"Ay, look! It's the Flasher!" someone shouts, standing on the table and pointing at me. The entire cafeteria laughs. My face grows red. Nadia stares at me but doesn't say anything. I suddenly feel sick and stand up, leaving my tray behind and heading to the bathroom. I lock myself in a stall, slouching down to the ground in between the wall and the toilet. I bring my knees to my chest and put my head in my hands. Someone knocks on the stall door. I can tell from the shoes that it's Nadia.
"Go away." I say.
"Can't. I'm already here so I'm not leaving." she says, sitting with her back against the door. After a while of silence she says "You okay?".
"No Nadia! No, I'm not okay! Why would I be okay?" I yell, tears breaking up my voice.
"I'm sorry. I hit him. After you ran off, I hit him." she whispers, her bloodied fist dropping to the ground where I could see it. .
"Just...go away Nadia." I whisper. We haven't fought or even had a small argument in almost a year so it takes her a few seconds to realize that I'm serious but once she does, she gets up and leaves without another word. I open my mouth to scream but all that comes out is sobs. I spent the rest of the day in the stall. No one even comes into the bathroom. I only move when I hear the bell signaling the end of the day and the rush of kids trying to get out of here. I don't blame them. This place is a prison.
I practically run through the hallways to get my stuff, not caring about the people I shove along the way. I grab my bag, not bothering to grab any homework from the classes I actually attended, and sprint outside. I start towards the buses but stop dead in my tracks when I see Bryon and the boy from lunch looking in my direction. I turn around, running into someone.
"Sorry." I shout. I hear them whisper to themselves as I jog away. I join the group of walkers heading towards the walking path. I see Nadia in the distance, waiting presumably for me at our spot that we determined at the beginning of the year, the mulberry tree near the edge of the school. It kind of hurts me when I see her walk away but at the same time, I know I'm not going to show up so I wouldn't want her waiting there forever. I break away from the crowd, walking down a fairly inactive street. I clutch my empty bag close, staring at the ground. I hear a faint meow behind me and watch as a small, dirty, stray calico kitten trots up to me and begins to rub against my left leg. I bend down and run my hands over its rough fur and patches of skin littering its body. I stand and begin to walk away until I hear the kitten starting to cry. I turn around and pick up the kitten, careful not to hurt its fragile body. I hadn't gotten far, the school was still in view, before someone called to me.
"Fleur? I didn't know you walked home." someone behind me called. I turn and see Number 1, Darion, jogging up to me.
"I don't." I whisper. He stares at me, confused.
"Well. Where do you live? Maybe I can walk you home? I'm doing my daily after school joy anyway." he asks. I shake my head.
"No need. I'll be fine." I answer. He frowns looking upset. We walk in silence, me holding the kitten under my sweatshirt.
"Hey, Darion. What're you doing with Flasher?" someone calls behind us. We both turn around in sync. I flinch at the name, looking down, not at the boy's face.
"Nothing man. Just talking." Darion calls back. The man scoffs.
"Well come on, we got extra practice 'cause we screwed around earlier." he calls.
"You screwed around and dragged me into it. This is your fault." Darion complains.
"Shut up man. Let's just go before we're late. Oh, and see you tomorrow in class, Flasher." the boy snickers. I hadn't seen his face but I know the boy talking is Bryon. I hate the way he says the nickname. It rolls off his tongue like poison, sour and full of hatred. Darion shakes his head and waves goodbye as he jogs off to meet Bryon. The kitten pokes its head out from beneath my sweater. I pat their head and continue walking. The cold breeze blows, biting against my nose. I sniffle and wipe my nose before planting a light kiss on the kitten's head.
"Whatcha got there?" a snarky voice remarks. I cringe, aware of who's following me. My body tenses. Amber comes up behind me and gives me a small shove. My grip tightens on the kitten as I stumble.
"Oh, a cat? Let me see!" Kimberly shouts, grabbing the cat. She spins around with it in the air. The cat begins to cry.
"Stop. You're scaring it!" I yell, trying to grab the cat. Kimberly turns towards me as my fist swings, hitting her square in the face. I gasp. She drops the cat and it begins to whimper and cry more. Without so much as a warning, Amber grabs me from behind and holds me tight. I fight but it's no use. Kimberly punches me back. Ayasha decides it's her turn to join as my jacket is pulled off and I'm thrown to the ground. They begin to yell names at me. Someone drives their Nike Air Max 270s into my rib cage. A note falls from someone's pocket. I can barely read it but from what I see, it's just another letter that one of them wrote and was planning on giving to me. If I'm being honest, it scares me. It scares me that the person that wrote it, Amber (I can now see the name that was signed onto it) had such similar handwriting to Nadia. Either of them could write something and I'd have no clue whether it was Amber or Nadia. I curl up into a ball and put my hands over my head. They say that that helps but I don't get to determine that before someone slams their foot into my temple, causing the world to spin and then go black. This is why I don't walk home.
YOU ARE READING
If Only
Teen FictionCOMPLETED: You know how they say high school is going to be the best years of your life? Yeah well, that's a fucking lie being said directly to your face. Fleur Hazel Moss found that out the hard way. She always believed it would be great, but the t...
