Damage

ROSALIA'S P.O.V.

"A-Are you being serious right now?" My voice had never sounded so shaky before. I couldn't believe what I just heard. Maybe I misheard and my mind is overthinking. That hope came crashing down when Principal Jones released a deep sigh that seemed to echo in the room.

"Unfortunately, I am. As of right now, there's a case being investigated on you at the moment. The Species Committee has reason to believe that you cheated on the exam." 

My heart suddenly dropped to my stomach. A sinking feeling of despair washed over me. At the same time, my entire body began to shake uncontrollably as everything around me became numb. I could feel my heart rate increasing by the second. No way. Just, no way. This isn't happening. Not to me. There's no way I cheated. I know I didn't cheat, so why am I being told that I did? All I could think of was that a mistake had been made. 

"I...I...d-didn't…," The words wouldn't come out of my mouth. My throat felt parched all of a sudden and my lips quivered in fear. I'm completely terrified. That was an important exam not just for me, but my entire species. To say that a disgraceful act as cheating was done is a disgrace to us all. I would bring all werewolves a bad name, and other species would look down on us. Principal Jones's hands gently grasped mine in a comforting matter. "Rosalia. Look at me." 

I let out a shaky breath. Her command wasn't strict, but calm and soothing. My hands stopped shaking as much as I built up the nerve to look her in the eyes. Her face portrayed her voice. Calm and collected. If only I could do the same, I'm sure my face tells the story of a girl who's going to break down at any moment. "Listen to my words very carefully. I KNOW for a fact that you did not cheat on that test." I couldn't help but stare at her almost unbelievingly. Not over the fact that she believed me, but because I assumed she wouldn't. Did I have so little faith in myself? 

Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision completely. Using one hand to cover my face, I couldn't help but silently cry. I almost felt ashamed to be showing my emotions in front of my principal, but my emotions got the better of me. I felt hurt. Embarrassed. Sad. With a little reassurance. Just a little. She was shocked by my reaction. I guess she was expecting me to show relief, but I guess at this moment I'm realizing more and more that even in this second life, I'm facing many obstacles. I faced many in my last life, and for the longest, I thought I handled them pretty well. Why is it now that a simple act of a misunderstanding is breaking me to show tears openly in front of someone? Deep down I know it's because for the first time, ever, I'm being accused of wrongdoing. One that I did not commit. And not only does that hurt me, but it also scares me. 

"Rosalia. Everything is going to be alright. I need you to calm down. This can be fixed, I promise you," Jones grabbed a tissue and gently dabbed the never-ending tears that leaked from my eyes. I let out a soft breath as I sniffed here and there. She's right. I need to calm down. Nothing's set in stone yet. This is all just one big misunderstanding, and it can be fixed. I just need to fix it. 

"Do you feel better now?" She asked concerningly. I feel a bit better for letting some of the emotions out, but deeper inside I can't describe the uncertainty that l feel, but I nod my head anyway. She sighs as she rubs her thumb on the back of my hand in a sweet gesture. "In a week, you'll have a meeting with the committee to discuss the situation. I will be present with you to argue your case on how you didn't cheat." 

A week. I'll have to talk to one of the most important figures in history to explain myself. The thought of sitting in a room full of scary adults who might view me as every bad thing in the book sends dread into the pit of my stomach. I don't want to do this, but I have to. 

"Rosalia," Jones spoke firmly, "I don't want you thinking about this. When the time comes, I'll handle it. Until then, I want you to go home since school is over for the day. Do you understand?" 

There was nothing else I could say. Thinking about this will only upset me more, and that's not something I want. I need to relax and keep calm. Things are bad right now, but I know I can fix it with the help of Principal Jones. Everything will be okay. I stared at her hands covering mine for a moment before I looked up again. 

"Yes, ma'am." 

~

THIRD PERSON P.O.V. 

