My phone chimes in my pocket then again. I know its Darrel.

Me and him have been texting all the time since yesterday. It feels good being checked on and being flirted with. And lord knows I need this.

I haven't had a boyfriend in a year after me and my ex broke up, because I wasn't ready to have sex, and he was pressuring me into it.

It's not like my parents would have killed me or they advocated for no sex before marriage, I just knew he wasn't the one I should have my first time with. And I couldn’t even exlain that to him, not that he would hear it.

We broke up after some words were spoken about me being a prude. And all this after I would blow him everytime we hung out. Talk about an ungrateful asshole.

Mr. Hartwood drones on about World War II and it's getting harder to ignore my phone as the messages keep coming.

Damn, does this guy not have school?

The bell finally rings and I fish it out of my hoodie.

: Party tomorrow. Wanna come as my date?

: I just realised I didn't greet, so hi and forgive my brashness, I'm just excited.

: so yes on the date?

: I mean, we can totally have dinner or a movie before if thats what you are comfotable with.

: Okay, I'm gonna stop sending you messages now. I hope you dont imagine me in a straight jacket after this. I swear I'm normal. You are just so beautiful.

I smile to myself when I see the messages.

I rise and take my things and leave class. I start tyipng my response but then I collide with a hard body as I walk, and I open my mouth to apologise to them. But my words get caught in my mouth when I see Mason's annoyed face.

"Watch where you going, Willow."

I move to leave without an answer, but he grabs my arm in a brusing grip. I close my eyes trying to stifle a wince.

"You should apologise."

I open my eyes and fix him with a glare. It really hurts where he's holding me. I try to pry his hands off me.

"Apologise to me." I realise his words mean more and I bite my tongue.

"What is going on there Mr. Bianchi?" Mr. Hartwood comes from behind me and Mason lets me go.

"Me and Willow were just talking about homework, sir. Today's class was riverting." He turns a blinding smile to the teacher and I use that opportunity to walk away. More like sprint-walk. I'm not ready to deal with all that shit.

I go to my locker and I key in the code. I leave books in and I take some for homework.

Suddenly, I feel someone come behind me and I sigh.

Here we go again.

I find Melissa and crew behind me. The girlfriends of the Syndicate. A squad of four girls.

"I don’t think we've been formally introduced, scum." The blonde girl who is always hanging on Jose's arm says and I feel an unexplained urge to reach and claw at their faces, but I give them my fakest smile.

"We are the syndicate's girlfriends. Tasha, Melisa, Frenchie and Gemma."

"Okay, and, uh, why have your highnesses descended your thrones and come to such a lowly girl?"

"You are not funny, stinkie." Melisa spits

I have to stomp on my rage.

They are not worth it.

They are not worth it.

Frenchie tilts his head. "We heard you and the guys go way back, is this true, scum?"

I look at all of them. Are they jealous? Do they think I will take their men? Though to be fair, they were never theirs. I've seen them with these girls, they are just passing time. And they don't know them, not like I do.

"Why aren't you asking your boyfriends these questions?"

"You think you special, huh?"

I shrug. "Mostly, yeah."

The one named Tasha advances on me, but doesn't touch me. She sniffs the air around me, and then she backs away holding her nose. "Fuck, you stink. Do you even shower at all?"

The rest of her girl pals laugh. I want to walk away because I'm done with this conversation, but they almost have me surrounded and I'd have to push through them to go. But I decide to go for it regardless because the next thing I'm gonna snatch one of them.

I move to leave.

"Why do they hate you so much?" Melisa asks after I pass them.

I stop and look over my shoulder. "They don't."

With that I leave, pushing through gathered students who were no doubt here for the showdown. I guess I disappoint them again today.

I remember I still haven't replied to Darrel and I start typing on my phone.

: sounds great :)

I sat in my last class for the day, English. Mrs. Brooke was droning on and on about something and I couldn't keep my eyes of her or focus on the lesson. I was sitting behind her.

I got a kid to sit in her favorite sit because I knew her OCD would make it uncomfortable for her the whole class.

When we were kids she had her patterns and I had my compulsions, and she used to go to war for me when our other friends would play with me by rearranging my things.

But here we are, 9 years later and we are at war with each other.

I watched her the whole class shifting uncomfortably, and I was even madder it didn't satisfy me like I thought it should have.

I didn't want to see her that comfortable, knowing I've made her suffer again.

After class she had stood up like someone was chasing her.

But I can’t erase the fact that I am still mad at her.

After following her all week, I am displeased to say I have only gotten angrier. It seems after the week she was away she may have came to some sort of epiphany, she doesn't even try to make friends anymore. She is on her own and more than that, she has embraced her role as a pariah, and I'm angry to say this, but she is thriving.

She is on top of her game with all her classes, and everything just rolls off her.

Melisa's squad has taken a liking to bullying her, but she hasn't given them an inch.

Once going to class with melted chocolate stains to class after they fucking dunked it on her.

She just circled them and continued to class. The kids laughed, but she just stayed bored and waited for the teacher. Mason was with her in the class and he says she didn't even bother rising to the occasion.

I think he of all the brothers are mad like me. I can tell Bas and Jose are getting soft, not that it's a surprise. They were ones who were always kissing her ass.

What's worse is when I followed her off campus, she seemed to meet that idiot Darrell and she gave him her number. And I have noticed her smiling to her phone from time to time before or after classes.

