Before I Forget

Going down Fighting

Sky had had this nightmare dozens of times.

In the dream, she was walking into her old school, after what had happened with Matt, and everyone was staring at her, they were pointing fingers and laughing and snickering—

Sky took a deep breath to stop her legs from trembling. She had to remind herself that this was not a dream. This was not her old school. This was West Valley High in California, and this was really happening.

"Look at her, she's the girl in the photo—!"

"Shit slut!" Someone laughed, as Sky walked in the doors, she didn't see who it was but it didn't even matter. Everyone was laughing around her anyways.

She tilted up her chin, clenched her teeth, and pretended not to hear, as she walked the halls in a dream-like fog, trying to find her locker.

I'm a fucking phoenix.

Nothing can touch me.

But her pep talk wasn't really helping. She felt like she was torn and thin and stretched as if the very pores of her soul were open for anyone to throw stones at and they would go right through her.

Finally, Sky reached her locker and opened it with the key that was trembling in her fingers, when she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"...so disgusting. Can you imagine? Ew! And to think that I let her sit with us at lunch—"

Yasmine.

The memory of the photo that Yasmine had shared on her Insta, hit Sky like a wrecking ball to the gut. In that instant, the agony and anxiety that had been drowning Sky were replaced by anger, bright as a supernova that exploded in her mind and she slammed her locker with force.

"You got something to say? I suggest you say it to my face, bitch." She spoke, facing the blond girl who was standing nearby surrounded by her minions. Sky noticed Kyler, Moon, and Brucks, but Sam wasn't there.

"I got nothing to say to you, slut." Yasmine said. "I don't talk to people who like the taste of shit."

"Funny that. Since you're so full of shit yourself."

"Says the girl who likes to kiss ugly frogs." Yasmine rolled her eyes. "Just leave, I don't want you near me, loser."

Instead of leaving, Sky walked closer and tilted her chin up to meet Yasmine's cold eyes. The hurt and the anger burnt in her stomach like acid, she tasted the rage on her lips. It was one thing to insult her, but somehow it felt even worse that Yasmine was insulting Eli too.

"Some friend you are." Sky said, "Yesterday everything was good, you wanted to get our nails done together - and now you're shaming me for kissing a boy?"

"Not a boy, but a freak," Yasmine replied with a snicker.

"You are the only freak around here." Sky replied, anger cracking her voice. "What a sad, fucking life you lead! You're nothing but a heartless bitch, who's jealous of someone kissing a boy because you don't have the nerve to do anything like that yourself—!"

Yasmine laughed at her face, and said: "Jealous? Of kissing shit-lip? Please, I would never go that low–"

"Would you stop calling him shit-lip?" Sky almost shouted. "His name is Eli! Eli Moskowitz. And he's a better person than you or I will ever be–"

But Yasmine just threw her blond locks over her shoulder and turned to leave.

"Come on," she said to her friends. "Let's go, I've had enough of this loser–"