Gilded Cage

Chapter 22

I came back to school the following week still in shock. I felt numb. Stupid. Furious at myself. After disappearing for over seventy-two hours, Zac suddenly started texting and calling me like a madman. I blocked his number. Amari and Nat were very concerned when they saw me. I hadn't slept for days. My cheeks were gaunt, and I had dark circles under my eyes.

Nat asked me what was wrong.

Half-heartedly, I congratulated her, "Looks like you'll be valedictorian at graduation. It's game over for me."

Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "What are you talking about, bish? You've been number one since middle school!"

"I failed the AP History project."

Amari gasped, "No! You're lying. Was it because of Zac?"

"He didn't fucking show up on presentation day."

Nat looked outraged. "And Tilton's gonna penalize you for another student's absence?"

I shrugged despondently. "I tried to argue with him about it, but, apparently, the man's syllabus is his Bible now. I can either accept it like a chump or petition for a grade change through Principal Farnsworth."

Amari's brow creased deeply. "What are you gonna do, Cate?"

"I'm gonna petition for a grade change, of course. If that doesn't work, then I'll ask Tilton for some sort of independent study or extra credit assignment to boost my scores."

"That sounds like a total nightmare! Have you forgotten that midterms are right around the corner? And aren't you flying down to Virginia for Model UN? How are you gonna get everything done?"

I felt like breaking down. "Stop... sleeping?"

Nat frowned at me. "Don't kill yourself over school! It's not worth it. You're gonna get into Stanford either way."

I snapped at Nat, "That's easy for you to say! You're gonna be the fucking valedictorian now."

"Whoa, Cate, that was unnecessary," Amari admonished gently, "Nat was just looking out for you."

"And you," I turned to Amari, "you're only in the top twenty because your parents donated that shiny new gym to the school during freshman year! You are aware of that, right?"

Nat started crying.

Amari shot me the dirtiest look and put her arm around Nat. "Fuck you, Cate! I know you feel like shit right now, but that doesn't give you any excuse to take it out on us. We're leaving!"

As I watched Amari and Nat turn away from me and storm off, I fought the urge to cry. I knew I had fucked up with my friends. The person I really should've been ripping apart was Zac, but he wasn't here right now.

I shuffled towards fifth period feeling like a complete asshole. From my peripheral vision, though, a flash of red and blonde hair walked by me.

The fuck?

My head whipped around.

Why were Lily and Bea walking and talking together down the hallway like the best of friends?

They rounded the corner in a burst of giggles and disappeared from my sight. My mind didn't really have the bandwidth to process the repercussions of those two joining forces, but, most likely, it wouldn't end well for me.

Fifth period blended into sixth, I attended a two-hour Model United Nations meeting, and, by the end of it all, I felt like a walking zombie. On the way to the parking lot, my face nearly ran into a hard, solid chest.