Chasing Destiny

Deiseree’s POV

My previous class had just ended, so I exited the classroom. I didn’t have any tasks or assignments, so I didn’t need to go to the locker. It was cool, right? It was possible for me to attend a school with lockers. It had only been possible in television programs and novels; however, my life was full of drama, so yeah.

We were just poor, and our debts were all over the place. I was so grateful to have won a scholarship, and my brothers were also fortunate to have received some by taking exams; otherwise, we would not have been able to attend such a prominent school.

Aside from that, my father was a diligent worker. Despite the fact that he was often worn out from his various jobs, he always did his best to provide for us and still be that responsible and loving father I had grown up admiring. He was my most significant source of motivation in life. I wanted to help him provide for us, which was why I studied so hard. I was working so hard so that one day, I could let him enjoy the life he deserved.

Ain’t my father the best?

I was thinking about picking up my brothers since I had no other things to do anymore. Luke and Chris were both in primary school while I was in my fourth year of high school. The primary school, secondary, and higher education campuses were all connected and only divided by gates, so it was easy for me to gain access to them.

As I entered the primary school gate, I walked to Chris’s room, as they were more likely to head out earlier than Luke. My youngest brother, Chris, was still in second grade, while Luke was already in sixth. I peeked inside their classroom and they were still doing some activities.

I’d just stay there for the time being. I smiled to myself as I sat down on the concrete chair.

I spotted two familiar girls approaching me as soon as I sat down. They were decked out in the same uniform as I was. The only difference was that they were wearing it with high heels and their lips were as red as blood, whereas I was wearing worn-out flat shoes with no make-up on my entire face at all. I didn’t need to spend time looking into who these people were as I recognized them based on how they were dressed already. I could already smell the sweet scent of their expensive perfumes, despite the distance.

They were famous for being the meme—I mean, the original mean girls in this school. You’re curious how mean they were? The meanest of the mean. Even the zombies from Train to Busan and the evil spirits in The Uncanny Counter would be afraid of them. Too bad, I wasn’t a zombie nor an evil spirit.

They would undoubtedly pick on me again. I sighed, given that I could already see the following scene in my head the instant they got close to me. They constantly bullied me because they perceived me to be lowly, claiming that I did not belong to them, even though I had never stated that I did. I wasn’t born to fit in anyway—I was born to stand out. I wasn’t sure whether it was beneficial to them, but they seemed to enjoy looking down on me despite the fact that I had never done anything wrong against them.

“OMG! Goodness gracious, girl!” they exclaimed in an unnecessarily dramatic manner as they walked toward me.

Ey! Look at these people. Goodness.

Bela Armie Diaz, the leader, looked at me from head to toe as if examining me. “Oh my gosh! Look who’s here? Am I seeing lost trash here?” I almost couldn’t make out what she was saying because of how dramatically she stated it.

Mia Keinetz Morales, her friend, crossed her arms and devilishly looked at me. “It’s the poorita girl, Deserey, right? What’s this beggar doing here?” she mockingly said with a smug smile.

I grimaced because of the way she said my name. “It’s pronounced Deiseree, not Deserey.” I corrected her, which she didn’t take positively.

“Whatever! I’ll call you whatever I want, beggar.” Mia snorted.

Bela then walked toward me with a smirk. “Are you going to look for leftovers here?” she asked, and then the two of them loudly laughed like it was the funniest joke they’d ever heard.

I, on the other hand, just shook my head. Was there no other line? Something fresh? Something new? I had heard that insult over a hundred times already since I started high school and they started picking on me. They always said the same thing, and I was already too used to it to the point I didn’t even feel insulted anymore.

Every time they saw me, they’d use those same lame lines. It was either because I was there to look for some trash, look for some leftovers, or beg for money. They were like one of those broken cords that only repeated the same melody over and over again. They should have just recorded it, so when they saw me, they’d just play it. I would have even gladly brought a Bluetooth speaker. They shouldn’t have wasted their time on me since I wasn’t interested in listening to whatever insult they were going to throw at me. I wasn’t affected at all.

