Attention Truelove

Chapter 27

POV: Skylar

"Let's go ladies! Come on, my grandma can run faster than that!" Coach shouts.

I pick up the pace, evening out my breathing and blinking to keep sweat out of my eyes.

"Skylar! Your times are way off!"

"I'm trying coach!" I run faster.

"Faster!" he claps.

The other girls stare at me, always going silent when I walk by. That's how it is wherever I go now. It's like I'm a walking mute button. The voices around me forget how to function temporarily.

Jade's little band of fans got me already.

My locker was covered in hateful messages and pictures of me. Coach told me to report it, but I didn't bother. Plus my car tires were flat, and my apartment door was spray painted with the word psychopath.

"Faster!"

I move faster but trip over myself and fall face-first.

Everyone goes silent.

I sigh and slowly get up, staring at the turf under me.

No one moves to help me up. Too afraid to trigger the crazy girl.

"You good?" Coach calls.

"Yeah," I force myself back to my feet.

I dust off and sigh, taking a moment to catch my breath.

"Go walk it off, see you tomorrow Clifton. We took you out of the lineup for now."

I swallow the lump in my throat.

"Just until your times are back up." He assures me.

"It's okay, I'll see you tomorrow." I quickly walk off.

I hear him sigh behind me.

He can say it's about my times all he wants, but ever since I came back I went from being the school's shining star to the school's dirty little secret. They removed my poster from the front of the gym and removed the picture of me in the main building, the one with my gold medals. They don't want anyone to see me, to hear me, to know I still exist.

Because when people fall, everyone likes to point and laugh. But when they get back up, everyone wants to pretend they didn't see anything. Pretend they weren't the ones pointing and laughing moments before.

I shower and get changed before walking out of the gym toward the bus stop.

But then my feet keep moving and I find myself walking aimlessly.

Hands in my pockets, just staring off into space.

Being alone can be fun, she said, but I don't feel like I'm having fun. It can be exciting, but I don't feel elated. It can be an adventure, then why does this feel more like a trial?

I walk off campus and just keep walking.

My phone beeping tells me it's time for my pills.

I stop and dig around in my bag for the bottles. I grab the right number and pop them in my mouth, taking a sip from my water bottle to choke them down.

Then I just stand there, on the sidewalk, just there. The world spinning all around me.

I see someone filming me from across the street and it makes my eyes tear up, finally forcing me to keep on walking.

A car stops beside me and rolls down the window.

"Where you going?" Vida calls out.

"I don't know, but won't it be an adventure to find out?" I say sarcastically.