13 Reasons why // The 14th Reason

// 29 //

The last lesson of the day was gym and I groaned as I pulled my sweaty shirt over my head. Thankfully we were getting dressed to go home. The day had dragged on and on. However while I was taking everything out my gym locker I managed to overhear a snippet of an interesting conversation.
"All that bullshit Hannah says. They believe it."
Jess was getting changed a few lockers over and hadn't heard me as she talked to Courtney.
To my utmost surprise, when Courtney told her Hannah lied about everything, Jessica replied with,
"Did she really?"
I slammed my locker shut and stalked out to the gym.

*. *. *.

I practically ran to the doors once I'd finished changing.
"Yo Mel! Where'd your hot friend go?" I cringed as Bryce caught up to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders and I looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. "You should invite her tonight."
I chuckled and continued walking down the hall. I barely managed to contain the disgust I felt from having him so close.
"Maybe. See you later Bryce." He winked as I walked away down the hall.
Zach was watching me from my locker where he was waiting.
"Are you still ok with going tonight?" I asked, looking up at him. He nodded.
"I'll wear something nice then." I grinned with a wink, causing a small smile to creep onto his face.
"Hey, Zach. What's up?" I asked him with a frown. He wasn't normally this quiet.
"It's nothing." He shrugged. "Something urgent's come you, are you okay to walk home?"
I nodded and he pulled me towards him, placing a quick peck on my forehead before racing off down the hall. I watched him until he disappeared towards the gym rather than the other exit.

*. *. *.

As I started to walk home my mind drifted, as it often did in my states of boredom, to Hannah. Her laugh, the way she could always cheer me up. Her advice, which was second to none. I could've really used her help right now, with Eden. Hannah was the only one who knew the whole truth about that night. Aside from Eden.
I watched a girl walk past me towards the school, presumably for a club or something. I didn't know her name but I noticed that she's had a haircut. No one else did. No one noticed much when Hannah had her hair cut either.

*. *. *.
I thought maybe starting over didn't have to mean cutting myself off completely. Maybe I'd been hanging with the wrong people. Maybe I could start over with the right person. But if I'd have known what was going to happen, I never would have walked through that door.
*.         *.          *.

When I got back to the shop I was greeted by the sound of my parents arguing, yet again
"You showed him the poem? Why would y0u do that?!"
"Because he walked in here telling me we needed counselling as if we were delusional. As if this whole lawsuit is a big waste of time. It isn't. We're not, and I want people to know it."
"It was our one piece of leverage Andy! You just showed him our hand!" Mom practically yelled.
"Hannah was crying out for help right under their noses. And under ours too!"
I hid behind the rack of chewing gum and hair necessities to listen to the conversation, crouching down so as not to be seen.
"Andy... sweetie. You don't win a chess match by giving away your strategy, honey."
"I'm trying to fight back here!" Dad yelled, his anger letting loose. "I thought that's what you wanted." He sighed. "What about our other daughter? We haven't even stopped to think how this is affecting her."
"Not like this." Mom replied, "I'm doing what's best for us all." She said before marching out the shop, the bell ringing angrily

*. *. *.

"Come on Babe!" Zach moaned from downstairs later that evening. My parents were still at the shop and Zach had been waiting downstairs for what he'd sworn to be hours but I could tell you was actually 33 minutes exactly. I timed it.
Finally I slipped on my heels, checking my makeup in the mirror as I walked past it and then clicked down the stairs.
Zach's head popped around the corner at the sound of my heels on the stairs and he grinned while scanning my outfit. A quiet whistle left his lips.
"Damnn." I rolled my eyes playfully at his reaction as he reached for my waist when I got to the bottom.
"Maybe we should just stay in tonight?" He suggested, a sly smirk splayed across his lips. I pushed at his arm with a scoff.
"No way Jose! You're the one who's dragging me to this party and I did not spend so much time getting ready for no one else to see me."
My argument seemed to get across to him as he took my hand, leading me outside to his car.
He opened the passenger door for me, ever the gentleman and I slid in gracefully. At least I tried. In reality I stumbled half into the car before realising I was wearing a skirt and used both hands to tug it down my thighs. Consequently I had no way of stopping myself falling and I slumped ungracefully across both the passenger and driver's seat.
Zach looked slightly bemused as he opened his door only to see me staring up at him with a goofy grin.
"Well hello there." I chuckled. He scoffed, shoving me gently aside and I squinted at him.
"Rude."
With a humorous air of defiance I turned my head to stare out of the window, chin stuck out like a beak.
I heard a small chuckle and a warm hand rested itself on my thigh, rubbing my knee gently. A small smile crept onto my face.

