âLiaâ¦â
Cordera finished answering the question and turned to her friend with a puzzled look, âWhatâs up?
Merry, struck dumb, handed her phone over. The moment Cordelia caught sight of the poem the screen, her brow furrowed in concem.
It was only that Cordelia had ventured into the world of media, and she was quickly learning how easy it was for people to launch verbal attacks from behind their screens, without fear of legal repercussions,
âWatching the quiz whiz cool, but Warrenâs comment got me thinking. It does seem a bit like showboating. maybe even a bit attentionâseeking.â
âAs a parent, I really think kids should just focus on their studies. Trying to make money streaming is not really what a senior in high school should be doing.â
These people had no clue about Merryâs real situation, yet there they were, dishing out accusations and judgments under the guise of concern. How ridiculous!
A spark of anger lit within Cordelia, She quickly typed response on Merryâs phone, posted it, and the phone back.
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Merry still in a daze, watched as Cordelia stood up, packed her papers and pen into her backpack, and said, âGoodbye.â
Merry was confused.
She watched, rather cluelessly, as Cordeliaâs cool figure disappeared through the door. Coming back to her senses, Merry saw the live chat exploding with messages.
âQuiz Queen is so cool.â
âIâve always wanted to put Warren in his place, but Iâm not as eloquent.
you take him down was so satisfying.â
This girl is a jack of all trades. Iâm going to be her follower.â
Confused, Merry asked, âWhat just happened?â
The chat roared with laughter, urging her to check the tweet Cordelia had just posted.
As she had been live streaming the entire time, though the camera hadnât been pointed at Cordeliaâs face, their interaction was visible to all her viewers. So, when Cordelia took Merryâs phone to tweet, everyone was in on it.
Merry hastily exited the live stream and logged into her social media to see the tweet Cordelia had posted,
âWhiteLight @Warren.
Grand and upright stands the pine,
Swaying softly, such grace divine,
Without purpose, life can wither,
But with it, one surely thrives.
Verdant and lush, like summerâs glow,
Speaks of lifeâs purpose, of dreams to sow.
Some may blaze brief as kindling bright,
Others stand as beams, pillars of might.â
In just a few minutes, the post had gathered thousands of comments, all praising her cleverness, and the previously concerned citizen had come back to translate the poem into something more fitting for the
121
audience
âHere I am again, not involved in the quarrel, just translatingâ
âShe compared people to the variety of pine trees youâd find in the forests. Pines have sturdy trunks, representing the strength and resilience of a person. Those without such resolve will sooner wither and fail. The lushness of the forest alludes to the profusion of talents. Some trees are cut down and turned into firewood to warm houses, suggesting those who misuse their talents may be reduced to a basic . However, some become the beams that uphold buildings, signifying that people with talent virtue can become the pillars of society.â
âPersonally, I feel that this poem is better.â
The tweet quickly took off, and Warren, the target of the verse, fell silent, unable to retort. Cordelia had won the poetic duel.
Instead of bringing her down, Warrenâs interference had only boosted Merryâs fame, skyrocketing her follower count to a million.
Shocked, Merry couldnât help but let out an expletive to express her amazement, âHoly shit. What kind of
sorceress is Lia?.â
The liveâstream audience was in stitches.
Deciding to ride the wave, Merry continued streaming until ten at night. When she finally signed off and checked her earnings, she was astonished to find she had made twenty thousand dollars in one evening.
As she stared at the money, her recent despair seemed to vanish.
Hungry and without dinner, she found a loaf of bread and ate it with a glass of tap water. After eating, she sat still for a moment, thinking about the harsh words from the social trolls and the livestream.
Then she thought of Cordeliaâs response, always so confident.
Even against a learned man, Cordelia could hold her own. Her life was a testament to the saying âKnowledge is
power.â
Suddenly, Merryâs gaze shifted to the textbooks on her desk.
Though she wasnât a whiz like Leila, she had the basics down, and she wouldnât have been in the honors class otherwise. But her parents only saw Leilaâs success, always overlooking and scolding Merry, which only made studying harder and harder.
She had been ready to give up on her studies, but now she felt a sudden urge to hit the books.
Opening her workbook, she began to study.
Before she knew it, it was the wee hours of the morning.
As she bit on her pen, pondering over a tricky math problem, a knock at the door startled her.
âCould it be the girl next door, locked out again?â Merry mused, her hair a disheveled mess and makeup smeared after forgetting to remove it. Preoccupied with her studies, she opened the door without a second thought.
As the door swung open, an irate voice burst through, âMerry.â
Startled, Merry saw Paulina, , and Leila standing outside.
Her face fell instantly, âWhat are you doing here? Youâre not welcome
Before she could finish, Paulina lunged forward, seizing her arm, âWhat has gotten into you? Streaming, really? The whole neighborhoodâs been asking if that was you on the internet tonight. Youâve dragged the Jordan name through the mud. Youâre home with me, this instant.â
Merry couldnât match strength, and with Cain, her father, grabbing her other arm, she ,
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crying out, âLet me go. Help.â
The neighbors, hearing the commotion, opened their doors to investigate. Someone asked warily, âWhatâs going
on here?â
Lella quickly intervened, âSheâs my sister. Sheâs being rebellious. Come on, Merry, letâs go home. Youâre still a student. How can you just abandon your family for streaming?â
Merry mustered all her strength, trying to cling to the doorframe, but Cainâs male vigor was undeniable. He hoisted her up effortlessly as Merry cried out, âI donât have parents like you. Let me go.â
The neighbors attempted to intervene until Paulina, with the authority of a family registry, confirmed their relationship. Convinced they were witnessing a rebellious childâs tantrum, they stood by helplessly as Merry was dragged away.
With a thud, Merry landed in the backseat of the car. She tried to escape but was quickly restrained, her wrists bound as she was taken straight home.
The next day in class, Cordelia noticed Merryâs absence.
During the break, Paulina arrived at the school to process her transfer.
But Cordelia sensed something was amiss. She followed Paulina and asked, âMrs. Jordan, where is Merry transferring to?â