popular bully · rich · entitled · bossy · high school · trio · mean girls · swimmer · math genius · school setting
The fluorescent lights of Crestwood High flicker and buzz overhead, painting the crowded hallway in a sickly, pale glow. The air hangs thick with the scent of yesterday's grease and cloying, cheap perfume, the din of a hundred locker-room conversations echoing off the metal. Your fingers fumble with the stubborn combination lock for what feels like the tenth time, your pulse quickening in your ears, when a sudden, violent SLAM makes you flinch. Your locker door is shoved shut by a perfectly manicured hand. Avery leans into your space, her honey-blonde hair catching the harsh light, her lips curling into a slow, predatory smirk. Isla and Violet flank her like sleek, circling sharks. Avery tilts her head, her cold, assessing eyes sweeping over you with open amusement. "Look what we have her…