A/N -
I dedicate this chapter to Ashmiachoos. You were my first loyal follower and supporter. Thanks for motivating me ❤
Holly's POV
"I can't thank you enough for today Alex," I said as I lazily walked through the school corridors towards class. Alex had managed to come, pick me up and get us to school in time. I owed him big time for this.
"But you know I was shocked that you remembered me when I called you today, you been MIA these days who knew-"
"No, I haven't, you see me every day!"
"I do in body but not in spirit."
"What are you saying...how many joints did you smoke today boy?"
"Just one for your kind information. But it's you who seems to be on a high these days. I have heard a lot about yesterday."He cocked up his eyebrows waiting for me to dish something on my date with Adam. "Come on Holly, you can't keep quiet about it forever. Don't I deserve a first-person account?"
"It wasn't like a real 'date' date but..."
"But it was."
"Look I'm sorry Alex. I feel like I owe you an apology. I don't think Adam has been the best to you-"
"No dip Sherlock."
"No, listen to me. When I spoke to him yesterday he apologized to me about that day. He was very sorry for what happened to you. He says he was troubled-"
"Troubled? He's more than troubled. He's-" Alex looked up. Mindy and Jenn were walking towards us.
"Okay Holly for once don't bite their heads off."
"I don't bite-"
"Hey, Alex." Jenn walked up to us enveloping Alex in a hug. I could see by the way she hugged him, that she really liked him and he was so stupid and completely oblivious of the fact.
"Hi both of you," I waved excitedly. I hope they weren't upset with me. There was no reason why they shouldn't be!
"Hi," Jenn said coldly. Mindy chose to stay quiet.
"Look I'm sorry Mindy. I shouldn't have screamed at you. I think I was too tired and cranky-"
"Its ok Holls," she said without even looking at me.
I could pretty much do nothing about it. Although I already felt like running to Mindy and telling her about all that happened today with that creepy Max and his biker boys.
"And I see that you have changed?"
"Yes, here." I handed her the packet which had the dress, that I had borrowed from her. "That yellow dress was a bit too adventurous for me," I said with a subdued laugh remembering how Max had feasted his eyes.
"You definitely need fashion lessons from the expert," Jenn said.
"Expert?"
"I'm talking about me, you idiot. Can't you see my amazing sense of fashion?" She twirled around. She was wearing a little purple dress, a bit similar to the yellow dress but just a wee bit tighter. Tighter. Of course. I don't think I would want fashion lessons from her.
I laughed. It was good to get normal with them. I was still worried about Mindy, but I knew she'd come around. She really cared for me. But she definitely did not care for the person who was approaching us.
Adam was coming along with his two favorite men. Jenn and Mindy had their backs to him, and I couldn't be more grateful for our standing positions right now. I made a brief eye contact with Kevin and Evans but Adam seemed to not notice my presence. I was boring a hole into him, he was still not looking at me.
"Hello?"
Jenn snapped her fingers in front of me.
"Yes?'
"I asked if you would like to come with us to the mall today? Alex's birthday is coming up and-"
Adam stopped by a locker across from us still absolutely unaware of my presence. He was surrounded by a small posse of women just being extra friendly as usual. He smiled and spoke to that girl. That woman again. The last time I saw her she had her tongue down Ashton's mouth.
Damn, I zoned out again.
I looked at Jenn who was looking visibly annoyed. She crossed her arms.
"Sorry Jenn I zoned out-"
"Again. What is so interesting behind me." Jenn and Mindy turned around. And thanks to my beautiful luck, Adam looked in our direction at that moment.
"I see. You were making goo-goo eyes at him."
"I was not! He didn't even notice me." Adam looked at me for a micro-second before looking away. "Until now..." The corner of his lips turned into an amusing smile as he began to approach us. Oh no. Adam was walking in our direction my heart felt like it would explode any second. I prayed to my angels. Please let him just pass by me without saying anything.
I opened my locker sticking my face in it, trying to track Adam's movement from the corner of my eyes. The last thing I wanted was to have a friendly group chat. With Adam and Mindy and Alex!
