right there in people's faces. That's why I'm kind of happy I had the semester here."
"Why?" we asked in unison.
Alice smiled and looked over at me. "See, when I look at myself in the mirror, I always assume that someone like me could never reach a level of success that would have everyone in the school acknowledge me. However, this semester I got to watch Brianne do some amazing things. I know you guys haven't seen me around much since I was doing my own thing and investigating with my men, but with my investigation, I had to listen to the buzz happening around the school and everyone talked about Bri like she was a god."
"S-Seriously?" I asked in complete shock.
"Literally," Alice emphasized. "You're like the holy grail of the student body, particularly among the girls. It was always hushed talk that happened in the library, changing rooms, and halls when you weren’t around, you know?"
"It doesn't seem that way online," I muttered. I didn't want to be a Debbie Downer, but that was a legitimate fact with social media.
"I avoid the internet and stuff on purpose," Alice confessed. "You'd be surprised by the number of trolls and individuals who aren't even attending your school who will hop on a computer or their phone to bring you down. I get it, though. They're the same jealous individuals who hear all the good things being said about you and wish it was them."
She gave me a wide grin as she lifted her arms up to spread them out.
"Many people adore you, Brianne. The cheer team can't stop talking about how you're someone they really look up to. That with you, Mia, and Miya, they've worked overtime to get good grades and increase their endurance. A lot of them said they never really thought they would remain in the cheer squad with their previous coach a while back, but you changed all of that for them. Mind you, that's just from the cheer squad," she elaborated. "Then there's the student body that looks up to you. They said it's thanks to you that they believe they can participate in certain sports and activities. It's the first time they're seeing a woman in a high position on the council. You know it's always the guys that are on the council and if a girl is lucky to get on, it's always the secretary position since that's the common stereotype for us."
"That's true," Mia and Miya agreed, followed by Mia, "We've been talking to other schools because of the coming competitions and stuff, and they're always shocked speechless when we admit that our vice president is a woman and that there's three of us on the council. All of them are in secretary positions, with a few only being involved in the meetings to aid the guys because a council member is ill or busy."
"I never really thought of it in that way," I confessed. "I guess it is the first year and a half we've had three girls on the council."
"Most of the students mentioned that if it wasn't because Jax has been president for so long, they're pretty certain you would have taken his place," Alice revealed. "They told me this was the best council they've ever had at the school, and even teachers back that statement up. They all agreed that if anyone else was in the position with all the craziness that has happened in recent events, they would have never gotten the school up and running as smoothly as you guys did, let alone changed the whole curriculum for the students’ benefit."
We nodded in understanding as Alice lowered her hands and gave us a thumbs up.
"Regardless, I learned throughout this semester that I can achieve my goal. That I'll be able to be like Brianne and gain the respect of my own peers and the students of Blazing Academy. It may be a tad late seeing as I'm about to enter my last semester as well, but regardless, I'll end this school term being acknowledged for my gifts."
"Better late than never," Mia and Miya encouraged. "We support you!"
I gave Alice a proud smile before I got up and walked over to the massive tree we'd decorated last night. Finding her present, I picked up the box and walked back to present her with a massive gift.
"W-What's this?"
"Your gift, silly," I replied. "Well, I guess it's going to be sort of a birthday/Christmas gift since we never really got to