Regret

Chapter 1

Julia-

I really didn't leak their secrets. I didn't even know half these things about people. I do know I was framed, and that they did a good job because people believe it was me, no matter what I say. They say it was my fault because I was the only person without a secret leaked about me, because why would someone leak a secret about themselves?

I was at home lying in bed when my phone started to blow up. I was so confused of why my phone was filling with notifications of people telling me to kill myself, that I wasn't wanted. Someone posted on their Instagram that I needed to die for what I did, and posted a link under it.

I clicked the link and was immediately brought to a slideshow, posted on the school website. Each slide was assigned a person, with their name at the top with all their worst secrets listed underneath, along with a few pictures. There was everything from pictures of people hooking up in the auditorium to secrets about who was cheating. Every person had a secret that could ruin their lives, even the teachers. 

I clicked through the slide, waiting to see my name with a horrible secret along with it, but it never came. I clicked through it two, three times reading over everyone's name never finding mine. 

My phone continued to buzz as I scrolled through the slides, none of the comments good. I clicked to my messages and saw texts along the lines of go die, even from my good friends. I clicked to my best friend's texts to ask her what was going on, but was greeted by a text message.

"How could your write that about me? It had to be you that wrote the slides, you're the only one I told about hooking up with Dustin," she wrote. "I trusted you, but obviously that meant nothing to you. Go die already, trust me you won't be missed."

I dropped my phone onto my bed and fell back. A sob escaped from my chest and I fell apart. A few people hating me is okay, but everyone hating me? Even my best friend told me to die. It was all too real.

I cried until I couldn't cry anymore, but when I tried to fall asleep I couldn't. I just layed there, numb. My phone sat where I had thrown it after reading through a couple hate comments. I had never been popular, but I had never been hated to this degree. Nobody had ever told me to die, let alone my entire school.

I mulled their comments over in my head. Would it be better to just die now? Then I wouldn't have to see them the next day. Even though I didn't make the slide, did I really deserve to die for not having a secret spilled about me?

How could people you'd known your entire life just tell you to kill yourself?

I tossed and turned all night, never able to fall asleep. My head raced with a million thoughts, none of them good. Nobody ever payed attention to me, I blended into the background. I had a few close friends and I had Roxy. We had been friends since 6th grade when she tried to draw on my face after I had fallen asleep on the bus. We had become great friends while arguing. 

I had pretty bad social anxiety, and the idea of hundreds of people staring at me as I walked down the hallway made me want to listen to what they said and die. 

Eventually I had to crawl out of bed and get ready. I knew staying home would only postpone my fate. I accepted my death as I walked out the door and down the street to school. I knew they wouldn't believe me no matter what I said, I had already tried. 

The second I entered the school grounds the screaming started. People pushed me and screamed in my face, asking how I knew and why I did it. I pushed through the hordes of people and down the hallway. 

Some people chose the silent, angry glares, others chose to yell at me and throw things at me, many of which I failed to dodge. Teachers that patrolled the hallways looked the other way, some even snickered as I was constantly heckled. Apparently they had seen the slides too.

I made it to my first class bruised, but with my head held high, refusing to let any tears fall. My teacher glanced up as I walked in and glared, her hands held in tight fists. A faint memory popped into my head of a picture of her and my science teacher fooling around in the science lab. I shuddered as I realized they had been laying on my table.

I attempted to walk to my seat, when I was tripped. I promptly fell face first onto the floor, my books and papers flying everywhere. I tried not to let the tears welling up in my eyes fall as I watched people step on my papers and kick my books around. I was trying to get up when someone stepped on my calf. I let out a small scream and looked up to see my friend Dustin snickering and walking away.

There had been a picture of him hooking up with Roxy in his car after school, something I thought I only knew about. It was all too much. I gathered as many books and papers as I could and fled from class, failing at keeping my tears from falling. I hid my face as I sprinted down the hallway, and right into someone. I guess covering your face while running down the hallway isn't the best idea.

I managed not to to fall this time, I just stumbled forward. 

"Hey you good?" I heard a guy say. I looked up to be face to face with a guy from my math class. He recognized my face and scowled.

"Oh it's you. What is wrong with you? How did you even know about that anyway? I didn't tell anyone I'm gay and I didn't think it was that obvious." He stood there impatiently, waiting for an answer.

I squeaked in response and started running away towards the bathroom.

"Hey, stop, wait. Answer me. You have serious issues by the way."

Yeah I had issues, and they started and ended with that slideshow.