Chapter 65 – Solidarity in Sorrow – Holly Hayfield

The death of Abigail Emily Logan changed everything for Meredith’s School for Troubled Girls. I’ve been managing the fallout of her passing like no one else has. After writing speeches for me and the vice principal, we held an assembly unlike anything I had ever attended before. The atmosphere of the school had changed. The student body was quiet, docile, grim, and perfectly willing to accept me as the person that would guide them in their hour of need.

My speech wasn’t anything special, but a simple request that everyone hold their heads up and look towards the future. Since my speech was on such short notice I rehashed part of my message from the student council victory speech. I urged everyone to reach out and talk to me should they need a shoulder to lean on. People took up my offer. They took up my offer in droves. With the permission of Ms. Sampson, Ms. Kinsley, and Valentina, I began a service of counseling people in the student council room.

Ms. Kinsley was happy to let me use study hall as a time for this. She was aware that I was counseling Ms. Logan, for a time, and wanted me to continue counseling others. Ms. Sampson wanted the additional guise she could present to the police to appear like she was indeed helping students return to the norm. If it looked like she was helping the students, then they’d be more reluctant to continue pestering her. As for Valentina, her reasons were more self-motivated.

Valentina had found a massive increase in popularity after the Fall Festival. She formed a public ChatCat group called ‘Meredith Solidarity’ to help the coping populace. The message she told people was that they would join together to express their sympathies for Ms. Logan. In reality, this new group would be the hilt of Valentina’s future plans. If she could retain these students in a single communication group then she’d have limitless reach over the student body.

As for me, well, I just wanted people to get better. I didn’t just want them to feel better. I wanted them to be better. The student council always spent so much time talking romantically about grandiose plans to change the school but none of them were willing to do it at the grassroots level, none of them except me. This was my battle. This was where I’d create my version of the future of the school. Counseling wasn’t as attractive, but it was honest work.

Between Monday and Thursday of that week since Ms. Logan’s death I had been counseling people every day after school. The other students were in desperate need for someone to express their grief to, and my reputation as a counselor was growing. Just like Val, my popularity was on the rise. However, people approached me on a more personal level. Just like with Amy and Charlotte, I was becoming keener to the nature of people within our school.

My newest client was a girl named Kendall. I already knew this girl because we shared the same homeroom. What I didn’t know was that she was part of Megan’s usual clique. Now that Megan was broken up with Black Brittney, her group returned to the status quo, or so Megan would have people believe. According to Kendall, Megan was having an internal power struggle in her clique against a girl named Rachel. Rachel and Megan were birds of a feather so it wasn’t too surprising that there would be dissent. What did surprise me though was the fact that her clique was beginning to split down this line.

“It sounds like you have a difficult choice to make.” I said to Kendall.

“I know! I know! That’s what I want your help with!” Kendall said.

She ran her hands through her long red hair and leaned forward. She was sitting on the student council room couch. I was sitting beside her in my usual chair, faced towards her. I was holding a notebook and taking notes of the important details she gave me. Val would need them if her conquest of the school’s social structure was going to continue.

“Which one has been your friend for the longest?” I asked.

Kendall scoffed.

“Neither of them are my friends.” She said with a sharp look up at me. “I just want to be on the right side when the dust is settled. If one group collapses then the others will have to come crawling back. I’d rather not be one of the people on my knees.”

I leaned back in my seat and smiled.

“Rachel has some grand ambitions, doesn’t she?”

“You’ve got that right. If Megan can’t keep things together…”

“But she will,” I said assuredly.

“What makes you so sure that she can?”

“Megan’s influence goes beyond the popularity that she and Rachel share. She’s got fame and fortune. It’s why she was popular in the first place. It’s why I know she’ll recover from this. Rachel, on the other hand, has nothing else in her corner except a dream of replacing the head honcho. It’s admirable, but probably not enough.”

“What if she can’t,” Kendall said, “What if Megan’s the one that loses their struggle?”

