Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge

Iris’ eyes snapped open, a sharp pain pulsating through her head as she stared vacantly up at the ceiling. An overwhelming sadness hung in her chest, almost suffocating her by the sheer weight of it. Its one last exam then its over she thought somewhat cheerily as she turned her alarm off; checking the time. She dragged her tired body out of bed, running a hand through her long blonde hair as she walked towards the bathroom. She pushed the door, scowling under her breath as she found it to be locked.

“Ramona! Hurry up!” she yelled, banging her fist on the door. She leaned against it, slumping against the wall as she held her head in her hands; Today was going to be a rough day, she could feel it. In class, she was a smart girl, straight A’s in every class. But when it came to exams, she always found herself having a breakdown. I’m not doing it she thought angrily, gripping her head with her hands, trying to calm herself down. It was all talk. She knew how important these exams were, especially with university coming up soon.

The door suddenly opened behind her, making her jump as she fell back against the floor. A loud giggle came from above her as Ramona walked over her, flicking her hair as she walked. “Urgh” She groaned, slamming the door shut before turning on the shower.

*****
“There she is! How are you feeling honey?” Frank asked, placing a plate of pancakes in front of Iris as she sat down. She forced a smile as she tucked into her food, looking suspiciously pale as she nodded in response. “She’s stressing out” Ramona said, not bothering to look up from her phone. Iris shot her a menacing glare as she dropped her fork onto the plate. She hated it when she ratted her out to their father, god she could be such a snitch.

Frank squeezed his daughter’s shoulder as he moved to clean up breakfast. “I’m sure you’ll do fine. Besides, you’ve already gotten into Cambridge so I wouldn’t worry” He said, offering her a sympathetic smile before washing up the plates. Iris sighed, a thin smile creeping into the corners of her mouth; he always knew what to say to make her feel better.

Ramona slid her phone into her blazer pocket, rising up from the table as she grabbed her school bag. “We’re off now” She announced, signaling to her older sister who was struggling to hold down her food. Oh god I think I’m going to be sick she thought wearily, rising from her seat and making her way towards the front door. “Iris?” He called out, drying his hands with a tea towel as his daughter turned back to face him. He threw his arms around her, squeezing her tight as he gave her a kiss for good luck. “Break a leg sweetheart” he added softly, cupping her face for a moment before leading her towards the front door. Ramona rolled her eyes, making scowling at her sister as she took her phone out of her pocket. “And stay out of trouble Ray, I don’t want me or your dad to have another phone call from the headmaster” he warned, narrowing his eyes at her as they left the house.

The girls slammed the door behind them and Frank smiled to himself; he was so proud of them. Sure, they had had their ups and downs in the past few years, but with Iris going to university and Ramona doing better in school, he couldn’t ask for more a more perfect family.

****
The bell rang out across the hall, signaling the end of the exam. Iris breathed a heavy sigh of relief as she put her pen down, happy that it was finally over. She eyed her friend Beth across the room, who sat slumped in her chair; an angry look pained across her face as she handed her exam paper over to the administrator; clearly it hadn’t gone well for her.

The class soon left the hall, the low hum of voices echoed through the corridor as friends began to discuss the exam they had just taken. Iris pushed her way through the crowds, not wanted to hear what people were saying about it. It was bad enough just thinking about it, let alone talk about it. “Iris….Iris wait up!” a voice called out from behind her. Iris turned around to find Beth running over to her, a smile beaming from ear to ear as she struggled to get her breath back. “Jesus christ you’re fast, how did you find it” Beth asked, combing her dark hair back into place as she eyed her friend’s response. Iris shrugged, biting her lip nervously as she shook her head. “I’d rather not talk about it” she replied quietly. Beth nodded, linking arms with her as she led her out of the school. “Come on, I’ll buy you lunch before we head off to next lesson” she said sweetly, nudging her gently and making her smile.

“We should go out tonight” Beth cried, staring wide eyed at her friend who seemed to be taken aback by her sudden outburst. “What?” Iris asked, laughing half-heartedly as they continued to walk down the corridor and out into the school grounds. “We should go out and celebrate, I was thinking sugar hut or something” She replied, growing more excited by the minuet. Iris laughed, neither of them were the clubbing type, but after months of stress and anxiety, she needed some time to relax. “Sure, lets do it!” She agreed, grinning wildly as a glimore of happiness began to rise up in her chest.

So this is what it felt like NOT to be worried

Beth led her out of the school grounds, changing the topic to school gossip and shit rock music. It might have been a distraction but Iris appreciated what she was doing, Beth knew she didn’t cope well with stress and she was happy that she was going out of her way to avoid the topic completely.

But out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something.

Her friends voice faded into silence as she turned her head towards a tall dark figure across the street. It’s black hood hung loose down its face, concealing its feature’s as it stood motionless beside a tree. Her blood ran cold as she came to the sudden realization that the figure, the man dressed in black, was staring at her. She nervously tugged on her friends arm, looking away for a second as she desperately tried to grab her attention. “What is it?” Beth asked, flashing her a concerned look. “There’s someone watching us” she said, glancing back to the spot beside the tree only to find he was gone.

Notes

So this is the first proper chapter!
Sorry if its a bit rubbish x

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