To my surprise, Adam passed by me. I heaved a sigh of relief as I turned around. That relief was extremely short-lived because the next thing I knew he slammed the locker shut, forcing my back to hit it with a crash.
He leaned in closer kissing my cheek. "Hi, Holly." He smiled angelically washing away the sins of his previous action.
And this is how you die of a racing heart. I felt my knees wobbly. Half of it from the adrenaline that had kicked in when he suddenly forced me to into the locker and half of it from the proximity. He was too close. I couldn't dare look to up at his face.
Probably sensing my female hormones, he backed off-putting space between us and walked away eyeing my friends. It was almost like he was taunting him. Oxygen please, I couldn't breathe. A tiny tinge of pink warmed up my face. How dare he do this. Stupid fellow. Who does he think he is, acting all cocky? I stood gaping at everything like a goldfish. I must have stood there for some time because he had reached the end of the hallway by now. Even if I tried to throw my shoe at him now the distance won't cut it.
"I did not ask him to do that-"
"You see that?" Mindy turned to Jenn and Alex. "That's what I was talking about. Look at what he just did. He thinks he owns her. That's how he is behaving after just one night. A night where nothing even happened!"
I saw Adam's actions had caused a commotion around me. There were whispers.
"Come on Jenn we are getting late for class," Mindy pulled her hand and they walked away from me.
"Are you coming, Alex?" Jenn asked. He looked at me then at Jenn then again at me.
"Yup, see you later Holly," he ruffled my hair and walked off with them.
Now what was my fault in that? I hadn't told him to kiss me, nor had I given him the right! That stupid Adam, always creating problems for me. I wanted to poke my elbow into his eyeballs. But more than that I wanted to tell him about what happened in the morning. The problem that I had created for him. Max...
***
The day went on. I was waiting for practice after school. When the school broke for recess, I searched my eyes everywhere for Mindy or Jenn or even Adam but it seems like everyone had gone into hibernation. Then I saw John. Not that I wanted to talk to him, but I needed to know where my friends were, so I unwillingly walked up to him.
"Hey, John."
"Holly!" He said with a weird sense of enthusiasm. Red flag.
"Have you seen-"
"Adam?"
"What? No, I was talking about Mindy."
"Nope."
"Why did you just say Adam though?" I prayed to God hoping that Alex, Mindy or Jenn hadn't blabbed my business to this man. The last thing I wanted John to know was the details of my night with Adam.
"Because I heard you've volunteered to be his next slut," he smiled politely, almost sarcastically.
I paused waiting for what he had just said to sink in.
"Where do you hear this from?" I tried to remain calm. Maybe he was just trying to be mean as always.
"Well, that's what everyone is saying. Heard you spent the night together yesterday? Quite a wild night."
There was no way this news had spread to half the school overnight. Unless our school had its own Gossip Girl XOXOing out texts, which wasn't the case. No one could have known if someone hadn't told them this. Either it was my friends or Adam's.
"Nothing happened between us yesterday. Not that you need to know." I started walking away.
"I heard it was you who forced yourself into his house at midnight begging him for some-"
"How dare you?" I snapped at him "Wherever you're hearing all of this from. They are all rumours!"
"Did you or did you not go to his house yesterday?"
"It was not because I- It was nothing like that, I-"
"Of course. He rolled his eyes.
I choked back on my tears. Something that I was very proud of was my self-respect and it had been crushed to pieces. No wonder people were whispering around me all day but who had leaked this half baked truth?
"And by the way Holly McCarthy, watch out," he said before walking away.
"Watch out?"
I had zero patience for this dirt bag. I needed to find out who spread this pathetic rumor. Of course, it couldn't be my friends, it had to be Adam and his group. I'll kill them for this. Maybe Mindy was right. I shouldn't have trusted Adam so much. He wasn't what he pretended to be.
I skipped the next class. Everyone seemed to be staring at me like I was a freak in a circus show. I tried avoiding their stares, but I couldn't shut my ears to what they were saying. John wasn't lying or being mean. Someone had spread the rumor that Adam and me... Whatever. I didn't care.
