“ For you to be the best, you must first of all beat the best. ”
****
  — Joel —
During leisure, I was summoned by Mr Faye and had to leave Cecile at the canteen. Though it wasn’t the first time we'd been separated that way, I didn't feel peace about it. 
I considered asking her to accompany me but decided against it. What if she felt I was being too clingy?
I got back, just before leisure ended. 
The canteen was empty, which was unexpected as most students usually remained there till the break was rung. 
“ Cecile? ” I looked around, searching for her, and became worried. 
Knowing her, she wouldn't have gone somewhere else without me, only if I turned back and began walking towards the school field. 
There she was, surrounded by the Queen Bee and her gang. “ What’s going on? ” I thought bewilderedly. 
Curious, I advanced towards them and listened to their conversations. It dawned on me. Oh no. What the.
***
Cecile,
   Joel and I had just gotten to the canteen when he was summoned by Mr Faye. Though weird, I had a feeling it had something to do with his painting which I believe was magnificent and will open doors of greatness for him. 
That's how much I believed in him.
“ I have to go now, Cecile. ” The pleading look in his eyes made my heart melt. I still found it difficult to believe how close we’d become to the extent that he now had to ask for my permission. 
“ It's okay. I will be here waiting for you. ” I replied. 
“ Really? ”
“ Sure. ”
“ Great. ”
I ordered a milkshake and cookies and was sipping it when I became lost in thoughts. The words from Joel’s presentation rang in my head, given how much I could relate to them. 
“ I’d thought I wouldn't be able to live without her but I was wrong as now I am still surviving even without her on planet earth. ”
I recalled how much it’d hurt to see my twin in pain. It always felt like my heart was being pricked by a thousand needles. The sight was very painful.
Despite it all, my twin kept a smile on her face, the signature one I’ve gotten so used to. She hid her pain so well, but how could she completely do this when I cry when she cries? And the pain in her eyes was always so obvious, too obvious to be unseen. 
I watched her breathe her last, the moment was the worst of my life as I’d felt like dying. We’d come into the world together, so how then did she have to leave without me? 
Why?
Tears became my water and sorrow became my food in the days that followed, it hurt too much and I believed I wouldn't be able to survive it. But I did.
“ Promise me you’ll live on after my demise? ” I wiped out the tears that fell out of the corner of my eyes at the reminder of her last words. “ I will. ” And have been living by that promise every single day. 
 I snapped out of my thoughts and stared at my wristwatch only to realize that it’s been over thirty minutes since Joel left. Yet he was nowhere in sight. How intense could the Convo be? I wondered. 
Looking around, I figured that the canteen was almost empty so I decided to walk up to the school field and admire some of the ornamental plants which were my inspiration for my next painting.
So far, I’ve learned to paint from memory and didn’t need any pictorial references. This was on my part a huge development.
As it was summer, the flowers were in full bloom. “ How beautiful would it be to have all of this in my garden? ” I smiled at the thought. Ever since I’d lost my twin, Mom and I had completely lost interest in gardening. 
It was something that had always connected the three of us, but after she left it was almost impossible to even pick up the watering can. 
 While I was still lost in my thoughts, a sudden shove from behind made me almost lose my footing. “ Wait, what? ” I’d just recovered from the impact of it to see myself in the middle of the gang I’d recognized to be the Queen Bee and her cohorts. 
Staring at them closely, I figured they all looked like Korean models and looked so much alike. Wait, are they siblings? I thought bewilderedly not minding the scowls on their faces. 
[ A/N : Really? Hahaha. ]
***
“ Tsk, tsk. ” My attention was brought back to the girls who were now rounding me. 
“ So this little miss Barbie is trying to snatch our Joel. ”
‘ Our Joel? ’ I couldn’t help raising an eyebrow at her words, what relationship could they possibly have with Joel that made him theirs?
“ Yes. I heard she’s been messing around with him and acting all lovey-dovey as if she's his girlfriend. ” One of them who had pink hair replied.
“ Oh. ” Kara, the Queen Bee paused her steps as our gaze locked. I didn’t avert my gaze as she’d probably expected me to. 
“ So you are a fearless one. I see. ” The grin on her face was replaced by a smirk as she spoke. I kept a straight face, simply staring at her. I wasn’t ready to give her the satisfaction of seeing me react. 
“ Rule number one, Joel Maverick is ours! ”
“ Rule number two, Joel Maverick belongs to us only! ”
“ Rule number three, No one apart from him can have him. ”
“ And since he’s ours? ” 
“ You had better stay as far away from him as you can! ” By now, I could see a small crowd building around us. 
As someone who wasn’t used to being at the center of attention. I began to think of ways to get myself out of the situation before it escalated. I’d also promised my uncle that I would stay out of trouble as much as possible and I wasn’t going to break that promise.
 .
“ Are you even listening, little Miss Barbie? ” The shrill voice of the youngest one among them snapped me out of my thoughts.
“ What did you just say? ” I opened my mouth to them, taking a step closer to her. “ What do you mean? ” Her voice shook as I advanced towards her. 
“ Oh, what do you think? ” I chuckled mockingly. 
“ You do know the consequence of provoking us, don’t you? ”
“ Provoke you? I thought you were already provoked. How laughable. ”
“ How dare you. ” The red-haired among them pointed an accusing finger at me.  
“ You are playing with fire, Cecile Grayson. ”
“ Oh… so you do know my name after all. To what do I owe this honor? ”
 “ Stay away from Joel Maverick. He is ours! ” I chuckled at how much emphasis she laid on the word, “ ours ”
“ Does he even know you exist? ” I heard gasps around me as soon as my words landed and I paid it no attention. 
“ How bold. ” The flicker in her tone was too difficult to be ignored. 
“ You wouldn’t want to suffer the same fate as Jemmy, would you? ” My hands and feet acted on their own at the mention of the girl who reminds me so much of my twin and before I knew it, my palms had connected with her cheeks. 
“ You… ” Her hands moved automatically to where she was hit and her eyes widened in shock. 
“ I’m sorry, that was — ”
“ A mistake? ” I swallowed at her intense gaze on me. “ You’ve just stepped on a lion’s tail, Cecile. Get ready for its attack. ” Covering her face with her hands, she ran away.
Seeing that their leader was gone, the other two girls stared at me with so much hate and disgust that I swallowed. “ I think it’s only right that we pay her back with two slaps. ”
“ What — ” I was suddenly pinned down by the fragile-looking girls who were so strong. 
Helpless, I was preparing myself for the impact of their slap when I felt someone covering me. 
Who was it? 
My eyes widened in shock at the answer I received.
….
A/N: Wow. That was amazing. What do you think, guys?