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“Penny, are you blind?!”
Everyone turned to Patricia, catching her approach as if she was walking down the runway. When Patricia stopped, she folded her arms under her chest and snickered at Nina. “Everyone in here knows Nina is fit to be an actress! She acts like a damsel in distress, letting others pick on her so others fight her own fights. She’s a coward, but at the same time, cruel!” Patricia pitched, letting everyone hear her to get her point across. “Girls, don’t blame Penny for taking pity on her. She’s not the first victim to fall for this snake’s tricks. I fell for it, and what did I get in return? She tried to pin me on a crime she committed! She framed me, her best friend, who believed in her through and through!”
She smiled magnanimously before she sneered at Nina. “Nina, aren’t you ashamed? These girls already apologized, but you chose to threaten them and eat the basically trash for
to gain sympathy. After what you’ve done to Penny, you’re trying to use her to protect you! It’s so shameful I even feel embarrassed for you!”
With Patricia now here, the girls regained their confidence. They nodded approvingly, glaring at Nina, but not Penny.
Nina, on the other hand, clenched her teeth. She looked away bitterly.
“That’s not what I meant…!‘ was what she wanted to argue, getting frustrated at being accused of something she didn’t want to do.
For the first time, Nina didn’t want to be pitied. She simply wants them to leave her alone!
“I just want to eat…” Nina hung her head low, her quiet and shaky voice finally escaped her mouth. “Please… just leave me alone.
“Here she goes again.” Patricia rolled her eyes and glanced at everyone in the cafeteria. Her heart was pleased upon seeing that everyone was not buying Nina’s act. “Nina, that pity card is now powerless. Goodness! Don’t you really have no shame? Can’t you see everyone is just disgusted at you at this point?”
Nina snapped her eyes up and intuitively looked around. Her heart sank the moment she saw the look on everyone’s faces. It wasn’t like she was trying to gain sympathy, but the judgemental look in their eyes wasn’t also pleasant to see.
“I can’t believe I trusted and even saw you as my bestie!” Patricia shook her head, giving Nina a look of disgust as if she was nothing but a piece of dung. “You disgust me.
Nina’s heart shook, but she tried to hold her tears back.
Squeezing out a tear was a piece of cake for her, but holding back took a lot of energy and willpower. Right now, Nina knew that if she let just one tear escape her eyes, Patricia and these girls would just use it to mock her more. If she didn’t, they would say this was her real color.
At this point, Nina didn’t know where to put her shoes anymore.
Was this what Penny felt when she was in these same shoes? But how come it felt worse than
158 Where do you think this hand is going?
when she was just watching Penny in this situation?
If only they knew it took Penny an entire lifetime to learn her lesson..
Penny observed Nina closely, a little taken aback that Nina was holding back her emotions. “Normally, she would still use the pity card and twist their words.”
Was it because Nina knew there was no use for the pity card anymore? Or did she truly want all of this to stop?
‘Geez!‘Penny mentally lamented. Why do I take pity on people:
easily?!”
But then again, these girls were crossing the lines. Penny would turn blind eyes and deaf ears if only these girls didn’t start mocking the Cortez Family.
“Patricia, I feel sorry about what happened to you, but can you stop?” Lily spoke, now annoyed at Patricia again. “Inciting and dragging this drama will help no one.”
“Hah?” Patricia scoffed at her. “What do you mean, it will help no one? What I’m doing is protecting everyone and spreading awareness that not everyone you call a friend is your friend. Nina framed me for something she did I wasn’t even in school when that incident happened. But no one believed me because she kept saying nonsense and that we skipped school together!”
Patricia’s face darkened, reminded of all the lies Nina spewed just to rope her in all of that. Her heart raged and pointed a finger at the culprit named Nina.
“This girl tried to kill Penny and almost harmed you in the process, Lily!” she harrumphed. “Why are you speaking as though I am the villain here? I’m only standing up for you and Penny!”
“And who told you to stand up for us?” Penny spoke, tilting her head to the side. “Did I ever ask you to fight my fight?”
For a moment, Patricia opened and closed her mouth. “Penny, what’s wrong with you?! I’m on your side now and yet, you’d rather take that snake’s side? You’re probably blind and deaf!”
“That’s right, Penny. Can’t you see we’re just doing you a favor here?” one of the girls expressed.
They were all dissatisfied with Penny.
“Penny, you might have forgiven her so easily, but Patricia is innocent here!” another girl raised her voice. “We’re not asking you to be thankful for us or Patricia’s, but you shouldn’t poke your nose where it doesn’t belong.”
“School bullying is bullying, even if the victim is once a bully” Lily retorted adamantly. “The school is already on it. So, if you have more problems, then the guidance office and the headmaster’s office are open.
Ginnie pressed her lips and blurted out. “Patricia, you might be innocent with the flowerpot incident, but – but you’re not entirely innocent! Didn’t you used to pick on me and think of replacing me with Penny just because you thought she’s also a charity of the school?!”
Deep lines appeared between Patricia’s brows, and when her vicious eyes landed on Ginnie, the latter flinched. Ginnie intuitively hid behind Lily without even realizing it.
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