The Class Reject: A Pariah in Purgatory (Book II)

Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Miren grabbed one of the sandwiches from the catering tables outside the theater before realizing that it was ham. She wrinkled her nose; she hated ham. Briefly, she considered going back to the table, but then she remembered she was basically at large. Sooner or later, someone would realize Miles had left.

So she pushed through the main entrance, the cold January air assaulting her nerves. She tried to find comfort in the peaceful, scenic atmosphere, but she could make out a girl some fifty feet in front of her. Chara.

Miren clicked her tongue, but she kept her pace and direction until they abruptly stopped in front of each other. Chara lifted her gaze, her fuchsia scarf blocking the rest of her expression.

"Is the meeting not over yet?" Chara asked, turning toward the auditorium.

"It'll probably be a while," Miren told her. "They're too busy comparing penis sizes to make any progress. Hence why I left." Chara nodded. "There's food in there. You could probably sneak a sandwich or two and then wait for Wallace at the library."

"No." Chara shook her head. "We should talk."

Miren raised an eyebrow. "About?" Truthfully, she was tired of talking, even if she had mostly just been listening. But things with her and Chara were good. There was a subtle strain on their relationship, but it was inevitable. As horrible as Rosemunde was, their friendship flourished there. Now everything was complicated. And they weren't an exception.

"Us," Chara said simply. "What's been bothering me lately. What's been bothering you lately."

Miren blinked. The list of what bothered her was extensive; she didn't even know where to start. But she knew better than to reject her friend's offer.

"Then let's talk."

***

The walk to the dorm was quiet, and the dorm itself was even quieter. Even the RD was nowhere to be found. Once they reached her room, Chara took a seat on her bed.

"So how are you adjusting?" she said, twirling a strand of her long black hair. "I mean, how are you really doing?"

"I don't know," Miren began, taking off her glasses. "In many ways I'm the happiest I've ever been here. But things like that seminar, where people talk about me anyhow because they think I'm dead...it makes me question my own existence. I'm afraid I'm too deep in this lie."

"You can come clean anytime you want to," Chara informed her. "You had a good reason to do what you did. So fuck Parker and Penelope and all the other populars. They don't understand what you went through. If they feel bad right now, it honestly serves them right. It might just be because I'm dating Wallace, but haven't you noticed Parker's development? He's grown so much because of what happened. Do you think the Parker of five months ago would have an intervention to hold Rinzen students accountable for being a bunch of rambunctious retards?"

"I know that." Miren inhaled. "It's just...isn't what we're doing worse than what Penelope did to me? Artemis and Parker will probably never trust anyone again. We threw a mostly-innocent boy under the bus. We're making Wallace risk his safety to do my revenge work. Not to mention the trouble I could have gotten you into for Operation Showstopper." She exhaled. "All for what? To make Penelope feel bad? She doesn't feel anything. And even if we expose her for the demon she is, she'll find a way to get out unscathed, won't she?"

"Not this time," Chara moved to her friends side, sitting on the end of her chair. "Besides, Artemis is out of commission now. She told me she doesn't want to be part of any more revenge schemes. And Soren was a prick to her." Chara told her. "Plus, he wasn't expelled or anything. He was just suspended. And we didn't make Wallace do anything he didn't want to do." She placed her hand over Miren's. "People care about you. We care about you."