1 1. Introduction.

How it all started. . .

I was so mad and terrified. Mom wasn't making any sense at all. She was being so difficult to reason with. 

" Look at your cousin Chloe, she has a good relationship with her parents. She is a very good girl. Has a well paid part time job. She has a boyfriend. She's a wonderful girl. She also makes good grades in school, " Sarah Hartley who turns out to be more than a nagging mom to me, snapped. 

 I am seventeen years old. Poor me! Graceful and lithe, I am laced with dark brown eyes. I have glossy long black hair that fell from my scalp to my back. I have that kind of oval face and olive skin that schoolgirls dreamed of having. At the same time, I have a quiet, unthreatening way and I guess, this was one reason why I admired my cousin, Lisa Chapman. 

" Mom, if you are gonna stand here and judge me, I ain't. I'm tired of your nagging____ " 

" Of course I am nagging, " mom cut in. " Can you here yourself? Do you___ " 

" What's going on? " my dad Anderson Hartley said right in time. 

" Dad, I have to go. I am running late for school, thanks to your wife, " I said, walking close to him. I stood on my toes, kissed his cheek and dragged my feet to the kitchen, I grabbed my already packed lunch and hurriedly left the house, after I  bade dad good bye. 

At school; 

I rushed into class in a very untidy manner. Everyone in the class started laughing harshly and mockingly. Oh God! I put one hand on my face and walked in between a row, trying to find my seat. 

" Chloe Hartley, " Mrs Daphne Evan called. 

I didn't breathe, I just turned. " Good morning ma'am, " I said. 

" I'm calling your mom. It's halfway through my class and that is when you showed up. Untidy, reckless and mannerless to acknowledge my presence. . . " 

Spare me all this and just allow me to sit down, I snapped in my mind, as I bit my fingers. 

" You are even biting your fingers in front of me, " Mrs Daphne said terrifically. 

The school bell rang immediately interrupting us. I swear, I wanted to shoot a word of praise to heaven. 

" Class, we shall meet again, " she said, packing her books. " Miss Chloe, meet me in my office now. " She began to go. 

Hell! I thought it would end here! " Yes ma'am, " I said, dropping my bag and my lunch on a table. Then I hurriedly, went after her.  

Luckily enough, she didn't keep me for as long as I thought. I was happily going back to class before I heard my name being screamed out. 

" Chloe, " I heard, recognizing it was Lisa calling. 

I stopped. She reached me and a placed a hand on my shoulder, enough to prove how short I am. Just kidding, I was average in height and she was tall but not too tall. Averagely tall. 

" What's up? " she asked, joining the walk I had started. We walked passed the gym class. Her boyfriend was there. I saw them wink at each other. 

" Am good. What about you? " I asked feverishly. 

" Always good. You didn't show up at my house last weekend, is there a problem? " Lisa asked. 

" No. I was very tired and I thought you were coming to my house, " I just said without thinking. 

" Coming to your house? I came to your house the weekend before last weekend, " Lisa said unbelievably. 

" Mom's been pressurizing me with a lot of taunts, " I said awkwardly. 

" Then I shall talk to her, " Lisa said. " Your mom would listen to me____ " 

" Why do you always feel like you have better conversations with my mom than me? It makes me feel awkward and useless. I can handle my problems, I don't need your help! " I exclaimed in uttermost anger. " You make me feel incomplete and disdained, " I said and walked away. 

" Oh please Chloe, wait for me. I am so sorry. I didn't mean it like that, " Lisa said coming after me. 

I slowed my pace. Guess who was at my front, Emily Fisher, Kate Bradley, Hannah Normandy and Maria Peterson. The four pretty and most sexy bullies known as Fantastic four. Boring!

I wanted to turn but my legs seemed to whisper an eerie, ' NO ' . 

" Chloe Hartley always late. I think I have to teach you a very good lesson, that will make you want to come to school before day break, " Emily teased. 

Her girls laughed. 

" Emily take a look at her worn-out shoes, I think I should borrow her some heels, " Kate said mockingly affectionate. But I will never fall for her wan affections. 

" I bet her mom can never afford your heels Kate, " Hannah sneered in an unpleasant manner. 

" I heard her mom regrets giving birth to her. She is a poor little thing, who has nothing. She is just cursed perhaps, " Maria taunted. And the girls howled in laughter. 

" Listen guys, the only guy that loves Chloe is her dad. Poor thing. You ain't gonna be famous, so don't tryna be. You don't even deserve to step on the ground I walk on. You don't even deserve to breathe the air I breathe moron____ " 

" Enough Emily, " Lisa screamed furiously. 

" Here comes the saviour. Hmph, " Maria snapped, twitching her lips. 

" I will warn you again. Do not pick on my cousin. What do y'all think? That because your moms are stripping and making a hell lot of money out of indecency makes you better than her? Take a look at yourselves. You guys are beautiful, but you have got little brains. A mosquitoes brain shall not be compared. Stay away from Chloe Hartley or I will crush the four of you. Get lost, " Lisa said in anger. 

" Listen to me young lady, you have got to watch your mouth. Take this advice from me because you will never get it from any other person. Stay away from us, or else you want to be a victim, " Emily paused and raised her fingers up, moving them mockingly. " The last time I checked, you and your mom are still sharing the same underwear. . . " 

Lisa punched her in the face. 

" How dare you? " Emily's girls asked. 

" Listen Emily, learn to spit out wisely. Because the next time, you spit rubbish in my face, I won't hesitate to decorate this degenerated face of yours with different types of spits. You know what I mean dumb brain. I repeat my cousin is off limits, " Lisa said warningly and grabbed my hand and we walked away. 

" Thanks, " I said. 

" For what? " she asked. 

" For standing up for me, " I said. 

" You are my cousin and this is nothing. If I was in your shoes, you would have done the same thing for me. " 

" I will go home with you after school, " I said. " Bye, " I walked away as quick as possible.