After the afternoon math team practice wrapped up and the other members had filed out, only Cady and Mike were left in the classroom.
Cady looked at the handsome, gentle Mike beside her, looking like she wanted to say something but couldn't quite get the words out.
Ever since Regina caused that scene in the cafeteria at lunch, Cady had spent the entire afternoon debating whether or not to confess her past misdeeds to Mike.
The things Cady had done to Regina weren't exactly noble, and she was terrified that if Mike knew the truth, he would hate her.
Having just found happiness, the girl was now plagued by insecurity, terrified of losing it all.
"Let's get going, Cady. I'll drive you home," Mike said with a smile, wrapping his arm around her.
Cady's parents were away in Africa on a research trip for the week. Naturally, Mike wasn't going to let such a perfect opportunity for alone time slip by.
Besides, he had noticed her anxiety.
In situations like this, Mike believed actions spoke louder than words when it came to making her feel secure.
"Mike..." Cady grabbed his wandering hand and asked seriously, "If you found out I'm not as nice as I look... that I'm actually a mean girl, would you hate me?"
Seeing how nervous she was, Mike shook his head slightly and reassured her, "Cady, no matter what you're like, I'm gonna like you just the same."
Seeing the sincerity in Mike's eyes, Cady felt a wave of emotion. In that moment, she decided to come clean about everything regarding Regina.
"Mike, actually I..."
Just as Cady was about to confess, a boy appeared at the classroom door. "Hey Mike, Regina wants to see you on the roof alone. She says she has something to tell you."
Even though Regina had lost her dominance over the "Plastic" clique, she still had plenty of followers at school.
The messenger boy was clearly one of the Queen Bee's admirers.
"Got it," Mike said, waving the guy off, ignoring the look of envy and jealousy in his eyes.
"Can you not go?" After the guy left, Cady tugged on Mike's arm, a pleading look in her eyes.
She was terrified that Regina was going to expose everything she had done.
"It's fine, I might as well hear her out. I actually want to see what the Queen Bee is up to," Mike said, soothing her.
Given the look on Regina's face when she left at lunch, she was obviously planning to stir up more trouble for Cady.
Now that Cady was essentially "his," Mike was naturally going to step up and handle things for her.
"By the way, what were you about to say?" Mike asked before heading out.
"N-nothing..." interrupted, Cady lost most of her courage.
Right now, she just wanted to bury her head in the sand like an ostrich and hide.
"Alright then," Mike didn't push it. He kissed her on the cheek and said, "Wait here for me. After I see Regina, we'll go home together."
As he said it, Mike gave her a knowing smile that they both understood.
After reassuring her, Mike left the math room and headed up the stairs to the roof.
On the rooftop, Regina was looking out at the view. Judging by her expression, she seemed much more composed than she had been at lunch.
"You looking for me, Regina?" Mike called out.
"You came," Regina turned around. She flashed a practiced, polite smile, then spoke as if it were nothing. "Actually, it's nothing major. Just wanted to chat casually."
Seeing her playing games, Mike smiled and didn't say a word, giving her a look that said, Please, start your performance.
"Well, I actually wanted to warn you. Cady isn't a good girl..." Regina proceeded to spill the beans on how Cady had tricked her into eating those weight-gain bars disguised as diet food.
"And? What's your point?" Mike asked, his expression flat.
"Knowing Cady's true colors, don't you have any other thoughts?" Regina's smile started to crack when she saw her attempt to drive a wedge between them was failing.
"That's her business. Why would I care?" Mike said, then acted as if he just realized something. "If you want an apology, I can say sorry on her behalf."
Seeing Mike clearly defending Cady, the smile vanished from Regina's face.
She frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "You probably don't know this, but there's this type of Voodoo from Africa. As long as you have something belonging to a person, you can put a curse on them..."
Regina watched Mike's face closely and continued, "From what I know, Cady used to obsessively collect your posters. Think about it—maybe she used those posters to put a love spell on you."
To rational Americans, Voodoo or witchcraft was basically treated like a nasty virus.
Anything associated with it was seen as evil, and people involved with it were viewed as creepy freaks.
On the other hand, watching her clumsy performance, Mike actually wanted to laugh. He shook his head and said, "Is that all you wanted to say? If there's nothing else, I'm taking off."
Mike wanted to seize the opportunity to have some "deep communication" with Cady; he didn't have time to stand here wasting his breath with Regina.
Seeing that Mike was actually leaving, Regina got desperate.
"Wait!" Regina called out. She straightened her back and cat-walked toward Mike. "Maybe we can make a deal."
To be fair, even though Regina had gained ten or fifteen pounds, her figure could at most be called "curvy."
In fact, to Mike, that extra bit of thickness looked like it would be quite comfortable to handle.
"Oh? Let's hear it. what kind of deal?" Mike asked with a smile, appreciating her attempt at being seductive.
Seeing Mike checking her out, Regina cursed him internally. But since she needed something from him, she didn't let her annoyance show.
Leaning forward slightly to show off some cleavage, Regina said seductively, "As long as you help me take down Cady, you can do whatever you want to me..."
As she spoke, Regina stuck out her tongue and licked her lips teasingly.
The implication was obvious: the bargaining chip was her body.
"Sorry, not interested!" Mike rejected her instantly, making his stance clear. "And hey, put away your little schemes. Don't let me find out you're targeting Cady behind my back. Otherwise, you really won't like the consequences."
With that, Mike ignored Regina's ugly expression, turned around, and walked off the roof.
"Damn men..."
Long after Mike had left, Regina stood there looking insulted, her face growing darker by the second.
She looked down at her softer midsection and started doubting her own charm.
Then, remembering that all of this was thanks to Cady, she felt a rage she simply couldn't swallow.
While the "Queen Bee" was fuming impotently on the roof, Mike had briskly returned to the math room, where he found an anxious Cady.
"Cady, time to go," Mike called from the doorway.
"Mike!" Seeing him back so soon, Cady sprinted over and threw herself into his arms.
"Regina... she didn't say anything to you, did she?" Cady asked quietly, breathing in his familiar scent.
"She didn't say anything important," Mike shook his head, then added a reminder, "Just keep an eye on Regina for a while. If there's any trouble, make sure you tell me."
Seeing the concern on Mike's face, Cady's mood suddenly lifted. She decided that tonight, she was going to reward him properly.