I could hardly breathe, my pulse drumming. I hated him. How much longer did I have to suffer like this?
One more year, Sarah, and then you’re off to college. You’ll escape Hayden. Just a bit more...
“Now, as far as I can see, you have no male contacts here, and you better keep it that way. I don’t want to waste my time on them too.”
“If you think you waste your time on me then stop torturing me! I’ll be completely out of your way. You won’t even see me—”
“No,” he cut me off. “Remember this?” He pointed at his temple, and my stomach dropped. “It’s your fault that Kayden and I got into that accident. You deserve to suffer.”
Our breaths mingled, mere inches separating our faces. I returned his heated gaze, unable to look away.
“Actually, maybe I shouldn’t return this phone to you.” He tilted his head to the side, looking at the device in his hand with narrowed eyes. “One can never know with you. Maybe you’ll cause another car accident with it.”
My throat closed up, my old scars bursting open, and it hurt more than anything. “Please, no more.”
“No more? I barely even started. I won’t stop until you completely lose your sanity. You’ll be lost, hopeless, and broken, and every single breath will make you bleed. And that wouldn’t even be a fragment of how I feel every single day.” He tapped his scar. “That’s justice.”
We kept staring at each other, unaware of the people around us. I couldn’t move.
A few long moments later, he pulled away from me, breaking the chain that had held us together. I could finally release my breath, and the fist that had been squeezing my heart hard loosened its grip.
He shoved my phone into my hand and strode away.
I WENT TO ART CLASS and felt relieved to see there was no one I would have to keep my distance from. It was my most favorite class, and after the encounter with Hayden, I was more than glad to be able to have my full attention on studying instead of on my classmates or my depressing thoughts.
As much as I enjoyed this class, though, it was challenging for me since Mr. Xiong wanted us to experiment with various techniques. I liked sketching and drawing with watercolors and watercolor pencils, but I struggled with other materials. I was interested in drawing people, trying to portray them as realistically as I could in different settings, but Mr. Xiong made us draw still nature or animals most of the time.
The class passed too quickly for my taste. I dragged myself down the hallway that led to the cafeteria, wishing for a twist of fate that would send Hayden far away from this school.
The lunchroom was packed with students when I joined the lunch queue, some of them staring at me as if I had three heads. I was sure that by now my fall had become viral. It made me queasy, and I didn’t actually have any appetite, but I had to eat something if I wanted to survive this day.
I placed my food on the tray, thankful that nobody tried to do anything to me in line. The students kept whispering and snickering, but I was used to that already. They always made the same reaction, which added to my social anxiety, making me more susceptible to my inner demons, self-deprecation, and extremely low self-confidence.
At least I could remain strong enough to go to my table and eat. Even though sitting alone plain sucked, it was better than skipping lunch.
As soon as I sat down, facing the rest of the cafeteria, Hayden arrived with Blake, Josh, and Masen. Like usual, they attracted the most attention, and I could already see some girls speeding to their table to join them for lunch. I lowered my head, hoping Hayden wouldn’t remember to look my way.
When I finally got the courage to raise my head and search for him, I found him sitting at his table already surrounded by girls, looking directly at me.
Oh no. My stomach made a somersault, my face growing red and hot. He didn’t even blink or move a single muscle, staring me down. What was he thinking about?
Several students around the cafeteria started whispering and pointing at something, and I turned my head to see what they were looking at. A short, chubby girl, dressed in jeans and a draped T-shirt, stood at the cafeteria entrance. I’d never seen her before. She had beautiful hair, which was long, straight, and sand-colored. She was so cute.
Blake stood up and strolled over to her, his ruthless eyes sizing her up. The whole cafeteria went silent.
“Well, you’re something new.” He grinned. “What’s your name?”
She lowered her head and blushed, giving away her insecurity and shyness. Her timidity made her a perfect subject for torture, and I could see Blake sensing it like sharks could sense blood. I already knew he was going to do something, but what?
“J-Jessica,” she said in a small voice. A couple of students laughed when she stammered.
Blake didn’t even blink. “Jessica what?”
“Jessica Metts.”
“What’s that? I didn’t hear you. Jessica what?”
“J-Jessica Metts.”
“You mean Jessica Fats?”
The fits of vicious laughter coursed through the air, and I felt cold fear as if I were the one standing there. I’d been through this same torture so many times that it felt strange I wasn’t the one who was experiencing it now.
Blake’s crooked grin gave me the creeps. “Because you’re so fat, Jessie.”
Jessica looked like she was on the verge of tears. She shrunk, giving the impression that she would run away any moment. I glanced at Hayden and saw him looking at them with no expression on his face. Christine, who was sitting next to him, caressed his hair idly, but he didn’t even pay attention to her. If he decided to join Blake, they were going to ruin Jessica and make her terrified of this place for the rest of her school life.
Jessica spun on her heel, ready to dart away, but Blake grabbed her forearm and pulled her back. “Where are you going, Jessie? Do you want to miss your welcome party?”
Oh God, no.
“My welcome party?” Her voice was so thin, and I was curious to know if that was her natural voice or she sounded this way because she was afraid.
“Yes.” He looked at the students around them. “What do you say, guys? Do you want to throw a welcome party for Jessica?” Everyone was so keen on doing what Blake had said, and it was heart-breaking. I felt like I was going to cry, scared to even imagine what would transpire in a few seconds.
A “welcome party” was Hayden’s invention. It was about “greeting” new students by throwing food at them in the cafeteria. Several students would participate, surrounding the person and throwing food at them. It was like some twisted rite of passage, which marked the beginning of student’s abhorred existence in East Willow High.
The lunch monitors didn’t care, and the cafeteria staff didn’t intervene, because Hayden had some stupid power in this school and always got away with his bad deeds. His mother was one of the benefactors of this school, so going after one of East Willow High’s most favored students wasn’t considered smart.
He and his friends were highly protected, allowed to wreak havoc whenever they wanted and bully whomever they wanted. The school staff had never helped me and they wouldn’t help Jessica now. Not when we didn’t have any power or money.
Blake stepped aside and, as if on cue, everyone began throwing their lunches at her. The first food projectiles ended right on her face. She raised her hands to protect it, making the rest of her body exposed to various sauces, fruits, and vegetables. It kept going, with some students taking pictures of it, and it was horrible just watching.