Like a blizzard in a stormy winter evening, it came out.
Everyone who heard Eli's icy remark shuddered.
It's loud enough to be heard by half of the class, so the said audience was now eyeing the aloof girl and the two dumbfounded boys. The mellow Student Council President was the first to react by opening his mouth, but Hal quickly cut him off by saying, "I'm sorry for disturbing you. We'll take our leave now."
He seems to look unbothered by her unexpected remark.
With that, Hal walked towards the door with the President reluctantly tailing him.
The fuss eventually died down when they're no longer inside the classroom.
Eli remained unmoving as murmurs about her queer actions today ensued, but one of them just couldn't stand by and leave her friend be.
"Eli, did something happen?" Leah asked with a concerned look.
The girl in question then started to recollect her senses. Eli blinked a few times, feeling a bit lightheaded. She then looked up to the fidgeting brunette and saw her worry-stricken expression.
That's when she banged her head on top of the sturdy table, making Leah jolt at the loud thud it caused and panic.
"What, Eli?! What's wrong??"
Wincing in pain, her ash-haired friend faced her and grumbled, "I screwed up."
After a short pause, Leah flatly added, "You just realized?"
Even when she talked it out to her ever reliable classmate, Eli's inner turmoil only grew.
She mulled over everything that took place, yet still felt like ripping her hair off for not remembering why they happened. All that she recalled was that unusual, scornful feeling that really didn't make any sense.
Why would she feel such an intense, perhaps even dangerous, emotion to those guys when they just recently interacted? She doesn't even know much about them.
Does she?
Shaking those confusing thoughts off her head, Eli is now in a mission to reach the Student Council room and talk with them, hopefully with a clear head this time.
Leah encouraged her to clear up the misunderstanding by apologizing to Hal and the Student Council President, thus her current stroll over there.
She was in a hurry that she didn't even notice an approaching figure.
Her pace picked up speed, thus inevitably bumping into that person after turning to a corner.
"Ack!" she yelped, butt aching after falling from the impact.
"I'm sorry...! Are you okay?"
Eli looked up to have her eyes blessed the second time that day – the first being by the President.
Two familiar faces loomed over her – one with glossy platinum blonde hair and wildly round, amethyst eyes, while the other one's with sleek, forest green hair that almost reaches his shoulders and keen sea green pupils.
The blonde guy has a shorter stature than the other, and a vigorous presence similar to that of a free spirit. The green-haired, on the other hand, poises a sense of collectedness and placidity like a wise gentleman.
With such striking features, there's no mistaking it – these dudes are part of the Student Council.
Eli gulped as that loathing feeling suddenly returned.
"Can you stand up?" the green-haired guy asked, kindly offering his hand to her.
"Want a piggyback ride to the clinic?" the blonde offered with a wide grin.
"Of course, she doesn't, Noah," the other one deadpanned.
"But, Lance, what if she had her bones on her butt broken?"
"It's just her butt grazing the floor. How bad could it be?"
Eli hoped they would just stop talking about her bottom.
Her cheeks started to warm up in embarrassment as the two continued to bicker like fourth graders.
But then, her mortified dignity as a young maiden quickly subsided at the rise of a heavier emotion – abhorrence filled her once again, but this time, her chest also ached, as if a flame of profound animosity began to lit up and consume her.
She's slowly being driven by a deadly wrath, so penetrating that it's becoming more unbearable by the second.
She wanted to do something, yet couldn't find what it was.
"Seriously, didn't you see me coming? Are you blind or something?"
Noah and Lance paused at this.
"Also, don't apologize while finding this whole thing entertaining. If anything, you guys were just making fun of my body part."
Eli doesn't know where the spite in her voice is coming from.
"Really, some lowly humans you are."
Heck, she doesn't even know what she's doing.
"Hey, did you hear that?"
"How dare she call them that?"
"Who does she think she is?"
Without her knowing it, a crowd already gathered around them – yet another commotion she caused.
The ash-haired girl, still on the floor, felt like congratulating herself for this new record of becoming the centre of attention, in a bad way, that is.