Everything should have been fine. However, things took a turn for the worse. It was bad that Rosalia had a bad night and couldn't sleep a wink. The next school morning, as she was grabbing books for her next class, she instantly felt a pair of arms shove her to the ground. Caught off guard, Rosalia looked up to see a group of girls standing before her. One blonde. One redhead. One brunette. Their faces holding looks of disgust mixed with anger. What was the matter with them? You don't push someone for no reason. Before Rosalia could open her mouth to retaliate, a harsh slap was planted on her face. 

The girl had short blonde hair as her palm bruised red just as easily as Rosalia's cheek. "You're a disgrace to our kind! To think you claim yourself as one of us!" 

Rosalia was stunned for a moment as she held her cheek and looked at the girl. She had never met her before, and now she was even more shocked by her behavior. First, she was pushed and now she's been slapped by a girl she doesn't know! And for what? 

"What's wrong with you?! You just hit me for no reason!" The blonde glared down at Rosalia with a look that could kill. At this point, people had begun to notice the confrontation and a crowd began to form to watch the action unfold. 

"You're a dumb bitch! That's why you got hit!" Rosalia's eyes turned to the brunette who began talking. Could their voices get any louder? Sadly, answers were heard when the redhead began to speak. 

"Everyone! Listen up! Let it be known, that this sorry excuse of a wolf cheated on the WS exam, and she thought she could get away with it." Royalia's eyes widened as the students began to make a fuss over the newly learned information. How did these three girls know about her situation? No one except her and Principal Jones we're supposed to know about this. They had just discussed this yesterday! These girls were making the situation public without even knowing what was true or not. 

"I didn't cheat on the exam!" Rosalia shouted. This caused the redhead and brunette to look surprised for a moment since anyone who knew of Rosalia knew she was never one to speak much, let alone speak up for herself. This didn't faze the blonde, "Don't try to lie out of this one. We know you cheated. I bet that's how you qualified to go on the trip. You must have cheated on the practice too." 

"You can't just randomly come up to me out of nowhere, put your hands on me, and then tell lies about a situation that you don't even know about! Who told you this anyway??" 

"Well, well, well, looks to me you have something to feel guilty about," The crowd departed as an all too familiar face walked towards Rosalia's direction. The epitome of her despair and pain in her last life, and it looked like she was going to do the same in this life as well. Although this made the situation more difficult, Rosalia still held her own. 

"There's nothing to feel guilty about when I didn't do it." Brittany rolled her eyes giving off the expression that she didn't believe Rosalia. 

"Really? Is that what you want people to believe?" 

"How do you even know about this??" 

"Oh, so you were keeping it a secret, which means you didn't want people to know," 

Rosalia realized too little too late that she was only falling deeper into Brittany's scheme. It was true she didn't want anyone to know about this, but only because it was a private matter that no one else needed to know about. Yet Brittany turned that against her, leaving her unable to respond in a way that everyone understood. 

"W-Why are you doing this?" 

"Don't act so innocent. You make it seem like everyone at this school is out to get you. Quit pretending to be the victim all the time. You knew you weren't smart enough to do well on your own so you cheated. You have the nerve to act  like you're being mistreated when you know what you did." A smirk played out on Brittany's face as the people around them gave Rosalia looks of disappointment, disgust, and anger. 

"I...I didn't...I swear."

No. 

No!

NO!

To say that Rosalia was shocked would be an understatement. It was clear at that moment that this was Brittany's doing. Of course, Brittany did this. It was too good to be true that Brittany had suddenly ceased her onslaught of terror. Rosalia looked around at all the angry faces and never felt so outnumbered. What could Rosalia say? Even if she continued to claim she didn't cheat, it was clear who everyone favored. Everyone believed Brittany and no one believed Rosalia because she's the outcast. All Rosalia could do was retreat with a tail between her legs as everyone yelled at her. She ran and ran until she got away from the school building. 

And so the hell began. 

~

ROSALIA'S P.O.V.

It's been 3 days since the word got out about my so-called cheating incident. I can't believe I let Brittany get the one up on me again. Why did I think for a moment that she would let things go? I couldn't bear going to school today. Each day since then has been torture. I've had notes piled up in my locker telling me that I should be ashamed and should get out of school, my school books have been ripped apart, my gym clothes were stolen, and it doesn't help that every time I walk by people start their daily gossip on why I don't belong. This should be normal to me.

