Chapter 5

I WAS GETTING BUSY WITH CHEERING PRACTICE AS THE COMPETITION NEARED. Zoey and I didn't have much time to hang out either these days.

I noticed she was also preoccupied because her childhood friend had returned to town and transferred to Clover City. It turned out to be the girl from the Oceanarium.

I'm not sure what her name was, but she introduced herself as Nora or Neri. I'm not entirely sure. I wasn't interested at all, especially since she was sitting right next to Zoey's chair.

Zoey and I were in the same class. It was difficult to conceal our actual relationship, but fortunately, we are very good at it. But Zoey's childhood friend will make things more difficult for us.

What if she realizes Zoey is my stepsister? She appears to be a chatterbox. What if she reveals our secret to the entire school?

I haven't talked to Zoey about her yet because I've been so busy, and every time I got home from practice, I fell asleep quickly due to exhaustion. I have a habit of forgetting to eat dinner at times. Zoey will try to wake me up, but she usually gives up since I am tired.

Anyway, practice is done, and the cheering competition is tomorrow. It will be held in the school gym, and students from several well-known high schools will attend.

Clover High Cheerleader Squad is never out of the top three. Last year, we came close to winning first place. Since last year, I've been a cheerleading squad member, and my family has been very supportive.

I went to the tryout because three of my so-called friends would join. Since I transferred, I've been befriended by the "it girls" in our class. They dubbed themselves "The Charmer."

Camila, the so-called leader, acts as a kind girl, but when she is only with the girls, she is a backstabbing bitch. Her family is wealthy. That's why she might have felt so entitled. She's not exceptionally bright academically, but she's a natural dancer. To be honest, she's nothing compared to me when it comes to dancing. She wanted to be the next captain of the cheerleader squad.

Stella, the smallest member of the group, is a feisty and vicious character. If she doesn't like you, she won't bother being nice to you. Stella is also impolite. She's the Vice Mayor's daughter, so she's acting high and mighty. She's okay with it.

Naomi, her mother, was one of the school's shareholders. Naomi is better at academics and more intelligent than the other two. She's not that mean, but she's been friends with the two since middle school, so it was inevitable that she'd be a part of the group. She enjoys dancing and strives to improve.

I joined "The Charmer" because I've learned that if you're friends with them, no one will pick on you or bully you. But before I could suggest adding Zoey to the group, they were bullying my stepsister, and I had no idea how to respond. Bullying memories from elementary and middle school flashed through my mind. After that, I made my decision not to say or do anything.

At the time, my relationship with Zoey became awkward. I didn't know how to address the "abandoning" thing because we live in the same house. But Zoey just smiled and pretended nothing had happened. I was relieved after that. I tried to correct my mistakes and stand by Zoey, but it became more difficult by the day. The bullies were too powerful, and no one wanted to get into a fight with them. As a result, everyone simply turns a blind eye. Even the teachers are powerless to intervene. As a result, I became terrified.

Fortunately, our cheering squad captain, Piper, was like a knight in shining armor. She is always willing to assist Zoey when the bullies are causing her physical harm. Miss Peyton was another of the teachers who could not be tamed by The Charmer. As a result, she is one of the people protecting the students, including Zoey, from the bullies.

As much as they want to exact revenge on Miss Peyton and Piper, the Charmer is unable to do so. Because one of them, Piper, is the Mayor's daughter. And, two, Miss Peyton is the school president's daughter and the school's largest shareholder. So Zoey does have a strong backup. What about me? I grew to like the girls over time; they may be mean, but they are friendly and supportive as friends. I've known them for two years and can say that I know them better than their bully character.

Anyway, back to the present: practice is over, and we're on our way home. I'm walking down to the school's entrance with three other girls. It was already dark, and I noticed a familiar figure from the lamp post near the school entrance.

Once again, my heart skipped a beat. This has been going on for several days. I don't understand what's going on with me.

My heart started racing as we got closer to the entrance, and I could see Zoey standing there. She wasn't alone; she was joined by the transferee once more.

The three girls with me talked about boys and their crushes, but I wasn't interested because I was more interested in Zoey and the transferee's topic. As the more petite girl spoke with action, Zoey had a big smile on her face. When she speaks, the transferee girl is quite expressive.

I'm starting to despise her. I'm not sure why, but I don't like her. I understand they were childhood friends, but wow, she can make Zoey smile and giggle like that.

When they stopped talking and just stared at us, we were close by. I noticed Zoey was staring at me as I was at her. Her smile fades, and she adopts her standard poker face.

When her expression shifts, my heart sinks. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of that smile she was giving the transferee earlier. But I have to act as if I don't know her, right? What's up with this being so difficult?

"Someone got her girlfriend back," Camila crooned. They then came to a halt directly in front of them. I let out a long sigh. Once again, here we go.

