|| Present ||
Much to my dismay, the Christmas Break was over and we had to go back to the hellhole I was bonded to be for another six months. I really couldn't wait to get the hell away from here. The past trimester I'd been working really hard on my marks, since there are no chances I would get an scholarship from photography as I initially planned and Granny couldn't affort to fully pay my enrolment with just her pension. I found a job three nights in restaurant not far from here and on weekends I volunteer in a Studio in the city.
But it still not enough. I needed to improve my marks since this past trimester I only got three +A. At any other moment or situation I would had been more than glad with my straight A curriculum and only one +B in Maths, but now it wasn't enough. I needed to step up my game.
But aside from the academic situation, my social life wasn't any better. The past months, the harrasment had reached an intensity I'd never experienced before. Brett used to mess with me and some other joined too but it never had been in this level of humiliation as Jade explored last semester. Picking on me in front of everybody and completely helpless. I felt like trash.
And now he was back to took over where he left it. They'd team up to bring me down even further. Why? I didn't know. We used to be a group. Them both, Macy and I. Until Brett decided it wasn't worth and threw our friendship away to bully me relentlessly.
I was glad I had Macy with me still, and now Norah.
From the corner of my eyes I caught a glimpse of the one person I'd been trying to avoid since I stepped out the house this morning. The very person for who I took the side entrance instead of the main and the same that made me ditch the girls in hope to take the long way and avoid any contact.
My heart picked up and I tried to hide behind the locker's door. He was talking to some of his soccer mates. What were the chances that he saw me?
I heard their laughed and hollers, greeting the team star's comeback after a trimester away. In my opinion, a too trimester short. I heard their footsteps as each go their own way and shut my eyes closed and prayed with all my will.
Please don't come, please don't come, please don't-
"Hey there."
Damn it.
His voice sounded way too close and smooth but with an amused under tone that gave me goosebumps. I knew this was bound to happen, but facing the devil was never something you can properly prepared for.
I haven't seen him since half a year ago, when I told him those awful things after he turned my life upside down before leaving for a soccer course and an intensive in Orlando the past trimester. Will he want revenge? Knowing him it might be a possibility. And now neither Macy nor Norah were with me. Brett had cornered me the perfect time. He always does.
His arm rested on the top of my locker, caging me between him and the door, and I kept my face down so my hair fell as a curtain. A shudder squeezed me and I had to force my breaths to remain calmed as I kept packing my books.
"Well," Brett now sounded annoyed at my lack of response. Well done, Alyson. "How's been everything lately?"
"Fine." I quietly mumbled hoping for him to let it go.
"Did you miss me?"
Not at all! But instead I just shrugged and closed my locker. "I have to go to class." I mumbled still avoiding his gaze.
"Alright." was his response but he still didn't move an inch.
I furrowed my brows. The hell is his problem? What part of 'I want you out of my life' didn't he get? I softly cleared my throat, not wanting to start the back from Christmas break with the wrong foot. "Can you please move?"
"Won't you look at me?" Brett asked instead and my heart raced as the grip on my book tightened.
"I don't want to be late..."
"Oh, spare me, Giggles." he huffed not buying my bullshit and suddenly snatched the science book from my grasp, making me gasped. Baffled, I finally looked up and was greethed by his mesmerizing blue orbs. I used to love those eyes. I used to think they were so beautifull an unic they must be from heaven. But that was when I was a little girl. Years passed and life put me in my place, with no prince charming with magic eyes.
I realized he'd change this past months. He'd grown about three inches and his whole body looked broader, more musculed. I got to admited he did look great. His short aurburn hair messed in that way that drives girls crazy and his smirk now told me he just caught me checking him out. My cheeks blushed and I focused my gaze to the book in his hands, ignoring the fact that some people on the hallway had already stopped to watch amused.
Anxiety clenched my guts. This couldn't end well. It never does with Brett Ryder.
"C-can you give it back, please?" I asked breathlessly and extended my arms but he held it out of my reach with a playful smirk.
"What if I don't?"
