Chapter 2: As Cold As Fear
My footsteps were the only sound in the empty hallway. Click, clack, click clack, click, clack. The sound was daunting.
I had decided to skip first period Maths, nothing compares to how much I despise Maths, or just school work altogether. Certainly skipping one class wouldn't matter, my foster parents didn't care anyways.
They hadn't even been distressed when I got home from school yesterday, all crying and messed up. As soon as I entered the door they told me to wipe my eyes and put the bins out.
I hated them so much, I hated them even more than this school.
East New Jersey High wasn't as bad as I thought of it. It had polished floors and barely any mess, except the occasional spiders in the corner spinning webs. I guess it was just the reputation that New Jersey was given that kept people away. Our school was tiny, with only a total of 400 or so students. But it was filled with rich people, so I guess it wasn't too bad. Nearly everyone had sport's cars and expensive clothes. Except for me, of course. My foster parents couldn't even afford me real shoes.
The quietness of the hallway was making me paranoid, but just in time, the bell rung.
People filled the hallway to hurry to recess. Notes flew everywhere, as well as the bang of people's classroom doors and feet on the floor.
I kept my head down as usual, staring at my feet and making sure I didn't fall over my shoes like the other day. I was already the laughing stock of the whole school, I didn't want it to happen twice in a row.
Just keep walking, I thought to myself, just keep walking and you won't run into Eliza or-
"Lily," He stepped in my path.
Oh great. I didn't look up, I knew the voice. It was the same voice I had dreamed of last night. And the same voice I had cried over too.
"Stay away from me, Carter." I growled, putting my long fringe over my eyes more, still not looking at him.
"Lily, will you just look at me?" He pleaded, but I shook my head.
I took a step to the left, trying to escape from him, but he was there, blocking my way. I tried the right side, but he was there again, of course. I groaned in frustration.
"Just look at me." He said.
I narrowed my eyes at his feet. "If I do, will you leave me alone?" I said, venom dripping into my voice.
He considered this, then sighed. "Fine."
I flicked my fringe back and stared at this face, it was insistent, his eyes beseeching. He was more beautiful than yesterday.
Staring into his eyes brought back the pain, the betrayal. It stabbed into my chest like a dagger.
I glowered at him. "I looked at you, now would you move?" My fingers twitched with anger and hurt.
"Hear me out, okay?" He held his hands up as if to stop me. "Look, I'm really sorry for yesterday. If I don't hang out with my football team or Eliza or her boyfriend, she'll tell my dad, and then I'll hav-"
"Does it look like I care?" I threw at him, but in truth, I did. I cared like any other girl, and I got hurt like any other person in the world.
He looked at my anger filled face. "Well, no, but. I think you're a really cool girl, Lily, why don't we, you know? Hang out? In secret?"
In secret?
What did he think I was? A secret little play date he could fool around with whenever he wanted?
"Are you kidding me? You want to be my friend, but you're ashamed to be with me in public?" I almost screamed at him.
Carter frowned, "No, not really, but sorta kinda."
I shook my head. "Whatever, Carter, I don't want to be your friend anyway." A total lie, he was the first person to talk to me in awhile. Of course I wanted to be his friend.
And he was totally gorgeous.
I started walking away; his face was sad and disappointed. I was halfway down the hallway, when I heard him speak again, but not to me.
"Where you seriously just talking to her?" I heard a male ask from behind me. I whirled to a standstill and faced them again. Carter was in his same spot, but Douglas, one of the guys on the football team, had walked up and started talking to him.
He shook his head. "She's a dork." She said.
My heart broke once again, no surprise though.
Douglas snickered, "Got that right, hey, we were just about to dunk her, want in?" Douglas asked Carter, he hesitated.
"No, I don't think that's a goo-" he started.
"Great, you're in. You coming Holden?" Douglas asked Holden behind him, and he nodded.
Dunk her? What was that about?
They started to come towards me, and my body went cold with fear.
"No, guys, please, I don't-" I pleaded, but I was choked up like something was stuck in my throat, the tears were starting to come.
Douglas and Holden grabbed my arms and legs, dragging me into the boys' toilets, Carter was trailing behind them.
They shoved me in one of the cubicles, my head started to spin.
"Carter," I pleaded him, my eyes swimming with moisture. "Please, don't let them do this."
Douglas and Holden looked at him, Carter looked helpless.
I choked out a small scream as they shoved my head into the filthy toilet water.