“She won’t. Megan is stupid, but she has the resources. If she uses them right she might just hold her group together. Tell her that she needs to come and talk to me, just like this. I’ll help her with her problems, but I can’t help her with the problems she was born with.” I said with a smirk.

“You want me to send a message from you to Megan…?” Kendall asked.

“As soon as you can,” I said.

The door to the student council room opened up as Val came in. Val smiled courteously at Kendall. She was still in character since we had a guest. Kendall smiled and stood up to greet her. I looked over at the student council’s new wall clock.

“I think my client had a few more minutes of counseling.” I said playfully.

Val smiled an irritated smile at me, one that would fly over Kendall’s head.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your session.” Val said to Kendall. “It’s been a long day and I have a few private matters I’d like to discuss with my vice president.”

“I understand. I’ll come back later. I know I didn’t vote for you, but I think you’re doing a great job as student council president.” Kendall said.

“Thank you very much. It was nice meeting you… Uhh…”

“Kendall Bridges,” Kendall said.

“Ah, I’ll try to remember that.” Val said.

“And remember, Kendall…” I said with a tap to my temple, “If Megan wants to keep her group together she’ll need someone with brains. Send my message.”

“I will! Thanks for your help!”

Kendall gathered her things and strode out of the room in a hurry. Once she was gone Val made sure the door was closed all the way. Then she stumbled over to the couch that Kendall was just on and collapsed tiredly. She closed her eyes and began breathing rhythmically. I was almost certain that she’d fall to sleep right then and there. Then she turned her head just enough to look me in the eyes.

“Ms. Ivanovich, it doesn’t look like you’ve been getting the sleep I suggested since our last session.” I said jokingly.

Val gave me a tired groan. She made herself more comfortable on the couch and kicked off her shoes.

“Maybe that’s what I should really prescribe for you.” I said. “Why don’t you take a nap?”

“There isn’t time for me to sleep right now. I’ve left a message in our ChatCat group. A student council meeting has been called once study hall is finished in a few minutes. It’ll be about how to proceed now that my Meredith Solidarity group is finally gaining momentum.”

“That again…?” I asked. “It almost sounds like you won’t stop until the entire student body is in it.”

“That was my original goal.” Val said seriously, “However I’ve come to accept that some people refuse to download ChatCat to begin with.”

I sat my notebook and pen down on the table and leaned back into my chair.

“Why are you pushing yourself so hard? I thought that once you won the student council presidency you would finally relax. If anything, you’ve only taken on more responsibilities.”

She shifted in place on the couch so that she was staring straight up at the ceiling.

“Time is of the essence. People are more vulnerable than ever now that Ms. Logan has passed away tragically. It might be a long time before an opportunity like this rises again. I’ve got to take every bit of advantage of it as I can.”

“Do you?” I asked provokingly. Val wasn’t in any shape to respond physically to my tone. “You’ve taken the entire school, the entire situation onto your shoulders. Do you want to be Valentina, the president that set the school on the right path? Or do you want to be Valentina, the president that solved all the school’s problems.”

Valentina turned back to me with a fiery look in her eyes.

“I want to be Valentina, the president that did everything she could to make this shithole a better place!”

She was so invested into this that she was willing to martyr herself by overworking. I could see bags beneath her eyes that revealed to me just how little sleep she was getting. I got up from where I was sitting and walked over to the couch. She made room for me on the couch as I slowly sat down. My concern for her health was genuine, although she probably thought I was just nagging her. I placed a hand on her arm.

“You’re not alone. You’re torturing yourself over all these student council plans. I’m beginning to wonder if the Fall Festival and everything that happened was even worth it.”

Val sat up closer to me upon hearing this.

“Of course it was!” She said with renewed vigor. “Without the Fall Festival… No… Without Ms. Logan’s murder there’d be no school-wide Solidarity group for people to join. Everyone would be as fragmented as ever. Everything had to happen exactly the way it did!”

I looked away from her and down to my hands in my lap. I felt uneasy after hearing her speak about Ms. Logan like that. She must’ve notice my change in behavior because she reached one arm around me and pulled me close to her.