A shiver ran my body down as a flashback exploded on the back of my mind. This was too similar to what happen at the end off junior year. Disgustingly way too similar. I'd been there before and my stomach twisted at the memory. I felt more and more eyes on our little scene and another memory assaulted me.
You stay away from us, all of us.
My chest tightened and panic made his way through my veins. Jade's threat was too fresh on my mind and body. I didn't want to push her nerves again, but Brett had been the one to approach me. What was that? A plot? He teassed me so Jade could punnish me later? This is sick.
I was practically hyperventilating and he lifted one brow at me.
"Lys?"
"Y-you know what?" I stuttered taking a step back. "Keep it."
Brett frowned, but before he could say anything or we could dragged anymore attention I pivoted my heels and practically ran to my class head down, away from everyone's eyes as my heart painfully pounded in my chest.
Thank God, I got science with not one but both my friends, and as soon as I spotted Norah in the middle, examining her nails while painting them with tippex, I let myself fell on the desk next to hers.
"Hey, girl!" she greethed with a smile. "You want me to fashionize your hands."
Recovering my even breaths and normal heartbeat, I eyed her white nails carefully. "Is that even safe? Isn't it, like, toxic or something?"
"Oh, please." she snorted waving her hand to dry her fashion. "You worry way too much."
"Or you way too less." retorded Macy sitting infront of us with a smile.
"You chicks don't get to enjoy the life in all it's brightness."
I giggled, finally getting over the little rush back there. "Tippex polish is part of the life's brightness?"
"Of course!" she gasped, eying us like we were the cray ones. "Along with the midnight tarot and fries with Coke."
We struggled to keep a straight face but after some painful seconds the three os us bursted into laughing.
Macy Larson had been the only friend I could keep from my childhood. After the bullying started, people began turning their backs, but not Macy. She was always there by my side, holding each other up when things go rough. She moved here when we were like seven and kids immediately started making fun of her because of her skin -which I really couldn't undertand 'cause in my opinion she was super pretty. That was the very first time Brett and I had an argument. When I sat with her on the lunch he told me not to but I didn't heard. Back then, I thought it was cute he wanted to protected me. So naive.
I really don't know what possessed Norah to join our little outcasted duo when she came, but I'm super glad she did. I mean, I love Macy like my own blood, but Norah brings laughs and craziness to the group and we really needed that.
She was one of the twins I get to tour around the first day to make credits. It turned out it wasn't that bad. Norah made it everything easy, and as for Connor... the only time I get to stay alone with him during the tour as his sister used the bathroom I did what I usually do when I'm nervous: I rambled like there was no tomorrow. He glared at me and told me to leave him alone. Which I did, affraid to upset him.
But opposite to him, Norah Mendley craved attention. She loves all eyes on her. You can easy tell by her pink medium lenght mane and her blunt way to approach people.
She was so not the kind of person I would had befriended, but her sweet side melted me and her loyalty is admirable.
Even if she likes to dip her fries in Coke.
"How disgusting." I scrunched my nose pulling out my belongings and Norah shrugged.
"Your lost."
"Oh, by the way." Macy took a familiar textbook from her backpack and handed it to me. "Somebody gave me this for you." I gawked at her, taking my book.
"What-? Who?"
"Who do you think?" she rolled her eyes. "The same person who took it."
Norah tapped my forehead mockingly but I pushed her finger away and scowled.
"Brett Ryder?" my voice had a pretty obvious disbelief tone but I couldn't help it. "You're sure?"
She laughed.
"Absolutely."
My brows knitted together in bewilderment and suspicion. "What's his deal?"
Macy shrugged. "If you ask me, he seemed pretty genuine."
I didn't buy that for a second. There's always a deal with him. He seemed playful or even gentle and then something snapped and things ended up broken.
My barbie, my arm, my camera, my dreams...
The further I stay from him and his people, the better. Yes, it sounds like a plan.
But as usual, I spoke too soon.