Seriously!

I simply ignored them since reacting to anything coming from them would have been counterproductive. Also, I already knew where everything was going. They had frequently mocked me due to my personal situation since I began studying there. I didn’t give a damn since they weren’t the reason I lived.

What if it was a private school and we were simply underprivileged? Apart from the status of our lifestyles, what distinguished us? I, too, was a human being like them. Did I not have a right to choose my education? Should I have just cried because of my fate like they said? No! I wasn’t too weak and I had the ability. I wasn’t going to cower like a wet chick. I was Deiseree Clemente. And I was a fighter.

“Why don’t you answer us, poorita girl? Is it so difficult to admit that you’re here to pick up leftover foods?” Bela got closer to me, so I backed away and stood up.

I sighed before answering. “I don’t want to start a fight; I’m here to pick up my brothers and they sure are as precious as diamonds. The answer to your question is a big fat no. There, you got it, so I won’t say anything more,” I remarked as I walked past them.

“No, no, no, no. Nuh-uh. Not so fast, beggar!” I hadn’t gone far yet when I felt someone yank my hair, forcing me to return to where I was before.

Witches indeed! Bitches since birth.

“Don’t be so rude, Deiseree; we just wanted to play,” Bela said, still laughing.

“Wow! Amazing context. I’m the one being rude? Look, if you want to play, go to the playground because there are toys for childish people like you there,” I replied cynically.

Mia snarled fiercely, “Are you making us look stupid?”

I really wanted to say that I didn’t have to make them look stupid since they were born that way, but I didn’t. I had class and glamour to maintain. “Just tell me what you want from me?” I asked, holding back.

I didn’t want to waste my precious time arguing with anyone. Apart from the fact that I had a class, that was not what my father had taught me as a child. As a result, despite the fact that Bela and Mia’s group continuously mistreated me, I did not denounce them.

I also didn’t want to earn a terrible reputation since I knew how difficult it was for my father to send us to a private school. Despite the fact that my siblings and I were scholarship recipients, we still had certain bills to pay. My father had already sacrificed too much—I didn’t want to give him any disappointments.

“Don’t ask us what we want!” Bela snarled fiercely as the two of them surrounded me.

“What you should ask is what we don’t want,” they both spoke simultaneously, gazing at me.

Were they cheerleading? Were they about to give me a performance?

I just sighed because of what they were doing. “As long as I can, I won’t leave this school, okay?” I said firmly, and they seemed even more annoyed.

They walked around me. I didn’t move from where I was standing and just observed what they were going to do next. It looked like they were doing a step of some dance because of what they were doing. Would they dance in front of me? Hope not, I wasn’t in the mood to watch salted worms moving.

They just stopped after settling behind me; Bela was standing on my right side. “You’re poor; we’re rich. You’re wearing rugs; we wear classy dresses. Your clothes stink and you look dirty, while we always look pretty.” Mia’s criticism sounded funny to me.

Woah! They even rhymed? Did they practice just for me?

“You don’t belong in our school. We are filthy rich. We wear expensive clothes, and our clothes don’t stink.” Bela was still boasting.

She just repeated what the other one said. My ears were growing tired from hearing their squeaky voices.

“You’re smart, but you’re still a shame to our school. Because of a poor person like you, the standard of our school is stained with inferiority.” Mia pushed me, but I managed to get my balance so as not to fall.

“None of the clothing or material used defines the school’s standards; it’s up to the students, Mia. No matter how well-known our school is, if there are students like you and Bela who lack manners and have terrible behavior, the school’s standard will plummet,” I said, and they raised their eyebrows at me.

“Really? Did your beggar father teach you that?” Mia insulted more, but this time my expression changed. “I think it’s better to just die than work hard for nothing.”