::You Don’t Understand::

Recap: Stella Marlowe returned to Devon Academy, the site of her humiliation years ago, in search of revenge and peace of mind. Upon her arrival, she found that her childhood best friend, Nicolai, was now dating Bridget, one of the girls she had come to settle scores with. The other girl, Gretchen, has become the queen bee and wields her power with an iron fist. Stella decided to take on the identity of “Elle”, a new student, since none of her old friends recognized her. She befriended Pari, the outgoing and sweet student body president, and attempted to settle into Devon life. Stella decided to attend a huge party held by one of her classmates off campus at the end of her first week back at Devon. At the party, Gretchen and Bridget humiliate Fern, another senior at the school. Stella helps Pari, Elias, Johnny, and Quinn (more new friends she has made) comfort the girl and they return to Devon with Nicolai, who had gone missing during the party. Before she fell asleep that night, Stella decided that she needed to bring down Gretchen and Bridget.

Saturday morning at Devon brought with it a heavy downpour that threatened to keep everyone indoors for the day. Stella woke up leisurely around noon and made herself a cup of coffee in the lounge. Other girls were sitting around the lounge, watching the large TV in the corner, reading magazines, or just talking. Most were still in their pajamas. While waiting for her coffee, Stella looked around for either Pari or Fern, but they were nowhere to be seen. Clutching her coffee mug and another for Pari, Stella made her way to Pari’s room.

Pari opened the door after a couple of knocks and ushered Stella in with a tired smile. She accepted the extra mug of coffee gratefully and sighed as she whiffed the distinctive aroma of freshly brewed coffee.

“It’s been a long morning,” she said. Only then did Stella realize that Pari looked as if she had been awake for hours already. Her hair was damp and when she noticed Stella looking, she clarified. “I had to get a new key for Fern this morning from the office.”

“Why did you get a new key for her? I thought she said she had given it to someone last night.”

“She did. I went to look for Dinah this morning before Fern woke up and I found her in the boys’ lounge with Gretchen. When I asked her for the key, she looked at Gretchen and told me that she had lost it somewhere last night,” Pari said with a roll of her eyes. “Lost it my ass. That stupid cow just wanted to get a pat on the back from Gretchen. No one wants to be seen helping one of Gretchen’s castoffs.”

“No one but you,” Stella interjected forcefully. “You don’t care what the hell Gretchen thinks or does.”

“Elias, Johnny, Nico, Quinn, and I are exceptions. I’m sure there are others like us; they just haven’t found the courage or motivation to speak out just yet.” Pari sat down at her desk chair and pointed Stella to the bed. “Sit,” she instructed.

Stella launched into an angry tirade the second she sat down. “Why don’t you guys do anything about it, though? You always pick up the broken pieces but never confront the problem head on and bring Bridget and Gretchen down. This school is absolutely insane and ruled over by a pair of bitches who don’t have a single working brain cell between the two of them. Everyone is so afraid of them; I think it’s about time someone did something about it.”

Pari waited for Stella to calm down before she spoke. “Look, Elle. I know that since you’re new, all of this seems a little bit barbaric to you. The thing is, we’ve been dealing with this problem longer than you would ever understand. You hardly know us; you’ve never even seen Gretchen at her finest. What you saw last night was just a taste. Gretchen has broken more friendships, relationships, and spirits than I could even dare to count. She knows exactly what needs to be said to bring a person to their knees.”

“And that’s exactly why she needs to be stopped!” Stella exclaimed.

“Elle, I know you mean well, but it’s just…it’s not possible. You don’t understand.”

“Don’t tell me I don’t understand, Pari. I knew a girl just like Gretchen growing up. I know her type very well.”

“You know her type, Elle. You don’t know her, though. She’s the queen bitch of her category. She’s different from all the rest. She takes personal pleasure in hurting others.”

“I can see why you’re so scared to do something about this, Pari-”

“I’m not scared! If I were scared of Gretchen, I wouldn’t be going against her publicly by befriending everyone she hurts. I’m not scared of what she’s going to do to me, Elle.”

“Then why not take the risk and do something?” Stella exclaimed. She got up off the bed and started pacing the length of Pari’s room. “I’ve never been the type of person that just sits idly by and watches people get hurt.”

“And you think I am? I hate seeing the things Gretchen does. We all do. She didn’t become like this without a reason though,” Pari said, her nostrils flaring in anger.

“Really? Because I can’t seem to find one plausible reason for her to sit so comfortably at the top tier of the social ladder. She isn’t talented, she’s not intelligent, and she’s obviously not very nice.”

“You’re going to try and tell me that you didn’t have a scale of popularity at your boarding school in France? Every school has a system like this.”

“Hell no,” Stella said. “We obviously had girls that were more popular than others, but it was nothing like this at any of the schools I’ve been to.”

“Elle, I don’t know how else I can convince you that what you’re trying to get me to do is impossible. It simply cannot be done.”

“I can’t believe that this place is for real. I can’t understand how so many people stand by and watch someone get torn to shreds. How have you been able to deal with this for so many years without saying anything about it? We just witnessed a girl getting her life ruined and nobody had the decency and the guts to stand up to Gretchen.”

“Why didn’t you do something if you were so god damn outraged by it?” Pari responded, standing up to face Stella.

“I froze up and didn’t know how to react. I was just trying to process that this was actually happening and I wasn’t making it up. But I won’t stand by and watch it happen again. What’s the point in standing by and idly hating Gretchen? Do something about it,” Stella stressed. “Prove that you mean all of your pretty words about convictions and strength.”

“I can’t believe-”

“Look, don’t do anything about this. That’s fine. Just know that next time Gretchen tries to take down someone else here at Devon, I’m going to go down with them,” Stella said as she picked up her coffee mug and walked out of Pari’s room, head held high.

…

Stella set the coffee mug down on her desk and sat down heavily on her desk chair, setting it into a spinning motion with the force.

I just lost the first friend I made after coming back to Devon, she thought to herself dazedly. Had that conversation seriously happened? She had just spilled all of the angry pent up feelings she had harbored for Gretchen all these years in an attempt to convince Pari to help her. Even then, nothing had worked. Pari was dead set against going against Gretchen and if Pari wasn’t going to help her, there was no hope for anyone else.

Stella sighed resignedly and leaned back in the chair, closing her eyes. It seemed that she would be alone in this, then.

A/N: Oh God, I know it’s short and not so interesting (and definitely not worth the year long wait) but I’m trying to get back into the swing of writing. I’m afraid my classes in college don’t really call for creativity and it’s definitely showing in the way I’ve been writing lately. I posted within the weekend, as I promised, and it’s terrible, just like I said. I’m really sorry for the long wait and everything. Please forgive me? I’m only human, I’m afraid.