Fate can turn at the worst of times.

WHAM.

Hold on a moment. Why is everything sideways, tasting faintly of copper and linoleum? There's a throbbing in your skull, matching time with your frantic, heaving heartbeat. A faint whiff of dust and rubber chokes a breath into your lungs, alerting you to your new physical status of crumpled on the floor. Weren't you just working on trying to talk to Penny? Sure, your view of the world gets a bit of tunnel-vision when she's nearby, but surely you wouldn't just pass out from sheer nerves.

"I _told _you t'move, you little shit. Show you not to fucking listen."

Oh. Okay, things are starting to make more sense now as you press yourself against the nearby wall of lockers to steady onto your feet. You'd recognize that voice anywhere, especially in your worst nightmares.

Izzy. Isabelle Arlington to the outside world, and just "that bitch" of your own personal hell.

The smart students were giving the well-built girl a wide berth, not wanting a piece of what she regularly threw your way. Vision clearing, you get a good look at the one who dropped you like a rock.

It would be unfair to say Izzy isn't an attractive woman. If anything, her defined musculature only adds to the sharp yet decidedly feminine shape of her body. Her amber-brown eyes almost look like they're on fire and are certainly doing a good job of burning you down with a heated stare. A loose hoodie has been thrown over something no doubt form-fitting and ab-showing underneath. Long sculpted legs poke through tattered jeans, capped with sturdy-looking boots. It almost feels sinful that someone with such focus on their physique hid most of it under such unflattering, masculine clothing. It isn't like anyone was going to question any of her decisions. Between the strength to do what she wanted and the money to get away with it, Izzy was no one to be crossed.

And of course, that meant you were her favorite punching bag. At least the title was usually metaphorical...

You felt another, much less painful thump as Izzy's locker door bounced off your shoulder, the girl having tossed you aside in order to get to her stuff. After the locker door closes, she gives you one last sneer and thumbs at it.

"And clean your grease off it before you go, you slimy cuck. I don't wanna be reminded of you every time I need a book." Izzy gives Penny a pointed glare, followed by a predatory grin as she struts away. You can hear Izzy's friends snickering at your expense as they fade back into the crowds that fill in once she's gone.

Jesus tapdancing Christ, she's in a bad mood today. All that for standing in front of a locker? What are the fucking odds that you would catch Penny and start talking in front of Izzy's locker?? Fate has clearly decided to take recompense for giving you such an incredible power. Before any darker gears can start turning in your head, you hear that angelic voice once again.

"Are you alright? What the hell is her problem??"

Now no longer in the line of fire, Penny has returned to your side, looking up at you with concern marring her lovely face. You can't fault her at all for steering clear of Izzy. You'd much rather Penny not invoke that harpy's ire and take the brunt of it yourself. After all:

"I'm used to it," you rattle out, defeated, tenderly pressing a finger to your scalp. Yup, that's gonna bruise.

"That's..." She clearly wants to seek justice on your account, but sadly knows better than to oppose Isabelle fucking Arlington directly.

"It's fine, really. Don't worry about me." What were these words coming out of your mouth, and who is saying them? Shouldn't you be finding a corner to go hide and cry in?

"It's not fine, but... if you're sure." Oh no, Penny, don't pout. Your heart is already breaking, she ought not make such a face.

"I'm sure. Trust me, I've got a plan to give her exactly what she deserves." Bold words for sure, and they don't sound nearly as menacing as they could, coming from your oddly upbeat tone. Hopefully the brazen side of you will eventually inform the rest of you what this "plan" is later.

"That aside, Penny," you continue. "I was about to say..."

"Yes?" God, having Penny's undivided attention is almost worth the concussion.

"I was about to say, that... well..." You swallow, taking one last glance around to make sure Izzy isn't doubling back to fuck you over again. "Penny, I think that you're one of the loveliest, nicest girls I've ever seen, and I'd really like to get to know you better. We don't share any classes, but would you mind if I stopped by to chat with you on lunch?"

Wow. No really, Wow! That actually came out as smoothly as it sounded in your head! Normally just pretending to talk to Penny would have you fumbling your own tongue, but look at you! The pounding of your heart is making that bump on your brow ache something awful, but you can't help but smile goofily with pride. The words came out! No matter what she says now, you can die in peace knowing you tried.

Penny's soft cheeks turn an adorable shade of pink at your words, lips parting in brief, bracing silence. "Well...um...you sure that's you talking and not the blow to your head, Gavin?" She smiles again, this one coy and unsure. She said your name again! Bliss.

"Pretty sure," you let out with a chuckle. Keep going, outer you! "I've wanted to ask you for a while now, but I'm all nerves."

"I see. In that case, sure, I'll see you at lunch. We should probably go, though, before that hateful girl comes back."

