Chapter 2: Remember.
"Girlllll." Aaliyah says as soon as she sees me.
"Hey." I say as I walk to my first class.
"Jackie just got to school. She's really brave showing her face here after the news of her pregnancy got leaked on Grillo yesterday." Aaliyah says, pulling her phone out of her pocket. Grillo is the school's app and also the hub for gossip and news on the hookup culture at this school. It's like Instagram, but messier.
Aaliyah is my best friend, she talks my ear off every time I am around her, but she has my back. So, I'm keeping her close
"Maybe it's just a rumor." I suggest.
"No way. Cassie said she saw the pregnancy test in Jackie's bag. And it was positive." Aaliyah tells me.
"Well, good luck to her, I guess." I say as I open the door to my homeroom.
"I'm telling you. She's pregnant." Aaliyah says behind me.
"Alright." I tell her, raising my hand in fake surrender. I sit in my usual chair beside the window. Taking my phone out of my backpack, I plug the charger in the socket and the phone starts charging.
"How are things with you and Aaron?" Aaliyah asks me.
"Good." I tell her.
"People are saying he has a whole surprise planned for you for Valentine's." Aaliyah says and I stare at her, shocked.
"Really?" I ask her.
"Mhm. He met up with Fiona to customize a bunch of flowers for you." Aaliyah squeals and I smile at her.
"That's nice." I say, faking a smile.
"You're so lucky." She tells me.
"I know." I reply nodding. Glad she can't hear the sarcasm in my voice.
The class starts to get full and our homeroom teacher, Mr. Clay comes in.
"Good morning guy, sorry I'm a little bit late. My wife went into labor last night and she had the baby." He tells s and the whole class cheers.
"Congratulations, Mr. Clay." I tell him.
"Thank you, Jasmine." He says, smiling at me.
"The guidance counselor gave me your reports for last week and everyone seems to be doing great. I'm just going to take the attendance before I go." He says, flipping through the class register.
"Aaliyah De'latore?" Mr. Clay calls out.
"Present." Aaliyah says beside me.
My phone vibrates in my pocket and I pull it out. Aaron texted me.
"I need to talk to you. Meet me in the art room at noon." The text reads.
What could he possibly want to talk about?
And what could be so important that he couldn't wait until school was over?
I open Instagram and the first picture I see is Cardi B posing with her Birkin bag. The things I would do to have one of those.
Everyone in this school thinks I'm rich and privileged like they are just because I'm dating Aaron. If they only knew.
"Jasmine." Aaliyah says beside me.
"Huh?" I say, looking at her.
"Mr. Clay called your name. But don't worry, I answered for you." She tells me and I nod.
"Thanks."
"What were you doing anyway?" She inquires.
"Texting Aaron." I tell her.
"Aww, young love." Aaliyah says, squeezing my cheeks.
"Oh please." I tell her, rolling my eyes.
"He loves you and he is rich as fuck." She says and I shake my head.
"You guys have the whole student body jealous." Aaliyah tells me and I stare at her.
"No, we don't. What are you even talking about?" I ask her, chuckling.
"The two of you are a power couple. You guys are literally the "Beyoncé and Jay Z" of Lakewood High." She informs me.
"I doubt that." I tell her in all honesty.
I cannot bring myself to believe that the entire school sees us as a power couple when in reality I feel powerless in the relationship.
"I'm telling ya." Aaliyah maintains and I shake my head in disagreement before I take my notebook out of my bag. It's time to finish yesterday's homework.
After three gruesome classes, it is finally noon and time to see Aaron. I pass by the janitor's closet and I stand in front of the art room. Aaron isn't inside yet, so I just walk in and wait for him.
A few minutes later, he storms into the art room and stalks towards me.
"Aaron is everything okay?" I ask him when he gets to where I'm standing.
"Did you give Gary your number?" He asks me, ignoring my question.
"Um...yeah" I tell him, wondering why he's so pissed. Gary is my biology lab partner and we're currently working on a project so he needed my number to communicate with me. It's not that big of a deal, really.
Aaron clenches his jaw and hits me across the face. I scream in pain and touch my face.
"That's for talking to my friends. I've warned you, Jaz. But you never listen." He says, scowling at me.
I don't reply, I just keep crying. He balls his hands into fists and walks away.
Soft whimpers escape my lips as I pick up my backpack from the floor. I sling the strap over my shoulder and walk out of the art room. The school bell rings and I hasten my steps. I make my way to the boy's bathroom. I have to cover up whatever mark I have on my face before people bamboozle me with a thousand questions. As soon as people start trooping down the hall, I slip into the boy's bathroom and I let out a sigh of relief.
I place my backpack on the counter beside the sink and I take out my makeup purse. Rinsing my face with water, I dry it with a paper towel before I apply concealer on the bruise. Aaron gave me a nasty scab under my eye.
It's nothing compared to the scars I have won from him.
I hear someone flush the toilet and I tense up immediately. I zip my makeup purse up and I shove it inside my bag. I zip my bag and hang it on my shoulders. I make a run for it towards the door and I grab the handle about to open it.
"Wait." Someone says behind me.
Shit.
This is the attention I didn't need.
"Turn around." The person orders and I roll my eyes before I oblige. A gasp leaves my lips when I see a huge rifle being pointed at me.
"Please." I say with a shaky breath. "I beg you."
"I'm just fucking with you." The boy says, laughing and I stare at him in confusion.
"What?" I ask, staring at him.
"I'm not going to shoot you." He tells me and I calm down. But the fact that he has a rifle in his hand still bothers me.
"See?" He says, uncocking the gun.
"Why do you have a gun?" I ask him, nervous.
"Because I bought it and it's mine." He tells me, matter-of-factly.
"Okay. Why is it on school grounds?" I probe.
"Because...I'm going to shoot up the school." He tells me and my breath catches in my throat.
"You're going to what?" I ask him.
"Shoot.up.the.school." He says and I start feeling dizzy. I fall on the floor, totally blacking out.
***
"Ugh." I say as I sit up. I just opened my eyes and Mrs. Morrison's face is the first thing I see.
"Thank heavens, you're awake." She says, rushing to my side.
"What happened?" I ask her.
"I had just come back from my lunch break and I saw you lifeless by my office door." She tells me.
The last thing I remember is talking to that strange guy in the boy's bathroom. How did I get all the way to the nurse's office?
"Am I free to go?" I ask her.
"I'm afraid not. You suffered a really bad hit to the head and you have a minor concussion. Do you remember hitting your head?" She asks me and I shake my head.
Protecting Aaron's reputation once again.
"I don't remember hitting my head. It must have happened when I fell." I tell her.
"Well, the affected area seems to be in the front of your face. If the concussion set in when you fell, it would have been at the back of your head." She says, staring at me.
"I don't know. I don't really remember hitting my head on anything." I maintain.
"In that case, I'll keep you here until the end of the school day, and then you better head home and go straight to bed." She orders and I nod.
"Yes, ma'am." I quip, playing with the hem of the blanket around my waist.