CHAPTER 39:
Where She Confronts Her Past
~~**~~
|5 Years Ago|
"Hey, a bunch of us are going out to eat right now. Do you want to come with us?"
I looked up from the book I'd been reading in surprise. Cindy Crawford looked down at me expectantly.
Our last class had just ended and we were done with school for the day.
I didn't really know Cindy except that she was really shy and she seemed sweet.
My heart raced with hope. Usually, all of my classmates steered clear of me because they were too scared of being bullied by Billy and Jenny for being associated with me. But recently the Scott siblings hadn't been too focused on me, aside from a couple of remarks and mean looks they'd generally avoided me this entire week. Maybe they'd finally grown tired of messing with me.
I nodded enthusiastically before shoving the book into my bag and following her out of the classroom. My foster family had to go to a friend's wedding today. I hadn't been invited, so I wasn't needed at home and was free to go wherever I wanted after school.
"So, where are we going?" I asked Cindy excitedly. "Oh! I heard the new pizza parlor that just opened near the bowling alley is pretty good!"
Cindy pursed her lips and nodded quickly.
"Hey." She suddenly stopped walking. "I think I left my wallet in my gym bag. Do you mind coming to the locker room with me to get it?"
I beamed. "Sure. No problem."
~~**~~
The girl's locker room was empty. It was dim since it was after school hours and the lights had been switched off. An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of my stomach.
"Which locker is yours?" I asked her.
But she didn't respond. Then suddenly her head whipped in my direction and she said something softly before she sprinted towards the exit.
It took me a second to register that she said the words "I'm sorry." My heart rate picked up and I could feel dread hammering at my chest.
I ran after her but she'd already shut the door by the time I reached it. My heart sank as I heard the lock click from the outside.
"Cindy this isn't funny!" I yelled. My hands banged against the door.
"I think it's pretty funny." A familiar feminine voice spoke up from behind me.
I felt like all the air had been sucked out of my lungs and had been replaced by lead. Panic started to rise within me till I felt like I was suffocating.
I turned back slowly.
Jenny and Billy Scott leaned casually against the lockers.
Billy's eyes danced with mirth. "You're right, it's pretty damn hilarious."
They sauntered towards me as I stepped back. My back pressed against the steel door.
"Stay away from me," I warned but they kept advancing towards me.
In a flash, I reached into my backpack and pulled out a pair of scissors I'd been carrying in my bag for my art project. I pointed the scissors in their direction in warning.
Their eyes widened in surprise for a moment.
"Tell Cindy to open the door." I grit out.
Billy gave me a wounded look. "Come on Fallon. Don't be like that. We just wanted to talk."
The scissors shook as my hands started to tremble.
"Ask her to open the door." I grit out.
Billy sighed. He gave Jenny a nod before finally shouting, "Cindy open the door!"
My heart soared with sudden hope.
But that moment of distraction was a grave mistake.
"Psyche!" Jenny screamed as she grabbed my wrist and twisted it at a painful angle making the scissors fall to the floor and at the same time, Billy came at me. He tackled me to the ground. I cried out in pain as my cheek hit the hard concrete. His hands restrained my arms behind my back and one of his knees pushed into my back keeping me pinned to the floor.
Jenny clicked her tongue disapprovingly.
"You know, we were going to go easy on you... " Jenny drawled out. She squatted down on the floor right in front of me.
My eyes widened in fear as she ran the pointed end of the scissors over my cheekbone.
She laughed, "But after the stunt you just pulled, you deserve to be punished." She hissed.
I tried to struggle but Billy just pushed more of his weight on me, making it difficult for me to breathe.
I screamed when I felt her grab a thick chunk of hair in her fist with so much force that my head jerked back.
I screamed when I felt Billy chuckle over me.
I screamed when I felt the scissors slice through my hair close to my scalp.
Strands of fiery red cascaded around me as she cut away at my dignity, my self-worth.
I screamed and screamed till my throat was raw.
But no one came to help me.
~~**~~
|Present|
"Fallon, is that you?" Jenny Scott's voice pulled me out of my dark thoughts.
My heartbeat spiked and a familiar feeling of dread and panic started to consume me.
