ruminative

adjective

1. expressing or involving deep thought

On Thursday night, an email was sent to myself with a copy to Wallace's office and Mr Anderson's email. It outlined the conclusion and outcome of the inquiry into the plagiarism taking place in Ms Pointer's class. Noted too was a written reprimand to the business studies teacher for her actions against a student in her care. She is now on shaky ground with regards to keeping her job and position at the school.

If the lady hadn't had it in for me, then I wouldn't have had it in for her in return. If she had approached me professionally, as teacher to student with all due respect, then I might have told her about my laptop going missing, and kept her in the loop, like I did with a few of my other school teachers.

For those who are generous and kind to me, I will repay a hundred times over with gratitude and faith. For those who come against me and try to pull me down, I will return the like, a hundred times worse. I will wait now, for Ms Pointer to make another mistake against me, then I will make her lose everything she holds dear at Mt Sommer's City High School.

Friday at school had people staring at me as I moved through the hallways. Whispers of my supposed cheating on assignments had begun to circulate the day before, but this felt like something new. As I hobbled through the halls, the whispering got louder.

"I can't believe she demanded to be included on the list, what a self-centred little girl." A group of girls were looking at me as I passed, fake whispering really loud behind their hands.

"I head she didn't just demand to go, but to take her boyfriend and his friends as well."

"No, it isn't a boyfriend. Its her valet driver."

"Oh my! Her driver? That's disgusting!"

"I heard she has a thing for him, that they were planning running away together until her step-dad found out."

"Her mother must have died of shame."

"Don't say that, you're cursing her mother."

"Poor mother." And it got worse from there. It seems like Eyva had told everyone that I'd demanded to be included on the attendance list for the annual Overmeyer business banquet. That I had demanded to bring along four friends who were paid staff because I didn't have real friends, and that it caused a rift between my mother and her new husband.

Meh. I shrugged and ignored everyone talking about me as I moved towards my Art class, pretending I couldn't hear their immature words. This kind of gossip against me happened all the time in my last life. I have to admit, I did some pretty stupid things the first time around, trying to get my mother's attention, trying to over come the grief of losing a father and have my mother remarry in one week. Moving house, moving school, learning I had a half-brother, learning my new family didn't like me, didn't want me, didn't even understand me or where I was coming from. Everything piled up and swamped me, so I acted out, and tried to fight back, tried to find a way to be accepted and find love. Yeah, I went about it all the wrong way.

"Oh, that's a sad face and depressing aura. Lily, what's going on?" Carlie and Teresa followed me into our Art classroom and helped me with my bag. Their kindness helped shake me from my depressive thinking.

"I'm OK. Just heard some more horrible gossip about me." I shrugged.

"Haters going to hate. If it isn't true, then ignore them." Teresa pulled out an art pad and set it up on her easel. Carlie and I followed suit.

"And if it is true?" I asked with a cheeky, one sided grin. I truly wanted to know what they thought of me.

"I don't believe it. All that stuff going around about you? Would Mr Overmeyer really be lead around by the nose by a teenaged step-daughter like they describe you as? I don't believe it, not your fine self." I shared an ironic laugh with the both of them.

"Speaking of my fine self, I bought a dress last week, a mini A line lurex jacquard by Vallance design. Its for the Overmeyer Annual Banquet this weekend. I was going to invite you both to come along, but if you don't want to be caught dead with a demanding step-daughter with tendencies of selfishness, then I can understand." I quietly start working the art work we'd been given by the teacher this lesson.

"Are you kidding?" Carlie bounced out of her chair, nearly knocking her easel over. "I've always wanted to go to an Overmeyer Banquet. Do you mean it?"

"Oh, but I made demands to Mr Overmeyer himself to get these exclusive invitations." I pulled the invites out of the pocket of my jacket and waved them before Carlie, just out of reach.

"The invitations are legitimate, not fakes at all. And we've already been informed by our Mother that we've been included on the attendance list." Teresa's focus shifted from the invites and back to my face, trying to see what I was up to. "What do you want in return?" She asked, suspicious of my actions. I smiled and nodded.

"Yes, I have an ulterior motive." I dropped the invites on the desk before them and Carlie quickly scooped them both up. She looked at them both, their names in print, confirming their inclusion to the city's biggest social event of the year. Teresa crossed her arms, defensive already. I copied her, taking on a serious stance, hoping to hide the humour bubbling up inside.

"I do have an aim. I aim to make both of you so sick of me and our friendship that you pewk your guts out. I plan on showering you with caramel lattes and unicorn cupcakes that you fluff out rainbows when hit. I plan on dragging you along to art exhibitions, fashion shows, music concerts and make you try on all the dresses in the new season catalogues of all of the hot designers, then I plan watching you graduate film studies..." I point to Carlie, "And Journalism and Political Sciences..." I point to Teresa, "Then I will be at your weddings and hold your babies when they are born." I wave at the invitations that Carlie is holding. "You take those invites from this new friend of yours and you're stuck with me for life. I'm sorry. There is no way around it." I huff in mock indignation, then smirk at Carlie as she slowly gets what I'm demanding.

"Oh, and I hear your dad's gossip journalist are attending the banquet this year." I snigger as Carlie's eyes widen. She has plans of being famous and shooting covers for all her dad's magazines. The banquet is a dream come true.

"I don't know, Lily." Teresa shakes her head slowly, then looks at Carlie and I. "Isn't lurex jacquard a little too sophisticated for a stuck up wanna-be ugly step daughter with delusions of grandeur?" Carlie and I are sniggering almost straight away.

"Oh, probably. Good thing I'm not all that, just some of that." I replied and laughed at my new BFFs.