After practice, she got to the girl's locker room and pulled out fresh clothes from her locker. All the cheerleaders either left or were showering. Ella also went to take a shower.

The door to the girl's locker room creaked open and with silent steps, he approached Ella's locker. He knew the code. He pulled out her belongings and found her cellphone. He put in the security code and it unlocked. He smiled her passcode was still his birth date.

He hurriedly did what he came here for. He heard the showers turning off and quickly put her cellphone and other belongings back. He ran out of there before anyone could see him.

Drying her hair Ella came back and wore her clothes. She pulled out her cellphone and put it in her backpack.

She had to walk to the house as her father was busy. Reaching home, she slumped down on her bed. Her cellphone vibrated a couple of times within a minute. She didn't feel like talking to anyone, so, she turned off her cellphone. She laid there... Thinking... Her heart felt heavy as tears shined in her eyes.

Ace kissing her...
Ace showing her off...
Ace telling the whole school how much he loves her...

Ace... Ace... Ace... That's all she could think about.

She turned the side of her pillow as it was drenched in her tears and laid back down.

Didn't he care? Didn't he miss her? Didn't he feel empty without her? In her seventeen-year-old lifetime, this was the most painful experience for her, wasn't it the same with him?

She placed a hand on her heart. "Please, stop hurting... I can't take it..." She cried lowly and nuzzled her face into her soft sheets. "Please... Stop" She sobbed talking to her aching heart.

"Don't you miss me, Ace? Didn't you love me as much as I loved you?" She cried clutching her chest. Her body trembled. Her breaths came out short and weak. "Why did you do it? Why wasn't I enough for you, Ace?"

"Ella, baby?" Her mother entered her room.

Ella hurriedly wiped her tears. "Why didn't you knock?" She snapped, hiding her puffy eyes from her mother.

Caroline stopped in her tracks and frowned. "I brought you food, baby. You didn't eat anything"

"Put it on the nightstand. I'll eat it later!" She said sternly. She wanted her mother to leave.

"Are you crying?" Caroline asked

"No! Mom please, just leave me alone right now!"

"Honey, if there's something. You know you can talk to me." Caroline sat beside her and Ella covered her face with the duvet.

"Mom, not right now! Please!"

"Ella, you can't talk to me like that. Why are you pushing me away?" Caroline couldn't understand her behavior.

"Mom! Just get out of my room" Ella mumbled under the covers trying to keep her tears in.

"Ella..." Caroline mumbled astonished. Ella never talked back to her parents. They had a wonderful relationship with their daughter. "What is wrong with you, tell me? This isn't my daughter. Your behavior is getting weirder day by day, I need to know what is going on in my daughter's life. I'm not gonna stand and watch you turn into someone you are not because some stupid teenage boy broke your heart!" Caroline snapped. She was worried for her. It felt like she didn't even know who Ella was anymore.

Ella shot up from her bed and glared at her mother. She saw the tray full of food on the nightstand and threw it on the ground. Caroline gasped and stood up. "Get the fuck out, mom!" Ella yelled.

"Language, Ella!" Caroline shouted

"You know what... Stay here. I'll leave!" Ella said and threw the duvet aside before stomping out of her room, leaving her mother astounded and hurt.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

The next morning Ella couldn't meet her mother's eyes. She looked anywhere but at her. It was the most awkward breakfast they had as a family. Caroline eyed Ella suspiciously and Ella gave all her attention to her food. Matthew would look between the two waiting for them to talk, to say anything.

"Dad can you drop me off at school today. I don't feel like walking" Ella mumbled tiredly.

Caroline frowned. "Where is Ace?"

Ella looked down at her lap to hide the disappointment on her face. "Mom, he has a girlfriend now."

Caroline raised an eyebrow. "It's weird that your mysterious boyfriend broke your heart the same day Ace got into a relationship"

Ella's heartbeat quickened. "I didn't have a boyfriend, mom"

"So what was the other day all about? When you came home looking like you escaped from a grave?" Caroline snapped

She wanted to tell her mother. They had a friendly relationship. It was hard for her to ignore her mother's questions. She saw Matthew listening in on their conversation with furrowed eyebrows. Her father loved her if they found about Ace and her, he could lose his job. Mr. Harding would always take his son's side. She was afraid Matthew might create a scene. "I'm getting late for school, dad" she mumbled looking down.