Instead of staying there and letting her mouth spout more blasphemies, she found some strength left on her legs, abruptly stood up, and rushed to the girl's comfort room . All the while, intimidating pairs of eyes follow her as she dashed through the hallway.
"Guess her butt was fine," Noah nonchalantly commented.
"Shut up," Lance replied, mirroring his disinterest.
Fortunately, the comfort room was empty when Eli came in.
Otherwise, she'd be receiving strange stares by now as she huffed and puffed like a fugitive who just broke out from jail.
Gripping the cold surface of the sink, she continued to wheeze for air as she looked at her weary face on the mirror.
"Idiot, you should be making friends like you always wanted to. Why are you making enemies now?! With the popular kids, even! Do you have some hatred towards handsome men?! Were you actually that jealous of attractive people all along?!"
Even so, Eli had to stop her monologue of self-pity.
This isn't just about her anymore. She always bears with her inescapable pessimistic outlook all on her own, but her actions today involved others. Even if her snarky comments didn't bother the receivers that much, it's still rude and unpleasant, especially when one of them just did something good for her yesterday.
Also, no matter how big or small one's offense is, it's still an offense and it might get worse someday. When someone's in the wrong, they should apologize regardless of how trivial it is.
Eli knows that better than anyone.
"Of course, you don't, fool."
Then, she stiffened.
Like a phantom of a voice, it subtly rang in her ears. Yet, even with a brief statement – ghostly and ambiguous – she knew she heard it.
And she knew that the source was just in front of her.
"Though, I do sympathize with you. After all, we're just the same..." a woman's voice, soft and silvery, and for a moment, came out a bit honeyed for the distraught girl, suddenly added after a short pause.
Eli found a faint thread of courage and held into it as she slowly faced ahead of her. She was then greeted by the same face that morning and for the second time, she felt as if she's knocked out of breath by the woman's ethereal beauty. By reflex, she couldn't help but gape and look at her with saucer eyes.
"My, no need to act so surprised. I know how fabulous I look and how much you want to indulge yourself in this gorgeous masterpiece, but we're not here to talk about that now~" she condescendingly remarked.
For a moment, she could see imaginary glitters and sparkles of self-admiration around her.
"How... obnoxious," Eli managed to deadpan despite this implausible situation.
"I must say, though, you're not that far from me. In fact, you are me."
Now, Eli couldn't wrap all this up in her head any longer.
She may be smart, but for the millionth time, she's not a freaking genius. She doesn't know why her reflection's different and how it can talk to her. She doesn't understand what this shady lady is saying. She doesn't know why she felt it's unacceptable and unfair for someone as angelic-looking as her to act so full of herself just because she's pretty.
Most of all, she has no idea why she's not reacting like what a normal person would after all these realizations.
"Let me enlighten you, then~" the snow-haired woman continued as if she just read her mind.
"Of course, I did. I'm you after all."
Maybe her own reflection is taking revenge on her for that stunt she pulled yesterday.
"Hmm... I'm not so sure about that~"
Or perhaps, she's finally losing her screws in the head this time.
"Now, would you stop your ludicrous way of seeing things? For a top pupil, you're seriously dumb."
With that, Eli finally snapped.
"Okay then, you bragging shady miss on the mirror, do enlighten me. Like you said, I'm too dumb to know how I should react in this situation," she gravely muttered through gritted teeth, an eyebrow twitching in miff.
"How insolent! I can have your head chop off any day for your impertinence..!"
"Wait, what?"
"...You're an ill-mannered lady, you know. Who's your etiquette teacher? Were you raised by those rats in the countryside...?"
Her reflection then began babbling nonsense, which somewhat irked her to an extent.
"What in the world are you saying? Look, I have no idea who you are. This whole situation is nothing but shady...! You are shady! Besides, you shouldn't be like that since I'm doing you the favour of not breaking the mirror this instant or concluding that I'm actually demented. I'm so confused, okay?! I felt like running to the hospital to have my brain checked but then you went ahead and said you're me and all that gibberish! Didn't you say you'll enlighten me?! Also, what do you mean by rats?"
The woman in the mirror just stared at her.
"Don't patronize me," she then flatly retorted, straight-faced.