Goodbye » n.h.

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Desirah's POV

June seemed very far away. Compared to what I had to live through every school day, it was like summer would never come. It was that bad.

Isabelle was relentless. She was constantly after me, but you could never tell. She was always so innocent. It made me want to scream out of frustration, but I couldn't. Not when Isabelle was around. I couldn't talk to her directly. I didn't know why.

Since today was Tuesday, I had both World History and Honors Algebra II. I was fine with that, because Isabelle wasn't in those classes. She was too stupid. But I still had gym on Tuesday, and unfortunately, I did share that class with her.

Changing in the locker rooms wasn't fun. Even though cell phones were prohibited, the other girls would still bring them and blast dirty songs at full volume. They also had no shame while changing in front of one another. It was just scary.

I huddled in a corner of the locker room as I changed. I turned my back to the others as I slipped my t-shirt off. I quickly put my gym uniform shirt on, followed by my shorts. I stuffed my usual clothes in my locker, slammed the door shut, and locked it.

The other girls took much longer changing. "Talk Dirty" by Jason Derulo was blaring out of somebody's broken phone, and girls were twerking everywhere. It was a very disturbing sight.

Isabelle was right in the thick of things. She had no real clothes on, just her undergarments, and even she was twerking. When she spun towards me, I got a good view of her bare buttocks. It was disgusting. So apparently that's what you did to be popular. In my opinion, it wasn't worth it.

I decided now would be a good time to leave. I pushed myself against the lockers and edged away from the group. I reached the locker room door and speed-walked out of there. Thank goodness.

I pressed my back against the gym wall and slid my right foot upwards. I stared straight ahead absently as other girls came out and fooled around with each other.

I couldn't stop thinking about Niall or the concert tickets. I was excited more than anything else, but I was also nervous. What if something happened? That would be just my luck: Showing up to the concert only to find out that it was cancelled. But the rational part of me knew that probably wouldn't happen. The boys would most likely be ready to perform.

But I also had a VIP pass. That meant I was going to the meet the boys after the concert. What if I did something embarrassing? What if they didn't like me? Would Niall change his mind about me?

I shook my head. I didn't think I would do something completely humiliating. I had manners and was very tolerable of almost everything. Niall was my guy best friend, so I shouldn't have to worry about him ditching me.

But I had every right to be uneasy about the boys disliking me. Every single girl in this school resented me, so why wouldn't they? Niall was my lifesaver. He was the one who truly liked me. But what if he was the only one?

I saw Isabelle leave the gym locker room, fully clothed and surrounded by her "buddies". I tried not to scowl. Sometimes when the bullying was particularly bad, I wanted to shout that Niall Horan was my best friend. But that wouldn't do anything for me. Isabelle would only get jealous and hate me more. She probably wouldn't even believe me. So why did I think Niall Horan being my best friend would help me?

"Alright, cupcakes, gather around!" Coach Tori yelled.

She blew her whistle, and the girls crowded around her. I left my place by the wall and stood by Coach Tori. Isabelle was on the opposite side of the circle. She sneered at me, but I avoided her gaze.