Life Of A Bitch

18

"So, that's that," Mrs. Randall says, closing her notepad. "Your assignment would be a detailed character sketch of every character in The Doll's House. And please, refrain from framing Nora as a spineless woman, or you would be given an F."

I look down at my paperback copy of Henrik Ibsen's The Doll's House, bulging from all the scraps of paper I put inside it as bookmarkers. I kinda like TDH; especially the character development of Nora at the end. I hated the plays of Shakespeare that we got in the second and third year of high school. The language was so frickin' difficult. Thank God we don't have that anymore. Julius Caesar can suck on it.

I walk out of the class and start walking towards the lockers. It has been three days since the Nomination Day, and I'm out of patience, waiting for the results.

Let me tell you how SQ works. The first stage is the nomination. Here, we all write whom we would like to nominate for the SQ, on pieces of paper offered to us by the student body. This happens under the strict vigilance of the volunteers working under the student body, so that no one could drop more than one paper-chit into the box.

Then the pieces are examined and the four girls who recieve the most number of votes are said to be nominated to the competition.

Then comes the actual competition. On Saturday evening of the SQ week, those girls come all dressed up and made up to the school, flaunt their hotness and sweetness to the whole school on the stage and plead for votes. And whoever gets the most votes, wins. For three years, only us bitches were being nominated to the SQ. Now that Anita is not there, I wonder who'll be the fourth one.

"Attention, students!" I hear the cheeeful voice of Mei, the head of the organisers' team waft out of the school speakers. "The thing that you have been waiting for the last few days is finally here! Yes, the nomination results!"

I look up at the speakers in excitement. All the students in the hall stop right where they are and start chatting loudly. Stephanie and Lana spot me in the crowd and join me.

"Ready guys? Okay! So the first name, that recieved the most amount of nominations is.. Jennifer Lewis, our gorgeous cheer captain!"

I breathe out in relief. I was wrong to say I didn't care about these competitions earlier. They are my life.

"The second most popular nominee is..."

I look at Lana and Stephanie, praying to God so that they somehow tie in the votes. Its very difficult to bear the silent and cold treatment these two give each other during SQ week.

"...Michelle Callaghan, our cute Head of Literary Department!"

What?!

A huge cheer comes from some part of the hall. When I look for the source of the sound, I find Callaghan being surrounded by throngs of nerdies, who're shouting and praising her.

How did this happen?

Stephanie and Lana glare at Callaghan. I don't believe it either. She is a nerd, people! Why did you vote for her? What is wrong with you all?

"The third to recieve the most number of votes is Stephanie Russell, the gorgeous TikTok star!"

"The fourth to receive the most number of votes is Lana Andrews!"

It always made me laugh how the organisers' team had nothing to say about Lana: that it was just Lana Andrews. But today, it doesn't. Because today, I'm angry about Callaghan bagging the second nominee.

Lana looks at me tearfully. "I never thought that I would come fourth in the nominee voting?" she starts sniffling. And it wasn't fake; it was genuine.

I sigh and pat her back.

"Really, Jen?" Stephanie spats angrily. Obviously it hurt her ego too. "That's what you do? After a nondescript nerd takes away the positions of your most important sub-queens, that's what you do? Pat someone's back?"

"I'm not someone?" Lana growls, scowling at Stephanie. "I'm Lana Andrews?!"

"Girls, Callaghan's coming." I warn them. "Lana, get yourself together. Don't give her the satisfaction."

Lana nods and wipes away her tears on her lace handkerchief.

Callaghan walks past us and walks back. "Hello, girls." She says, smiling smugly. She looks sadly towards Steph and Lana, pouting. "Oh, Lana, I heard you came fourth in the nominations. Don't worry, the actual competition is still left."

I roll my eyes at her. "What are you trying to imply, Michelle?"

She smiles brightly at me. "Oh, I didn't see you, Jennifer."

I snort. "Some people have poor eyesight. I pity them. "

She chuckles. "Some people are too unimportant to be seen. I pity them." Saying this, she winks and walks away with her sidekicks.

We'll see, Michelle. We'll see about it in the SQ finale.