Chapter 3 Frieda Tyrell

TWO YEARS LATER.

Tessa couldn't really describe what and how it had happened. How the bullies had stopped bullying her, how they had glared at her each time they saw her but didn't make a move, how they never bothered her again after that day, she had no idea or why they never did it again.

But from then on, Tessa knew peace, true peace and happiness, the freedom to wake up at whatever time she wanted, and that if she woke up early it wasn't because of bullies but because she didn't want to miss her of her classes.

Especially as Mr Gordon had made it his hobby to have her write handouts and give it to the rest of the class. After realizing how meticulous and concise she was in the first handout she submitted years ago, he made it a point of necessity to make her write handouts even when she didn't come to class late and so some of the students had given her a new nickname.

Mr Gordon's pet.

Tessa rolled her eyes at the thought as she pulled her hoodie over her head and walked out of the room, her bag trailing after her.

"Tessa O'Bailey! How many times would I tell you not to drag your backpack on the floor?" her mom yelled and Tessa quickly flung her bag upwards catching it and flung it over her shoulders.

"Good morning Mom" Tessa greeted dropping a small kiss on the cheeks of the older woman arranging food on the dining table.

"Good morning sweetheart, did you sleep well?" she asked and Tessa nodded her head grabbing one of the toast and bringing it to her lips.

"Why are you standing and eating?" her mom chided as she pulled out a chair for her to seat down while Tessa shook her head munching on the bread in her mouth faster so she could talk.

"I don't need to seat down; I am already late. I need to hurry to school" Tessa replied and her mom turned to the digital clock on the drawer in the seating room.

"It's just a few minutes past 8am" her mom replied and Tessa nodded.

"Exactly, I have P.E this morning, anyone who comes late would have to run round the filed fifteen times, I'm not about to become the marathon race runner this morning" Tessa replied as her mom burst into laughter.

"Then, take more toast" she said pouring tea into a glass of cup while offering it to her daughter.

"Drink this, it will give you a lot of energy" she said while Tessa chuckled before collecting the cup and draining it into her stomach in one go. she dropped the cup and grabbed two more toasted bread before dropping another kiss on her mom's cheek.

"Have a great day" she echoed as hurried out of the house. The driver was already waiting for her and Tessa slammed the door after her the moment she stepped into the car.

"Please step on it" she told the driver while relaxing back into her seat and munching on her toast.

Her parents, both medical doctors, surgeons to be precise were almost never at home and their relationship with Tessa fell apart. Her elder brother who was studying in Africa was the only one who Tessa talked to once in a while. The latter was always busy with his projects and trips so he almost never called home, Tessa was the one who always did the calling.

After she and her parents had a huge fight and Tessa poured out all her feelings, they as well realized that they hadn't been given her daughter time and Tessa also realized how important her parent's jobs were, she hadn't been patient with them nor had she cut them some slack.

Both parties decided to work on their relationships and with both parties putting in a lot of efforts, in less than two months, they were a family with bonds stronger than before and this Tessa was very much grateful for. On the days, her parents couldn't come home, she would make some food, pack it and go and deliver them herself at the hospital.

She sometimes slept over at the hospital and rush back the next day to prepare for school. As it was her final year at high school, she had to start making preparations for college. Their Guidance and counselling teacher had called them all for the school they wanted to go and what was their course of study.

Tessa would never forget the blank look on the woman's face when Tessa told her that's he hadn't decided and she even didn't know yet. She wasn't interested in Medicine and Surgery even though she knew that if she picked it, she would do excellently well but she no interests or passion or whatnot towards it.

Even Tessa herself found it weird that she didn't have anything that she wanted to do. This is what happens to you when you are good at everything and nothing interests you. Tessa had even gone online searching for courses she wanted to do but nothing she saw online seems to interest her. Her life as well lacked any fun or any vie as well.

Blaine had planned to use his basketball skills to get into a prestigious university with a scholarship. Most of the basketball boys also had the same idea so they had been practicing really hard for their matches even though they were the best in the state; that made Blaine almost never have time for her.

Except she went to the court to cheer for him or get him his lunch and got and look for him, she almost never saw him. It was fun to watch the boys run around the court, making die-hard efforts in achieving their goals. Tessa knew that they were definitely all going to get into dream schools. They were all too good.

The driver turned to drive into the school was immediately stopped by Tessa, who pulled her bag with her and got down from the car. Muttering a word of thanks to the driver, she ran into the school building, apologizing as she darted in between the school students.

Her final year timetable had to be one of the timetable she had had in her entire life as a student, all the strict classes with strict classes were put in the morning so she had to wake up early to go school virtually every day.

Tessa put in the combination of her locker as she shoved her bag into the locker and pulled out the bag containing her P.E clothes darting straight to the locker room to change. Seeing that there was no one in the locker room, Tessa knew she was done for, she was quick to change her clothes and rushed into the hall where the students had formed a circle; muttering apologies to whoever it was she squeezed into the line.

"You are lucky" the person said and Tessa turned to see the person that had spoken. Her eyes widened as she soon as she recognized who she was standing beside. She had squeezed in between Lola Coker and...... Tessa didn't have to turn before she knowing who was on her left hand side.

"I'm sorry, I'll find somewhere else" Tessa muttered but before she could move, the other girl stopped here.

"Where are you going to go?" she asked.

"In between Stephie and Mara?" she asked again and Tessa slowly turned to the girl on her left side trying not to laugh.

Frieda Tyrell. Cheerleader captain. A physical explanation of beauty and brains.

Frieda Tyrell was that one girl who everyone wanted to be friends with. She wasn't a bully but she was so far on the social ladder that just being friends with her could carry you far above on the social ladder. But being friends with Frieda Tyrell was harder than making sure you didn't get into trouble with Gordon Miles.

She was a figure that demanded respect from everyone, even the jocks respected her because she was a tough nut to crack. Nobody could mess with her and go scot free, whatever gave you the courage to mess with her in the first place had already guaranteed you your doom.

She was good at cheerleading and in her books, she also had over four hundred thousand followers on the gram. Nah, if you asked anyone in Macpherson about Frieda Tyrell, they would tell you she was perfect.

Maybe God's most perfect creation.

That was why Tessa was flabbergasted by the fact that Frieda had taken the initiative to get closer to her. It was already a mistake that's he had squeezed in between Lola and Frieda who were best friends. Others would start thinking that's he had done it on purpose to get their attention, that was why she had wanted to leave immediately.

But was Frieda asking her to stay?