18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl88sobto0m
It was the scent that gave her away.
Not guilt.
Not smoke.
Just scent—the bitter, unmistakable stench of Marlboro reds, clinging to the inside of her blazer like someone sprayed it on with rage.
“Villanueva.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtPpGkkOAUQ
A sharp voice snapped through the corridor.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLUUTtfOW8
It was the discipline officer. Arms crossed. Eyes already made up.
“Principal’s office. Now.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVhKiev4m0u
“Why?”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAmbrGs7Mw6
“Don’t play innocent. Caught ka sa rooftop. Smoking. May picture pa.”
Ruthie laughed. A cold, mirthless chuckle.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsorA9B8g8O
“Next time, Photoshop it better. I don’t even smoke.”
But the evidence was loud.
A crumpled cigarette pack conveniently found in her locker.
A photo—grainy, angled—but just clear enough to resemble her side profile. Standing alone on the rooftop, hand lifted like it held something.
The verdict was already decided.
“Suspension.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5aVY5vNXRR
“Second offense.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx7SSrNG5Dj
“No more ‘model student’ privilege.”
She stood silently in the office. No protest. No tears.
But inside her chest, something started cracking.
Not because of the punishment.
But because of how familiar this all felt.
That afternoon, she returned to her locker.
Her books were untouched.
But wedged between the pages of her planner was a note.
Thin, unassuming.
YOU DESERVE THIS.
Black ink. All caps. No signature.
Just five words that curled like acid in her gut.
Flashback – Freshman Year
“Bakit lagi na lang ikaw ang bida?” Marian had asked her then.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqxefXeYvLO
They were younger. Softer. But the venom was there already.
“Because I don’t beg for pity,” Ruthie answered.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPSzxRUVpz1
“Sabihin mo na lang na di ka marunong matalo.”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7uop3UXK4O
“No. Marunong lang akong maghintay ng tamang oras.”
She meant it.
Even then, she already knew:18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqWtXeZbIHx
Winners play the long game.
But lately, it felt like someone else was playing her.
At the campus café, Jay appeared beside her table.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBMoT8LiIDF
No words at first. Just his presence, calm and unreadable.
“You’re not even going to ask?” she said.
“About what?”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrp3VYQwmMi
“Everyone thinks I smoke now. You included?”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFoUua4Axs
“I don’t think you’d waste your time with something that slow and temporary.”
Ruthie blinked.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4FIaYRsSF
“What’s that supposed to mean?”18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcQeO15C5Cr
Jay took a sip of his coffee.18Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOvilniUIif
“Just that… if you wanted to destroy something, you’d use fire. Not ashes.”
For the first time that day—she smiled.
Barely.
But it was real.
Later That Night
She sat on her bed, turning the note over and over.
YOU DESERVE THIS.
So neat. So perfect.
So obviously written by someone used to hiding behind a mask.
She flipped open her planner and wrote below the note:
“Then I’ll earn what I deserve.”
Then she taped it there—like a promise.
Like a warning.
Next Morning – School Assembly
She walked past Marian and Joy.
Both girls laughed just a little too loudly when she passed.
Joy even fake-coughed the word “nicotine” under her breath.
Ruthie didn’t look back.
Didn’t flinch.
She just walked forward, chin up, eyes sharp.
Because if they wanted war, she’d give it.
And if they wanted a villain—
She would show them what a real one looked like.
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