“I know you felt sympathy for Ms. Logan. You have a good heart, a decent heart. You always knew that she had this coming.” Valentina said remorselessly. “If you asked me she got exactly what she deserved. From the way you say Erica described it then I’d say it was even better than she deserved. After how she turned on Malorie this was fate.”

“Fate…” I repeated in a whisper. “Are you sure it was fate? Was this really the right way for her to move on?”

Val pulled back from me and looked around the room in thought. Then she took my hand and grasped it firmly.

“Look at it this way. Ms. Logan has brought about changes in her death that she wouldn’t have been capable of while living. People are reaching beyond faction lines to find someone to talk to. Everyone is joining my group in the hopes of creating a better future. They listened to your message during the assembly and took it to heart because they believe in our dream.”

I looked up at Val. Her eyes were widened with fervor. She now held both my hands with both of hers.

“Holly, for the first time, things are finally changing. Since my very first day of school here this has been the sort of development that I wanted. Finally, people are looking beyond their borders! We have a chance, unlike any student council before us, to actually fix the school’s problems. We can’t just sit idly by and let this pass us up. We have to make our move!”

“And how will we do that…?” I asked.

The door opened and Lilith walked in. She looked curious to see us sitting on the couch so closely together. She probably heard Val from just outside the room and decided to come in.

“That’s something we’ll talk about together.” Val said.

Once the bell rang the others arrived shortly after. We sat in our respective seats around the student council table with all eyes on Val. She was reiterating her plans to gather the student body into a single group that she had sway over. It seemed this ultra-clique would smash all others, breaking all the dividing barriers between existing factions. Not everyone in our student council group agreed with Val’s plan, however.

“You can’t really be serious about getting rid of all groups at this school.” Sam said defensively. “Sure, some of them are more toxic than others, but not all of them are equally bad.”

Val let out a half-hearted laugh.

“Equally bad…?” Val asked. “Tell me, which group are you referring to? You certaintly can’t be referring to Naomi’s group of thieving hooligans, can you? I don’t think I need to tell you about all the crimes they commit off campus, never minding the ones they commit here.”

“Our group has a deep, interconnected culture.” Sam said assertively. “It’s about more than the masks we wear on our faces. We’re like a family.”

“I’m sure members of every clique would say the same thing in their own defense. You’ve been a part of that family for what, a few weeks?” Val asked.

Sam put both of her hands on the table and stood up slowly.

“Naomi helped you win. Remember…?” Sam said. “She sent me to be a bridge between you and her. I’m telling you to talk to her now. Don’t pull the rug out from under her after she helped you win. Talk to her, as a friend.”

“We were never friends.” Val reminded her.

“But you were allies.” Sam said. “And you’re talking about stabbing her in the back by undermining her own plans. At least have the decency to talk to her first.”

I got a text message in the middle of this conversation. Although it was from Erica’s number, the message itself said otherwise. The message was short and to the point.

“Come to my office right now. –Sampson” The message read.

Lilith was the first to notice me gathering my things. I got up as I prepared to leave.

“What is it, Holly?” Lilith asked.

“It seems I’m being called to the front office. Ms. Sampson wants to speak to me apparently.” I said.

The group didn’t oppose me walking out on our meeting like that. I didn’t have much input anyways, but I did understand where Sam was coming from. It’d be a betrayal to not consider Naomi’s support during the election. I thought about how we could handle that on the way over to the front office. Once I made it to Ms. Sampson’s office I found her already waiting for me at her desk. Erica led me in and closed the door once I was in Ms. Sampson’s office.

“Sit.” Ms. Sampson commanded me.

I did as she ordered. Erica locked the door behind me. Ms. Sampson slid something to me across her desk. I picked it up. It was one of the ‘Night of the Killing Cat’ pamphlets that Lilith and Val printed out.

“I know you were counseling Abby before she passed away.” Ms. Sampson said. “You’re going to answer all of my questions right now.”