Chapter Twelve - Girl, please.

"What is she doing here?" Ivory is the first one to break the silence, her words spoken through gritted teeth. "Exactly what I want to know." Jake adds, his voice low and dangerous.

"She's a nasty piece of work," he adds before turning his chair around so that he isn't facing Violet anymore. His eyes flicker upwards to meet mine and we both hold eye contact with one another. I remember his words to me the last time Violet showed up and instantly feel re-assured. When I give him a small smile in response, he returns it, appearing relieved.

"Is that Violet?" Trish asks me, peeking over her long blonde hair in Violet's direction. "Yep, that's her." I respond tightly.

"Ooh, that's a cute outfit." Trish exclaims. Upon noticing the glare from Ivory, Jake and I, Trish's eyes widen and she begins to stutter.

"I-I mean that's a clash of major colours. It's an eye sore to look at her." Trish corrects herself. I bite down on my lip, holding back a laugh.

"Nice save," Jake chuckles quietly, his chest vibrating as he laughs.

"If she tries to make a pass at you, I'm going to snap her fingers. Pregnant or not." I huff, stabbing at my pasta violently with my fork.

"Seeing the way you treat pasta, I'd be very scared if I was her..." Ivory jokes, putting an am around me and pulling me in close.

"You break all fingers on one hand and I'll do the other. Team work makes the dream work." Ivory whispers, her words intended to cheer me up. I immediately begin laughing, shaking my head at our sense of humour.

"We heard that." Trish pipes in, giggling. I turn towards Jake who appears to be deep in thought and my laughter dies down -

"Jake?" I asked quietly snapping him out of his deep filled thoughts. "Yeah?" He responds, blinking a few times.

"Are you okay? You kind of drifted off for a second there," I say quietly reaching over and holding his hand. I give it a small squeeze and he looks back at me.

"I'm good Muffin." He lifts my hand and places it on his cheek before leaning into it and closing his eyes. I watch his chest rise and fall as he sighs quietly and I immediately begin to worry about him. Violet returning to his every day life couldn't be good for his mental health. His relationship with Tobias is already strained and despite them both coming leaps and bounds from where they were, it still isn't solid. I know that seeing Violet will be digging up feelings and emotions that Jake probably doesn't want to re-visit. She hurt him deeply and I know from his past that it took a long time for him to get over that.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" I ask him quietly, stroking his cheek and he nods, pushing back his chair and standing up. I stand up with him, my eyes landing on Violet who is closely watching our every move. I grit my teeth and turn away, not giving into her intense stare. Jake immediately drapes an arm around my shoulders, leaning down to plant a kiss on my lips. The small move of affection has me smiling and he mirrors my actions, the sparkle returning to his blue eyes.

"I already feel better," Jake comments as we head out of the doors, slinking off to spend some time on our own before class starts again.

*****

"Mrs Wilkins? Please could I have the test notes so I can copy them down for myself?" I ask, pulling my long hair into a quick ponytail to get it away from my face. Mrs Wilkins nods, picking up a sheet from her desk and placing it on the table in front of me.

"I'll see you tomorrow Emily," She smiles which is a rare occasion for her to do.

"Goodnight," I smile back at her, watching as she picks up her suitcase before heading out the door. I'd decided to stay an hour later after college to finish up on some notes for an upcoming exam. Jake insisted staying behind with me but I told him to go home with Ivory and I'd find my own way back. It felt good to be alone with my thoughts for a while. I glance down at my phone and respond to a text message from Jake, telling him I'll be home shortly.

The door to the class opens and I look up, expecting to find Mrs Wilkins returning. Instead my eyes connect with Violet's and I breathe out a heavy sigh.

"What do you want Violet?" I ask bluntly, packing away my stuff. She doesn't say anything and instead walks towards me, her shadow looming over me. She places two hands on either side of my desk, leaning down -

"Let's have a conversation," Violet drawls out, her voice lined with an icy tone. I ignore her and continue packing away my stuff. She breathes out in annoyance before reaching forward and taking one of my pencils. I watch her in complete shock as she snaps it in half before placing it back down in front of me.

"I'm talking to you." She snaps. I blink several times, wondering whether I imagined her actions but sure enough, my pencil remains snapped in half. Oh no, you didn't.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Get away from me, you crazy bitch." I hit back at her, standing up. Violet slams her hands onto the desk in front of me, the noise echoing in the room.

"I don't get ignored. That little stunt you pulled earlier in the cafe with Jake was actually pathetic." She hisses at me, her teeth clenched tightly together in anger.

"What stunt?" I respond, confusion written all over my face.

"Throwing yourself all over him? I don't appreciate girls like you." She sneers at me. I raise one eyebrow at her in disbelief, giving her a cold hard stare to show her I'm not intimidated.

"Incase you didn't hear this clearly before... I'm his girlfriend, not you. How I choose to act with Jake is entirely my choice. Honestly, the desperation coming from you is disgusting. Let it go." I hit back.

I'd grown up in a troubled household since my father passed, survived being held hostage from my biological father, recovered from a gunshot wound, killed the town's biggest gang member and Violet thinks I can't handle her childish drama? Girl, please.

If only she knew what I was capable of, maybe she'd think twice before leaning into my face and hovering inches away from it.

"He may be hung up on you for now but he loves me. Jake and I are supposed to be together. You're just the obstacle that's currently in the way but I plan to get rid of you very soon." Violet says quietly, her eyes staring me down. I blink several times, processing her words before I stand back and erupt with laughter.

The entire time, Violet watches me with curiosity, her eyes flashing with uncertainty. I wonder whether she's finally realised I won't stand back and allow her to bully and belittle me. As I continue to laugh, her confident front slowly crumbles down and I realise I'm right. . .

"Wow, I didn't realise how much I needed a good laugh," I wheeze, wiping away at my eyes. Violet continues to watch me silently, not expecting to receive the reaction that she got. I step around the desk and slowly walk up to her, my eyes fixed on hers. She clears her throat and stands up straighter, her confidence returning once again.

"Look Violet, just because you have a pretty face doesn't mean you can get what you want in life, when you want it. Unfortunately too many girls like you walk around thinking everyone should bow down to you. You're not a queen. You're someone who got lucky when it came to genetics. That doesn't mean someone who isn't society's version of beautiful is any less worthy than you are. A pretty face is nothing if you have an ugly personality." I finish. Violet stands still, her face emotionless as she registers my words.

I lean forward slowly until our faces are inches away. I can hear her laboured breathing as I shake my head at her, my eyes narrowed -

"And yours is one of the ugliest I've ever seen."

With that, I turn around and leave the classroom. I imagine she stood in the same position for a while, pondering the words I'd spoken to her. Sometimes people who do bad things aren't necessarily bad people. People make mistakes, every human is born to make them. If you don't learn from that mistake and choose to do it again, that makes you an idiot. Only an idiot makes the same mistake twice. . .

The question I keep asking myself is if Violet is sensible enough to learn from her mistake the first time.