8War it was? War it would be!
Will knew she had to come in to Sheffield armed. By armed, she meant that she had to wow people first thing in the morning, as she strode into the halls of the institute.
What better way to do it than to come to school wearing her only miniskirt, that she's only worn like... once? Twice?
Pair it up with a spaghetti strap - ew, she was trying too hard, and she didn't have a spaghetti strap. Pair that up with her trendy boots, yes, and that one pink top. And then she could wear a really cute hair accessory and her choker, also worn once in a blue moon-
Will stared at herself in the mirror. No need for makeup. That also counted as "trying too hard". Plus, she also needed to teach Dean Collins about crossing boundaries. Will wasn't someone trying to be flirty - she was someone out to take the authority over herself and her life back.
She slipped on her jacket, and got into the car with her mom.
"Oh, Will!" Susan said, "I see you're trying a new style today."
Wasn't she going to take back the grounding and scolding? Oh, well. Will just shrugged. "Just wanted to try it."
Susan shrugged back, and drove off. The ride was awkwardly but understandably silent. Will waited for her mother to make the first move, but even as Sheffield came into view, neither of them said a word.
So Will turned to Susan and said, "Mom, can we talk?"
"If this is about Dean..."
"Wasn't I supposed to be your number one?"
Susan hit the break. Woops. Time to go before she got angry.
Will took her seatbelt off and kissed her mother. "Bye, mom. I hope you remember how hard you fought dad for my custody." Then she ran off to school. No more tears for Will. She would let people know that nobody and nothing could tear her down.
As planned, she strode down the halls. She hadn't practiced her walk, but Will knew keeping her head high was the key to turning heads. Own it! Strut it! Wave it! She didn't need to sway her hips. She wasn't flirting. She was taking. Taking the things that should've been hers - her decisions, her choices, her life.
And people looked her way. People stopped talking about whatever it was they were talking about. All they could say after a few seconds of silence was "That's Will?! Is that Will?!" Good, good. They're right. This was her.
Will had walked around the whole first floor of Sheffield, and that should be enough. She strode back to the lockers, where she found Matt and his band. They all stared - gawked at her, mouths agape and utterly speechless.
"Sup, guys?" she greeted, "A fine day in Sheffield today, huh?"
Joel Wright nodded slowly and pointed at her. "I know Matt did something to you yesterday, but I can say that whatever it is that's happening to you right now, my man Olsen is not the reason."
Will only spared Matt a glance - sorry, just for now, Matt! - before she smirked. "Oh, I don't know. I just decided on some things."
"Like what? Like... trying to put your own name over Matt's? Like... Matt Vandom?"
The other boys laughed. Even Matt himself laughed. Will laughed along with them.
"I am not that mean!" she clarified, "I wouldn't impose on it, but I know of someone who would do that. The name starts with an E."
And the boys' laughter died. See? Even they knew how grave the matter was! But even so, Will was not backing down. Matt tried not to show it, but his eyes were smiling. Will smiled at him.
"And Matt, later today... I want to talk. About yesterday. I think I said some mean things."
He nodded. "Okay, Will. If you're okay seeing me during band practice."
"Hah!" Will giggled. "Why not?"
She turned around and went on her way.
"That was kind of sexy," one of the guys behind her said, but who cared about sexy if she didn't have autonomy over herself?
Now, the thing was that, there was Elyon. And Elyon showed up to class with a poker face. She tried not to show it, but it was pretty obvious that she was just hiding it all in. Even Cornelia was giving Will these worried glances.
Tch. No more giving in. No more Elyon pressure. Not even her groupies should convince Will. Will was pretty decided - war was war.
Someone threw Will a paper plane, and she opened it. It only said "BITCH". Will shrugged. This was in Elyon's handwriting. Okay, then. Should she fight fire with fire, or play the nice kid?
Will shoved the paper plane into her bag and made another one. On the new one, she wrote, "Green suits you. Pink and green go together, and besides, aren't you green with envy right now?"
She waited for the teacher to turn around, before flying the plane, which directly hit Elyon's big ugly head. She groaned as she unfurled the paper plane - Will stole glances every now and then.
Then Will heard pained groans. Hah. Bet Elyon couldn't top that.
Another paper plane landed on Will's desk. It said, "So I guess magenta's the color of the whore who wants the guys between her oh so smooth legs, huh?"