"Yes, it's me," I responded and my voice came out louder than I'd intended making me wince.
Finally, I took in the woman standing in front of me. She looked the same as she did five years ago, yet completely different. She was wearing a uniform and nametag which indicated that she worked here at the convenience store.
She was thinner now. Her eyes were wary and dull. Her lips were thin and drawn into a permanent frown.
For a moment we just stared at each other, not speaking.
After a beat, she wrung her hands together awkwardly and finally spoke up,
"How have you been?" Her voice was a little shaky.
My disbelief must have shown on my face because she winced.
She tucked a strand of dull blonde hair behind her ear and swallowed.
"You must really hate me." She whispered.
I could feel some of that old hatred and anger start to resurface.
"Can you blame me?" I managed to grit out. I curled my hands into fists to keep them from shaking.
"No." She said quietly, shaking her head.
When our eyes met I was surprised to find hers filled with tears. "I'm sorry." She whispered. I tracked the tears as they trailed down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Fallon."
I could feel a lump forming in my throat, my own eyes started to sting.
"I know this doesn't make up for anything. I know you have every reason to despise me but please know that I'm so ashamed of what Billy and I put you through back in middle school." Her voice broke. "It still haunts me every day."
"Fallon! There you are." Archer's voice had me turning towards him.
His eyes lit up when he saw me but when he caught the look on my face his expression immediately darkened. In a second he was behind me, a protective arm around my waist.
"What-" He started to speak but he caught sight of Jenny and suddenly his entire body stiffened.
I had told Archer everything about my past so I was pretty sure he'd just read Jenny's name tag and put two and two together.
"Is that who I think it is?" He growled from behind me, his voice laced with barely controlled rage.
"Yes," I whispered.
He'd positioned himself in front of me in an instant, completely shielding me from Jenny's view.
"What the hell do you want?" His voice was quiet but lethal.
Jenny's eyes widened in fear. "I just wanted to apologize." She murmured.
His shoulders curled downwards in pent-up anger. "Well it's a little too late for that, isn't it?" He seethed.
I put a hand in the middle of his back to calm him. His muscles bunched under my touch. "Archer it's okay."
He tilted his head back to look at me, his eyes softened.
"It's not okay." He said quietly. He shook his head, "They hurt you, they abused you. They traumatized you." His expression hardened once more as he turned to look at Jenny, "Tell me where your asshole of a brother is so I can beat the shit out of him."
"Archer!" I tugged at his hand when I saw a couple of people stop what they were doing to watch the scene unfolding.
For a moment he didn't move, he just stood there glaring at her.
Finally, he turned to me. "Are you okay?" He murmured, his eyes searched my face urgently.
I smiled, all of the fear, the anger, the hurt I'd been feeling earlier seemed to suddenly melt away. At that moment nothing else mattered, except him.
I knew I was going to be okay.
"Let's get out of here." He murmured as he started leading me away.
I'd taken about two steps when Jenny's voice suddenly stopped me,
"Billy's dead."
I inhaled sharply as shock and disbelief consumed me.
"What?" I demanded as I spun around to face her. She winced.
"It happened two years ago." Her eyes suddenly grew vacant and her lips trembled. "A drunk driver crashed into his motorcycle on the highway."
I swallowed.
"I'm sorry," I told her sincerely. "That must have been hard for you."
She nodded."His death made me realize that we don't always get second chances to do the right thing, to become better people.
A choked sob escaped her lips. "Life isn't predictable and I'd rather be known for the things I was trying to make right rather than the things I did wrong."
Her red-rimmed eyes met mine. "I swear I've changed Fallon. I'm not the girl you knew back then. Please know that I truly am sorry and if there was any way I could take back what I did to you back then I would." She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, "I know you can't forgive me and I don't blame you bu-"
"I do," I spoke up suddenly.
Her eyebrows drew together in confusion.
"I do," I said again. "I forgive you." I swallowed, "And Billy."
Her eyes widened in shock, "Fallon, how could you-" Her lips trembled, "After everything we did to you, how could you forgive us so easily?"
I tilted my head up to look at Archer who was looking at me with tenderness.
I smiled softly.
"I've learned that forgiveness isn't so hard once you're unequivocally happy."