Snow White and Seven Devils (rewrite) ✅

(23) Staggering

23.

I sat on my bed for a very long time, leaning my back against the headboard and un-stretching and stretching my legs after every two minutes. I wanted to think, so many things, but my mind wasn't working. It was stuck on a single thought.

The post ran through my mind several times, I had read it over and over at Expresso. When I got home, I read it again on my laptop. There were lots of pictures there; torn pages of my years old diary, pages that obsessed over my childhood crush on Dale, pictures of me and Aiden in the classroom when he was blowing away dust from my eye, pictures of me and Daniel, me and Derrick, me sitting in Trevor's car.

There were so many pictures. So many cruel words. I wasn't Allyson White anymore, I was the resident slut, the one that trapped all the guys. At least, Anonymous D had made sure that's how people would see me.

How did this person managed to get pages of my diary was beyond me. How did this person managed to make it look like I was kissing Aiden was beyond me as well. But what I couldn't grasp was; why me?

Why was this person posting things about me? This person, who ruined Marley Carson's life was after me now. Why? There was no connection between me and Marley, then why?
The 'why' kept me awake for a very long time.

''What am I gonna do?'' I kept saying to no one in particular.

I remembered the shock that had registered in Derrick's eyes when he had seen the pictures. He probably thought I was a slut as well, after all it looked like I was kissing Aiden. I had walked out of Expresso after seeing the post, by the time I was done Derrick had already left. Lillian had sat beside me as I panicked and Dale had given me that look.

That knowing look I loathed so much.

'Why do you have to interfere?' His bitter words had followed me all the way back home. I was never able to endure Dale's behavior, his brutal honesty. But now, so many people would use those poisonous words. Or maybe worse. How was I going to endure that?

''Ally? Are you not hungry?'' It was mom at my doorway. My books were sitting on my bedside table and I had told her I had load of homework. Upon seeing her standing there, I quickly hid the laptop under my pillow, as if she would find out just by staring at it. With mom there, new insecurities began to cloud my mind. What if she find out? How disappointed would she be?

''I already ate with Lillian.''

''Oh'' she replied, ''I came to let you know that Dale is here, he wants to see you.'' I looked away,

''Can you tell him to leave?'' She looked taken aback, but I averted my eyes and started staring at my reflection in the mirror. Mom sighed but didn't leave, instead she closed the door and sat beside me on the bed,

''Is something wrong? I know there has been a problem between you and Dale for a while. But isn't it time already to resolve your issues?'' Tears were forming in my eyes but I tried hard, really hard to keep in check.

Mom grabbed my hand, ''Ally, what's wrong?''

''I was turning into a bad person, when dad decided to remarry Elizabeth I was turning into a really bad person.'' I found self saying in a shaky voice, mom's hand froze on mine.

''What do you mean?''

''You asked me didn't I? Why I ran away from home?,'' I closed my eyes, remembering how Aiden had closed his when he spilled everything that had happened with Marley, I wondered if it would help me, ''You were right. I ran away. I didn't come here at first because I wanted to.''