The Bullies' Slave 1

51- MANNERS, CALEB, MANNERS!

"And the girl? Did she get justice?" I asked, genuinely concerned.

"Thankfully, yes." I heaved a sigh of relief. "The rapist is in jail now. But then, the girl eventually left the school. The shame was too much for her and she wanted a fresh start somewhere else."

"That's one amongst many things that still haunts me. The whole shit happened right in the party I organized. I was constantly buffeted by the question, 'what if that party hadn't held?'. I mean we had exams coming up, we could've used that as an excuse. But nope, we chose temporary pleasure instead and ruined someone's life." I sighed, feeling so sad for the girl.

"In all honesty, I wish there was never a party for jocks to begin with. Or better yet, it should have been strictly for them alone.  Maybe a lot of things would have been prevented. But then again, party or no party, NO ONE deserves to be raped! It's just plain evil." I fumed.

"I agree." Damon nodded, along.

"Candice must have been a strong girl." I mumbled. Damon smiled wearily.

"She was very strong." His eyes wandered into the distance in thought. "Every single day, I regret saying those words to her. She didn't deserve it. She gave her all for everyone and everything she loved. I know I have to learn to live with it no matter what." I felt my eyes tearing up.

"I'm so sorry, Damon." I said just as he sniffed. "We can't control or change our pasts but we can hold on to today with positivity and shapen our future." As I said those words, I thought about Carlos. Yes, I made a mistake trusting him in the past, but not anymore!

I remembered our last encounter on Tuesday, where he had uttered those flimsy words: "I'm sorry." I had been so furious that I had immediately connected my palm with the side of his face. I clearly remember the shocked look on his face. Yeah, even I was surprised! But I was done with him! I was done with his lies, his subtle manipulation, everything!

After the hit, I had slammed my locker shut and stormed off in fury. Carlos didn't call after me. He simply stood there, still in shock. I had felt hurt. What on earth did he want? Why couldn't he just LEAVE ME ALONE! I didn't want to see him at all. But of course, we attended the same school and I still saw him subsequent days after. But the funny thing was that he was still himself, all normal! Like nothing ever happened! Imagine the confusion I felt and still feel!

"Yeah, I guess." He whispered. "You know, Candice always stood up for the slaves against the jocks."

"Really?" I grinned, happy to hear that.

"Yeah." He said, returning the grin before suddenly frowning. "I was some mean guy." I smiled, sadly. I knew it wasn't easy for him to forgive himself so I wasn't going to judge him.

"You aren't anymore, Damon."

***

"You can't be serious!" I exclaimed.

"I still will pay to know why on earth you always think I'm joking." Caleb stated. He had arrived barely five minutes after Damon had to hang up. I had been too exhausted to give him a piece of my mind. However I did shoot him a glare which he duly ignored. I huffed as I snatched the list he just read off from his hands.

Apparently, he had called me to come get groceries for the house. I didn't have a problem initially, I mean I was their slave. But as soon as he read out the long list, I knew I was going to be late to Ethan's mum's dinner party.

"I can't get all these and still make it early to Ethan's mum's dinner party." Caleb gave me a blank stare.

"Do I look like I care?" I pressed my lips into a thin, annoyed line. Of course he didn't!