His Possession To Claim

Aria reached the school gate, her heart feeling a bit lighter when she spotted Jenny waving her over with a bright smile.

"Oh my God, Ria, you gave me such a scare!" Jenny exclaimed, pulling her into a tight hug.

Aria reciprocated the hug with a warm smile. "It's a long story, Jenny. I'll fill you in later. For now, let's go get that trophy!" she said, a spark of determination lighting up her eyes.

Jenny mirrored the excitement. "Mmm-hmm. Let's go get that trophy!"

The two linked hands and skipped toward the girls' locker room like over excited kids who'd just gotten free ice cream.

Inside the locker room, Jenny changed out of her casual clothes into her sportswear while Aria took off her cardigan which she had thrown on at the last minute. Jenny glanced her way only to have her brows furrowed in the next second.

"Was that from what happened yesterday?" Jenny's tone was laced with concern as her gaze fell on the bandaged bruises scattered across Aria's skin.

Aria paused, caught off guard, and glanced at the injuries. "Yeah," she answered curtly, carefully inspecting the wounds.

"That must've hurt a lot."

"You can't even imagine, Jenny. But honestly, the pain's nothing compared to how scared I was," Aria admitted, her voice wavering.

Jenny stepped closer, her voice softening. "You can tell me, you know. I'm here for you."

Aria hesitated, thinking back and forth about letting Jenny in on what had happened, there was no reason to drag it further. But before she could respond, the locker room door swung open with a loud creak, letting in a burst of cold air. Both girls turned toward the source of the interruption.

"If it isn't the devil herself," Jenny muttered under her breath, her eyes narrowing at Daphne.

Daphne, as always, looked flawless—like she'd just stepped out of a fashion magazine. It wasn't her striking appearance that made them irritational towards her; it was her rotten, narcissistic attitude. She strutted in, her phone in hand, her aura dripping with superiority, finally making a stop in front of Aria, smirking.

"Glad you're still alive. Thought you'd be dead by now," Daphne said mockingly, her smirk deepening.

But those words reverberated in her ears,The room seemed to grow smaller, the world narrowing until it was just her and Daphne, face-to-face.

Aria's vision blurred—not from tears, but from the sheer intensity of her anger. A primal surge coursed through her veins, silencing the rational voice in her head that urged her to stay calm. she finally snapped. She has had enough.

"Oh, Daphne, you really are shameless, you know that? If you don't, I'll gladly remind you," Aria snapped, her voice trembling with anger.

Daphne let out a scoff, unbothered. "I'm glad you found out."

Aria took a step closer, her eyes blazing. "How could you? I thought we had a healthy competition going, but I never imagined you'd stoop so low as to try to get rid of me! Shame on you, Daphne!"

Daphne's smirk faltered for a moment, replaced by a glare. "What are you even talking about? What do you mean 'getting rid of you'? "

"Oh, please, don't play dumb. Admit it—you're not the angel everyone thinks you are. You never were. Are you really going to deny sending those men after me yesterday? What sort of monster are you Daphne?" she spat out with utter disgust in her eyes, her whole body shaking with anger.

A few whispers rippled through the locker room as other girls began gathering around.

"Girls, what's going on over here?" It was their coach, her stern gaze darting between the two girls. "Aria? Daphne? What's the problem?"

"Nothing, Ms. Loveth. Just a little misunderstanding," Aria replied, her voice steady despite the tension as she stared intently into Daphne's eyes.

The coach didn't look convinced but nodded anyway. "Alright, if that is what I must believe, but the game's about to start, and we can't afford to be late—especially since we're up against Bridgeton College."

Aria finally broke eye contact with Daphne as averted her gaze to face Ms. Loveth with a faint smile. The coach sighed in relief.

"Okay, let's head out, then," Ms. Loveth said, but as she turned to leave, something else caught her attention.

"Aria? What happened to you? Why are you all bandaged up?" she asked with a raised brow, her concern evident.

Aria's gaze darted away as she scrambled for an answer. She didn't know if she should just say it out loud. But she still wasn't sure if Daphne was really the mastermind, though she had her own strong reason as to why she believed she was. But going out blatantly without any solid evidence was a baseless assumption. It just wasn't strong enough..

"It's nothing, Ms. Loveth. I'm fine," Aria replied, forcing a smile.

The coach frowned, not buying it one bit. "You seriously can't tell me this is nothing and expect me to believe that, what happened, you can tell me."

"Really, it's nothing. I'm fine. I promise," Aria insisted.

Ms. Loveth let out a long sigh. "Alright, but are you sure you can still—"

"I can still participate," Aria interrupted firmly. It was almost like a command.

The coach nodded reluctantly, leaving the two as she went further into the locker room. Daphne who just stood there with them was the first to take her leave as she headed towards her locker.

Jenny, however, wasn't ready to let it slide. "Oh, you better come back here, you two-faced snake!" she shouted after Daphne, but only got a Daphne who put on her headphones walking away.

"Am talking to you, you snobbish, pretty, little brat" she continued throwing mock punches and kicks in the air.

"Jenny, let her be," Aria said, her voice heavy with exhaustion. She pulled on her sports outfit but felt the overwhelming need to clear her head.

"Jenny, I'll be right back. Tell the coach I'll be there before she knows it."

Jenny paused her sunscreen application and glanced at her friend, not questioning her decision. "Mmm. Take your time, Ria. Whatever makes you feel better. But if you can't make it—"

"I'll be okay, Jenny. I will be."

Aria walked off to the bathroom, her steps slower than usual.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror, taking in the sight before her. Her brown skin toned, with messy curly locks which had messily tangled over each other, deep obsidian eyes—with a huge eyebag cuddled next to it, a cutely shaped bridged nose and with her pink lips all chapped and dried off. The girl staring back at her wasn't much of a beauty, but she had learn to love and accept herself along her journey.

Aria stood there, gazing at herself as her mind trailed off to yesterday, tears rolled down her cheeks moistening them as memories of the previous day came flooding back. She gripped the sink tightly, her heart heavy. What if she hadn't made it back alive? Could her mother have survived that?

Her mom—the only good thing left in her world—was mentally disabled, she couldn't even remember the last time she hugged her mom for comfort or talk to her for anything bothering her, all she had ever done was being strong— always being strong, so that her mom would not see through her pain, but she was tired, she would break if she continued like this.

She whimpered, her cries echoing in the empty bathroom as she instinctively wrapped her hands around herself, giving herself a bare hug, seeking comfort where none existed. Aria stayed like that for a while, trying to find peace with herself. She cooed her mind as she meditated in prayers.

When she finally steadied, she tied her hair into a messy bun and headed to the now-empty gym locker, putting on up her sneakers. She couldn't afford to miss the game—her scholarship depended on it.

With renewed determination, Aria walked out to the bleachers, ready to face whatever came next.