keep an eye on the quiet ones [cathy le roux]

It is not the same here and everyone keeps reminding Cathy of that.

It is the usual serving in the career academy’s changing room this morning. More eyes on Cathy than she can handle and whispers with words that can be blatantly heard. Secret conversations that are recklessly spoken so loudly. She ties the laces on her yellow sneakers with the most unconventional method but it leaves a perfect bow. There is a group of girls in her year gossiping and so obviously talking about her on the bench opposite. It takes the lead bitch of the pack, Gabrielle, to pluck up the courage to say something to her directly. ”I know why the little Le Roux wants to go back to District Two.”

Cathy does not look up, instead concentrating on the looping of the laces on her second shoe. ”It is because runts like her belong in the garbage.” She can give Gabrielle points for creativity on that one, only because Cathy wrote that insult herself so deductions on originality. There is laughter followed by a quick change in the conversation as their poking of the stick does not work with Cathy. She just absorbs the wicked words and jabs like they are some kind of fuel. It is not like she has not heard it all before, she can’t even escape it when she returns home. Some of it she accepts to be true, others she knows to be false. It is why she wants to return to Two, it was never like that there. She was someone else.

Little Le Roux does not tear herself from the conversation that continues in front of her as she pretends to rummage through empty backpack in her lap. There are many faults with Cathy Le Roux and one of them is eavesdropping. ”You are going to get your ass handed to you by Rico.” The curly blonde one says to the lead bitch Gabrielle. The statement triggers a defensive spark in the girl, a weakness Cathy has noted in that bully before. ”Rico The Dumbo, they know how to work on their biceps but not their brain muscles but anyway, I will be packing a hard punch today.” Gabrielle pats the suspiciously larger than normal boxing gloves with her foot that are sat on the floor beneath the bench. Cathy’s eyes meet with one of the girls in the pack as she follows the conversation to the gloves.

”You should be quiet about that, someone is listening.” All the girls turn their attention back to Cathy, her eyes drop back to the zipper of the bag that she secures and Gabrielle makes a mistake. ”That girl never says anything, she is too much of a pussy to dare cross me.”

That is where Gabrielle is wrong. It is the quiet ones that the world needs to keep an eye on, they pay attention to all.

When Gabrielle mistakenly leaves the tampered boxing gloves (with stones hidden in the knuckle) in the changing room before her match later in the day, Rico The Dumbo gains a new pair.

Cathy made sure to watch the match before leaving the academy for dinner at home. Gabrielle’s friends were picking up her teeth ten minutes after the first round. It is just a little satisfaction for Cathy to end the day on, even if she has to face the consequences tomorrow when they piece the puzzle together. That is after they piece Gabrielle’s teeth into her gums though.