44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjgx6EhPkVF
It was the scent that gave her away.
Not guilt.
Not smoke.
Just scent—the bitter, unmistakable stench of Marlboro reds, clinging to the inside of her blazer like someone sprayed it on with rage.
“Villanueva.”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt9ccCYGint
A sharp voice snapped through the corridor.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXN99FvLkuD
It was the discipline officer. Arms crossed. Eyes already made up.
“Principal’s office. Now.”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaeIi4eprWB
“Why?”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnKH3qGSf77
“Don’t play innocent. Caught ka sa rooftop. Smoking. May picture pa.”
Ruthie laughed. A cold, mirthless chuckle.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNoACL8y9Z0
“Next time, Photoshop it better. I don’t even smoke.”
But the evidence was loud.
A crumpled cigarette pack conveniently found in her locker.
A photo—grainy, angled—but just clear enough to resemble her side profile. Standing alone on the rooftop, hand lifted like it held something.
The verdict was already decided.
“Suspension.”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡikgpB7RyCZ
“Second offense.”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6mCmNZJBH1
“No more ‘model student’ privilege.”
She stood silently in the office. No protest. No tears.
But inside her chest, something started cracking.
Not because of the punishment.
But because of how familiar this all felt.
That afternoon, she returned to her locker.
Her books were untouched.
But wedged between the pages of her planner was a note.
Thin, unassuming.
YOU DESERVE THIS.
Black ink. All caps. No signature.
Just five words that curled like acid in her gut.
Flashback – Freshman Year
“Bakit lagi na lang ikaw ang bida?” Marian had asked her then.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFseDroEdkZ
They were younger. Softer. But the venom was there already.
“Because I don’t beg for pity,” Ruthie answered.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUz576OpIqb
“Sabihin mo na lang na di ka marunong matalo.”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcOfx9gY0cb
“No. Marunong lang akong maghintay ng tamang oras.”
She meant it.
Even then, she already knew:44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtPU5rAD7FO
Winners play the long game.
But lately, it felt like someone else was playing her.
At the campus café, Jay appeared beside her table.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtFGbvp45x1
No words at first. Just his presence, calm and unreadable.
“You’re not even going to ask?” she said.
“About what?”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZKq2z6HuR0
“Everyone thinks I smoke now. You included?”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi8S0QGesOo
“I don’t think you’d waste your time with something that slow and temporary.”
Ruthie blinked.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVuYjgHsicF
“What’s that supposed to mean?”44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVvneS707Q
Jay took a sip of his coffee.44Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaSrhKpaM8m
“Just that… if you wanted to destroy something, you’d use fire. Not ashes.”
For the first time that day—she smiled.
Barely.
But it was real.
Later That Night
She sat on her bed, turning the note over and over.
YOU DESERVE THIS.
So neat. So perfect.
So obviously written by someone used to hiding behind a mask.
She flipped open her planner and wrote below the note:
“Then I’ll earn what I deserve.”
Then she taped it there—like a promise.
Like a warning.
Next Morning – School Assembly
She walked past Marian and Joy.
Both girls laughed just a little too loudly when she passed.
Joy even fake-coughed the word “nicotine” under her breath.
Ruthie didn’t look back.
Didn’t flinch.
She just walked forward, chin up, eyes sharp.
Because if they wanted war, she’d give it.
And if they wanted a villain—
She would show them what a real one looked like.
ns216.73.216.240da2
and then Add to home screen.