Chapter 48
Chapter 48
Geneva had already said it–Melanie did nothing wrong.
But Melanie’s classmates didn’t see it that way. One sneered, “If you didn’t push her, would the news be like that? There are witnesses! And you’re al lying? God, Melanie, you’re pathetic. I don’t even know how our school let someone like you in. Just being your classmate is embarrassing
Melanie had no words left to defend herself. She quietly packed up her things, her silence heavy–not because she admitted guilt, but because she simply couldn’t afford to fight back.
After school, she walked with her head low, but before she could get far, a group of girls blocked her off in a narrow alley.
Caked in garish makeup, rainbow wigs, cigarettes dangling from their lips, and a swagger they thought screamed rebellion, they strutted forward with self–proclaimed edginess that reeked more of try–hard than badass.
Melanie instinctively backed away, her eyes filled with fear.
The leader stepped in, grabbed Melanie’s chin, and forced her face up. “Heard the school heartthrob talked to you during P.E., huh, you little tramp?”
Melanie shook her head. “No, his basketball rolled over to me, he just asked me to toss it back… I didn’t-”
“Did I say you could talk back?” the girl snapped. “Don’t play innocent with that pathetic face. What trick did you use to get him to notice you?”
Melanie’s body trembled. She’d been through this too many times–fear was carved into her bones.
“I didn’t try to get his attention…”
“Oh, so you’re calling me a liar now? You’ve got guts, huh?”
With that, the girl shoved Melanie aside and raised her hand, ready to claw at her face.
If Melanie was going to charm boys with her looks, then she’d make sure she’d never be able to again.
But just before the slap landed, a hand shot out and caught her wrist.
A low voice followed. “If you’ve got questions, ask me.”
Melanie’s eyes widened in disbelief. It was Geneva.
Geneva’s tone was calm, lethal. “Melanie, stand back. Watch how I take out the trash.”
These little demons–still wet behind the ears and already flinging around slurs like “bitch“-this was the future of the country?
Calling them “proud of the nation” was a disgrace to loyalty.
The girl tried to yank her arm free but quickly realized she couldn’t break Geneva’s grip.
“Who the hell are you? Back off, old hag!”
“I’m Melanie’s mom,” Geneva said with a faint smirk. “But if it helps, you can call me the Scum Terminator.”
This girl–Chloe Jenkins–was Adele’s cousin’s daughter. In the original timeline, she’d led the charge in tormenting Melanie.
Now in Geneva’s grasp, she still hadn’t learned. “You crazy old bitch-”
“Ugly and foul–mouthed? What a combo,” Geneva scoffed. “It’s a crime your mother didn’t send you to the World Expo to showcase this masterpiece. Here, I’ve got a few admission tickets for you.”
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Chapter 48
She slapped Chloe, hard. Then again. And again. Chloe’s face burned like fire.
“You psycho! You think you can hit me and get away with it? I’ll-”
Another slap.
Chloe tried to shout, only to be silenced by another round of Geneva’s hand.
Geneva didn’t care that Chloe was a girl. She wasn’t going to hold back just because of that.
She smacked her until Chloe was trembling, then tilted her head, smiling sweetly. “Feeling good?”
Chloe glared, ready to snap–but saw Geneva’s hand rise again and instantly changed her tone. “Yes,”
“Do you respect your elders now?”
“Yes,” Chloe choked out.
She darted her eyes to her friends, signaling them to help.
But Geneva’s aura was too much. The girls didn’t rush forward. In fact, they backed away–fast.
When Geneva finally tossed Chloe aside, Chloe shrieked, “Why are you just standing there? Hold her down! I’ll beat her to death!”
Her friends hesitated. Staying alive sounded like a better option.
Chloe hissed, “I’ll pay! 300 bucks to whoever helps me!”
Money changed everything. Her friends lunged.
Chloe grinned–until she saw what happened next.
Geneva moved like a storm. Left hand, right hand–she took down girls like a mythological warrior queen. The alley echoed with screams.
“Let go! You’re killing me!”
“You crazy old woman, do you even know who I am?!”
“Oh?” Geneva yanked the loudest one forward, punched the wall beside her, leaving a perfect dent the shape of her fist.
The girl froze. “Boss lady… I surrender…”
Geneva shoved her into the wall. “You think you’re worthy of calling me that? Not just anyone gets to be my little minion.”
The girls huddled together in a trembling ball. No one dared speak.
Damn it–if they’d known Melanie’s mom was this terrifying, they never would’ve messed with Melanie in the first place.
Geneva pulled over a wooden crate, crossed one leg over the other, and sat like a queen claiming her throne. All she needed was a cigarette and a sidekick with a lighter.
“So,” she said, gaze sharp, “why were you bullying my daughter?”
No one spoke.
Her eyes narrowed. “Do I need to pull your tongues out one by one?”
They cracked.
13:15 Tue, 27 May
May a
o
Chapter 48
“It was Chloe! She made us do it!”
“Yeah, yeah, Chloe started it! Please don’t blame us!”
Chloe glared at them, then turned to Geneva with a sneer. “Melanie’s a fake. Acts all innocent in public, but privately she’s flirting with the school heartthrob. I was teaching her a lesson–to respect herself.”
It had started when Melanie was voted school beauty online. Boys loved pairing her with the school’s star athlete.
Chloe overheard him say Melanie was pretty–and that was all it took. Jealousy lit the fuse.
Geneva didn’t say a word. She just kicked her square in the chest. Chloe gasped, crumpling over, too winded to speak.
“That,” Geneva said coolly, “was to teach you self–awareness. You’re a maggot. Don’t assume everyone else is, too. Can you feel how much love and wisdom I packed into that kick? If youth and beauty offend you so much, maybe blame your parents for making you ugly–inside and out.”
Chloe was exactly the kind of girl who thought smoking, swearing, and acting tough made her “real.” She hated girls who were soft–spoken, shy, and wore pink–because she knew boys liked them more. And since guys were too “dumb” to see who was “real,” she took it upon herself to punish the ones she saw as threats.
Geneva had met her kind before–and she never lost to them.
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