As I made my way to my locker to take my chemistry book, my brows furrowed at the crowd surrounding it. I pushed through the crowd wondering what was the commotion about.
What the hell?!
I stared at my locker with my eyes as wide as saucers.
All kinds of insults stuck to it.
Whore.
Slut.
Bitch.
And a lot more I didn't even want to read. Who the hell did this? I angrily started ripping it from my locker. I heard laughter and some snide remarks about me and tried my best to ignore it as I tried to rip all of it. Tears stung my eyes but I didn't let them fall. I wouldn't let these people get any more amusement by my humiliation.
"What the hell?!" Megan's voice came and a hand joined me in ripping off the papers.
"Who did this?" she asked me.
I shrugged because I was in no state of speaking. If I spoke my voice would crack and I would start crying.
"What are you staring at losers? Show's over. Get back to your classes," Brooke ordered and every one scattered. They tried to be subtle but I could tell they were all talking about me.
A hand clamped down on my shoulder. "I'm gonna kill her," she muttered in a deadly voice.
"You know who did this?" Megan asked.
I still didn't turn away from my locker, even after Megan and I ripped every last bit of paper. I couldn't.
"That bitch. Kelsey. Who else? I knew something like this was going on in her head," she said.
"Why would she..." Megan trailed off.
Then she turned me to face her, apology written all over her face.
"I'm so sorry, Ellie. It's all because of me," she said.
I shook my head and cleared my throat before speaking.
"What are you talking about? This isn't your fault. It isn't anyone's fault," I said.
"It's Kelsey's and she's going to pay," Brooke said, her jaw clenched. "I'm going to break her nose."
"Break some ribs too while you're at it," Megan said which brought a faint smile on my lips.
"Just watch. When I'm done with her, you wouldn't be able to tell if she got bruises or bruises got her," Brooke said, rolling up the sleeves of her top.
"Are you sure?" I asked hesitantly.
"Of course I am. Why do you think I take all those fighting classes? It's for times like this. To put some goddamn bitches in their place," she said.
"I mean, are you sure it was Kelsey?"
"Who else would it be?"
"Could be anyone," I said, not wanting to jump to conclusions.
"It's her. It's because you hang out with me. She hates me and it's her way of telling you to stay away from me," Megan said.
I looked Megan in the eyes.
"Stop it, Megan. It has nothing to do with you. Stop blaming yourself," I said.
She started to say something, but I cut her off with a look. She nodded.
"Where can I find that bitch right now?" Brooke said, looking around the hallway but she wasn't there. Which made me think Kelsey wasn't the one who did this. Because if it was her doing she would want to see the show for herself.
"Let me confront her," I said with no room for argument, but Brooke was the kind who could squeeze her way anywhere.
"No! Let me. I'm far better at confrontations than you," she said.
True. But I didn't want her to get suspended or anything so I calmed her down and assured her if Kelsey really did this then she can break her nose. And ribs too.
I didn't know what to expect when I entered the class. By now everyone would know about it. Illinois Academy put shame to high speed Internet in sharing information.
It was the first time something like that happened with me. People didn't straight out bashed me but my supposed friends didn't speak to me either. I didn't have many classes with Brooke or Megan so I felt alone. More alone than I felt before I started hanging out with Kelsey and her clique two years ago.
I didn't know why she did this or if she even did this but I didn't find her so I could ask her myself.
****
"I'm so excited!" Brooke gushed, making me looked at her rather than behind her. We were at the cafeteria and so far I only got stink eye from some girls, adding to the list of potential culprits.
I smiled at her.
"I know you are," I said.
"Dave is finally coming to visit me," she told me. Again. She got a call from him this morning after the 'incident' telling her that he was coming over for a week.
"About time," my gaze flew back to the scene behind her.
It'd been three days of me ignoring Asher. I would say it was easy, but honestly, it wasn't. More so because we were living under the same roof. He was undeterred these past few days. He never left a chance to make me feel uncomfortable. He used the knowledge about the effect he had on me as his dagger and shoved it again and again in my heart.
