Some people sharpen their claws in secret.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3jGKMtNuSm
Marian? She hides hers behind tears and mascara.
But Ruthie had learned to see through masks.
And today, she found the one thing that could break Marian apart.
It started with a notebook.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZhlqH5E3Sb
Spiral-bound, half-burnt at the edges, found behind the library.
Ruthie didn’t mean to find it.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD1hl8vsYVM
But fate always had a habit of dropping sins into her lap.
Inside were names.
Dates.
And screenshots—printed and pasted—like a scrapbook of secrets.
One name caught her eye.
Mr. Suarez – Guidance Counselor17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ434lBU9x90
Below it:17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6V13B8lwS7
“Threatened to tell his wife. Got 5k to shut up.”
Another page:17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5l8wXXnCYj
Clarisse Jimenez – 12-B17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHTAhnhi8QX
“Stolen vape vid. She cried. Let her off in exchange for her mom’s Rolex.”
And then this—
Me: Ruthie C. – Subject to ruin soon17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaL0QRycFgl
Let her burn slowly. She doesn’t know I kept the bruise pics from rehearsal.
Ruthie’s breath stilled.
So it had always been a game.
Marian wasn’t just playing the victim.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiIetXjCiru
She was architecting the entire downfall.
She stared at the page for a long time.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQvoTIf5YG
Then closed the notebook like it held a ghost.
“Leverage. That’s what this is.”
And Marian?17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwWhBRDo9BP
She was holding everyone in that school by the throat—quietly, sweetly, cruelly.
Later that day, in the restroom, Ruthie watched Marian reapply her lip gloss.
Too perfect.
Too pink.
“Nice shade,” Ruthie said, stepping beside her.
Marian’s hand froze for a second before she smiled.
“Thanks. You should try it. Pampabait ng image.”
Ruthie smiled back.
“I’m good with venom, thanks.”
“Sayang. You’d look prettier with a little innocence.”
“And you’d look prettier without blood on your hands.”
Marian blinked, just once. Then recovered.
“I don’t know what you’re implying.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not implying.”
Ruthie leaned close, lips brushing Marian’s ear.
“I found your notebook.”
For a flicker, Marian’s mask cracked.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ625DMHhKxJ
Her breath hitched. Her eyes twitched. But her voice?
Still sugar.
“What notebook?”
“The one with Suarez’s name. And Clarisse’s. And mine.”
Marian turned, tilting her head slightly.
“Kung meron nga… what are you going to do with it?”
“Nothing,” Ruthie answered.
“Nothing?” Her voice laced with doubt.
“Not yet.”
Ruthie walked past her, leaving the scent of smoke behind.
“But sleep lightly, Marian. Because when I do strike—”
She turned at the door, smiling faintly.
“It won’t be loud. It’ll be permanent.”
Back home, Ruthie flipped through the notebook again.
She had scanned the whole thing already—uploaded into a hidden Google Drive.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgfUsFuvv6r
One share button away from eruption.
But this wasn’t about instant justice.
It was about timing.
Jay called.
“You okay?”
“Found Marian’s brain in a book.”
“What?”
“She’s blackmailing half the school. She’s more dangerous than Joy.”
“Are you going to expose her?”
Ruthie stared at the flickering lamp in her room.
“Not yet.”
“Why?”
“Because blackmailers panic when you wait. They start to tremble when they don’t know when it’ll fall.”
Jay didn’t speak for a second.
“You’re terrifying sometimes.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“No,” he said, voice low. “It’s kind of beautiful.”
She felt heat rise in her face but pushed it down.
“I’m not done yet. There’s more behind this.”
“Like what?”
“Like Joy.”
Ruthie had a theory.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPena2gWC5
Joy might’ve planted seeds. But Marian was the gardener.
They were in this together.
And somewhere beneath the vines of manipulation—
Someone else was pulling strings.
That night, Ruthie slept with the notebook under her pillow.
Like a relic.17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTdFZzBTGSl
Like a weapon.
And outside, the moon was dull and watching.
17Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgckEcX6vIo