I don't know why I haven't told the guys, but I am seething. She doesn't get to ride into the sunset with some asshole. She just doesn't.

The bell for the last class rings and we get up. Melissa comes to me pouting her lips. It usually got my dick hard and normally I'd be pulling her to a utility closet, but I just find it annoying lately. I haven't been on my game since she arrived.

"This day has been really long. Let's go to your place, I'll hang out there till the party tonight." She touches my chest and I don't know why, but I tense. Her touch just feels wrong all of a sudden. I grab her hand and I give her my hardest eyes. She gasps but I don't give a fuck.

"Leave me alone. And fuck off."

I move around her and leave her standing there.

I don't miss the stares, but I honestly have no more patience for these whores. Always the same shit.

I walk back to our house. When I enter I am greeted by the smell of something burning.

I rush to the kitchen and I find Bas in the kitchen filling a pot with water.

"Don't burn the house down." I say getting closer to the sink to see what he burned. It was chicken, I think.

"Fuck off, Tatsu." He spits at me and I almost club him in the face.

That is the name she used to call me and only her. I shove him when I see him smirking at my reaction.

His smile doesn't falter and my anger doubles over. I raise my hand to punch his stupid face and someone grabs me from behind.

"Leave me alone!"

"No. what the fuck is wrong with you two?" Mason says holding me firmly.

Bas just moves from the wall and gets back to the sink.

"Oh, nothing much brother. I was just trying to make dinner and it burned while I was playing."

Mason lets me go and he comes around to look at my face. I go to the fridge and I grab a beer a throw him one and I take one for myself.

"I will drag you bloody on this very floor next time, Bastard." I say to Bas and he only grins, happy he got the exact reaction he was looking for.

Fucker.

Mason shakes his head. He knows the conflict is over. He gives us a second look and I don't like whatever is going in his mind.

"Where is Jose?" He asks

"Probably taking over Drago's shift of following Zar like a creep." Bas says with amusement

I glare at him but he just shrugs. I'm gonna strangle this asshole one day.

Mason shakes his head. "And what have you found from following her?"

"That she isn't breaking yet. She doesn't look like she will crawl to us for forgiveness anytime soon."

"Fucking Zara."

"I think maybe we should try another approach." Bas voices out.

Both me and Mason turn to him because we know just where he is going with this.

"Like hell we are."

"Pushing her around hasn't helped, maybe we should try pushing her around."

I roll my eyes at that stupid idea.

Just then the door opens and Jose walks in moments later. He looks around us before he sighs then he heads to the fridge and takes a beer for himself.

"I'm guessing we are discussing Zaza."

"That idiot wants to forego the punishment and jump to phase 2." I offer

He quips his eyebrow like he's actually considering it, which I shouldn't be surprised.

"You gotta be joking." Mason spits

"She isn't going to bow to us. We threw her in the dungeon, she has been laughed at and humiliated and she hasn't broken down or begged for our forgiveness."

"How is fucking her going to get us what we want?"

Mason knows we won't be able to survive if we go there with her and on her terms cause if we fold now, we will be at her mercy.

"We get her on her knees regardless."

"And you don't think we'll fall?"

"I won't." I tell them

"I can't believe this shit." Mason shakes his head, clearly not at all on board with this

"What else can we do? Take her back to the dungeon? Make her run through the school naked? Steal her clothes? We've done all that." Jose says, sounding angry

"She won't talk to any of us so how do you suggest we get to spreading her legs, genius?" Mason asks

"Let me go in first." Jose says

I smirk and take a swig at my beer. This sneaky devil.

"I don't think she's still a virgin, Bowie. Not exactly your type." Mason mutters with amusement creeping under and I can't help my smirk too

"Fuck off. I love all pussies equally."

"No, I think I should go first. I'm the nice one." Bas says

"You sure it's not because you want to swoop in and be her knight in shining armor?" I ask

He glares at me.

"You assholes know I have the best chance."

None of us can deny that.

"Fine, but we have to make sure she doesn't sink her claws into us this time. We have to carry out the plan no matter what."

We settled the details and it was agreed that the plan is a go. Bas would lay the ground work.

We get a visitor. When I open the door, its Simba.

The little shit.

He takes a step back when he sees me and I step out and I grab him. "You got some balls for coming here, kid."

Bas comes from behind me. "You are a long way from home, Cele."

"You must be stupid or you are just dumb." Mason's voice comes from behind me.

I drag him inside and I shove him in the middle of the room.

"Look, I'm not here to start trouble." He has his hands raised in surrender. "I am just here to ask you to let me be Willow's friend again."

I advance on him and Jose grabs me. This kid has some nerve.

"Why do you want to be her friend so bad? Was she giving you pussy or something?" the question from Mason's lips takes me even higher in rage

"No. No. Nothing like that. She is just a very cool person and she's all alone. I like her as a friend, and I fucked up. I want to ask for her forgiveness."

"You must really hate your life, kid."

Bas says coming to stand next to Mason.

"Just friends, I promise."

"Mm, just friends you say? Then let me propose something. You can be friends with her..." he pauses to look our direction before he continues. "But you have to report to us everything she does, everything she says, who she talks to. If she so much as giggles, you tell us."

His eyes widen. Then he asked, "What do you guys have against her. Didn't you used to be friends?"

Mason nears him in even, but predatory steps and the boys Adams apple bobs furiosuly as he looks to his sides and us for help.

"No, Simba. We were best friends."