And it hurt all the more that Kelsey was sitting beside him, being excruciatingly friendly. Now I wanted to believe it was Kelsey so that Brooke could break her nose and some teeth. I wanted to confront her now but I didn't want to cause a scene. Did Asher know about what happened? Of course, he knew. Everyone knew. He just didn't care. Just like he told me not to.
"Earth to Ellie," Brooke waved her manicured hand in front me.
I blinked at her.
"What?"
"Are you even listening to me?" she asked, a bit annoyed that all her attempts to distract me were going to waste.
"Of course. Why do you ask?" I said, my eyes glancing behind her on their own accord before settling on her frowning face.
"Because you were sipping from the already empty juice box for past two minutes," she said.
I furrowed my eyebrows and shook the juice box and sure enough it was empty.
"How do you even know it's empty? It's not like it's transparent or anything," I said, putting it down.
"You were making those slurping noises," she said. "What are you even looking at?" She started to turn around and I panicked. If she knew Kelsey was here then she would march right up to her without giving it a second thought.
"Nothing! I'm not looking at anything," I blurted and mentally slammed my head on a wall.
She narrowed her eyes on me and turned her head back. Her fingers, holding a plastic fork, clenched. I looked at what she was looking and my heart stuttered. Kelsey was leaning onto Asher, whispering something in his ear. But that was not what made my mouth go dry. It was Asher. He was looking straight at me. His eyes were focused on me with such intensity that all breath left me and I didn't realize when Brooke stood up and strode towards their table.
When I did, she was already halfway and there was no way of stopping her. All eyes were on her and the cafeteria became silent.
I stood up and hastily followed her. I had to stop her from kicking before talking.
It was the popular table, made by joining two tables to accommodate the popular crowd. They were busy among themselves and didn't see us coming. They were still busy talking until Brooke slammed her hand on the table in front of Kelsey. She finally looked up and raised her eyebrows.
Brooke muttered something in Spanish before she made a grab for her hair. I pulled her back.
"Talking first," I said.
"You talk. I'll knock," she said.
"Brooke."
Her shoulder slumped and she muttered a fine.
I looked at Kelsey, but my gaze fell on her hand that was on Asher's thigh. I forced my eyes to look at her face trying to ignore the sudden urge to knock her out cold.
"Was that you?" I asked.
"Was what me?" she said, furrowing her brows in confusion.
"Is. You are a bitch," Brooke said and I heard several gasps.
I threw a look at Brooke, telling her to shut up and let me do the talking.
She ignored me.
"Excuse me?" Kelsey said, her left hand that was resting on Asher's lap flew to her chest.
"Did you stick that stuff on my locker?" I asked.
"What stuff?"
My patience was thinning by the second.
"You know what," I gritted through my teeth.
"No, Ellie. I don't," she said crossing her arms over her chest.
I got all the confirmation I needed. Brooke did too, but I didn't think she needed any.
"I can't believe it, Kelsey. How can you stoop so low?"
She stood up.
"Do you think I did that? That kind of thing is so cliché. And you should know better than anyone that I don't do cliché," she said.
Brooke scoffed behind me. My eyes flew to Asher who had scoffed too, but nobody seemed to hear him. I snapped my eyes back to Kelsey.
"Have you ever seen yourself in a mirror, Kelsey? You are a walking, talking cliché. Everything about you is full of clichés," I said.
Her face reddened.
"Take that back," she gritted.
Brooke let out a chuckle.
I smirked.
"Do you think me taking that back would change anything?" I challenged.
"I should have never let you in. I knew you were a backstabbing bitch," she said.
"What are you talking about? You are the one who stabbed me in the back," I said.
"Oh don't play innocent, Ellie. Everyone knows you are anything but. I gave you popularity and friends and what did you do in return?"
