Spring Trap
Gardenia Glow knew something was wrong as soon as she walked into the school. It was something in the air. A cloud of suspicion and secrecy. People weren’t looking her in the eye as she came in. Normally friendly students didn’t offer her their usual morning greetings. Others turned away from her as she passed, huddling together and occasionally turning their heads to watch her as she passed.
Gardenia frowned. This little hallway drama had been enacted before, just not with her as the focal point. She turned the corner and headed down the hall.
Firecracker Burst was chatting with Moondancer and Beachberry at her locker. The three of them went silent as Gardenia walked up, confirming her suspicions.
“What did she do?” Gardenia asked.
“Just let it go, Gardenia,” Firecracker said, holding up her hands. “There’ll be other dances. Let her have this and she’ll back off.”
“What did she do?” Gardenia repeated. The three girls exchanged glances.
Moondancer adjusted her glasses. “You don’t want to know. Really. You don’t.”
“What. Did. She. Do?” Gardenia’s voice was quiet and deadly as she enunciated each word.
Beachberry sighed, and pulled up MyStable on her phone. She scrolled to the relevant post and handed the phone to the dark green girl. “Here. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.”
There was a post made on the unofficial Spring Fling interests page. Unsurprisingly, it was made by Sunset Shimmer. What was surprising was the post was a picture of Gardenia going into the Planned Parenthood clinic. Gardenia blinked and clenched her teeth as she read the text above the photo.
Why would one of your Spring Fling princess nominees visit Planned Parenthood? STD? Birth control? Or perhaps even… but no, some things are just too important to speculate about. In any event, given this event and the other picture attached to this post, could it be that Gardenia Glow isn’t the nice girl she pretends to be? That maybe she’s hiding a few dark secrets she doesn’t want anyone to know? Is this really the kind of person you want representing you at one of our most important social events? Think about it, won’t you? I know I will.
She thumbed the screen to the next photo, and her face contorted in rage. The image showed Bulk Biceps kissing her on the cheek as she got out of his car in front of her house. She had been over at his house tutoring him in Algebra and had graciously offered to drive her home that night. He’d been a perfect gentleman and certainly didn’t deserve to get caught up in Sunset Shimmer’s latest sleazy plot.
Gardenia handed the phone back to Beachberry, then spun on her heel and began walking away. Firecracker caught up with her and grabbed her arm.
“Gardenia, wait. Don’t do anything crazy. That’s just what she wants.”
“I’m not going to do anything crazy,” Gardenia snarled. “I’m just going to have a conversation with my honorable opponent.”
“At least wait until you’ve calmed down,” Moondancer said, catching up to them and walking on the other side of Gardenia. “If you confront her now, she’s going to find a way to turn this to her advantage.”
Gardenia stopped walking. “I will not back down from the likes of Sunset Shimmer. She’s kept us all in a state of terror ever since the day she set foot in this school and no one will do anything to stop her. All of us are afraid of her, and everything she does is done so she has plausible deniability if Principal Celestia decides to come after her. She’s Teflon. Nothing sticks to her, ever!
“When does it stop? When is she going to finally get knocked off that self-made pedestal of hers?”
“Look,” Firecracker began. “It sucks, but the school year’s over in a couple of months. You’re graduating. Who cares about the Spring Fling? Graduate, collect your diploma, then get the hell out of here and you’ll never see her again.”
“And what about you two?” Gardenia asked. “You’re still going to be here next year. And so is three quarters of the rest of the school. Until she graduates, it’s never going to be over.
“I don’t care if I get elected or not, I just want her to understand she can’t bully everyone into submission, no matter what dirty tricks she plays. And the first step in that is for whoever she tries to push around to start shoving back.”
Gardenia turned and resumed her search for her rival. Moondancer and Firecracker exchanged worried glances and followed after her.
Sunset Shimmer was holding court in the cafeteria. Various sycophants, toadies, and those who hoped being on her good side would spare them from her wrath were in the chairs at her table and a couple of nearby tables.
Gardenia stalked into the cafeteria and up to Sunset's table. Sunset saw her coming, and held up a hand, stopping the conversation. She straightened her leather jacket and smiled at the pink-haired girl.
“Gardenia Glow, to what to I owe the pleasure?” Sunset's grin had no actual mirth. It was predatory and prideful.
“I went to Planned Parenthood for a check up. That's all. Big mystery solved.” Gardenia folded her arms. “Can we move on now?”
“Oh sure, we can move on,” Sunset smirked. “Of course, you would claim it was just for a check up. I mean, why go all the way there rather than your regular doctor?”
Gardenia blinked as the crowd began to murmur among themselves. She frowned.
“Because it's more comprehensive than a general practitioner, Sunset. I'm surprised you don't know that.”
