Em, she is calling me!!!*

*Emmy: Oh?! And you rejected the call?* ​​

*Cerise: I rejected it twice already. Emmy, help me! You said you will help me!!*

The more Cerise panicked, the more I expectant I got. This is getting even more exhilarating than I expected. I wanted to hear their conversations, but it was impossible to do a three-way call, knowing that Kristen was the one that called first.

*Emmy: Girl, you should record the conversation with your phone. We don't know what will happen next, but by recording, we can use it against her if she dares to threaten you.*

*Cerise: But… isn't that unethical?*

I chuckled when I read her text. Cerise still thought about ethical stuff when she was literally getting a death threat from Kristen. It showed how much of a weak-willed girl she was.

*Emmy: Are you for real? Cerise, she is threatening you! If you want to be protected by the police, you must have evidence. That's why I ask you to record it!*

*Cerise: You're right, Em…*

*Cerise: Fuck, she is calling me again. I--I will record it for you! Please help me, Em! You're my only friend, please protect me after this!*

No one would protect you other than yourself, Cerise. I've planned to use you as the weapon against Kristen. You just didn't know how sweet revenge tasted like.

*Emmy: Stay strong, Cerise!*

I put down my phone, stretched my body after finished my homework. I went downstairs and brought a glass of milk with a bag of chips to my room.

I popped the chips and ate while watching some cat videos on Youtube. There was nothing I could do other than waiting anyway. Let's just watch some cat videos or cute dogs on YouTube while Cerise and Kristen were burning each other in their call.

"Awww, so cute…." I giggled when I saw a kitten playing with a laser pointer. For few minutes, I had forgotten about Cerise and Kristen until my phone rang.

Cerise called me.

I cleared my throat and accepted the call. I adjusted my voice to sound worried and asked her, "Cerise, are you okay?! How is it? Did she really threaten you?!"

There was a long pause after I barraged Cerise with questions, and then, I heard the girl sobbed few times until her sobs turned into a full-blown loud cry. I had to distance myself from the phone because of the sharp scream.

"Emm—Emmyyyy! She is going to kill me. She is definitely going to kill me!!" Cerise wailed. I suspected that Kristen really did push Cerise too far.

"O—Okay, Cerise, relax—"

"Should I call the police now? Em, I'm so scared. She said she will kill me if I... if I…." Cerise snapped out of her anxiety. Her cries became even louder. I started wondering if she was home alone right now.

"Cerise, relax, okay? I'm here to help you. You need to send me the recording first. You recorded it, right?"

"Y—Yes, I will send it to you…." Cerise said she hung up and sent a recording file to my dm. I opened the recording and listened to their conversation.

—

Kristen: You shit bitch! Did you spill my secret to anyone? Did you spill it to Emmy!?

Cerise: N—No, I would never…

Kristen: I swear, shit bitch. If you dare to tell Emmy about my secret, then I will also drag you down! I will make sure you will suffer and die!

Cerise: N—NO! Please, I keep the secret for myself! I would never spill that hideous thing you did!

Kristen: Don't you dare to call it a hideous thing! You just happened to find out about it!

Cerise:…

Kristen: Remember, if Emmy knows about this, you and your shit-cleaning mother are as good as dead!

Kristen: Oh, one more thing, don't you ever come near me. Just say that you feel sick or whatever to Emmy. You're fucking disgusting.

—

Damn, that was intense, especially coming from a supposedly gentle person like Kristen.

But it also intrigued me because Kristen sounded so angry and paranoid when she threatened Cerise. It seemed that her secret was truly a big one, the one that could break her until she couldn't even think to keep up with her facade.

Jessica must've been thrilled when she found out about this secret!

I called Cerise and tuned my voice to sound worried, "Oh no, I really didn't expect this. Cerise, Kristen sounds so serious…."

"T—Then, what should I do, Emmy? You said you will help me, right? Please help me now. I'm begging you!" Cerise sounded desperate, like a cornered rat that had no way out, so she desperately tried to dig the wall behind her with her claws.

"S—Should I call the police? I have evidence in me! Kristen will surely get jailed for sending death threats!" Cerise said.

"Oh, Cerise, don't be so naive…." I almost chuckled when I heard that.

Did you think that I've never reported my bullies to the police?

There had been many cases where the adults caught my bullies abusing me, but since they were just juvenile, the police ignored it, as if those bullies were just a bunch of harmless delinquents that would obey them after one or two scoldings.

In fact, the bullying worsened whenever I tried to report it, so there was no way out.

"She is still a juvenile, just like us. The worst thing that could happen to her is just some scolding or a week of suspension. After that, your life will be in danger again."

"T—Then, what should I do?! I'm so scared, Em!"

"Well, you need to make sure that you have the upper hand against her…." I suggested.

"U—Upper hand? But how?"

"Cerise, you have it in your hand the whole time…." I drank my milk and licked the edge of my lips. "Use Kristen's secret against herself."