Stella laughed as she said, "You looked good together. Garbage and a garbage can." Camila and Stella gave each other a high five.

"Welcome back, Nova," Naomi said, drawing a stare from the two of them. "What?"

That's what I'm referring to. Naomi was the nicer of the two. She was sometimes simply influenced by them.

Nova was her given name.

"Thank you, Naomi; I'm happy to see you, but not these two; some things never change, eh, Camila and Stella?" Nova retorted.

"Is someone talking? All I hear is nonsense," Camila grumbled as she continued to insult Nova.

"Someone else is going insane and talking nonsense, as is the mother of someone close to her. Oh! So it was contagious, after all. Oh, God!" Stella exclaimed dramatically.

Stella's remark triggered Nova immediately.

Nova was about to attack Stella, but Zoey jumped in front of her and grabbed the transferee's arm before she could. She knows what happened to Zoey's mother based on her reaction. Then they quickly catch up.

I tried not to look away from Zoey and kept my eyes on her. I was more worried about Zoey's impending actions. Her face, however, remained expressionless. Her poker face was still on.

"See, being crazy is contagious. That's what you get when you hang out with the child of a crazy person," Camila added, looking at Zoey, who was just staring at her. "Let's go, girls, before we get infected with that disease," the bully said as he walked to the car that had been waiting for them. Camila was the one in charge of the vehicle.

I was biting my lower lip the entire time, and I was starting to feel guilty. I returned my gaze to Zoey before we boarded Camila's car, which had been unlocked by her driver.

Then I noticed she was staring at me while Nova was ranting next to her. That was quick, but I noticed how she nodded to me as if inviting me to join them in the car. That everything was fine. I bit my lower lip once more before nodding and hopping into Camila's car.

I noticed Zoey patting Nova's head in the side-view mirror when the car was moving. I felt that indecipherable ache inside my heart once more. Why is this happening?

Nova irritates me!

"That was a real low blow," Naomi said out of nowhere. She was in the front seat, close to the driver. The three of us were at the back of the car.

"I know! I'm going to teach Nova a lesson one of these days because she's getting on my nerves!" Camila exclaimed.

"It's not Nova. You two crossed the line, and it was below the belt," Naomi said, which surprised me. We all focused our attention on her. I was more surprised by her standing up and expressing her thoughts on the two. Stella and Camila have just given her the death glare.

"What the hell are you talking about? Are you that afraid of her as well?" Stella exclaimed angrily.

"Don't be intimidated by her, Naomi. She may be the Mayor's daughter, but she can't get away with meddling with my prey this time." Camila's voice was determined to make Zoey's life a living hell. What did Zoey do to Camila to make her dislike her so much?

"So Nova was the captain's sister?" I chimed in.

"Yeah, she introduced herself earlier, duh. Nova Coney Scott. Who named her child coney? Their family is peculiar," Stella retorted.

"You're correct," Camila said.

Naomi becomes quiet while Stella and Camila slander the Mayor's family. That's what they're known for.

That's why Nova's features looked familiar. She was Piper's younger sibling. Now that I think about it, the captain was with her sister when she saw me in the Oceanarium. Fortunately, when Piper approached me, they were not together.

This is yet another reason I need to be cautious around Nova. If she discovers our secret, the captain will as well. No way was I going to let that happen. I've worked very hard to get to where I am now. I'm not going to let myself be bullied again.

I'll tell Zoey to stay away from Nova. Yes, I will inform her. I'm confident Zoey will pay attention to what I say.

We had already passed our house, but I had not gone down there. I told them I was going to the mall first because I needed to buy something, but the truth was that I didn't want them to know where I lived. I'm just being cautious because they didn't realize Zoey's house was nearby as well.

Clover City is where the three girls were born and raised. The old house was where they knew Zoey and her father lived. Uncle Zaldy has not yet sold that house, but he will do so soon, from what I've heard. After his first wife died, he purchased the house we are now, just a few blocks away from the old one.

He stated that he wanted Zoey to move on, so he purchased a new house for them to begin again. And according to him, the old house had a lot of painful memories, so it was better for them to transfer to a new house.

I'm not sure why he keeps the old house, and I was afraid to ask Zoey about it because I didn't want to bring up the subject of her mother as much as possible. Zoey ignored me for two days the last time I did that.

Zoey was devastated by the death of her mother. She had a lot of hardships. It was a susceptible subject, but my so-called friends consistently used it to irritate Zoey. But wait a minute... Every time they used that topic against her, Zoey remained expressionless.

But the truth is, I'm more afraid of seeing Zoey like that. Zoey is a sweet and patient young lady, but she also has a dark side. I've only heard my mother's version of the story, but I don't want to see Zoey's dark side. I hope so.