Will rolled her eyes and wrote back on a different paper plane. "Says the one who probably wanted to bed Matt Olsen but couldn't, for all her riches and charms and magic winged powers." She sent it flying.
No other paper plane came. Will got called to the board, and she got to glance at Elyon.
Elyon's face was so red. She was very, very upset, and very, very angry. She tried to hide herself behind her book, but her shoulders were shaking and her big ugly head peeked at the top.
Will laughed to herself.
They had one other shared class after this, but Will wouldn't let their comedy last for longer.
When the bell rang, she waited for everyone to file out of the room. Will went outside last, and as she expected, Elyon was right outside, waiting for her, all her groupies right behind her, as well as a crowd of students that her fury had gathered.
"Um, kids?" the teacher said, and Will slammed the door on his face. She'd answer to his wrath later.
"You rude, ungrateful whore!" Elyon screamed at her. "Weren't you on my side before? Didn't you defend me from Uriah?"
"Oh, no, the princess is crying and I, the knight, must answer!" Will mocked, and the people around them laughed. "Listen. I am not on your side. I am on the side of justice, like Shagon is."
"That's it? That's what you want to say about all of this? That's what our friendship means to you?"
Trying to turn things around, huh? "I could ask you the same. I defended you. I did my best to stay away from Matt. I went along with your schemes. But apparently, my friends are just your friends. They're not even my friends. They can't be even called friends at all!"
Irma, Hay Lin, Cornelia, and Taranee all gasped. It would hurt, but they had to know the truth.
"They're your satellites. Your groupies. They can't do anything without your consent. You control them. Cage them. Imprison them!"
"I do not do such a thing!"
"So why can't I befriend Matt Olsen? Why can't your friends hang out with other people outside of your clique?"
Everyone gasped. So not only Will noticed that, huh?
"Elyon Escanor, why is it that, when I fought Uriah, all you did was enslave me? Why is it that, when these people around you offered you their friendship, all you did was enslave them?" Will squinted her eyes, and said in a grave voice, "Who. Are. You? To do that?"
Elyon struggled to breathe. Will found that there were nothing else to say. She's said what had to be said; done what had to be done.
In the distance, she saw Matt, smiling at her. Great! They didn't share the next class, but the rooms were next to each other. Will turned to him and waved.
"Hey Matt!"
"Hey!"
They walked together, away from the crowd that whispered among each other, away from Elyon's friends who started backing away from her, away from Elyon herself.
When Will and Matt were out of earshot, her legs gave in and she almost fell into Matt's arms.
"I did it!" she gasped, "I stood up to her!"
"You did a great job, Will."
"But I'm not done yet. I still need to talk to my mom's boyfriend!"
"Woah, slow down!" Matt helped her steady. "One things at a time, Will. You have a lot to deal with. What about your mom?"
"I already told her when I got off the car-" Wait a minute. She never told Matt about her problem with her mom. "Hey. How did you know?" And he wouldn't know that. Will never told anyone. It was one of those things you didn't simply talk about!
Matt backed away. These gestures were familiar... "I... heard? Yeah. I heard. Uriah and the others were talking about it. Your mom and Mr. Collins..."
Will stared at him. The only other person she opened up to was Shagon. Which would mean they're related. And last time Elyon ranted about Matt, she only ever mentioned a grandfather and a mother.
Hmph. For now, Will would let it slide. It's not her problem; she shouldn't make it her problem. "...but thanks. Really."
"Y-yeah..."
Though, as they were about to head inside their respective classrooms, a winged figure covered up the windows. Will just about screamed, but Matt covered her mouth.
"You horny teens, come here! I need to tell you something!"
It was Phobos, in full Phobos garb, with the red mask, yelling about, with red wings in full view. He even pressed himself against the glass, the horrible man! Matt and Will stared at each other, before Will wrangled herself out of Matt's hold and went to the window, opening it.
"Get out of here! They'll see you!" she yelled, wanting him off her back.
"I don't care! Are you free today after school? I need you to meet somebody!"
Will scratched her head. Ugh. Her problems never saw an ending, didn't they? "...fine. What the hell do you need, you fuck-face?"
"Meet me in the hospital. Don't forget! Right after school! Fly if you need to! I just need you to look at something!"
Then Phobos flew away. Why, oh why, were Elyon and her brother so weird?! Was the city mayor this weird too?
Matt chuckled - or, at least, forced a chuckle. "That was weird."
He said it. "If only you knew what's been going on in my life..."
