Later that day....

Mira’s manicured fingers drummed against her phone case, the rhinestones clicking like tiny fangs as she stalked down the hallway. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting a sickly glow on the rows of dented lockers. Then she saw her—Petra. The nerd was hunched over her stupid science textbook, those stupid thick glasses sliding down her stupid button nose. Mira’s lips twisted into a predatory grin.

"O-M-G, Petra," Mira drawled, slamming her palm against the locker next to the girl’s head with a metallic BANG. "Did you, like, roll in loser before school? Because you reek."

Petra flinched, her textbook slipping from her grip and hitting the linoleum with a pathetic thwap. "I—I was just—"

"Ew, are you crying?" Mira leaned in, her strawberry-scented breath hot on Petra’s ear as she snatched the girl’s glasses clean off her face. "Oh noooo, did wittle Petra forget her tissues?" She dangled the glasses just out of reach, watching the nerd’s hands flutter helplessly like a trapped moth.

Petra’s chin wobbled.

Mira’s manicured nails dug into Petra’s shoulder as she shoved the trembling nerd against the lockers, her usual sneer twisting into something even uglier as her gums itched and her skin prickled. "God, you’re even more pathetic than usual today," she spat, not noticing how her voice had taken on a weird, squeaky edge. Petra’s wide eyes flickered down—just for a second—but Mira caught it. "The hell are you staring at, loser?"