I lingered in the empty hallways, then walked up to my locker and pretended to be looking for something. I felt like crying but I couldn't. It was like crying at this moment would be pathetic. I was too angry to cry. I needed to talk to Adam.
The bell rang for the next class and people stormed into the hallways again. I saw Mindy and Jenn coming out of their class. They rushed towards me when they saw me.
"Holly you wouldn't believe what we just heard..."
"I know..."
"Oh, we thought that-" Mindy started to speak but Jenn cut her out.
"We are sorry Holly. It's all because of us. If we hadn't told you to do that silly dare, to go to Adam's house-"
"Never mind."
Jenn hugged me. I could feel like I was about to cry now. There was no way they did this. And there was no way Adam's minions would do anything without his consent. It was him.
From her shoulder, I saw Adam walking with his friends on the other side of the hallway. He looked like he was looking for someone. Enough of the crying. I'll give him a piece of my mind now. I pulled myself out of Jenn's grip and stormed towards Adam.
"No Holly don't-" My friends rushed behind me, telling me to stop, but I didn't stop.
"You asshole..." I walked right into him and pushed him. "How dare you spread disgusting rumors about me?" I screamed. People began looking at us.
"Let me explain..."He tried grabbing my hand.
"No way!" I pulled my hand out of his grip. The hallways went silent. "Who do you think you are? Why did you do this Adam? I trusted you..." My voice faded. I had defended this man in front of my friends, and he had absolutely shattered my trust. How stupid was I? I felt my chest tighten, I was hurt but there was no way I would let him have the satisfaction of seeing me hurt.
"Are you going to let me speak or no?"
"Go on speak in your defence. You liar. I'm waiting!"
Adam stood there eyeing the people around us. Every second of his silence was only confirming my suspicions. He looked visibly uncomfortable.
"Come with me." He tried to grab my hand again but I pulled away.
"You speak whatever you want to, right here in front of everyone!" I yelled at him.
"You know what, I'm done with you. Go to hell, you deserve no explanation." He started walking away. Kevin walked away with him. Evans stayed there.
"Holly just come with us. He wants to talk."
"Go away Evans. Go to that shameless man that you call your friend and find someone else to spread dirty rumors about. Just stay away from me, from today onwards..." I broke into tears. All of this was too overwhelming. "And before you walk away Adam..." I walked behind him forcing him to turn around. His expression was back to his cold emotionless face. "Do not ever try to cross my path again, you lying piece of-"
"Will you shut up now?" He yelled at me loudly. There it was back again, that anger on his face, that expression that scared me. I froze in fear. The entire hallway did as he closed the distance between us. But there was no way I would be dominated by this anymore.
"I won't," I whispered. "You can't always have your way. Sometimes you are nice and sometimes you are rude to me. I don't understand..." My voice started breaking. Adam was inches away from me.
"If you just listen. Come with me-" He begged.
"Why should I hear you out in private? Why can't you say whatever you want to in front of everyone? Just like you called me a slut to god knows how many people! Tell them what happened yesterday if you've got the balls. Or are you to scared because your reputation is at stake? Because for once a girl was just your friend and nothing else!" I pushed him back.
We both stared at each other in silence. His expression was once again unreadable.
"Why should I defend you?" He said calmly.
"What-?"
"No tell me Holly, why should I defend you when the rumor is true?" He yelled.
I took a step back. I felt like I was shot in my chest and I couldn't breathe. I felt sick.
"What are you saying Adam-?"
"Isn't it true Holly? You and me, we were together last night weren't we?" He shot his eyebrow up. "All night remember? Or is your memory that foggy?"
"Adam-"
"Isn't it pretty obvious that if we were together all night, then we-well we-" He trailed off looking uneasy.
I couldn't believe what he had just said. I froze not knowing what to say next. I just stared at him. He avoided eye contact with me.
"What? We what Adam?" I managed to say. It almost came out as a whisper.
Adam you're mean. You shouldn't have said that. Don't you think ? By the way do you believe in the rumors you hear? Comment and tell me, don't forget to vote as well.
Thnxxx for reading
Much love
Ananya