I was right when I said the next day was going to be a war zone. News about the little fight in the diner yesterday, spread like a wildfire. No matter where I was, someone was there whispering about me. Nick and Blake were the only one's not gossiping and spreading rumors about me. After Blake had given me my bag and jacket, he walked me to my locker because I had no idea where it was even though the principal herself showed it to me yesterday. Sometimes I'm helpless. Sue me.
"So how are you holding up?" He asked, gazing down at me.
I sighed, "I've already yelled at eight people for pointing openly at me and saying hateful shit, so I guess I'm okay."
"Okay? Not wishing everyone would just drop dead by the blink of an eye?" He questioned as we rounded the corner.
"I've had it worse, this, this I'm use to... Besides, it comes with being openly gay." I shrugged my shoulders as we slowed down, reaching my locker.
I opened it, putting my unneeded books inside while Blake thought over my answer. Nick caught up with us, his head and shirt completely drenched in water and his face flushed. "Ah, not another swirly, Nick! I'm gonna go teach Chris and his idiot jock friends a lesson!" He snapped starting to storm off but Nick grabbed him by the hem of his shirt.
"No, please don't Blake! You'll end up hurt and then I'll end up getting beat up even worse! Just leave it alone!" Nick cried.
Blake looked at him, his face softening before he let out a sigh, "Fine but I swear one more swirly and I'll kill them."
I butted in, "Sorry, I'm missing something..."
Nick and Blake turned to face me, "Chris Matthew is a homophobic asshole, that torments poor Nick and all the other LGBT students at this school. The rest of the basketball team helping him out like little lost puppies." Blake spat, folding his arms across his chest and leaning against the lockers.
"Yeah I met the douchbag and his little minions yesterday, and I can understand where all this hate is coming from." I replied, going back to my locker.
After the bell rang and we left to class, I spent the remainder of the morning getting yelled at by teachers for falling asleep in class or getting talked badly about. I was dead tired from Caroline yelling at me, making me clean her stupid house and then locking me up in my room without eating! My stomach rumbling and the pain that churned around in my gut was the only thing that was keeping me awake. By the time lunch rolled around, I was first out of the door and in the cafeteria. I didn't really care how bad the food here was, I. Am. Starving!
So here I was the first person and most likely only person getting cafeteria food. Smoke was coming from inside the kitchen, it smelt like cigarettes and I was forced to hold my breath. "Excuse me?!" I yelled, before hearing some pans drop and profanities thrown around before one of them ventured out.
"What do you want, kid?" Her voice was raspy and she definitely need a few mints and a decent shower.
"Uh I'm in line for food, you know considering this is the lunch line." I raised my eye brow in question.
She just rolled her eyes, "You new here or what kid? The few that actually get lunch from here have come and gone. Trust me you don't want this food."
"But their was a long line yesterday?"
She chuckled, "Yeah it was pie day, whoever gets a pie sticker on their tray gets a slice of apple pie. It taste amazing."
I bit my lip, I really wish I checked my tray yesterday, "Just give me the best thing you have, I forgot my money and I'm starving."
She groaned but place a pizza on my tray along with a chocolate milk, "Here you go."
"What, no veggies or fruit?" I joked but she just glared at me.
"Not that many kids get food here, kid, how many times do I have to say that? It's limited here, we save a lot of money. Now scram."
I rolled my eyes as she disappeared into the back, guess I don't have to pay anyone. I ventured to the table where I met Nick, he seemed extra jumpy today.
"Nick, you okay?" I asked, sitting across from him.
He gave me a half smile, "Yeah, I'm fine..."
He was lying but I didn't want to pressure him, except I really did. I just stared at him intently as I ate my lunch, he figited uncomfortably.
"Okay! I'll tell you!" He cried, glaring at me. He looked around, checking to see if the coast was clear, "Someone kissed me..."
"Care to elaborate? Someone? Male, female, names?"
He huffed rolling his eyes, "It was a guy, he's on the basketball team..."
"Is that all you're going to give me?" I whined.
He smirked, "Yup," But his smirk faltered slightly, "Please don't tell Blake..."
"But Blake's your best friend, wouldn't you want him to know?" Back in New York, I literally told my best friends everything even if most of them were straight.
He huffed, playing with his dr. Pepper can, "I love Blake, I do tell him everything, everything but these kind of things... Even when we were younger, Blake has always been over protective of me. He'd go psycho, going to track down the guy, you already saw him earlier."
"So basically you can't tell him about any guy you're emotionally and physically involved with?" I questioned, if you asked me, it seemed like Blake had a certain crush on little Nicky here.
"No, not like that... Any guy that I have a fling with, well he gives them the shake down. After he complains about how they aren't good enough for me. Except he is going to get a screw loose if he finds out it was someone from the basketball team." Nick explained, gently, as if catching were my train of thought was going and trying to say it was crazy.
I smiled, "I'll keep my mouth closed, but seriously, maybe I'm not that far off.." The warning bell rang as I finished the gross lunch.
"I have to hurry to class, or the teachers gonna lock me out of the classroom again. Bye Ariel! Txt you later!" With that said Nick ran off, leaving me alone.
I felt sick from the lunch but I chucked it and left to my locker. I was pulling out my books when I heard the sniveling, nasal voice. "Careful ladies, she'll totally jump you. I heard that she like already tried to get three girls but luckily they got away! That's why they transferred her here, for Ms. Vernon to change her ways." I glared as Taylor's friend from yesterday, gossiped about me to a bunch of girls, "Just the other day, she practically through herself onto Taylor! It was utterly disgusting, but Chris was there and they got rid of her!" She gave them a confident smirk, before she caught my angry eyes. She glared, causing the others to look at me, some with anger others with fear that I'd make them some kind of victim.
"You don't honestly believe this girl do you?!" I demanded taking a few steps towards them.
They just backed up against the row of lockers, "Like I said, be very careful ladies." Just as she finished, the bell rang and they scattered. She stayed, giving me a once over, "You disgust me."
"Wait so you make up all these lies that I'm some kind of rapist because of my sexual perfrence and I'm the disgusting one?!"
She rolled her eyes, "Stay away from Taylor and me, my story could've been true for all we know. I was protecting those girls, who knows what your capable of?! The illess you carry has already spreaded to your head and if it's contagious, well you better just pray it's not." With that she sauntered down the hallway.
My jaw dropped, was she really that stupid to think that liking the same sex was some kind of disease?! I didn't know whether to throw a tantrum, cry or throw up! I wasn't a cry baby, never again, so I decided for the later considering the cafeteria food was really getting to me.
I ran to the bathroom, letting everything out before just sitting there. I heard the door open before someone called out, "Ariel?"
I've heard that voice before, I was just shocked she was even in here, "What do you want, little Miss. Pom Pom?!"
I heard her sigh, "Look," She breathed deeply, "I am sorry about yesterday, for everything.. I'm just so... Nevermind that, are you okay?"
I groaned, standing up and opening the door, "I ate the cafeteria food..." I grumbled before washing my mouth out with water a few times and then pulling out a piece of gum.
"Gross, no one warned you?"
"Nick, and the lunch ladies but I was starving." I whined as my stomach clenched in knots as we held eye contact.
Something in her eyes darkened slightly, "Who's Nick?"
"A friend, geez considering you live in a small town I considered you to know everyone." It was probably just the lighting of the bathroom, she couldn't be jealous, she was practically homophobic yesterday!
She stepped closer to me, "You don't look so good, here come with me." Before I had the chance to object, she connected our hands send chills through out my body, and pulled me out the door.