However, Jada gently squeezed her sister's hand and calmly walked past, trying to ignore the mockery. They found an empty table in the far corner, away from the scrutinizing eyes of the crowd. Olivia didn't stop. She tilted her head and deliberately spoke louder. "I wonder if those chocolate dishes are sweet enough to suit everyone's taste." Ashley burst out laughing, and Madison discreetly covered her mouth, snickering.
Some other students stifled their laughter, curiously and warily eyeing the Carter twins. Janelle felt a surge of anger building within her, but she remembered her father's words. Marcus had once told them seriously, "There will be times when others will try to provoke you into reacting. Never give them that opportunity." She took a deep breath and gently placed her hand on Jayda's shoulder, a reminder for both of them to stay calm. However, Olivia wasn't done yet.
The next day, during gym class, when all the girls were changing in the locker room, Olivia deliberately spoke out to Madison in an innocent yet malicious tone. "Hey Madison, do you think someone with dark skin can even see the stains? Or maybe they don't need to shower because they won't notice the difference anyway." Giggles echoed immediately, and the air in the room grew tense. Jayda clenched her fists, trying to control her breathing, while Janelle could only lower her head, the mix of shame and anger making her heart race. "Don't pay attention to them." Jayda whispered softly, trying to keep her composure, though she was deeply angered.
"We can't let them get what they want." But Olivia, as if anticipating their thoughts, continued with even colder and more malicious words in the days that followed. She frequently pretended to be surprised and would whisper to her friends whenever the twins walked by. "I don't understand why Westbrook keeps letting in people who don't belong. Aren't they afraid of ruining the reputation of this place?" Those mocking words were always loud enough for Jayda and Janelle to hear, but not too loud for teachers to notice. This only made the two sisters feel more helpless and tormented than ever before.
Every evening when they returned home, Jada and Janelle would hide their sadness, trying to smile at their father, not wanting Marcus to know what they were enduring. But Marcus, with the sensitivity and understanding of an experienced father, easily recognized the tired, sad eyes of his daughters. He often reminded them, "I know you're trying to endure, but remember, silence and patience can sometimes be the most powerful weapons. People like that will quickly lose patience when they can't provoke you anymore." Jada and Janelle understood their father's words, but what they didn't expect was how persistent and determined Olivia Bennett was. Olivia wasn't merely teasing or provoking them.
She seemed to be deliberately pushing them to their breaking point, trying to force them to react. As the days passed, their patience wore thinner and thinner. The cold stares and biting words from Olivia gradually wore down their resolve. Each morning, as they stepped onto the school grounds, Jada and Janelle couldn't help but wonder what new insults or mockery would Olivia and her friends come up with today. But despite facing increasingly harsh comments, Jada and Janelle remained determined to hold on to their last ounce of patience.
They believed that as long as they didn't respond, Olivia would eventually grow bored and give up. However, what the twins didn't know was that Olivia Bennett had prepared for a much worse plan, and their silent patience was slowly driving her to escalate her racist actions to an unprecedented level of severity. But it was precisely Jada and Janelle's silence, and their attempts to endure that only made Olivia more uncomfortable. She was used to people submitting to her sharpness, and the fact that the Carter twins weren't reacting became something she could not tolerate. Olivia couldn't stand the thought that at Westbrook Academy, there were people who refused to obey her authority.