Don't Be A Bitch
Along the course of the lecture, Yaren had managed to forget about the drama. She had immersed herself in Professor Whitefield's lecture on Narrative as Resistance, and nothing else has mattered at that point.
"Consider how narratives from oppressed groups preserve cultural memory and inspire social change, often at great personal risk." He had said, "This theme is crucial to understanding the transformative power of literature, not just as art, but as activism."
She had loved every single second of the lecture, she had loved how it had felt like she was no longer seated in the lecture hall but somewhere else; somewhere magical.
And even after the class was over and everyone was leaving, she found herself still seated as she reread the notes she had taken. The plan had only been to note down key points, but by the end of the lecture she had filed at least two pages.
Professor Gabriel Whitefield had a way of lecturing, he had a way of making you hang onto every word that left his mouth, he had a way of making you want to know more. Unlike Professor Strauss's lecture, his weren't brief; they took time, but it happened in a way that you wouldn't even realize so much time had gone by.
"Hey bitch."
Her head snapped up just as Leo snatched her notebook from her. He had a sharp glare on which was probably meant to be intimidating but wasn't, or at least Yaren didn't find him intimidating, not after he'd seemed so small and inconsequential before Professor Whitefield.
And besides, she'd dealt with a lot of bullies back in Rize, she'd dealt with them to the point that they weren't even intimidating anymore, they were just a hassle, they were..... Inconvenient.
"Can I have my notebook back?" She asked.
Something flickered in his eyes, something caught between surprise and irritation. He obviously hadn't expected her to react that way. A humorless chuckle left him.
"You don't seem to have noticed that the professor's out." He said. "Who's going to come to your rescue?"
She shook her head. She truly thought she had passed this stage of her life.
"Are you shaking your head at me?" He asked in disbelief, he seemed to be getting angrier by the second. "Who the fuck do you think you are? What shit hole did you crawl out of?"
At this point, she knew there was nothing left to say to him. She knew if she ignored him for a couple of minutes he'd get tired and leave. He'd probably throw her notebook on the floor and knock down her backpack, but that was fine. That was the worst he could do, really.
"I'm talking to you." He snapped, slamming his palm down on the desk. The sudden sound made her gasp, but that was all he got from her.
"Man, the fuck are you doing?" Someone called out from behind to Yaren's surprise. What was it with people suddenly standing up for her? "Leave Karen alone."
Karen? She looked behind to see one of the guys Cassie had been with walking towards them, she recognized him from his curly black hair and hazel eyes that seemed too bright to be real. It was the one who had said he'd see her around.
"Stay out of this, Petrov." Leo hissed.
"Don't be a bitch, man. Leave her alone."
She watched the exchange quietly, Cassie's friend had gotten to them now and he was standing in front of Leo. He was taller than him, and he had broader shoulders, he could definitely beat him in a fight. They sized each other up for a couple of seconds before Leo spoke again.
"You fucking the nerd or what?" He spat.
Now, that offended Yaren. She spoke before she could stop herself.
"Excuse me?"
Leo snickered.
"Finally got you to talk, huh?" He said.
Yaren felt her fists clench, his smug smile made her so mad.
"I can report you for this." She told him.
"So? You're more likely to get kicked out of you do." He replied immediately. "My dad is part of the scholarship program sponsors."
And just like that, her flames went out. It felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured from her head down to her toes. She held her tongue, she didn't have much of a choice. Knowing how important this scholarship was, she couldn't afford to do anything stupid that'd cause her to lose it.
"What happens if I report then?" Cassie's friend spoke again? "Hm?"
Leo glared at him.
"Go pick on someone else if you're such a big shot." He told him. "Don't be a bitch, Fontaine."
And before Leo could say anything else, Petrov snatched the notebook from him.
"I'll take that." He said. "Now fuck off and go be a bitch elsewhere."
Leo's cold glare moved from Petrov to Yaren, and then back to Yaren. He seemed to have a lot to say but thought against it, perhaps he was saving it for another time.
He stormed away angrily leaving Yaren fuming. She'd learned to not let bullies get to her, but somehow, Leo had gotten to her. There was something about being reminded that you were absolutely nothing, that one wrong move and you'd lose everything you'd worked so hard for.
She blinked a couple of times on realizing that tears had begun clouding her vision.
"Hello Karen. We meet again."
Her gaze flickered up to meet Petrov's tiredly.
"My name's Yaren." She corrected.
A smirk curved his lips but he nodded.
"Okay, Yaren." He said, emphasizing on the name. "My name's Edwin, but everyone calls me Petrov. Edwin Petrov."
She nodded once.
"Thank you." She said, her voice barely sounded at all, her throat felt too tight at the moment. He seemed to notice that she was holding back her tears because his eyes softened slightly and he shook his head.
"Don't let Leo get to you." He told her. "He's like that to almost everyone. Guy's just insecure and trying to act tough."
She appreciated that he was trying to make her feel better. He was the first person who'd been that considerate since she came here.
"This is yours, yeah?" He asked, handing her the notebook.
She nodded once more.
"Right. See you around, Yaren. Cheer up." He said before sauntering away.
And for a moment she wasn't sure what to do, she just sat there staring down at her notebook. This was her third week here, and Petrov was the first person to be nice to her, niceness felt alien at this point.
"See you around..." Her response came though he'd left already.