The music was blaring halfway down the drive from behind the closed front door and it got louder once Zach had unlatched his hand from my thigh and opened my door to let me out.
"You didn't say it was at Bryce's house." I hissed through clenched teeth. It felt as through my jaw might snap any moment. The sick feeling in my gut grew with every step. I inhaled deeper as though my lungs had suddenly stopped working and I couldn't get anywhere near substantial air into them.
"Hey, it's cool. Babe. You good?" He looked slightly concerned as he peered down at me.
"Mhm." I faked a smile, just as I did each day. Scarily it got easier and easier as the days passed. It was almost second nature now.
"Zach! My man!"
The door was flung open and my eyes widened like a deer caught in headlights. Framed in the glowing light of the hallway and the pulsating disco lights was Bryce Walker.

*.        *.          *.

As always at parties I found myself in the kitchen. This party had food and I felt no shame as I stood beside the chips bowls, repeatedly filling my paper plate with chips. I had placed my cup down beside me and I brought it to my lips carefully. The bitter scent drifting from it alerted me to the fact that I had turned my back to it for perhaps a little too long. I rolled my eyes, placing the red cup back on the tabletop. Then a large jeering erupted from the living room. I wandered slowly through the grand house until I reached said room. Zach's hair could vaguely be seen over the crowd and I decided the best thing to do would be to lean back against the wall; out of the way but with something to rest on. A few minutes passed and I saw Eden saunter past, two guys following her like puppies. I rolled my eyes at that.
"Hey there."
I frowned. Pretty much half the party was submerged in the middle of the room so to have a guy trying to talk to me was unusual. Slowly I turned around.
And my heart stopped.
"Bryce." I choked out.
He smirked at me as he leant against the wall beside me.
"Enjoying the party?"
"Not really."
"Aw come on why not? Maybe I can make it up to you?" He stepped closer, head angling down towards my throat and I took a nervous step backwards.
"Hey come on, we're all friends here. Don't worry."
I began to shake my head in protest as he grabbed my forearms, pulling me towards him. I cringed as I was pressed up against his chest.
"Bryce." I warned, trying to extricate myself from his arms that had begun to snake their way around my waist.
"Bryce. What are you doing? Stop." I began to struggle but his grip only tightened.
"Why not babe? It's just one night, let me make you feel better."
My heartbeat began to thunder in my chest, so loudly it echoed around my head, bouncing off the walls of my mind, a silent klaxon.
"No, Bryce I don't want this. Stop!" I struggled in vain, thumping against his chest as he grappled with my wrists, tightening them in his grip to the point where it hurt. My eyes began to blur with tears as the scream in my throat froze, unable to escape past my lips. Silently the tears dropped down my cheeks as I felt his warm breath against my neck. I took one more shuddering breath before the boy was gone.
My eyes flashed open - I hadn't realised I'd closed them - and I watched as Bryce was thrown backwards into the excitable crowd which only cheered in anticipation.
"Hey, are you okay? What did he do to you? What did he do?" Zach questioned with a booming voice. I shook my head in response, finding myself unable to form the words. His hands were frantic as he checked for bruises or scratches or any indication of what Bryce had been doing. Finally they came to rest on my tear stained cheeks. His eyes were pained as they stared into my own helpless ones.
Zach gritted his teeth and turned to Bryce.
"You're an asshole." He hissed venomously before wrapping a gentle arm around my shoulders, walking me out into the refreshingly cool air and his own car.