LOCKDOWN

Chapter 4

"She's insufferable, I just want this assignment to be over!" I complained as I walked from the canteen with Esther, vanilla custard croissant in hand.

"Was it really that bad? I thought she'd at least be decent since she was in your home," she sympathised.

"I mean, there were times were we spoke and it felt almost...normal, but other times she was so disrespectful and snarky. I did all the work and she just sat there and insulted me!" I could feel myself getting angrier the longer I thought about it.

"And to make everything a thousand times worse, she knows about my dad," I finished complaining, sitting down under the large oak tree in the playground.

Esther's eyes widened - she knew that talking about my dad was a touchy subject and that I avoided the topic at all costs. My closest friends didn't know how he died, and they never asked.

"Wha — how did she find out?"

"I mean, I told her," I explained, "She asked if he knew how to chrome-cast the TV and I just told her..."

"Oh, I mean...are you okay with her knowing?"

"Ugh, I don't know. I hate that she knows something so personal about me. I'm scared she's going to use it against me one day." I admitted.

"I don't think she would. Like you said to Aspen yesterday, she's not cruel," Esther reassured me.

I nodded in reply and leant back, my back resting against the hard trunk of the oak tree. I bit mindlessly into the croissant I had bought, watching as the flaky pastry fell into my lap. I could see the boys soccer team and Peyton walking into the soccer field across the playground, and watched as her posse of followers trailed behind them like a pack of lost puppy dogs. It was pathetic, really.

"What is it about her that makes them so...obsessed?" I asked mindlessly, more to myself than to Esther.

"I mean, I think it's only you that she treats like shit. She seems to be fairly nice to everyone else," she reasoned, and she had a point.

"That, and she's like...insanely attractive," she continued.

Esther wasn't wrong, as much as I hated to admit it. I would love nothing more than for her to be hideous, but alas, that was not the case. Unfortunately for me, she was possibly one of the most attractive girls in our school. She didn't exactly use that to her advantage either, never wearing makeup or doing her hair in anything other than a ponytail or messy bun. She was effortlessly beautiful, and it pissed me off.

"Ugh, I know — but those girls aren't gay, are they?" I replied.

"Who knows, they're probably just leeching off of her popularity..." Esther mused.

We watched from afar as the soccer friendly began, players scuffling for the ball and kicking it back and forth. Peyton stood out from the other players, not by her clothes (because she wore shorts every day), but because of her ponytail flying behind her, and the fact that she could outplay any of the boys with ease. My heart ached for the soccer field, wishing that I still had the passion that I used to have. But soccer wouldn't have been the same without my dad on the sidelines, cheering me on.

Suddenly Peyton was knocked to the ground by one of the opposing players. Peyton's group of minions all squealed in fright, and Laine Parkin quickly ran into the field, crouching down beside her. Peyton quickly pushed her aside, standing up and brushing off her knees. She clapped hands with the opponent who had pushed her, and we watched as Laine skulked back to the sidelines looking very dejected.