Life Of Bayla

|5|

After school on Friday I was looking forward to the weekend.

Plus Rania and her gang didn't attack me. Infact, Za'Niyah didn't give me a second glance in gym class today and the other few classes we share together.

It's safe to say that I'm off the hook till next week.

I saw Cullen by the time school was out and I was surprised when he bade me goodbye with a smile on his face. No one (apart from Ingrid) talks to me much less wishes me a nice weekend.

Ingrid didn't show up and all this time that I've been calling her, I've been led to her voicemail.

She hasn't been picking my calls or replying my texts. I called her mum but all she told me was that Ingrid was fine. Nothing more.

When I got home, the scent of cookies wafted to my nostrils and I inhaled deeply.

I threw my bag on the floor and made a run for the kitchen.

I tightly wrapped my arms around Lolita's shoulders and she chuckled.

"Génesis, you're back", she said as she meticulously set the cookies on the tray.

I hummed in response and reached for the doughy goodness. I plopped myself  on the couch, eye-banging the cookie.

I moaned in delight as I stuffed my food hole with the cookie. It was an Oreo cookie, chocolatey with delicious cream filling. I was in cookie heaven whilst Lolita was mildly chastising me for dumping my bag carelessly on the floor. She then placed my bag next to me on the couch and went back to the kitchen to do her thing.

Lolita Perez is the family's maid and was our babysitter too when the Lakes kids were younger. She's a middle-aged Hispanic woman who makes the best meals and confections on the planet. You can take my word for it.

Just then the door is swung open and the four of them enter.

Aaron and his friends make themselves comfy and as if on cue, my legs have control over themselves. I find myself walking - scratch that - I find myself fleeing to my room.

"Mmmm", Parrys starts, her muddy brown eyes fixated on the cookie tray. "Something smells nice".

Aaron walks over to where Lolita is standing with his cunning smile in place and hugs her the exact same way I did. Then steals a cookie.

I watch as Dean plops himself on the couch and flings my bag to the side, then grabs a remote.

Eleanor just sits on the couch smiling sweetly at Lolita who is now swatting Aaron's hands away from the cookies and pulling his ear.

"Oh hey, Bailey". Parrys gives me a saccharine smile that doesn't even reach her eye. "Didn't see you there".

Of course she didn't.

Dean turns his head in my direction, looks me up and down then scrunches his nose in blatant disgust before going back to changing channels on my television.

Eleanor smiles at me and politely waves. I nod in response.

Turning back to the raven haired girl, I give her a tight lipped smile. "Hi Parrys and it's, uh, it's Bayla".

"Of course". She blinks and her brows dip. "Thats what I said".

"Right".

I start trudging to my room and when I'm at the top,  Aaron calls my name. I turn back hoping he wont ask me to join them. I hate Aaron's friends, except Eleanor. She's the good one.

I hate Dean because he doesn't regard me as human and Parrys because she dislikes me for some reason but pretends like everything's rosy between us. I'm not even sure if she doesn't remember my name because she doesn't care or if she's always getting my name wrong to piss me off.

It's like Aaron is completely oblivious to his friends' disinclination for me because every time they're over, he always asks me to join them.

The first time I did, Parrys and Dean made sure I wasn't part of their conversation and whenever I tried to talk, one of them would cut me off. Worst part was that when they were leaving that night, they only bade Aaron goodbye, except for Eleanor though. Since then, I would always politely decline and tell him I'd hang out some other time.

Which would never come to pass.

Aaron surprised me this time by saying, "You forgot your bag".

He held it up for me and I smiled awkwardly. I was going back down the stairs when I tripped and fell.

Dean and Parrys failed miserably at stifling their laughter while Eleanor and Aaron helped me up. That was the same spot that got twisted in gym class.

It hurt.

"You okay, Bayla?"

Eleanor's voice was soft and soothing. I nodded at her and gave her a bullshit smile, took my bag from Aaron and limped as fast as I could up the stairs to my room.

I locked the door and threw myself on the bed.

My eyes glazed over. My leg was hurting bad and the pain brought my agitation back in full force.

Rania's threat was hanging over my head like a cloud and because of that I was always on high alert whenever I was at school. Telling Aaron all of this would only make matters worse as he would confront Rania and she'd make my life shittier than it already is. Plus, I didn't have anyone to talk to about this. Maybe, Ingrid but she's still MIA.

I clamped my eyes shut and let the tears flow down my cheeks.

You know how hard it is being a loser?

I bet you don't. You don't get locked up in the girls' locker room after school or shoved in lockers or bullied into doing assignments.

Being a loser means eating lunch locked up in one of the restroom stalls and crying everyday over how much your life sucks.

God, it's brutal out here!