The Dare

Chapter Two • Finished

TWO • FINISHED

Like always, I was having a bad day. I was at the hand of tormenting seniors who did nothing but prod and poke me in their spare time. Right now, however, was suffering my strawberry-blonde hair being covered in shaving cream and silly string. Honestly, I couldn't see how being in my own grade would've make a difference as far as practical jokes and teasing went. I sighed, telling myself to stop fidgeting and just endure it.

"She doesn't even move!"

"Such a willing victim."

"Such an idiot, you mean." Their insults got less clever and just as pathetic as their pranks as time went by and their words and ideas began to run dry. Some of the worst torture was over, however, such as "ear-tugs" as they called it. I had stopped wearing earrings after a while because everyone had taken their turn trying to rip them from my lobes and make me bleed. Good times.

I shut my eyes tightly, waiting for the bell to ring. The sooner school started, the sooner we could all be in the vision of the teachers and I would be safe. After the last can had emptied, they threw a bunch of small flakes of...potatoes? Potato flakes? Now they were getting feisty!

I had to bite my tongue when I felt the hot water scorch my skin and turn the flakes to mashed potatoes on my clothes and in my hair. I could feel my mascara and eyeliner running down my cheeks as the water doused every inch of me. I felt like crying, but seeing them, a different but equally annoying group of seniors standing there laughing and winning, I had to stop myself. I couldn't be such a baby.

"And she still stands there. How sad," one of them shouted, holding their stomach, short bursts of laughter escaping them. I wiped the potatoes from cheeks and blinked back tears. I was going to win. They would see.

"Have you got anything to say, Levie?" said the one who had poured water on me. The crowd quieted down, waiting for a response. Why did I always end up here behind the school being tormented? I didn't even walk through here!

Suddenly, the bell rang and the group pushed and shoved each other to throw their empty cans and weapons into the dumpsters. I briefly remembered being trapped in one of those dumpsters... I continued to watch as they scrambled about, grabbing their backpacks and running inside, trying to avoid being scolded for tardiness. As I watched the last of then disappear, I looked down at myself.

I was a mess.

I pushed some more potato from my clothes and picked up my things, heading for the school bathroom rather than my homeroom. As I entered the large elaborate restroom, I looked in the mirror and began cleaning myself up, picking through my hair and applying a damp papertowel to my clothing. And all I could think was how lucky I was that I had yet to be beaten up.

"Again? This is the third time this week, Miss Levie," my teacher chided, pointing a bony finger at me. "Once more, and I'm afraid we'll have to resort to some added measures. We wouldn't want that from our best student, would we?" At that moment, I felt all the jealous eyes staring me down. They hated when I was called the best. Sometimes I did too, but moreso because I was hated for it. I slumped in my seat, trying to avoid the angry eyes and questionable looks that were most likely coming from those who were questioning my wrecked state. A sponge bath in a school bathroom had done me little good and I still looked like the victim of some out if control party.

"Yes, Ms. Martin," I croaked, drumming my fingers nervously on my desk. She raised her brows to test my truthfulness, but quickly backed down and went on with the lesson. I had walked in halfway through first period of my math class and Ms. Martin luckily liked me enough to let it go much more easily than any of my other teachers would've and for that, I was extremely grateful.