Everyone is playing smart to make sure that the higher-ups don't get wind of it. Probably by Brittany's rule. What would be the point in telling Principal Jones anyways? It's clear that Brittany heard our conversation and spread the news to everyone. I don't have any proof that she messed with my test paper. I can't even begin to think about how she even got her hands on my paper. She couldn't have done it alone, but at the end of the day, I don't have any proof. What's the point? Once again, Brittany succeeded at making my life hell. Like she always has. I feel so…

Weak. 

I lay in my bed holding my pillow close. My grip tightens as I feel so alone. Nothing's changed! My life is just like before! The bullying continues, everyone hates me, and I have no one to turn to. My mind creates a vivid image of Liam. His blue eyes staring at me. 

No! 

"Ugh!" I sit up and throw my pillow to the wall. Why am I thinking about him?! Do I want him to step in or something? He's the one who caused this mess! It's all Liam's fault! If he hadn't ruined my life, I wouldn't be having such a hard time! I'm so angry I don't know what to do! 

"Everything is going to be alright,"

Principal Jones's words echo through my mind. It allows me to exhale a breath I didn't realize I was holding. Breathe. Just breathe. Everything will be okay. All I have to do is prove I didn't cheat. I have Principal Jones to help me. She's the only one who has my back. I can't let Brittany get to me like this or I really will be seen as a cheater. 

"Just breathe…" 

~

A knock at my door breaks me out of my train of thought as I lay in bed. 

"Honey? Are you in there? We need to talk. Can you come to the dining room?" It's my mother's voice. She sounds worried. What could be wrong? 

~

No. No way. 

"Honey, before you respond, we want to say that we know you wouldn't do such a thing. But we do want to know why you didn't tell us this," Mom's words seemed to go through one ear and out the other as the three of us sat at the dining table. I held my head down trying to keep it together. Word of my incident has been told to the entire community. Mom was shopping for groceries when she heard two women gossiping about it in the cereal aisle. They didn't know me personally, but they knew my last name and that's how my mom found out. Is it bad to say I've never felt more ashamed than I do now? 

Is the saying that it gets worse before it gets better? That's what it feels like for me. Story of my entire damn life. My dad touches my shoulder gently as he looks worried just like mom. I wonder what my face looks like to them right now. For a long time, I don't speak. Perhaps I don't know what to say. Maybe it's mostly because I don't know how to explain this to my parents. The people I look up to. The ones who always say how proud they are of me. Their pride and joy who's just one big screw up. 

"I'm...sorry…," All I can do is apologize for letting this happen. For allowing Brittany to get the better of me. Not just Brittany. Everyone. Anyone who's ever treated me badly. If only I were stronger. I wish I could have prevented this from happening. 

"I'm sorry...because of me I...I made our entire family look bad…" My vision blurs as tears fill my eyes once more. I tried my best to hold them back, but the tears force their way out anyway. I shut them right as I can't take the concerned and shocked looks on their faces. "I'm sorry you have me as a daughter…I'm sorry mom and dad…," I can't stay in the room any longer and I dash to my room, ignoring my parent's voices for me to not leave. I just can't look at them. The door slams shut and I lock it before sliding down to the floor. I let my tears fall freely and sob uncontrollably. 

Never have I ever had to go through something this bad. I guess in the end I'm still the same. Sad. Pathetic. 

Weak. 

I hate this! I hate this so much! I wish I didn't have to take this bullshit! I hate Brittany Scott! I want her to suffer as I did! I want her to hurt! To feel pain! To know what it's like to be me for once! I'd give anything in the world for a chance at that!

Suddenly, I feel immense pain in my head as it feels like my head is about to split open! My hands tremble as my nails grow into sharp claws. I see several strands of hair form on my arms. The worst pain is when my bones start to crack in all places over my body. Oh, my goddess! What's happening to me?!

Can it be?

"I'll give you exactly what you want. Your wish is my command."