Some people sharpen their claws in secret.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvo9VjUhc1D
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtOmDppsoiE
Spiral-bound, half-burnt at the edges, found behind the library.
Ruthie didn’t mean to find it.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqf9T9moBMS
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 Counselor21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF08jheJg5l
Below it:21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQHaUI7cM0S
“Threatened to tell his wife. Got 5k to shut up.”
Another page:21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFiQSIXg8IG
Clarisse Jimenez – 12-B21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHSKV4YsPij
“Stolen vape vid. She cried. Let her off in exchange for her mom’s Rolex.”
And then this—
Me: Ruthie C. – Subject to ruin soon21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1v0mrOEf8H
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlW25ti6G2d
She was architecting the entire downfall.
She stared at the page for a long time.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJl2rjrtNE
Then closed the notebook like it held a ghost.
“Leverage. That’s what this is.”
And Marian?21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIbXz8yPmFX
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotwUwPSlO5
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrnNrig8JoK
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡepl2RCGp00
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.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIUVDTy40HC
Like a weapon.
And outside, the moon was dull and watching.
21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh70glwLqCh
