Eyes Around Us

5

                                                                            Diary Entry #29
May 5th 2021
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Violet's POV:

Dear Diary, today I had a weird but eventful day..

(Flashback)

Lunchtime had arrived, and I found myself seated with my friends at one of the round tables in the cafeteria. Ours was a tight-knit group, and despite the cliché, we were the most popular girls in our year.

Our reputation, however, acted as a sort of barrier—while being well-known, people tended to keep their distance. The girls in our group were known for their meanness, acting as a human repellent of sorts to outsiders.

Crossing them meant becoming the talk of the school the next day, thanks in part to Ivy Graham, the biggest gossiper among us.

Ivy, a mean girl with a reputation that preceded her, kept everyone in our friend group in line. The others followed her lead like loyal minions, each mirroring her demeanor.

While I didn't appreciate their mean-spirited behavior, I remained with them. Some of the girls often questioned my presence; I was nothing like them.

The only reason I stuck around was that, in the past, Ivy and I had been friends before she changed. Despite her change in attitude, I couldn't bring myself to sever ties. Ivy, in her way, was my only real friend—the one person who wouldn't go against me or talk behind my back. Even as she changed, I remained loyal

Ivy's announcement cut through the chatter as she declared, "Girls, I'm having a sleepover at mine tonight. Make sure to be there." It sounded more like a command than an invitation, and, as usual, we all fell in line, agreeing to attend.

We continued our meal, engaging in casual conversation until Ivy's attention shifted to her next target for humiliation.

Emma, a junior like me, caught Ivy's eye. I knew her from one of my classes—an unassuming girl with round-framed glasses and brown shoulder-length hair. Despite the nerdy impression her glasses might give, I thought they suited her well.

As Emma approached a vacant table with a tray full of food, Ivy slyly extended her leg, causing Emma to trip and fall face-first into the tray. The impact sent food splattering everywhere, including on her glasses.

There was no doubt her glasses were damaged from the fall. As Emma wiped her glasses, now smeared with food, she hastily exited the cafeteria, leaving everyone staring at the humiliating scene.

I turned back to my table, where the girls were still laughing at Ivy's stunt—a display that I found far from amusing. After finishing our meal, we headed to our next classes. As the day concluded, I gathered my belongings, prepared to go home, and then spotted Emma.

I retrieved 3 rows of 5 contact lenses from my bag and approached her. Before she could speak, she started, "Please leave me alone; your friends are already embarrassed as it is. I don't think I can han-"

I interrupted her, saying, "Look, I'm sorry for what happened today. It wasn't nice. I have some contact lenses that you could use until you get your glasses fixed."

Placing the contacts in her hand, she accepted them reluctantly. Nervously, she mumbled, "Th-thank you for these.

You know, you're nicer than those girls. I'm not sure why you hang out with them." Instead of addressing her observation, I offered a gentle and sincere smile before pivoting on the heel of my foot and heading home.