//------------------------------//
// Not Exactly Bird Brained 
// Story: Like a Phoenix 
// by Pyro Kittens In Suits 
//------------------------------//

Sunset took a deep breath as she spotted a rare sight at her locker, a stern faced Gilda standing just off to the side as she leaned on the metal doors. She didn’t appear to be in any rush, and instead appeared bored as if she were waiting for something, or someone to finally appear. 

“Great.” Sunset said flatly to herself. Her next class was chemistry and she need to retrieve her textbook, which meant bypassing the current guard stationed a few paces away from her destination. She thought of avoiding the situation all together and arrive at class sans her book, but realized it would only be off putting the unwanted confrontation to a later date. So taking a deep breath and steeling herself best she could, she put on a brave face and headed straight to her locker around the corner. 

Neither student made to acknowledge the other, as Sunset was thankfully permitted to open her metal door with little issue, the faint signs of “She-Demon” having been hastily covered up with a new paint job, likely by the school. 

Opening her bag to exchange books, Sunset dared to sneak a glance over at the still impassive Gilda, and was surprised to find that she had not even bothered to look in her direction. The usually aggressive student’s attention directed towards a neighboring door, one that Sunset recognized as an English teacher’s classroom, that she studied with a dull gaze. 

Reaching for her coveted school book on the top shelf, Sunset quietly cursed as she pulled the text only to have another one fall forward. The heavy book resounding with a thud as she scrambled to free her hands of her other items to pick it up.

“Hey,” Sunset froze as she realized the voice of Gilda was suddenly aiming at her. “I think you dropped this.” 

Confused by what was the oddest way Sunset had heard of starting a confrontation, she looked over and realized that the other student had picked up the book from the floor and now held it in front of her nonchalantly. Reacting on autopilot, Sunset claimed the heavy hardback with no resistance. 

“Thanks.” She said, returning it to its place on the higher shelf of her locker. 

“You know I’m not interested in fighting you, right?”

Careful not to hit her head as she was started by the sudden comment, Sunset poked her head back at Gilda with a bewildered expression.

“What?”

“You’re not Anon - a - Miss.” Gilda stated back matter of factly. “If it is you however, I’d have to say this is shoddy work compared to your earlier performances.”

“I - uh - agree?” Sunset was sure that was anything but convincing, but her mind still reeled at what she thought would be her biggest aggressor at her school, now speaking against the crowd mind of this mess. 

“Whenever you had information about someone, you’d use it to your gain.” Gilda continued, having shown no reaction to Sunset’s confused behavior. “Blackmail, ruining someone’s reputation, using it to get you ahead, you didn’t just send out things into the rumor mill just for fun. You had purpose.”

While her stomach sank at the mention of her past deeds, Sunset already knew where Gilda’s line of reasoning had sent her. And while she perhaps loathed to admit it about someone whom she always deterred from, she had to admit her deductive reasoning when it came to Sunset’s innocence. 

“This Anon - a - Miss is running a drama show of the students, sending them brawling at each other in the halls, and whispering stupid rumors behind backs. But it doesn’t get you anywhere, you’re the one being hunted, blamed and punished.” Gilda’s uninterested expression never faltered as she talked, Sunset one to guess the whole escalation of the gossip blog having became old news after the first week of increased security and intensifying punishments. 

“I admired your work once, Shimmer.” Gilda said, turning back to move to her old position watching the door. “Whomever has done this is some shabby copy cat with nothing to gain but ruining you. Better hope you find out who before they end up posting something everyone’s never going to forget.” Which Sunset took as code for, “Until they end up posting something about me.”

Sauntering back to adjacent lockers, both girls whirled their heads to the noise of an opening door. A light teal colored athlete stepping out as she begrudgingly thanked the teacher inside before closing the entrance behind her. 

“Hey, Lightning Dust, you’re late.” Gilda called out.

“Yeah, yeah,” The girl groaned in response. “Got kept late getting help with my English project. But forget that we got math to get to next.”

The two started off down the halls, neither having turned back to acknowledge Sunset’s contemplative expression as she watched them leave. 

“Someone who wants to ruin me?” She thought to herself, piecing together the whole reason of why Anon - a - Miss came to be in the first place. If the person behind the whole affair had started the account for just the purpose of spreading rumors and gossip, why would they single her out in both the pages color schemes and the silhouette of the photo? Though she supposed she was the easiest target for a scapegoat, making the page truly anonymous could have easily worked as apparent evidence from her phone would have done her in anyhow. Gilda had a point in her reasoning, whomever was responsible had something out for Sunset, the only question was, who?