Sunset's grin vanished. The crowd began murmuring again, in a completely different tone. Sunset glared out the corners of her eyes at those around her and smirked again.
“Sure it is. You'd want the most comprehensive examination, I'm sure. Nothing but the best for you and Bulk, right?”
More murmurs. Gardenia's face flushed as she felt herself getting angry again. “I was tutoring him,” she hissed through clenched teeth.
“Keep saying that. Maybe somebody here will actually believe it... eventually.” Sunset's smarmy grin returned. “Or are we talking about another kind of tutoring, hmmm?”
Gardenia's fists clenched, her nails digging into her palms. “It's nothing like that.”
“Oh? That bad, is it? Y'know, there's plenty of books on the subject if you and he are having trouble in that department.”
The murmurs now had a few giggles here and there. Gardenia felt a hand on her shoulder.
“C'mon,” came the voice of one of her friends. She was too angry to pay attention to which beyond simple classification. “She's not worth it.”
“More like Gardenia's not worth it, if she's doing that with Bulk Biceps,” Sunset sneered. “I mean, I can understand being attracted to muscles, but seriously, the guy's got a brain the size of a pea. Or is that the attraction? Knowing you're the brains in the relationship? Or does he seriously live up to his name in the other department?”
The words were out before Gardenia could stop them. “I'M NOT ATTRACTED TO BULK BICEPS! I'M NOT PREGNANT! I DIDN'T GET AN ABORTION! I LIKE GIRLS, OKAY?!”
Dead silence. Gardenia opened her eyes to a sea of shocked faces. Some looked embarrassed. Some looked ashamed. Even Sunset had an expression of surprise on her face. Gardenia looked around, her face flushed, her expression one of panic.
The murmuring began. And worse, came the sound of phones coming to life. Texts being sent. Posts being made. And in the middle of it all, Sunset Shimmer just smiling at her.
Tears formed in Gardenia's eyes and she ran out of the cafeteria before they could fall. She heard someone calling her name, but she kept running. She had no idea where she was going, but she thought anywhere would be better than the school. She thought anything would be better than seeing the faces of the other students as the news made its way through the grapevine.
Later that night, when she got home, she found out how wrong she was.
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Wow......
Seeing this almost makes me not want Sunset to wake up from her coma.
Ah yes, the old tried and true, reputational suicide approach. Give the smallest push, the slightest touch in the right direction and get easy results. Pair it with someone who can become emotionally unstable at a whim and you've got yourself a cauldron ready to boil over. Sunset didn't have to lift a finger, she likely already did her research on her opponent ahead of time and knew of her well kept secret. All she needed was to light a match and watch as the bomb finally went off. A very real tactic that can easily be played out even in the workplace. No wonder she wants her dead. A reputation is everything nowadays. Often even considered worth more than a single life at times. Good chapter.
Ugghh Sunset.....seriosuly.....Wait...If her parents kicked her out because of this, I'm surprised she hasn't gone after her parents for kicking her out.
She fuled by blind rage and hatred right now, anyone a target.
8498605
Remember, her past isn't today.
Besides, the manifestation of her guilt is a pretty good indicator she's had her spiritual rebirth.
8498984
True. But it kinda makes sense for her to hunt down Sunset then since her life was ruined by Sunset
8498999
Wasn't Gardenia's email the one that she forgave her?
And either way, what did you expect, revenge for Sunset looking at her funny one day?
Yeah her defense was very weak. Planned Parenthood only does abortion and yeah why hasn't Gardenia's parent's been attack?
8499508
You are incorrect about Planned Parenthood. This is not a debate. Drop the subject now.
Oof
8498984
I hate that phrase. It's like people are saying you cannot be held accountable for past actions as it is the past and not the present.
Oh...oh my goodness.
Whoa! Big whopper of a chapter.
8498605
To paraphrase Gandalf: "There are those who live that deserve death and many who die who deserve life. Can you give it to them?"
10516366
Well I mean. That's actually legitimately codified into the laws of most developed countries, so I'd argue that it's actually a sentiment with some serious substance. A statute of limitations is one of the key features of a modern legal system that sets it apart from our predecessors, a widespread defining characteristic and practically a requirement for any nation claiming to be caught up with the current year. "The past is not today" isn't just a vapid moral platitude - that's a solid, well accepted legal policy with some international teeth to it. It goes right there on the list next to "innocent until proven guilty" "everyone is entitled to a fair and impartial trial before a jury of peers" and "collective punishment is a warcrime and the civilian courts also practice individual liability"
At least according to the very mature, widespread and well thought out legal status quo most of the world uses to establish guilt beyond doubt before throwing someone in the slammer or an electric chair - yeah, the past really isn't today.