Started as His Girlfriend (Sequel to "Started as His Tutor")

Quit

Next week is going to be Thanksgiving. Usually, we get two days off for the occasion, so school only spans from Monday to Wednesday. It is already Friday, so there isn't much time left to prepare for the fundraiser. 

Usually, for the soup kitchen, we are only able to provide budgeted meals made from wholesale bags of vegetables and lots of starches and carbs. Meat is too expensive and is reserved for holidays, or we would completely blow the savings and won't be able to provide food for more than half a year. 

Since Thanksgiving is coming up, we are splurging a bit for turkeys, which are  usually overpriced this time of the year. So, to raise enough money, we decided to sell food everyday after school next week. 

During the spring fair last year, our booth was a success, so we decide to stick with the same menu- churros, nachos, fries, and lemonade. 

I look around and realize everyone was completing the tasks very slowly. Usually, we would be scrambling when crunched for time like this. Yet, only a fourth of the lemons were squeezed, no one is piping the churros, and only two posters were made. 

"Guys, we should pick up the pace, or we'll have to come on the weekend to finish," I encourage. 

They looked up at me, sighed, and kept with the slugging around. 

"Carla, did you buy more cups and plates yet? You're the only one who didn't buy what they were supposed to." I check my clipboard to make sure. 

"No," she simply answers. 

"Well, we kind of need them."

"No, we won't," she muttered. 

"What do you mean?" I ask. 

"Oh, don't act like you don't know!" she suddenly snapped back. "No one is coming because of you! You slept with Bryan and then got him expelled. Yet, you always act like you're innocent and nice. Everyone's sick of you." 

I looked around the room and no one said anything. They avoided my eyes and furrowed their brows. 

"Wendy, come on," Jose takes me by the arm and lead me outside the room. "Don't take it to heart. They're- they're... just stressed."

"Is it true? Do people think I slept with Bryan and then got him expelled?"

"It doesn't matter what people think when they're food in front of them. I'll ask the principle if we can fund-raise during lunch. They won't be able to handle not eating any of it," he forced a smile, not directly answering my question. 

"Do you believe it too?"

"Believe what?"

"The rumors about me..."

Jose shakes me by the shoulder roughly, shocking me to look up at him. 

"Fuck everyone who believes it. Don't let them ruin everything you worked for. Ever since you joined this club, you doubled it's size and we've fund-raised more money than we ever did. Don't let them get to you, okay?" Jose waits for my reply and I give a single nod. "Great!" he exclaims, giving me a firm pat on the shoulder. "Let's go back now."

As Jose walks to go back in, my feet stay rooted in its place. Once Jose realized I wasn't following him, he stops and turns to look at me, confused. 

"Come on, Wendy."

"I probably can't come anymore," I admit. 

"What? Why?"

"I'm failing English," I embarrassingly chuckle. "To graduate, I'll have to take an after school class. I won't have time for this club anymore."

"Are you sure this isn't about what Carla said? I'm telling you, they didn't mean it-"