Some hours later, as I entered the cafeteria pulling out the five dollar bill Granny gave me to by food since she ain't got time to made me anything this morning, but out of the blue my foot got stucked with something and I found myself falling face first. I whimpered, getting up in a sitting position and palmed my throbbing nose and elbows. It hurt, like really, but not as much as the muffled laughs and giggles around.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there." I knew that mocking, false concerned voice.
Jade Stefan was looking down at me, her perfect golden hair flawlessly brushed backwards and her slim arms folded over her chest, hip to one side. She was wearing one of those crossed V-neck shirts and denim shirt that I wasn't allowed to wear due to my lack of female curbs, but that she rocked. It wasn't fair Jade looked like a model while I was literally on the floor. Because she tripped me.
She was my best girl friend before Macy; but as I said before, she was one of those that left me when Brett decided to oppenly hate me. Worst. Not only she left my side, but completely turned against me. So hard I realized she'd must never really liked me in the first place. Isn't hard to figure out why: she's always hanging by Brett's arm so if he hates me she does it double. But the dark hatred I saw in her big blue eyes everytime our gazes meet... I'd never thought she could loathed me that bad. I never did anything to her!
And the fact that she was the cheer captain didn't actually help my case. Her influence dig deeper. I shivered when I remembered how on our first day as seniors she poured her entire smoothy over my head and warned me to stay away from them or this would only be a preview of 'how this year is gonna be'.
That broke my whole schedule. I'd been hoping that since Brett was boarding schools the first trimester the bulling would stop, but no. She took it upon herself to make me miserable, finding creative and awful ways to make my life a living hell.
Nobody tried to stop her. Nobody ever does. Only Norah wanted to punch her in the face but I know fight back would only lead to more mess, so I just take it and hope for her to tire up.
But of course she didn't.
Her red lips tugged upwards in a sweet smile, but I saw the hatred past it. "You're always on the way, aren't you?" Somehow most of them always manage to put that perfect innocent facade in front of everyone and made it look like the blame's on me. "You forgot what we talked yesterday? How unfortunate."
My breath hitched. This was for Brett, of course. The whole 'stay away from us' thing. But I did keep my distance. He was the one who came to me! I told you they got this planned.
"I'm sorry." I struggled to get up, ignoring the whispers and looked around but unable to prevent a blush at the amount of attention. Why I was he one apologizing was beyond me, but at this point I'd learnt to go along with them so the torments last short.
Jade proved me right when she smugly nodded. "Alright, I'll forgive you this time but I'm gonna keep this." as she purred that last word, the tip of her beautiful Jimmy Choo stepped on the forgoten bill I lost in my fall and was in the floor between us. I watched helplessly as she slowly dragged it out my reach. She knew my current situation, she knew I didn't have more money in me and that would mean I won't eat at all. But the cruelty derisive shinning in her pale eyes made me realize that was her main aim. She was punnishing me for going against her. She bent forward, lowering her tone. "Now move along, we all know anorexics doesn't really need to used this place so spare us your sight."
Yeah, she was plenty consciencious of my insecurities about my permanent thinness, I complained about it to her before she decided to hate me. And Jade just go and used it against me. I was so not an anorexic. But I got fast metabolism and no matter how much I've eaten I ain't gain a pound. Macy had told me how jealous she is multiple times, but in reallity it sucks. I would die to have their bra size, but no, I was granted with a twelve year old cleavage. One time I decided to used socks but it looked worst. Good job there, nature!
Jade's friend, Shannon, laughed next to her and made another awful remark of how unattractive I was, blowing more from my precarious self-esteem. It suddenly felt like all eyes were on me and I couldn't handle it far longer.
Not seeing my friends anywhere I choose for a quick escape. Mumbling another sorry I pushed pass them and rushed out the cafeteria. Their laughs still printed in my mind, tho. As soon as I reached the ladies bathroom I locked myself into a stall, sat on the closed toilet pulling my knees to my chest and burried my face there so it muffled the sobs I'd being suppressing the whole day.
I was sad, hungry and just had been humiliated yet again.
Definitely this week was getting worse and worse as it went on.
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QUESTION: Favorite food?
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