King and Commoner

17. Those Who Care

Sorry for the lateness! But here's a chappie! :P

Chapter 17

"What happened?" Crap, I shouldn't have went back to my dorm. Now I had Lucia worried, curious and freaking out.

"Just some stuff." I said, walking right past her into the bathroom. She followed me as I started stripping and turning on the shower.

"What do you mean, 'just some stuff'?" She said, looking like a little blond squirrel as she scurried everywhere around me. "Is that…egg…on your shoulder? And syrup on your sleeve? And what's in your-"

"Lucia! I really don't need this right now."

I didn't have to turn around to face her to see that she was wringing her hands wondering what she could do to help.

"I'm going to get in the shower. When I get out…I want to be alone." I didn't look. Didn't want to look because…I already knew. Knew the face she would be making and I really didn't want to see that.

I got in the shower, positioning myself under the hot water, but I didn't feel it. Matter of fact, I didn't feel anything.

My mind was numb. For some reason, the worst horrors and fears I had when I first came just rushed back to me, but instead of making me panic like then, it made me feel hollow. I would never fit in here, no matter how long I stayed here.

Gela and those other Jeremy fans were right to call me Commoner. I didn't deserve to be called that name that some called me, no matter how pathetic it sounded. I mean, who came up with the name "Fiery Queen"?

It seemed like hours when I finally got out, but it had only been fifteen minutes. That's what the clock on my desk told me. I took out my spare uniform and slipped it on, not bothering to put my hair up in the usual ponytail. I grabbed my backpack and trudged straight to homeroom class. I had long since lost my appetite.

All the way there, I kept my head down, kept it trained a few feet in front of me. Even though I was spared the glares, the whispers were still around me.

Even in homeroom…

"Ms. Floretta?" I looked up at the genuinely kind voice and noticed it had been Mrs. Karp.

When I went up to her, she spoke, "I saw a few…disturbing things earlier…" I looked away. "As you know, bullying is prohibited here at Altman. If there's anyone who is bullying, please, come tell me or one of the staff and we'll put a stop to it right away." I nodded my face still turned away.

I trudged to my seat, sitting down. I kept my head down, my eyes not focusing on anything, my ears didn't comprehend anything.

Sometime later, Lucia sat down next to me. Her eyes were on me. I could feel them.

But I didn't acknowledge her.

"A-Are you okay Mary?" She asked softly, sounding almost as fragile as I was. But I didn't say anything to her. Instead I turned my head away from her, a lot like I had done to the teacher.

I could almost feel her heart clench as much as mine did. I could imagine her hand coming to cover her heart, wanting to clench at that thing. Caged in beneath skin and bone.

God…I was hurting her, but I couldn't stop myself.

Sometime later, I felt rather than saw two more pairs of eyes on me, and I knew they belonged to Jeremy and Nate. Maybe they were behind me laughing. I could care less.

The day seemed to go just as horribly as the morning.

At lunch time, we didn't sit at the same table we usually sat at, considering there was still junk all over it. As well as some more added words here and there. We took it to the outside table I remember coming to months ago. Where I decided to keep going to Altman and stop fighting it.

Now, as we sat here, it was silent. No one said a word. I didn't look at neither of them, although I felt Cal's eyes burnign into me. He probably knew what was happening.

Someone dropped off a letter with me from Caroline, saying the limo would come by to pick me up after school to take me to her place, but besides that, the irritating fountain was the only sound that filled the silence on the brisk first day of October.

When the bell rang, I left without a word.

As soon as I entered, Mike was looking at me funny. I didn't even look toward Nate. I hadn't meant to look at Mike, but it was kind of hard when he was sitting right by me. I sighed as I sat down and looked forward. Five minutes into class, a note landed on my side of the desk. I only gave it a look before fixing my eyes back on the whiteboard.

Mike nudged me with his elbow, but I still didn't react.

He took the paper back, scribbled something, and tossed it back onto my desk before nudging me pretty hard in the side.

I rolled my eyes and looked at him. he looked angry as he gestured vehemently at the piece of folded paper. I looked back at it, meant to give it another cursory glance until I saw the dark, angry writing on the front.

SNAP THE FUCK OUT OF IT!

Oh snap. That…totally surprised me. Maybe some of it was due to the fact that his handwriting seemed so violent. I looked at him, my eyes probably as wide as saucers.

He just pointed back at the piece of paper.

I unfolded it.

Who did it?

I sighed. I wasn't sure. Of course Jeremy couldn't take the picture if he was too busy kissing me, but who says he didn't get someone to take it? And what about that redhead? She was plenty angry about it, but if I can remember correctly, she seemed too angry to even think. She just stomped away. If she wanted to blackmail me, she would have just taken the picture right then and there.

I don't know. I wrote.

I was about to send the paper to Mike when Mr. Hember called me to the front. At first I thought it was because he'd caught us. But he didn't ask for the paper. He handed me a slip to the principal's office.

"You may want to take your backpack with you. I don't think you'll be coming back this hour."

When I collected my stuff, Mike handed me the note.

I took it and stuffed it into my pocket on the way out.

*        *         *         *

So....yeah. Mary's very depressed at this moment. -_-

Will she snap out of it? I wonder...

~Kyeire