Meribel Lost Among the Worlds

''The Smartworld''1

" I wish the world were different... Everyone talks about the development of technology and medicine, shouts about democracy and equality... Where do they find it all? Where are the robots replacing people in factories, where is the cure for cancer, where the fuck is equality!!!? Alcoholic daddy raped mom and forced her to give birth. And then mom was eaten by cancer. Now this asshole goes out on weekends to whores as drunk as himself, and on weekdays poisons me... At least he stopped hitting me. He's probably afraid I'll complain to social workers and they'll take away that meager money. And he won't die, the bastard. Although... Nothing takes them! I wonder if I'll die of cancer like my mom. Or I'll have to suffer until I'm granny ? "
The girl sighed heavily, looked at her watch and sighed heavily : " Shit, the class will be over soon.... I don't want to.... Those bitches will be bothering me again. And I can't answer of that shit to them! The ancestors have money! Not like my father..... Sigh, if only the world were different... Perhaps not as deceitful and cruel, I suppose..."
"The bell signaling the end of the lesson interrupted the girl's heavy thoughts. The red-haired wildcat with emerald eyes cast a resigned glance at the departing teacher. The moment the teacher left the room, a loud, squeaky cry rang near her ear:
- Meribel!
The girl reflexively covered her face with her hands. "Damn! Again?!!? When will they ever get tired of it!"
- Look at that great reaction! You've trained her well! - brushing Meribel's textbooks off, another classmate sat on the desk right in front of the girl, casually draping her legs over her shoulders - Hey, Belly-ly, what's for lunch today? Nothing, as usual? Well, that won't do! How can we be friends with such a pushover, girls?
The classroom filled with loud laughter, the devilish camaraderie. Meribel clenched her teeth and whispered uncertainly:
- Yeah, you're right.
- What? I can't hear anything. Say that again. So everyone can hear. Just like we taught you! - Shouted the gangster sitting on the desk.
- Yes, you're right, ma'am! I apologize for my disrespectful behavior!
- Pardon me? That's it?!?!? - Meribel shuddered. She had completely forgotten about the classmate behind her, as all her attention was on the laughing individuals surrounding her desk.
- Debbie, I'm sorry. - but the girl didn't have time to finish. Her classmate grabbed her by her red curls and pulled her head back, growling:
- "I'm sorry..." You're not gonna get away with this. - and threw her into the wall with all her might. Deborah's friends immediately surrounded their victim. The girl who was sitting on the desk, jumped to the floor and stood up to her full height (quite impressive for a girl), slowly picked up the chair that had slipped away, put it in front of Meribel and sat down, throwing one unforgivably long leg over the other:
- "Debory, my dear, don't boil over. You've had it up problems last time. Remember our cardinal rule?
- Yes. No footprints.
- Here we go. What did you just do?
- I'm so sorry, Carol, I overreacted.
- It's no big deal, right, Belly-ly? - The girl turned her head sharply and directed gaze at Meribel, who was huddled against the wall and sobbing silently. The girl nodded assiduously, affirmatively, without raising her head.
- Belly-ly, my dear, why are you hiding your beautiful face from me?
In the next second Carol's friends grabbed their victim and lifted her from the floor and began to remove the unruly curls from her face. Carol, for her part, looked at the class with disdain and said loudly:
Give me a rubber band! One, two, three.... - one of her classmates ripped the band off her neighbor's fancy ponytail, bringing her to tears, and handed it to Carol:
- Here you go...
- Why are you rubbing it in my face?
- But...- The girl mumbled confusedly. One of the henchwomen, unhappily clucking, took the band away from the girl and went to the victim.
- Well, why are you standing there, get out of here!
The henchwoman carelessly tied up the sloppy ponytail and revealed Meribel's crying and frightened face. Carole looked at her favorite victim contentedly. She was amused by the way that shuddered in horror Meribel at every word or gesture.
- Darling, are you crying? You shouldn't be. Well, stop it. Nothing happened. Oh, I know! - The bandit stood up abruptly, slapping her hands on her legs. Meribel shuddered with horror. Carole grinned contentedly and walked to her desk, pulling a bun out of her bag. When she returned, sat down on a chair and slowly placed the bun on the floor a couple of centimeters from her feet:
- I get it. You're just tired. I have an older sister in college. She cries a lot from exhaustion, too. You just need to eat. What are you waiting for? Hey, let her go. She won't go anywhere. She's an obedient girl. Right, Belly-ly?
Meribel looked at the bun and started to get up off the floor.
- Hey, where are you going? I didn't say you could get up. Crawl.
Meribel crawled obediently toward the bandit. She reached for the bun with a trembling hand, but Carole stood up sharply and stepped on her outstretched hand. The walls of the classroom shuddered with a loud scream. Carol slowly removed her foot and said:
- "I didn't allow you to use hands either. You're such an unobedient toy.... - bent over and whispered: - Eat like you're supposed to, dog.
The teacher entered the classroom, and Carol turned to her victim, exchanging unhappy glances with her friends:
- Okay, that's it...-but she didn't finish. Meribel shoved her with her shoulder, clutching her injured arm to her chest, and rushed out of the classroom, nearly knocking down the teacher at the door.
- Hey, where are you going? Lesson will start at the moment... - but he was interrupted by the girls who ran out after Meribel.
- What's wrong with that class?!?!? - The teacher was indignant, and went to the table to prepare materials for the lesson.

Maribel flew into the bathroom and, gasping from tears and throbbing pain, stuck her hand under the icy water:
- How annoying they are...
- Oh, what's I hear! The puppy decided to grow teeth?
Meribel froze. She knew exactly what awaited her:
- Not the face.
- Whatever you say, dearie. - Carol answered coldly, and turned to her friend with a smirk and said: - You heard her, Debi, not the face.
The company laughed in unison. Deborah grabbed the girl by the tail and pulled her to the toilet bowl, and after a long time of not dwelling on the victim's face, she pressed the flush. Meanwhile, Carol's friends, having made a stopper out of toilet paper plugged the basins and drew water. Deborah dragged the girl to the washbasin and continued the educational "procedures." After a couple of dips Meribel ceased to offer any resistance. The breaks were getting shorter and the panic attack was getting stronger. Behind her heartbeat pressing on her ears, she could no longer hear the laughter of her classmates. Everything went black in front of her eyes. The pain squeezed her chest without letting her take a breath..." That's it..." The girl thought and hung flat on the unfortunate ponytail in Deborah's hands.....