Free to be

16

Monday comes around, Halloween. I was born one day before Halloween and my mom was very thankful, she did not want me and the holiday to share a birthday. I dress up as Sue Bird for Halloween, it was the easiest outfit I had, my shero's outfit was already in my closest. I have been so exhausted worrying about Sienna this whole weekend that I forgot that I am supposed to have brought candy to school for a fake trick or treating at lunch time.

"Here." Jenny appears out of nowhere, pressing a bag of candy into my hands. When did she start looking after me?

"Thanks." She nods before walking off.

"Wait, Jenny your money!" I say waving the cash I got for her but she grins and spins around waving an identical note.

"I managed to not loose it." I watch in awe as she walks away. My little sister is growing up. I am the mess now.

"Look sharp." Danna mutters and I glance up frowning when I spot Sienna marching down the hallway with her gang trailing behind her. She is dressed as Elsa and I would say the outfit suits her. Particularly when there seems to be ice shooting from her eyes. My stomach clenches at the cold impassive look on her face and my heart breaks when I spot the cast on her arm. Her wrist is bandaged up and I know instantly how.

"Has she said anything about not coming on Saturday?" Erin asks with a frown and I shake my head.

"She has a broken arm." Jake says with a shrug and Erin rolls her eyes at him.

"Broken arms do not stop people from calling to apologise for not pitching."

He is silent after that as we watch her approach. For a second I think she might give me a smirk, like yesterday's call never happened. Maybe she will flip her hair and smile at me. Instead it is worse than I thought it would be.

"What are you staring at?" Her venom filled voice hits me in the chest like a thousand knives. Nothing has felt so sharp since I cut myself on a steak knife and had to get five stitches when I was 10. Her posse glares at me as I do something uncharacteristic and shrink against my friends, Danna's arms come around me as we watch her sneer at us before moving on.

"I am sorry, Tori." Danna mutters squeezing me as I stare after her, the hallway saw that, they recorded it and I am still standing feeling like the rug has been pulled from under me.

"Why do you even care, it is not like you two were really friends anyway."Erin says in a muttered voice and I know she doesn't mean it in a rude way but her words sting.

"I don't." I bite out, slamming my locker, shoving the bag of candy in Jake'ss arms and marching off. I make it with my head held high until I find what I think is an empty classroom and slam the door shut, hand to my heart as I feel the tears prick atthe back of my eyelids. A million thoughts run wild in my mind but mostly my brain just replays the look in her icy eyes, the hatred. Like everything was my fault.

"Victoria are you okay?" I jump, opening my eyes, a tear betrays me and slips down my cheek.

"Shit, sorry!" I cringe at my language "Thought this is a classroom, an empty classroom."Even I can hear how hollow my laugh is. She frowns and gestures to the seat in front of me.

"Sit, we don't even have to talk."She hands me a box of tissues and I hate that I need them. I admire the decoration in her office, very 'spooky' with hanging spiders and webs. She is even dressed up in a princess dress. Very good spirited of her.

"Sue Bird, nice." She nods and i grin despite the hurt inside.

"You know her?"

"My wife loves her." She has a wife? My stomach jumps and I frown.