Bloom sighed just as the bell rang for lunch. She stood up and ignored the kids who tried once again to talk to her. She had no patience for the snot-nosed brats. She walked out of the classroom, and as usual, one of her father's men waited with a decorated pink lunchbox. Looking at the bright pink box made her cringe. She really was overdoing this whole pink and cute thing.
She looked up at the man. "Switch the lunchbox whenever you leave home."
The man nodded. His stony expression made the passing students shake in fear. Bloom dismissed him with a wave and walked back to class. She preferred eating alone rather than in the noisy cafeteria.
She got close to the class when she heard childish voices laughing. Entering, she saw two boys surrounding a small, thin boy. He was huddled up on the ground. His uniform had been roughed up, and clear footprints stained the white shirt. She ignored the trio and made her way to her seat.
The two bullies turned to her. Seeing that she paid them no heed, the bigger boy stomped over to her. His small, beady eyes shifted greedily to her decorated lunchbox.
"What you got there?"
She ignored him and popped open the lunchbox. A mouth-watering fragrance soon filled the air. The fat boy took a step closer, nearly shoving his frame over her food.
"Give me some," he ordered.
Bloom gagged at the smell of fish and garlic that wafted from his mouth. She looked down at her open lunch and basically lost her appetite. The second bully trudged over, attracted by the smell of the food. His wide eyes went even wider as he salivated.
Looking at their greedy faces, Bloom wondered how the hell her father found such an uncultured school to enroll her in.
She pushed away the box, and almost immediately, the boys snatched at the food. The chicken and rolled omelets were gobbled up, and the broccoli sat alone in the corner.
She sighed in disgust and reached into her bag for her snacks. She retrieved a few blueberry pockets and strawberry shortcakes. As their packaging crinkled, the boys raised their heads like hungry wolves. She glared at them. If they so much as came close to her, she'd make sure their parents wouldn't be able to afford to send them to this damn school anymore.
Her glare did not deter the boys; in fact, it seemed like a challenge to them. The bigger boy puffed his chest and glared back at her. "Give us some of that."
"No," Bloom answered plainly. She didn't want a fight, and an argument with the likes of them would dumb her down.
She tore open a shortbread and took a bite. It was sweet. A little too sweet. Her eyes narrowed as she chewed.
Meanwhile, the two boys watched her. Despite the fact that their lips were currently stained with sauce, the bigger boy jabbed the slimmer one in the ribs and jerked his head towards her, specifically the shortbread in her hands. The slim boy winced but stepped forward.
"G-give us some," he stuttered. He shuffled from one foot to the other. It seemed that, unlike the other kid, he had a modicum of shame.
Bloom threw the last bit of shortbread into her mouth and chewed loudly. She might be mature, but that didn't put her above petty actions. The slim kid turned red and ran back to his friend. However, before his friend could do anything, the homeroom teacher returned. The petite but strict woman glanced at them from behind her round glasses. Her eyes took in the roughed-up boy, the messy lunchbox, and the two bullies standing before Bloom.
"You two, to the principal's office."
The boys were startled. "But Miss..."
"I am not fond of repeating myself." She narrowed them with such a mean look that even Bloom felt a twinge of pity. They both scrambled out, bumping noisily into the desks as they did so. Before the door closed, she heard the slimmer kid burst into tears.
Lowering her head, she sighed and opened a blueberry pocket. This was her favorite snack, so she always saved it for last. As she ate, a shadow fell over her. She looked up to see the boy who had been beaten earlier. His lip was cut, and one eye was a bit swollen. They must have been really light-handed. Had she been the aggressor, he would have suffered way more damage, perhaps a broken rib, a busted nose, a bleeding...
"Thank you."
Bloom blinked, pulling herself out of her morbid imaginings. She shook her head. "What?"
He stared at her for a few seconds, and his face started turning a bright shade of pink. He raised a clenched fist and dropped a paper box on the table. It was squished from how hard he had been gripping it, almost outlining the content of the box. After dropping the box, he turned around and scurried out of the classroom.
At the end of the day, Bloom returned home just in time to meet Esther having a late lunch. It was more of a snack consisting of cut-up fruits and a big packet of potato chips.
"Darling," Esther cooed as Bloom walked in. Bloom tossed aside her bag with a grin and rushed into Esther's embrace. The warmth surrounding her made her sigh. This was nice; she could actually feel her headache lessen a bit. Esther held Bloom away with a small frown. She raised her hand and felt Bloom's head for a second.
"Oh dear, are you sick?"
Bloom shrugged. She was just probably a little warm; Esther was overreacting. It did feel nice to have someone worry about her like this. Unlike her stinky dad, who'd just tell her to shake it off. Bloom didn't bother to protest when Esther made her eat an early dinner and go to bed early with a warm glass of milk.
Who knew that by the next day she would come down with a fever so bad that she could barely register anything happening around her.