"I get it, I get it!" I groaned, slamming the chopsticks back at the side of the plate. Apparently, being a complete and utter failure at using chopsticks was a sign that I was a tardy, clumsy human being. It wasn't my fault that despite being Chinese, I had only been exposed to forks and spoons as a small bean.

Mom tsked at me one last time before she began nagging at Sebastian about whether any school results had come back. Meals in the Chan household usually meant Mom interrogating everyone. No one was spared the wrath of the tigress - not even Dad at times, although it was mostly targeted at my brother and I. Homework, test results, general behaviour - nearly anything could start a heated discussion full of hysterics with both parties jumping to wild conclusions.

I scraped the last piece of egg off the plate and into my mouth. I was keeping calm on the outside, but my brain was literally screaming with excitement and anticipation, instead of the regular anxiety or the latest school subject that was being a pain in the ass. Today was the day - the day where I destroyed Natalie Kingsley's social life - and I couldn't wait to see what would happen when I did.

"Wow, you're not whining your ass off today about the fake ass bitches? Funny," Seb mused as he shoved another scoop of fried noodles into his mouth. Oh no, I thought as Mom's eyes narrowed once again. "Sebastian Chan, what did you say?"

"Huh?" Seb put on his best clueless little boy face and glanced at me - as did both parents with dangerous looks. I paled.

Oh, Sebastian, just wait, you'll regret this expose.

As much as I wanted to publicly to shame Natalie in front of the entire school like some iconic movie scene, I knew better. Certain things only worked in fiction; in reality, I would only get into more trouble and have everything backfire on me. It was quintessential to remain unscathed and anonymous, as the Populars had done when they ruined my social life.

I had to be the higher power, the undefeated phantom that reigned supreme.

Good Ol' Nokia Buttons, despite having earned multiple teases for its appearance throughout my primary school era, was so ancient that it was untrackable - and thus perfect for the stealth mission ahead. Since it had a different number that only friends in primary school knew about, no one in Rifton would ever know it was Selene Chan, the loner and the geek.

I walked through the school garden, where certain cliques were settled around stone benches under the shade - including the Populars. Just as I expected, she was on her phone, just like the rest of the clique. They didn't spare me a second glance as I passed. The benefits of being a loner were coming in handy, it seemed.

Passing through the archway that led back to the canteen, I pulled out my drafted text on Nokia Buttons and sent it out.

The reply was immediate.

why? who r u

I grinned. Just the way I'd intended, she was hooked, maybe slightly annoyed by the fact that it could be a potential scammer. I just had to keep her interested, kept her talking to me instead of blocking and reporting.

what is it then

She was getting annoyed - the seed of curiosity had been planted in her mind, and if there was anything I knew, it was that Gillian Bishop would stop at nothing to find out. I texted back.

I shut down the phone and slipped it back into one of the compartments in my backpack, picking up my water bottle for a sip. The gasoline had been applied, just for that additional bit of spice.

All that was left was to strike the match and set the rumour mill ablaze.

Gillian and Lisa laughed at another of Natalie's comments as usual, joking around like they always did. The Castle twins chewed on their homemade lunches - some poke bowl-looking thing - as they smiled, occasionally offering their comments.

Enjoy it while you can, Natty. Your peaceful, perfect, basic clique is about to turn their back on your two-faced self. Everyone in the school's about to hate you and your social status is going down into the abyss.

As I sat at my table eating - disappearing too quickly would be suspicious and food was important - my thoughts began to drift back to one of many awkward, misery-filled school lunches.

"Hi! Can I sit here?"

The girls that were previously chatting animatedly with each other went quiet upon my presence. Cass, the unlabelled leader's smile quickly faded to one of awkwardness. "Ah... Erm, sure... " At that moment, I knew something was very wrong with the way she was behaving. I knew I was intruding on them but-

"Thanks!" I smiled and slid into the bench next to a quiet girl named Jo, trying to ignore the obvious jab as I began to eat, waiting for them to continue talking. But they didn't. It was as if my presence was so disturbing they couldn't even continue talking about their favourite stories anymore. The awkward silence remained until everyone had finished eating.

Once they were done, they walked off too briskly, almost as if they were trying to shrug me off. But I stayed, following behind like some pathetic little lapdog- even though none of them seemed interested to talk to me. Even when I left to go to my locker, it seemed that none of them cared or noticed.

Had I done something wrong?

I didn't think I had - how could I have known? I continued to try to hang out with other cliques, thinking that I'd just drifted away from the Populars. But the more I tended to hang out with others, the more I seemed to make myself unwelcome. I had no idea what I'd done wrong - until the Bathroom Incident. It was like making an illegal move on the chessboard - I had no idea until shit got real.

But now, I was smarter. I had fallen before and the scars embedded within my thoughts were my constant guides, whispering viciously to ensure I never let down my guard.

I slowly got up from my usual unnoticed loner table and went to deliver my cutlery to the collection point, all while observing the rest of my batch. Like typical teenagers, most of them were chatting and looking at their phones; they would all see a certain attachment freshly sent.

No one noticed when I quietly picked up my stuff and left. Everyone was too obsessed with their own lives, their own successes, their own cliques.

Today, I would use that against them.

Are you sure you want to do this? It could be the worst decision of your life, you know.

I shut out the little inner voice as I entered the toilet. Goodness, was I seriously hesitating? No way. Natalie Kingsley ruined my social life and left me miserable while she continued to have it all. I had to take action if karma wasn't going to.

I glared at my reflection in the mirror - the one of an Asian girl with dark hair and eyes, plus a face too childish for her own good, hardly suiting of the formal and intellectual air on the navy blue school blazer, or the white blouse and black skirt that made up the school uniform. Her gait was awkward, and her ponytail was full of fritz. If I saw someone else like that in the hallways, I would think she was completely out of place in this school.

What if it makes everything worse? Maybe it'll just ruin everything. Isn't it safer to just not engage?

I shut out the little inkling of thought trying to sway me. No, I would do this. I wanted to do this.

It was my time to shine. It was my time to rise, to show them that even the lowliest backward pawn could be powerful and was never one to be trifled with, targeted or picked on. I was a no longer the same fool that couldn't see through those blatant lies and false promises. I may have been blind before, but that naive primary schooler was no more.

Nothing would get my social life back, but I'd get that little sliver of satisfaction from bringing her down with me - and that was going to have to do.

With that, I walked into the cubicle casually and locked it, my hand reaching into my pocket to pull out dear ol' Nokia buttons. I bent down in such a way that any cameras that were around would not detect my phone as I pulled out a drafted message with no words but just a short video clip.

After ensuring that everything was in order, I clicked send.

To avoid suspicion, I actually did my business (number one, of course) before I left, drying my hands as my own phone buzzed in my pocket. Oh dear, what could this message be about? I'm sure it's the one that some anonymous threat sent to the entire school about a certain somebody. Oh, how could it be me? I got it too!

As I walked out of the toilet towards the cafeteria, I began to hear it. The sound of phones buzzing and ringing mingled with gasps of shock and the overlapping sound of the same video playing.

Chaos had arrived.

And that moment, my friends, was when all hell broke loose in the perfect rose-coloured bubble of Rifton Girls' High.