Chapter 15
The Crowd's Reaction
The audience, witnessing April's cruelty and Summer's graceful, humorous defiance, erupts in applause for Summer, leaving April stunned and humiliated.
The roar hit Summer like a tidal wave, a joyous, unrestrained tsunami of sound that washed over the school courtyard. It wasn't just polite clapping; it was a full-blown, foot-stomping, whoop-cheering eruption. Summer, still clutching the slightly singed remnants of April's prized, glitter-bombed unicorn, blinked in disbelief. She’d expected awkward silence, maybe a few pitying titters, but this? This was a full-blown standing ovation from a student body that usually treated her with the same enthusiasm they reserved for pop quizzes on organic chemistry.
Her gaze flickered to April, who stood frozen mid-tirade, her perfectly coiffed blonde hair seemingly deflated, her mouth agape like a startled goldfish. The usual venom in her eyes had been replaced by a look of pure, unadulterated horror. The unicorn, a symbol of her carefully constructed reign of terror, lay in tatters at her feet, a fluffy, glitter-encrusted testament to her spectacular failure.
Beside Summer, Alex let out a whoop of his own, a sound that seemed to vibrate through the very concrete beneath their feet. He threw a massive arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a hug that threatened to dislocate her clavicle but felt like the safest place in the universe. "See? Told you they'd love it!" he boomed, his voice cutting through the din