"You didn't answer my question," Caroline said

"I don't want to!" She snapped and Matthew cleared his throat, eyeing his wife not to push her.

He caressed his daughter's blond hair adoringly. "Come on, kiddo. I'll drop you off"

Matthew dropped her at school and left. She strode toward the building and heard whispers. She looked around and noticed that people were staring at her weirdly. She shook her head and walked to her locker. She took out her books and was walking towards the class when a fuming Axel approached her.

"How could you?!" He shouted right at her face.

She got startled. "What?"

"How could you do that?! I told you those things in confidence!" He yelled

"Axel, what are you talking about?" She asked trying to calm him down.

He balled his fingers into a fist and drove them through her locker. A surprised scream left her. She covered her mouth with both of her hands as tears built up in her eyes. He pulled out his bloodied hand from her locker and faced her like a raging bull. She tried to hold his bloodied hand but he gripped her by her arm and shoved her into a locker. 

"Do you have any idea what you have done?! You have ruined me, you have ruined us..." he brokenly whispered the last part.

Hunter yanked Axel away from Ella. "Let go off her, man?" He shouted

Ella sobbed miserably. "Stay out of this, Hunter, please..." She said and turned towards Axel. "What did I do, Axel? Tell me, please"

"Fuck you, Ella Carter," Axel said and walked away.

"AXEL, STOP!" Ella shouted behind him but Hunter stopped her.

"I didn't do anything, I swear" she cried to no one in particular.

"So, you didn't send this to the whole school?" Hunter showed her his phone. She took it from his hand.

⊱⋅ ⋅⊰
Ella Bella:

Axel King has hots for the guttersnipe Chloe Jones. I wonder what Dominic King has to say about it.
⊱⋅ ⋅⊰

Under the text message was a video of Axel and Chloe making out.

She gasped. "I didn't send it, I swear. I never wrote this. Axel and Chloe both are my friends. I would never do this to them." She mindlessly defended herself. "I have never seen this video before in my life..."

"And this?" Hunter showed her another text. It was a picture.

⊱⋅ ⋅⊰
Ella Bella:

With those fat thighs and flabby bellies, they're never going to find dates.
⊱⋅ ⋅⊰

Under it was a half-naked picture of Veronica and Zoe in the girl's locker room. Her mouth opened in panic but no words came out of her. Shock washed over her entire body.

"I... I didn't send it" She sobbed even more. "I h-have never s-seen this picture before." she hiccuped. "I would never body shame anyone!"

Her mind stopped working. She fell on her knees in the middle of the hallway. 'I didn't do it' she kept repeating herself.

"I believe you" Hunter whispered.

She turned to see Hunter sitting beside her. Tears fell freely from her eyes.

"Ella Carter, report to the principal's office. Ella Carter, please, report to the principal's office"

She stood up with trembling legs and made her way to the principal's office. Hunter held her hand and walked with her. She was numb and scared. Chris, Axel, Chloe, and Ace stood outside of the office. They all glared at her. A few seconds later, Veronica and Zoe came out of the office crying their eyes out along with their parents. Chris ran to Zoe and Ace was beside Veronica in a second.

"Miss Carter, the principal will see you now"

Looking down on the ground she walked in. "Take a seat, Ms. Carter"

"I didn't do it," she said the first chance she got.

"Take a seat, Ms. Carter" The principal repeated.

She meekly took a seat. "I didn't do it" she whispered

"We do not tolerate bullying in this school, Ms. Carter," The principal said in a calm manner.

"But I didn't send those pictures. Zoe is my friend, I would never do that to her" She cried

"What about Ms. Yates? She told me that you have had some problems with her from the first day of school. All your friends confirmed that you indeed bullied her" he sighed and took off his glasses. "It has also come to my knowledge that you did not let Ms. Chloe Jones join the cheerleading squad because you thought she was too poor to even sit anywhere near the rich kids"

"No! It was Kimberly. She said that!" Ella shouted at the absurd claim.

