Ava's POV:
"Did you hear what happened at Luke's party? Luke got into a fight with Seth!"
"Fuck! I missed that? Damn pops and his fishing trips! What happened?"
Predictable.
"Luke and Seth were fighting over a girl!"
"Ava Makee?!"
Irrelevant.
"Her? No! She wasn't even at the party!"
"What? Ava Makee wasn't at a party?!"
Astonished.
"What's wrong with her not being at a party?"
"Ava Makee and Luke Parker are like fucking inseparable! That's what's wrong!"
Inaccurate.
"Anyways, I heard they were fighting over this girl that just transfer here."
"What? Over a transfer girl? Is she pretty?"
Fortunate.
"I don't know, but I heard -"
"Luke Parker got beat up?!"
Agitation.
I stop walking, turning my wedges towards the lockers as the students continue gossiping about what had occurred last weekend. The news between Luke, Seth, and the mystery girl - Mina - was the current hottest gossip.
Each person felt something different towards the news, some excited to see the outcome while others were bland towards it.
With earphones plug in both ends, I bob my head towards the beats as everyone continues talking.
"Oh, tell me...oh yea oh yeah, ah yea ah yeah," I began singing the lyrics to myself.
A few would glance at me, half wondering why I wasn't present.
"Oh, text me...oh yea oh yeah, oh yea oh yea."
The other half wonder why I haven't rushed towards Luke to mend his wounds.
Whenever Luke got into a fight, I was always the first to know. For years, I would fidget over him and ensure he receives everything he need even when he doesn't return my feelings.
I knew that Luke doesn't need me to lick his wounds. He almost always got a few scratches, but I babied him even when he stubbed his toe.
Looking back now, I want to stab my old self with a fork.
How stupid can you be Ava Makee?
In no doubt, the spotlight was not on me, but the mystery girl who held the hands two of the hottest males in high school. Realistically, there are more hot males at school, but the limelights always shine on those who do outrageous things. The mystery girl this week is the hottest news, but what about next week?
Who knows.
Just kidding, I do or faintly do.
In the end, I am definite that I don't give a single crap.
What I do care about is how to get a job with my parent's approval. Between keeping up my grades and cheer practices, I barely get enough time to breathe.
A tap on my shoulder caught my attention. I peek through my brown hair to see Winnie, Mary, and Sarah. Rudely, Winnie took off my earphones while I put my books away, "Yes?" I sang, giving myself a mental high five for getting an A on my last exam. Yes, I'm still mentally celebrating it.
"You and Mar had a sleepover without Sarah and me?" Winnie pout, enlarging her almond-like eyes, which were gracefully splattered with glitter. Winnie make up is always on point, "Why did you two decide to have a sleepover instead of going to Luke's party?" She brought up a topic I did not want to discuss. I've heard enough about Luke's party before its arrival.
I grab the other bud, unplug the earphones, and wrap it around my fingers, "Grounded?" I gave a half-ass response, not caring if they do accept it or not. To be frank, I want someone to do something outrageous right now so people can have something new to talk about instead of Luke's party.
Maybe I should slap Winnie across the face and see how she would react.
Winnie nods in approval of my crappy response while I place the headphones inside the small white box then my backpack. I zip it up while Winnie links our arms, "I can't believe you got grounded! You miss the party of the year!"
I gave her a half-hearted smile, "I know. Bummer."
Our walk somehow link into harmony due to old habits with Mary and Sarah gossiping behind us, "There was a fight!"
I nod, noticing how everyone was making way for us, "I know."
"Between Luke and Seth! Over this girl!" Winnie continues gossiping.
I pucker my lips and continue nodding while I walk towards my next class. My brain began wondering if the classroom had always been this far, "I know."
"Luke got beat up real bad!"
"I kn-" I stop walking and turn towards her, knowing Winnie doesn't exaggerate things. She exaggerates it at the right level. "Luke got beat up real bad? You mean he got a few scratches?"
She shook her head, hoops earrings scrapping against her jawline, "He got beat up by Seth, really bad."
My forehead crinkle, "Luke doesn't get beat up...ever. It's always the other guy who ends up hospitalized."
She places her sparkly pink nails in the air, "Av. Luke was drunk...like really wasted that night."
I stood there, bewildered by Winnie's words. I don't remember Luke drinking hardcore - I mean, he does, but not at this party. Luke never lost a fight either, including this one.
Wait...Why are they all exaggerating Luke and Seth's fight?
Yes, they do throw a few punches here and there, but at the end - that was it. The fight shouldn't be this big of a deal.
The wind blister inside the packed hallway, but shallows before it reaches me. My eyes narrow, seeing Luke stepping in. He wore his usual jersey football shirt with his name engraved in the back compliment with dark jeans. His eyes, although a brilliant shade of green, somehow felt empty. Bruises were resting on his cheekbones and right eyes, scattering the attention away from his lower cup lips.
When he took a step forward, everyone seems to back away. It wasn't any different from the past, with his charming good looks and crew, except Luke appears to be in a foul mood. Even his posse seems to be walking on eggshells around him.
Once he steps closer and closer, I clench my fists.
Luke walks past by me without sparing a glance.
Everyone notices our erratic behaviors.
"I guess you're really over him," Sarah whispered, fidgeting with her fingernails.
Once Luke disappears around the corner, I decided to walk my own path ignoring all the whispers around me.
Twirling my pencil around my fingers, I stare outside the window, unable to properly grant the teacher my full attention. "Makee." The teacher slapped the book on top of my desk—the same teacher who gracefully gave me detention on my first day in Economics. Fortunately, I also have him for Calculus.
Steadily, my eyes skew towards him; it took me a while to remember him, Mr.Nocella. With sheer black hair and lenses that didn't cover his brilliant muddy browns, he was the school most wanted, male teacher. Being in his late twenties, he is complete eye candy.
The only downside is that he has a family; a wife and two kids.
"Mind solving the problem on the board for me? It won't be hard for you, after all, that's the reason why you didn't pay attention in my class, right? Because it's too easy?" His teasing voice causes the whole class to snicker, which immediately stops when he places a finger in the air.
Mr.Nocella is the man I will fuck three months from now.
Around that time, Luke and I tore apart like a piece of paper shredded by a child. No matter what, it can never be piece back together.
I continued to bully Mina, and each day it only got worse. I would trip her in the halls, lock her in the janitor closet, spread nasty rumors about her, and even went as far as to dump food on top of her in front of everyone. By then, Luke loathe my very existence. I was the epiphany of evil.
With each passing devious deeds, they only grew closer. Each time I see them together, my hatred and bitterness only grew. I felt like Mina stole Luke from me, even when Luke never belonged to me. I was utterly broken and needed someone to fill me up.
Mr.Nocella's wife had been cheating on him for roughly a week now. In approximately a month or two, he would find out about his wife and boss entanglement. The seemingly perfect marriage will break apart, and that's when little miss slut swoops in.
I glance behind him, images of the past haunting my very soul. That desk - that was the desk where he bent me over relentlessly to release his anger.
That's all I ever was to any man, a doll to release their issues.
I can't entirely blame them for what had occurred; I choose to be that doll.