You both share a nod and a wave, Penny giving you one last glance over her shoulder before slipping away.

...

And you nearly collapse against the lockers all over again. What was thaaaaat? Where did those big, clackin' balls come from? You not only finally talked to Penny, not only agreed to meet and chat later, but you did it after enduring aggravated **** from Izzy! Now that both of them are nowhere near you, all the nerves and panic and stress you'd been magically suppressing come to the surface, leaving you sweating and near gasping for breath. How in the world did you do that?!

It had to be the marker. Claiming yourself worked, and you followed your own order to a T! Brave and confident, you choked down your anxiety and finally did what you've been longing to do for years! Penny even took well to your resilient charisma, no less! Maybe today won't be such a pit of hell after all. Fuck you, Isabelle Arlington, no amount of pain and embarrassment can possibly counterbalance the levity and unbridled elation you feel welling up in your heart.

You know what? Why don't you double down on the good luck today? Grinning despite yourself, you pluck that very marker out of your pocket, taking a good look at the bitch's locker door. There is a shiny smudge on it, likely a topographical map of your noggin where the bruise is. Izzy has everything she could possibly want, right? Reputation, strength of body and mind, and more money than she knows what to do with; she thinks herself untouchable.

Let's change that.

Still riding the high of taking your first steps with Penny, you're able to easily shelf the darker thoughts creeping up as you plan your ****. You could simply find a way to get your name written on Izzy somewhere. Claiming her would be the ultimate karmic implosion of her life; a rich girl suddenly someone else's property. Still, you're not sure you trust yourself to not go overboard with that much power. Izzy has made your life a thousand times more miserable than Theresa ever did, and she definitely wouldn't earn any mercy from you with some tears and a fearful apology. Not that she'd give you either.

No, no... as with all things, you want to take it slow. Perhaps even more devilish than destroying her immediately, you're more interested in watching her security net unravel around her. Nothing truly malicious, just... a little comeuppance here and there. You want to give her some perspective.

And it starts with your name written across her locker door.

With a mischievous smirk, you quickly go to find a member of school staff, letting them know that someone's been putting their things in your locker, and you'd like them confiscated. The whole thing is to be emptied, and you don't entirely care what becomes of them. You also politely ask that a padlock be provided for it, if possible, to avoid this kind of thing happening again. You've always been a well-behaved student, if only by virtue of being completely unnoticed, and so garner very little confusion with this humble request.

It's not much, bit it's a start. The mere fact that you've done anything in retaliation against Izzy fills you with a surge of vindictive glee. You're the one in control now. There's plenty more to do, and you're already getting some amusing ideas, consequences be damned, but for now you want to go find Dylan before class starts and let him in on the good news.

"No way."

"Way." You can't get this stupid grin off your face. Dylan stares at you, as incredulous as his tired eyes can muster.

"You're tellin' me that you, Gavvy the stalker—"

"I was not stalking her! Jeez, between you and Tess, I fuckin' swear... Does no one get 'admire from afar' anymore?"

"Right." Dylan shrugs and starts fresh. "You're tellin' me that you not only spoke to Penny and training-wheels style asked her out, but that you did it after getting floored by Izzy?"

"Does that sound stupid enough that I'd make it up?"

"Oh, it sounds hella stupid, bud. What also sounds stupid is you getting all of Izzy's stuff thrown out of that locker of yours." It takes a moment to process the new logic of that statement. "She's gonna kill you, dude."

"Try, Dylan. She's going to try."

"Yeah? And what are you gonna do when she 'tries' to remove your skull from your face?"

"Trust me, I've got a plan."

There's a pregnant pause, Dylan trying to read some secret code in your eyes.

"Man, whatever you're smokin', you oughta share. I don't know what caused your balls to drop all of a sudden, but I really hope your plan includes surviving Izzy's wrath. It'd be such a shame if you died suddenly right before graduation."

You groan and lightly shove your friend by the shoulder. "It's so good to know that my one true friend has such unshaking confidence in me."

Your conversation dwindles into nothing in particular after that. As Dylan starts going on about some funny video trend he's been watching on his phone, your nods and uh-huh's sit up front while your mind takes the backseat to reflect and plan. Can you really do anything meaningful to Izzy just by claiming stuff around her? What's to stop her from utterly decimating you later? Sure, you feel bold enough now to actually try and stand up for yourself, but you're going to need more than bravery to make anything worthwhile come to fruition. Maybe it would be easier to just try and claim her after all...

And on top of that, you're going to talk to Penny at lunch! What do you say? What can you tell her about yourself that's even remotely interesting? You're far more interested in what she has to say, so perhaps you could simply keep the conversation directed at her. Then again, you don't want it to feel like an awkward interrogation! Agh, being sociable and affable is hard! You didn't think either of these plans through at all!