Sour raisin (джен)

November arrived with a biting, miserable chill and endless, gray rain. The school hallways smelled of damp coats and muddy footprints. Barbara sat on a radiator at the far end of the corridor, her nose buried in her sketchbook while Lila animatedly recounted some absurd online drama."...and I was like, 'Honey, please, your IQ is lower than your GPA, don't play with me!'" Lila laughed, throwing her hands up. "Babs, are you even listening to my brilliant monologue? Oh, by the way, your lipstick is a bit smudged."Barbara blinked, pulling herself away from her drawing. "Is it? Leftover coffee, probably. I’ll go fix it before the bell. I'll be quick."She slid off the radiator, pulled her oversized jacket tight, and headed into the second-floor restroom. It was blissfully empty. Standing in front of the large mirror, she pulled a tinted lip balm from her pocket, carefully applying it while trying to avoid a tiny cut on her lip—another souvenir from her father's weekend mood swings.The restroom door creaked open. In the mirror's reflection, Dead Chan appeared. As usual, her kawaii kei style was blindingly pristine: a pastel pink sweater, massive white bows in her hair, and a small galaxy of bracelets clinking on her wrists."Oh, Barbara! Heyaaa!~" Dead Chan chirped, stepping closer. "Ooh, cute shade of pink. Hey, have you seen my star clip? I think I left it in the homeroom...""Haven't seen it," Barbara replied flatly, not bothering to turn around."Bummer," Dead Chan said, her lips curling into a strange, mocking smile. She took a step back, reached into her fluffy skirt pocket, and pulled out a sleek electronic vape. With practiced ease, she took a massive drag, blowing a dense, sweet cloud of strawberry-scented vapor directly into Barbara’s face, before instantly slipping the device back into her pocket. In that exact microsecond, the restroom door slammed open. Standing on the threshold was the vice-principal—a severe, terrifying woman in sharp glasses. The air in the room was undeniably thick with a chemical pink fog."What is the meaning of this?!" the vice-principal bellowed, her eyes darting between Barbara and Dead Chan. "Who is smoking in here?!"Barbara froze, the lip balm still in her hand. The sweet vapor was literally swirling around the fabric of her grunge jacket."Oh my gosh, Ms. Vance!" Dead Chan gasped, slapping her hands over her cheeks. Her eyes went wide, her voice trembling with synthetic terror. "I... I just walked in and the whole room was full of smoke! I literally saw the smoke! Babs, why would you do this? Why are you vaping in school? You're going to get us all in trouble!~"Barbara’s brain short-circuited at the sheer audacity. She whipped around, staring at Dead Chan in utter disbelief. "Are you insane?! You know damn well you just took a hit! Check her pockets, Ms. Vance, she has the vape!""The administration knows who to believe, sweetie," Dead Chan whispered with a tragic, fake sigh, backing out the door. "Ms. Vance, I'm so sorry, I tried to tell her to stop, but she just wouldn't listen to me...""Enough!" the vice-principal snapped, grabbing Barbara roughly by the sleeve of her jacket. "Barbara—my office. Now. Dead Chan, go to class. Thank you for your civic duty."The principal’s office felt like an interrogation room. The principal sat behind a heavy desk, lazily flipping through Barbara’s disciplinary file, while the vice-principal stood by, delivering a theatrical speech about "systemic behavioral issues." "I wasn't vaping," Barbara said for the tenth time, staring at the floor, her bangs completely shielding her face. "Dead Chan did it and set me up. Search her. She’s the one with the device.""Barbara, stop trying to drag others down with you," the principal sighed, rubbing his temples. "Dead Chan comes from an incredibly respectable family, she has a flawless academic record, and her parents are major benefactors to our art program. Why would she lie? Meanwhile, looking at your file... your domestic situation is unstable. Your father is... uncooperative. It’s natural that you’re projecting your issues onto others."The words cut through Barbara like a rusty blade. What did her abusive home life have to do with this? She clenched her fists so hard her nails drew blood inside her jacket pockets. She realized right then that logic didn't matter. The system had already cast her in the role of the bad guy. Perfect Dead Chan versus the broken girl from the bad apartment—the verdict was written before she even opened her mouth."We will be contacting your father," the vice-principal added coldly. "He needs to sign a formal behavioral warning."No, please no, Barbara’s mind screamed. If her father got a call from the school about her supposedly vaping, he would lose his mind. He would beat her senseless.By the time she was let out, the final bell had already rung. The school was empty, save for Lila and Mizuki waiting by the lockers."Babs!" Lila sprinted over, throwing her arms around her. "We heard! That little pastel parasite is literally skipping down the hallways telling everyone she caught you red-handed!" "Did they call your dad?" Mizuki asked, her voice calm but her jaw visibly tight as she adjusted her glasses."Yeah," Barbara whispered, her voice cracking. "If he shows up... I’m dead. Dead Chan... she did this on purpose. Why? What did I ever do to her?""Hey, look at me," Lila said, grabbing Barbara's hands firmly, her voice dropping into a conspiratorial whisper. "Your dad is probably unconscious by now anyway; he won't even hear the phone. If the school calls again, I’ll intercept it. I can mimic an adult's voice perfectly—I'll tell them he’s away on a oil rig for the month. I’ll lie so well they’ll apologize for bothering us. I've got you, Babs."Mizuki pulled out her phone, her fingers flying across the screen as she pulled up a spreadsheet. "This isn't a random prank anymore," Mizuki said, her usual bright demeanor giving way to a cold, calculated focus. "First she forces you into her circles, now she’s actively trying to get you suspended. I’m officially building a case file on our little internet idol. Every interaction, every witness. We are going to dismantle her, Barbara. Mark my words."Barbara looked at her friends. Her chest still tight with fear about going home, a cold, dark spark of rage began to ignite in her soul. Dead Chan thought she could play with people's lives for entertainment. Barbara would take the hit today, but she swore to herself that the perfect little doll would regret the day she chose her as a target.