Highschool Clichés

~Chapter 21~

"You look like you've been hit by a truck," Brenna says, eyeing me from head to toe, "What's wrong?" 

I shove my books into my locker with more force than necessary and grumbled, "No sleep." A look of recognition crosses her face before she glares at me. "Don't tell me you're still thinking about what I said Saturday." I give her a look that told her all she needed to know and she rolls her eyes at me. "Stop stressing about it, Raven. That was just me looking out for you." 

I take a deep breath, trying to calm the familiar burn in my veins that was coming to the surface. "And I'm grateful for it, but how can I not think about Naomi possible coming at me and beating the shit out of me after what I did to her?" When Brenna came over at the cabin Saturday in the middle of the night to warn me about Naomi's plans, sleep hasn't found me since, and that was three days ago. Seth on the other hand, was calm about the whole thing, as if Naomi's threats wasn't much of a threat to begin with. I certainly was not sharing the sentiment. 

"You beat her once, I'm sure you can do it again," Brenna says with a disinterested shrug, and I raise on eyebrow at that, "Thanks for that by the way." I chuckle despite my discomfort. Somehow, people found out about the fight between Naomi and I two months ago, and the sudden raised interest has been making me uncomfortable, more so than usual. The fatuous conversations people would try and have with me, the forced kindness along with their ingenuine smiles and words, which were definitely a bonus to how much of a suck up people can really be.

"I love your hair, Raven..."

"You have pretty eyes..."

"You and Seth look so perfect together..." 

"Did you really beat Naomi with a hammer? I can't believe I ever liked the bitch, you're definitely prettier than her though..."

Going to school everyday just to face this level of dissimulating behavior from everyone is absolutely draining. How does Naomi do it? Keeping up with all these different attitudes to stay at the top of a social pyramid that really doesn't matter at all when you graduate? She didn't look half as stressed out as me, but I guess that's where the self-centered, egoistical behavior comes in. As much as everyone worshiped the ground she walks on, no one was stupid enough to stand up to her, much less stake the claim on the guy she forbids anyone to get close to. 

No one until me.

"Think of it this way," I snap out of my thoughts, zooming in back on Brenna, "You were the first person to knock the Queen down a peg or two. In my book, that's an accomplishment, especially knowing how vicious said Queen can be."   

I grumbled out a response, "Your not helping." 

Brenna just shrugs, turning around to point at the students passing us by in the hallway, not hiding their blatant stare, "They think that you might actually be more popular than Naomi, and that's saying a lot considering the circumstances you got the attention from in the first place." My mind instantly thought back to the time I stood up to Naomi at the party she had to embarrass someone I thought was my friend. And look at me now, struggling to keep my sanity because of a new problem I don't see a sliver lining to.