[4.1] Astrid is 'kinda' Psycho: Her Standard

In elementary school,

Astrid was just a typical kid. She got eyes from the guys and the girls, but overall, not much. She was average at best; most of her elementary school scores were about seventy to eighty out of a hundred. Her parents love her, though that sounded like a stretch.

You see, throughout her elementary school, Astrid's parents cared for her only because she was theirs. They often neglected her and did not truly care for her.

"Mom, can I get an ice cream?" She got it.

"Dad! I want to learn to play piano", she got it.

"Mom, Dad. I want to go to the same school as Mei", she got that also.

Astrid was a spoiled child. No restriction, no rules. She could do a lot of things and get away with it.

*SLAP*

"Astrid! What did you slap Joseph?" asked Astrid's second-grade teacher.
"He was being mean."
"I was just making us play fair! You're the worst, Astrid!" Joseph stated.

As spoiled as she was, even a slight mistake she made had her parents coming to protect her.

"What do you mean by she was just a child? She fully understood what she was doing!" Joseph's mom said.
"I'm sorry, Joseph's mom, but they are kids. We couldn't do anything to prevent what they did in school."
"But you can discipline her at home! Use your brain, lady."

That's how Astrid was. She got away with everything...

"What did you do, Astrid?" her mom asked when they were home.
"I was just trying to make friends, Mom", Astrid lied as easily as she breathed.
"Oh, honey. Was Joseph being mean to you?"
"Not really, but I did slap him", Astrid was telling the truth.
"Astrid!"
"You did that to big brother, too."

She would always be the good little girl.

"Astrid, I did that because he didn't listen to me and..."
"Joseph didn't listen to me either."
"I... He is a family member."
"Joseph is my classmate. Isn't that the same?"
"No, that's..."
"Yes, it is. Doesn't family mean a group of people who know each other? You said that to me once."

Astrid was Astrid. She had never changed.

In middle school,

Astrid was in her prime; her following on InterVID blew up. People looked at her as cute; others as sexy. She was the talk of the town. Many people at her middle school knew her.

"ASTRID! Could I be in your group?"
"Astrid, could it be your boyfriend?"
"How did you look like that girl? Tell me your secret."

She was highly praised, and the worst part was that her parents didn't know.

"Astrid, what's up with guys coming up to our front door?"
"Oh... That's my friends, Mom", she lied again as easily as she breathed.
"Friends? Sounds like strangers to me."
"You know what, Mom? Let me take care of this. You don't need to get out of the house."

Astrid loved the sensation. She didn't care for the money, but she kept it in her bank account anyway.

Wait, a twelve-year-old had a bank account?

"Hey, sis. Where is my debit card?"
"Don't know. Why did you ask me?" She lied again.
"Dude, you were at my room a moment ago."
"I didn't take anything! If you care so much about your belongings, then you should... oh, I don't know, like LOOK FOR THEM. Your room is always a mess anyway. Why do you blame me straight away?"

Ah, she got it from him, huh?

"Astro! Why did you spend a lot of your allowance?!"
"But mom, I didn't even buy anything! Look at my room, I have plenty of things for myself."
"Then how did three million rupiah vanish from your account?"

He looked at his sister, "It... it was her! I knew you were up to no good!"
"Mom. What is he talking about?" she lied yet again.
"WHAT?! Astrid, why you...!"

*WHIP* (A sound of buckle whipped)

"Dad! Dad, please listen to me!"
"Why are you blaming your own sister?"
"Dad, wait. Listen! Please!"

Astrid was there smiling, seeing her brother get whipped. She enjoyed it. She enjoyed that she could basically do anything she wanted, at the cost of... nothing.

"Wait, the three million got back?" he asked himself.
"What? You don't want that three million back?"
"How... do you?"
"I have my way, and you don't need to know."

In high school,

She got "friends". She got fans. But most importantly, she had Mei. She used her as a stepping stone.

"Astrid, we're friends... right?"
Yes? Not really. She never considered Mei her friend. It was more like a friend for a benefit. I mean, Mei did save Astrid, right?

"Mei... I join in for the fun?" Kate joined the group.

"Hah! Nice one, Katrine!" Nanda appreciated Kate's jokes.

"Thanks, Nanda. Did you like that, Mei?"
"Yeah, that's pretty funny and clever."

Kate was already so close to Mei? That was surprising.

"You guys close", Astrid stated.
Kate answered, "I mean, we're all close. Of course! We're in the same class after all!"

Right! Kate, Nanda, Astrid, and Mei have been classmates multiple times. It was not uncommon for people to become friends when they were in the same class multiple times.

"You... Are you okay, Astrid?"
"Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine. Go on. I'm not in the mood to talk. Just don't be bothered when I was daydreaming", Astrid said. After that, she went back to looking at the window.
"...Sure."

Mei responded, "She has always been shy towards new people."
That was what Mei said, but deep down, Astrid had never felt that way toward a new person...
"I hope she wasn't that bad for the group. If anything happens to me, I'll kick Katherine out."

Yup, that's what it was all about. She has a standard, and she won't let it fall.

"Hey, Katherine..." Astrid struck up a conversation with Kate over lunch one day.
"Just call me Kate, Astrid", Kate replied.
"Right... How is your score in classes?"
"You... never seen the board?"
"Well, I only seen mine and my friends. Why would I care about people outside of that?"

That sentence only sparked goosebumps on Kate's body.

"I thought you liked being on top?"

Astrid's eyes widen.

"Huh?"
"I saw your post on InterVID, Astrid. You said you'll do better next time, right? And that photo you took with the board. I was in there. LITERALLY, below you."

She opened her phone and saw it, "Kathrine Potters?"
"Yes?"

She smiled, said, "Alright! You're in the group", and reached out her hand for a handshake.
"Suuuureeee."

Every moment that she spent with Mei,

"Mei! Look at this!" She has always been very open about her popularity.
"That was great, Astrid", it made Mei uncomfortable.
"How are yours?" But was she empathetic toward Mei?
"I haven't been posting anything, so you know what it is."
"OOOoooh boy! You'll never catch up with me if you don't do anything. Come on, girl. Don't fall behind!" nope. She didn't even see how uncomfortable Mei was.

Every time they went to a shop, "Guys! Guys! You have to see this!" she ruled the tour.
"Does everything we do need to be things that you like, Astrid? I swear, I haven't even checked out my favorite retail store", Kate was brave enough to ask. She was the only one.

"After this!" Kate was disappointed with Astrid's answer.
"Has she always been like this, Mei?" Kate asked Mei, whispering.

Mei looked at Kate with a reassuring smile, "She... has changed... maybe," but it wasn't her answer.

Kate knew something was going on, and she stuck her life more toward this group. She has been keeping people out of Astrid's circle for good reason. Even when Riko joined the group, she was unsure.

Astrid has been like this. She has a standard known only to certain people. And her ego...

Her ego was even worse.

<To Be Continued>