Passionate Exchange

Chapter Thirty-Seven

How can someone be so ignorant of something that's right in front of his eyes? I'm positive that Penny isn't the only person Scarlett throws insults at. He must know but he's not doing anything about it.

We don't tolerate that sort of behaviour at this school.

His words replay over and over again in my mind like a broken record as I head towards my locker. All of them are the same. Bullying was always a frequent thing back at my school in London. You couldn't go one day without seeing someone being picked on. None of the so-called authority figures did anything...but then again, neither did the students.

So many people would walk past the scene only sparing a glance in their direction. They were scared that would be them tomorrow if they looked at them for a beat too long. I was one of them. Deep down I wanted to help but I could never bring myself to do it. It was like I was trapped inside myself, desperately trying to break out of this cage I was locked in but the fear of what if held me back.

Now, I can't just do nothing. I came to Portland for a fresh start. It's different when you know the person who's being taunted by them. You start to notice things more. It creates a fire in you and their mocking words only add more fuel to the flames. I won't let Scarlett walk all over Penny as I did with the others back home. It's not fair.

There's hardly anyone in the hallways. Most of them are in the cafeteria probably still talking about the girl who stood up to Scarlett. There are only a few people chuckling away to each other outside of their lockers or waiting to be let into their classes. They don't know what I did but they soon will. Gossip travels fast here.

When I finally see a friendly face, I let myself relax. I do my best to smile when I see Penny leaning against the locker next to mine. "What happened in there?"

I rip open my locker and throw whatever I need into my bag. "I got suspended." I groan with a roll of my eyes. The words feel foreign coming out of my mouth. Me, suspended?

"Why did you do that?" The irritated tone in her voice makes me wearily shut my locker. We come face to face. The grateful smile that I was expecting is nowhere to be seen.

"What?" I falter.

"Why did you do that?" She repeats with just as much frustration.

I look around waiting for someone to jump out and tell me that this is all a joke. I wait but no one does. "Um," I start, taken aback by her reaction. "I guess I was sick of hearing her talking to us like we're dirt on her shoe."

She scoffs, actually scoffs. Not one of those playful scoffs that come with a punch on the arm or a roll of the eyes, a pissed-off scoff. "You had no right to do that."

I lean onto my locker for support. "Wh- what?"

"I can fight my own battles."

I place my hands on her arms. I feel like one of my only friends is slipping through my fingertips and I can't do anything to stop it. "I know you can, Penny. There's no doubt in my mind that you could go in there and kick her ass right now if you wanted to. I just couldn't stand by and let her say those things. She came to threaten you into getting her a date with your brother, for god's sake, that's not right."

She shrugs me off. My arms fall to my side. "I know she did, I was there."

She isn't looking at me anymore. Instead, her eyes are glued to the tiles beneath our feet. Penny has never been the confrontational type and to know that she felt she needed to confront me about this makes me feel sick. Should I have just let Scarlett say those things? It's not my fight to fight after all.