Before I could say anything she continued. "You know what? I can take it back. I can take everything back. In fact, you are doing a great job at it yourself by hanging out with Loser Red," she said, a evil smirk on her lips.
I was glad that Megan wasn't here to hear her talk shit about her.
I heard chairs scrape against the floor and Dana and Amy and some other girls came to stand behind Kelsey. Her own little army.
"Don't bring her into this," I warned her.
"Or what? You feel bad for her, Ellie? Of course you do. People tend to feel bad for others like them," she said and the girls behind her laughed.
I was against violence, but a punch in the face wouldn't hurt much.
"Let me go!" Brooke cried from behind me and I looked back. Trevor was holding her back as she tried to lunge at Kelsey. I gave him a thankful look.
"What is your problem?" I demanded.
She let out a humorless laugh and her cronies followed her laugh. Talk about cliché.
She sobered up and narrowed her eyes. "My problem? My problem is you. Everyone thinks that you're so good. That you can't do anything wrong. Why don't you drop the act Ellie? Show everyone what you really are," she sneered.
"And what would that be?" a voice drawled.
All pair of eyes fell on the owner of the voice.
"I also want to know what Anderson is hiding behind that pretty face of hers," Asher said.
How did I even think for a moment that I liked him? He was a jerk. I was a fool to care about him when he didn't give a shit about me at all. I drained my face of all emotions. The strongest was betrayal, followed closely by hurt, a lot of it.
Kelsey's eyes shined as she opened her goddamn mouth to insult me some more.
"She's a two faced bitch who changes boys like they are clothes," she said.
"Sounds like you," Asher said but covered it up by a cough.
Kelsey was busy insulting me so she didn't hear him. But I did. I had no idea whose side he was on. Ugh! He was so confusing.
"Did your mother teach you that?"
Oh no she didn't.
Before I even realized what was happening my fist flew and I punched her on the face.
"What the fuck!" she cried, cupping her cheek.
"Don't you ever say a word about my mother," I threatened lowly, but my chest tightened.
"How dare you?!"
She reached for her tray, probably to throw food at me. Everything happened fast. A hand shot out to keep her from emptying the content of the tray on me, making it fall on her instead as I was hauled behind, crashing on a hard chest.
She cried in frustration as her friends tried to calm her, surrounding her.
"Shut up!" she yelled and the girls took several steps back.
"I'll get back at you, you bitch," she advanced towards me.
"Stop right there," a voice said behind me and I realized I was pressed against Evan.
Kelsey didn't listen.
"Another one of your freak friends?" she said looking at me.
Would another slap hurt? I hope it does.
"If you touch her, you're dead," Evan said in a cold voice.
She looked at him, her expression changing to something I didn't recognize, but it was gone just as soon. Her scowl was back in place.
"Who are you? Her boyfriend?"
"Yes," he said without missing a beat. His arms tightened around me.
That seemed to please Kelsey as she backed off. Her anger disappeared.
"Well then, keep your bitch on a leash," she said.
His arms fell from my waist as he came in front of me. He grabbed Kelsey's wrist and shoved her in front of me.
"Apologize to her," he ordered.
She looked at him, her eyes bulging from her sockets.
She scoffed.
"I won't."
"Do it," he hovered over her. I had never seen Evan look so scary as he did in that moment. And it seemed neither did Kelsey as she quickly said a barely audible apology.
Evan grabbed my hand and faced the entire cafeteria. "If anyone even looked at her the wrong way, I'll make sure you experience hell right here on earth," he announced and started walking out of the cafeteria with me tailing him.
"I second that," Brooke said as she shoved a starstruck Kelsey, who stumbled before regaining her footing and glaring at her.
"Freaks," she muttered.
Just before we walked out of the double doors, my eyes wandered back to the cafeteria. To Asher. I would be lying if I said I didn't hope it was Asher instead of Evan who was holding my hand right now.
His expression was dark as he stared at my hand in Evan's.
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