The next day, school was already running again. As if a student hadn't been found dead just the night before. But what could Miss Briar do, she had to support her drug addiction somehow. 

Eliza's parents had pulled her out of school on an 'overseas trip'. And Betty had snuck off with Reggie for an all-week bender. So Apple was left to attend school by herself the next day. To face the onslaught of gossip hungry stares and prying questions alone.

She woke early in their dorm. The room strangely silent. Missing Eliza's metal as she did her brows, and Betty's electric toothbrush in the bathroom. She did her smoky eye like usual. And drew on her cherry lipstick like war paint. She had been through worse then this. And per typical Apple, she wouldn't let even a hint of fear or weakness slip through her mask. She would be impenetrable. Like a dignified queen.

Her stroll to class was accompanied by no more then what she had expected. Armed with her Jimmy Choo stilettos, chav's turned and whispered between themselves as she passed by. Jackass's hooted at her ass like she hadn't just lost a friend. And half-assed acquaintances came in droves to ask after details with feigned concern. It was a miracle she even made it on time first period with all the bullshit clogging up the hallway.

Mr Morley, her chem teacher, of course asked after her when she came in. And she, of course, gave him her very pretty smile and said she was fine. He was an old man with a tendency to sleep with students. Especially when they were emotionally vulnerable, like just happening to be failing his class. And Apple had a feeling that without some intervention, her grades were going to begin to tank too.

Cassian watched her sway a v neck, ass length, belted black dress into a seat at the front. She looked hot. It wasn't school uniform, but she was "mourning", and all the teachers knew better then to dress code a girl with a father like that. As for Cassian, he thought she looked dirty. The gems on the pendant of the belt were too much, her black eye shadow was tacky, and her black tinted tights were slutty. Yet somehow, despite her dress being no better then a back street crack whore's, he saw how guys around class peaked at her between page flips, passed her notes that made her giggle, and bugged her for any sliver of attention they could get.

It fucking pissed him off. He didn't give a damn if she slept with all the male students and staff combined, he just didn't care for the show in front of him. And besides, something more then that bugged him. It was her face. Her face last night when the TV had set off. It had haunted him. Appeared in his sleep. How long had he spent trying to see that face. But when he finally got what he wanted, even if it wasn't because of him, he only felt strange, not relieved.

It was a badly kept secret that Maddie Blythe and Apple Bloodworth hated each other. And even in death, Cassian never knew Apple to let go of a grudge. So that face last night, it wasn't a look of grief, but something else. Something darker.

"Attention all students and staff, can Apple Bloodworth please make her way to the headmistress's office, I repeat....Thank you" the schools P.A announced over the speaker. All heads turned to Apple as she shuffled out of her seat. Not even a trace of concern on her face. And Cassian looked around the class, he could almost hear the question on everyones face. 

'Who had snitched?'

As Apple left the class, Mr Morley called the students back "Come on now, this isn't an opportunity for you to chatter, you have a mid term coming up." 

Cassian just pulled his Razr V3 under the desk, he needed to take his mind off of Apple for now, he would fuck her over later, but today, he was giving her more attention then he liked.

A flood of unopened dm's buzzed out of his phone as he flipped it open. If Mr Morley wasn't such a deaf dickhead, he might have been in trouble. He sifted through the messages without much enthusiasm. All girls. All so desperate for his attention it made them boring. There were five messages from that Mackenzie girl alone, the one that had helped him get back at Apple. Cassian honestly didn't give a shit anymore, he just needed to get laid, even if it would make him more hollow afterward.

He hadn't even finished typing out his message to the bimbo before someone crashed through the door. He looked up just to catch Apple, not even 20 mins having past, b-lining straight for him, looking like she wanted to tear him in half.

She came straight for him, looked him dead in they eyes, and grabbed him by the collar. The action was so unexpected, so violent, that Cassian accidentally let out a laugh.

"You wanna fucking play this game?" Apple screamed into his face. She looked so shaken and distraught that it made his heart race. Bingo. He had won.

"Fine!" she spat as she dropped him roguishly back into his seat, "Your fucking on." She was breathing hard, and sweat glistened all along her temple. She had ran here.

"But just know," her voice grew darker as she said this, "that when I'm done with you, not even your shitty father will be able to save you."

As he watched her storm back out of the room, leaving behind the chaos she had erupted. All their classmates gasping with their phones out to record, people from other classes peaking through the windows to see what had happened, and Mr Morley begging silence from the class, he knew exactly what he was. What he had started.

And he also knew, that it was now too late to stop the chain reaction that had begun. All he could do in that moment, was try to keep a smile from coming to his face. Because worst of all, he wasn't sure he even wanted to stop it.