I Yearn for You, My Alexandria

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t night. An unsp

ic of Castle Rock, a silent, shifting current beneath the town's placid surface. It

igated gall of that prim little princess thinking she could touch what was his and get away with it. He saw her now, not as a nuisance, but as a target. He'd watch her from across the cafeteria, holding court at her table, and his knuck

s reputation. She became a ghost in his periphery, a source of silent, unnerving pressure. She didn't gloat or provoke him openly. Instead, she'd use her influence like a scalpel. A teacher would suddenly decide to patrol the parking lot during his free period

eyes and ears. They'd pass along whispers of Chris's whereabouts, his plans. Another faction, loyal to Chris's dang

t, would be found scattered across the gym floor. A rumor, dark and ugly, would slither throug

aintenance." The rock music he blared from his Camaro in the lot would be met with a s

and administrative red tape, with whispers and co

ng his steering wheel, would plot his next move, a feral grin twisting his lips. Alexandria, lying in be

and Harmon had begun. And Edis

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tal, daily grind of petty sabotage. It became the background radiation of E

azer neatly draped over the back of her chair. Chris, sauntering past with his tray, "stumbled." A carton of milk, well past its expiration

ice a mockery of apology, hi

aving her lunch untouched. The retaliation came an hour later. As Chris swaggered down the main hallway, his entourage in tow, Alexandria, emerging from the chemistry lab, "dropped" a thick textbook. It landed perfectly in his path. His foot caught

through, "brushed" against the cart she was using. A towering pile of hardcovers toppled, their weight landi

e," he muttered, n

socked foot slapping the polished court. The laces, he discovered, had been meticulously loosened and tied together in a complex, almost a

ter came out as a solid, inky rectangle. Alexandria spent the morning in the principal's office, explaining the "malfunction" and the cost of the repairs. She emerged pale but composed. Her counter-attack was swift and effective

ion proving the other's resilience. They were no longer just a jock and a politician; they were arch-nemeses, their every waking moment at school consu