Lucretia ran to the summer hut on the school grounds, sinking onto a bench as sobs shook her shoulders. Meanwhile, Mimie and Crystal were racing through the school, scanning every hallway and empty classroom, their worry growing.
“Where could she be?” Mimie muttered, glancing around anxiously.
Crystal looked at her, deep in thought. “Or could she be…”
“In the infirmary?” Mimie suggested, eyes widening as she caught on.
“That’s what I was thinking. Let’s check,” Crystal replied.
They turned to head towards the infirmary but stopped short when they spotted Lucretia sitting alone in the summer hut, her head bowed as she cried.
“Oh, poor Lucretia…” Mimie sighed softly.
“Let’s go over and cheer her up,” Crystal whispered to Mimie, who nodded in agreement.
They walked to her side and sat beside her, with Crystal on her right and Mimie on her left, surrounding her in a comforting embrace. Crystal gently placed a hand on Lucretia’s shoulder, patting it softly. Lucretia looked up slowly, her tear-filled eyes meeting her friends’ concerned faces.
“Why is Philip treating me like this?” she murmured, her voice breaking. “He didn’t even ask what happened.”
“He’s being a jerk, Lucretia. Don’t let him get to you,” Mimie said, folding her arms.
“You don’t understand, Mimie.” Lucretia’s voice was a whisper. “Philip and I have been friends since childhood. He means everything to me. Anyone else could think badly of me, but not Philip. He knows me better than that…” She covered her face with her hands, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Calm down, Lucretia,” Crystal said, rubbing her back gently. “Why don’t you skip the rest of class? I’ll make an excuse for you.”
“No, Crystal,” Lucretia replied, shaking her head. “I can’t skip class.”
“You should, Lucretia,” Mimie insisted, taking Lucretia’s hand. “I agree with Crystal. It’s the best thing for you right now. You need some time to pull yourself together. All right?”
Lucretia sat quietly for a moment, wiping her tears as she considered their advice.
“All right… if you both insist,” she mumbled reluctantly.
“Great! Let’s go get your bag,” Crystal said, standing up and extending her hand with a smile. Lucretia managed a small smile back and took her hand. They walked together back to the classroom, where the other students hadn’t yet returned from lunch.
Once there, Lucretia gathered her books, packing them into her bag and leaving only her geography textbook behind.
“Don’t worry—I’ll return this to your locker,” Mimie offered, taking the book.
“Thank you, Mimie,” Lucretia replied softly. “See you both tomorrow.”
“Don’t overthink this, okay?” Crystal called as Lucretia walked out of the room.
“Okay…” she said, her voice faint as she disappeared down the hallway.
She was halfway down the corridor when she ran into Daisy and her friends.
“I told you not to mess with me, Lu-cre-tia…” Daisy taunted, dragging out her name as her friends giggled beside her.
Lucretia ignored them and tried to walk past, but Daisy stepped in front of her, blocking her path with a smug smile.
“Not so fast, loser,” Daisy sneered, leaning closer. Lucretia clenched her jaw, her anger simmering as she struggled to stay calm.
Daisy leaned in, her expression cold and mocking. “I’ll make him hate you even more than he does now,” she whispered, pulling back with a smirk.
Lucretia’s temper flared, and she clenched her fists. “Are you done talking?” she shot back, her tone icy as she seized Daisy’s gaze with her own. “I don’t waste my time on brats like you.” Brushing past her, Lucretia threw one last look over her shoulder. “I pity you, Daisy.”
Daisy watched her walk away, fury etched on her face, her fists clenched.
“Crazy bitch…” she muttered under her breath before storming off with her friends.
---
Mimie and Crystal were nearly at the locker room when someone called from behind.
“Hey, wait up!”
They turned to see Jayden approaching, his face lined with concern. “Have you two seen Lucretia? I’ve been looking for her everywhere since I saw her leave the canteen in tears.”
“Oh, about that…” Crystal glanced at Mimie. “We asked her to go home. She wasn’t feeling too well.”
“Yeah, Jayden. She’ll be better off at home,” Mimie added.
Jayden nodded but still looked worried. “Okay… but what happened? She seemed so upset.”
Mimie and Crystal exchanged another quick glance, silently debating whether to tell him. Jayden raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms.
“Should we tell him?” Mimie whispered to Crystal.
Jayden overheard and raised an eyebrow. “You two are terrible at keeping secrets,” he said with a small grin. “Come on, I just want to help.”
Crystal sighed, then nodded to Mimie.
“Well… here’s what happened,” Mimie began, explaining the scene in the canteen—Daisy’s taunts, Philip’s cold response, and Lucretia’s heartbreak.
“What?” Jayden’s expression darkened, his hands clenching into fists. “I can’t believe Philip would treat her like that. He’s supposed to be her friend.” His gaze shifted toward the football locker room. “Where is he now? I’m not going to let him treat her like that.”
Mimie didn’t hesitate. “He’s probably in the football team’s locker room.”
“Mimie!” Crystal exclaimed, grabbing her hand as Jayden’s eyes flashed with resolve. She shot Mimie a pointed look, warning her to be careful, but the damage was done.
Jayden’s jaw clenched, and without another word, he stormed off in the direction of the locker room.
“Oh my God, Mimie… what did we just do?” Crystal whispered, eyes wide.
Mimie bit her lip, worry crossing her face. “We have to stop him before things get out of hand.”
With that, they both took off after Jayden, their footsteps echoing down the hallway as they chased him.