"Watch your tone, Ms. Carter" The principal stood up and Ella squirmed in her seat. "Last week, you started a food fight with Mr. Grey"

"He started it," she said

"Your friend Ace Harding and a few other kids saw you smoking at the school property"

"It was Hunter Grey, he was smoking and I happened to be near him" She tried to clear up.

"You have also been cutting school" he declared

"Ace made me" she cried out

"Not only you body-shamed your classmates in these obscene texts, but you also body-shamed them during cheerleading tryouts"

"It was Kimberly..." she cried in a tiny voice.

"It's always the other person's fault with you, Ms. Carter. You just happened to be everywhere" He said and sighed deeply to calm himself. "Ella, you circulated indecent pictures and videos of your classmates, that were taken on school property. Do you have any idea how damaging it can be for you and your future?"

"I didn't do it" she whimpered.

"Then who did, Ella?"

A knock on the door caught their attention. "Mr. Felton, Mr. and Mrs. Carter is here. Should I send them in?"

"Yes, please"

Matthew and Caroline entered and saw Ella sitting before the principal. Her tear-stricken face made Matthew's heart hurt.

Ella stood up. "Dad, I didn't do it. Please, you have to believe me"

Caroline faced the principal and they both took a seat. Mr. Felton calmly explained the whole situation to them both. Matthew couldn't believe that Ella was capable of such things but Caroline did. Ella has been acting so strange lately. She rarely shared what was happening in her life with her parents. Every time they would ask she would lash out and lock herself in her room.

"Those poor girls are devastated by your daughter's actions. Ms. Chloe Jones is an excellent student and she shouldn't be treated differently based on how much money her parents have" Mr. Felton said

"Hypocrite" Ella mumbled to herself.

"What did you say?" Caroline asked

"Nothing..."

"Repeat it, so, we can all hear it" Caroline ordered sternly

"I said Mr. Felton is a hypocrite" Everyone present in that room was taken aback by her words.

"Ella!" Matthew said in a scolding manner.

"He treats Ace differently because he has powerful parents. How is that any different? He lets him get away with almost everything" She snapped

"Ella, That's enough!" Matthew stood up. "I have always supported you no matter what but you are turning into a brat. This ends today!" He said authoritatively.

Caroline exhaled tiredly, she pinched the bridge of her nose "What do you suggest we do, Mr. Felton. Whatever you think is right for her, we have no problem with it"

Ella cried. "Mom!"

"Not another word!" Caroline said sternly. "I am tired of your behavior. You spent a whole night out doing God knows what while your parents were worried sick. Then you came back in the morning looking like some wild animal without any clear explanation. And the next day, you pretended that nothing happened"

Mr. Felton sighed. He could see that her parents were distressed by her problematic behaviors. "I don't want this going on her record. Mr. Carter, you know how it will be for her in the future. This could mean no college or no future for her at all"

Matthew nodded. "I get it, Mr. Felton. I'm familiar with the law"

Mr. Felton continued. "She will be seated in the farthest corner of the classroom away from all the students. She will not be allowed to talk to anyone unless it's about school work. So, she will realize that she lost all her friends due to her actions."

Matthew and Caroline nodded and tears rained down Ella's face.

"She will not participate in extracurricular activities. So, that means no more cheerleading for you, young lady" Mr. Felton said to her.

"No, please!" Ella whimpered. Matthew squeezed his eyes shut disappointedly. He knew how much she loved cheerleading.

"Lastly, she will apologize to her victims in front of their parents. I have tried really hard to convince them to not press the charges"

"I won't apologize for something I didn't do" she snapped

"Yes, you will! You should be thankful to your principal for what he did for you! And don't think it's the end of your detention. You are grounded till the end of the school term" Caroline has had enough of her defiance. It was for her own good, she thought.

AND

A/N
I don't feel like writing an author's note today.
Just feeling down...
But I hope you guys enjoy today's chapter.
I'll see you all on Wednesday.
XOXO, Jane Doe.