Fragmented Dreams

Chapter 5: Bully for You

I only saw one other student on my trek to the second floor. Our elite private school was different from most schools in that it let the students stay in one room for every class except lab science, gym, art, and music. Everyone had an assigned locker in the hallway near their homeroom, but most of us just left our school bags by our desks.

I cracked open the door to my homeroom to find it empty, not a soul in sight. Briskly I walked over to my desk so I could grab my backpack and get down to the cafeteria and join my friends. I took the small makeup bag out of my front pocket in an attempt to do a quick bit of primping before I went downstairs. I was applying a thick layer of lemon-flavored moisturizer on my dry lips when I heard a loud voice outside the classroom door. I rushed to put away belongings and shrug my heavy backpack on my shoulder. I knew who the voice belonged to and I had no desire to be alone in a room with them.

Zachary flung the door open, his ear pressed firmly into his cell phone. "No, I told you to email me the pictures Sco-" He stopped mid-sentence when he saw me standing there. "I'll call you back," he said, clicking the phone off and shoving it in his pocket.

To me, Zachary always looked older than his eighteen years. He was one of the tallest kids in class, at least as tall as my Grandfather. He looked like he would be a great football player with his broad shoulders, large beefy arms, and a solid midsection. Although I heard he had no talent for the sport, much to the lament of our P.E. teachers. Zachary always had this look on his face like he was about to get away with something nasty or mean, which wasn't far from the truth. He was one of the richer kids at school, so most of his bad behavior was overlooked due to generous donations from his parents. I did my best to avoid or ignore him which only seemed to egg him on at times. Zachary ran his fingers through his blond hair, which he wore in a slicked-back fade style. I could see him scanning me up and down.

Great, I thought, avoiding eye contact.

"I thought you went home sick or something," he said, taking a step towards me.

"Excuse me, I need to get to lunch," I replied matter-of-factly. My eyes fell away from his and I made a dive to run past the blond bully and towards the door. Warning bells were going off in the back of my mind. I really hoped he wouldn't act on the emotions he was feeling at the moment. Suddenly his arm shot out in front of me and I narrowly missed being hit by stumbling backward. In my haste to get out of his way, I dropped my backpack, nearly tripping on it as I backpedaled. Zachary continued his advancement until I was pressed against the corkboard on the wall. I cried out in surprise, glaring angrily at him.

"Why are you being so damn rude?!" Zachary growled at me, his face inches from mine. My eyes widened in the wake of his sudden outburst. I knew Zachary was a jerk but I was caught off guard by his intensity. I could feel the heat from his breath on my skin as he spoke again. "Are you deaf? I asked you a question."

I took a moment to steady my nerves, flexing my fingers into a fist at my sides below. This guy was seriously a few seconds away from being decked. "Move," I demanded, my eyes meeting his. I was so glad my voice didn't wobble when I spoke. I was scared but also so very angry.

"Who are you to tell me what to do bitch? You're just dumb country trash," Zachary spat out, chuckling at his insult. He reached out to touch my cheek and I avoided his grasp huffing loudly at his insult. I clenched my teeth as I held back the string of insults running in the back of my mind. I knew that I would be the one who would get in trouble if I retaliated, it's what always happens when you defied Zachary.

His lips curled into a grin, knowing that he had gotten the reaction he wanted out of me. I could feel his amusement and hostility. I was seriously debating the consequences I would face if I fought back. I fantasized about disabling him with either a step on the inside of his foot or a kick at his knee when Zachary took a sudden step back, his phone beeping. He answered the call, still eyeing me as he spoke.

"What's up? No, I'm not busy," he responded. "I'll be down in a second." He clicked his phone and smirked at me. "See you around Massey." Zachary gave me one last look over before turning to head out the door, kicking my backpack out of his way as he laughed.

As quickly as it began, it was over. I stood there alone for a moment, shaken with what had just happened. Logically I knew there was no use getting worked up over a jerk like Zachary but I was having a hard time following my own advice. I stalked over to my backpack, checking the contents for damage. Upon inspection, everything seemed fine, although the apple in my lunch seemed a bit more bruised.

"Jerk," I muttered to myself. "Stupid, stupid jerk."

"Diana?"

My head shot up to see Casimir standing at the open door, a slightly confused look on his face.

"Are you okay?"

I sighed sharply, standing up as I did. "I'm fine, I just..." I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell this new boy about what just happened, he would probably tell Grandpa and I didn't want to add to my guardian's worries.

"Can I carry that for you?" he asked, his hand reaching for my backpack.

"No," I said sourly, throwing my arms through the straps. "I can carry my own stuff."

"Of course," Casimir responded, smiling slightly.

I realized I was taking out my irritation on this new boy when he wasn't the one who pushed me up against a wall. He's probably just worried because he saw you faint and then had to carry you to the nurse's office, Diana! I groaned internally.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly. "I just had a run-in with someone I don't particularly like and well, anyway, I'm heading down to lunch so..."

"Oh, me too," Casimir brightened. "Can I join you?"

I paused, staring into his face for a moment. "Sure thing."