Devil on My Shoulder - Chapter 10.

There was still some time before lunch break finished, so Shannon and her friends decided to head on over to the student commons. 

Rich mahogany desks lined the walls, running the length of the room. There was a group of scholarship girls diligently working from their open textbooks. They were huddled together and seemed to be enjoying themselves. It must have been nice for them to get some time alone, away from the rich girls. Unfortunately for them, their time was up when Shannon invaded their safe space. Their shy smiles immediately dropped, and they shrunk in their seats as if apologizing for daring to be in the same location as the queen. 

One of the braver girls spoke on their behalf. She had ratty hair and glasses. “Sh-Shannon,” she said meekly, “s-sorry, we didn’t realize you-”

Shannon folded her arms and stared her down like she was less than a bug. Kelly, Stephanie, and Leah backed her up, glaring at the scholarship insect with disgust. 

It was all it took to put the girl in her place. She gulped and immediately started packing up her books. Her friends were in a panic, desperately shoving everything into their sad, little bags. One of them dropped all her pens on the hardwood floor, and for a brief second, she considered gathering them but thought better of it as the rest of her group were already heading for the exit. 

Shannon and the others purposefully blocked the door with their bodies, forcing the scholarship mice to gingerly scoot around them, hugging the wall with their backs to avoid accidentally trespassing in the space the better girls occupied. It was as if the expensive perfumes Shannon and her friends wore acted like their own special loser repellant. 

I hovered at Shannon’s rear. Leah loomed behind me, threatening me with her presence, but it was still a rush to be part of the popular group for once in my life. Granted, it was as their obvious bottom bitch, but it was still an intoxicating position to find myself in. I was in their inner circle, even if it was only to humiliate and degrade me. It made me weirdly happy. They were the closest I’d ever had to real friends. 

Yet they hate you more than anyone ever has, freak. 

Leah gave the last scholarship girl a helpful shove on her way out of the door, knocking her to the floor. The girl smiled apologetically up at her and scurried to her feet, hurrying down the corridor to catch up to her friends who had abandoned her. 

I had to admire how easily Shannon had taken control of the commons. She had not said a single word, yet her force of charisma was enough to instill fear and respect in those lesser than her. She could have ignored the scholarships, but that would be letting them off. Shannon flaunted her status whenever and wherever she could to maintain her position at the top of the social hierarchy and keep those at the bottom firmly in their place. 

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