Empathy

4- Threats and Cookies

Chapter 4

It turned out the answer was yes, it could get weirder. I was leaving the school when a girl I’d never met before, ran up to me. She was tall, skinny, tan and blonde-altogether, she looked like a Barbie doll. She jumped in front of me and glared down at me. “Who do you think you are?” She was obviously angry, but I couldn’t feel any emotions coming from her. What was up with all these people suddenly having force fields?  Not that I was complaining.

“Excuse me?” I asked, thinking she’d got the wrong person.

She scoffed and shifted her weight from one foot to the other, wobbling dangerously on her heels. “Did you really think you could get away with it?” I just stared at her as crowds of moody teenagers weaved around us. “I’ve seen you hanging out with Aiden. And the way you act is pathetic with all of your flirting.”

“What?” Was this girl serious? I didn’t flirt with Aiden! I could barely talk to the guy without stuttering; I would probably faint if I tried to flirt with him!

The girl let out a whiny laugh. “Don’t play innocent. Just stay away from my boyfriend.” Why did I feel bitter and slightly sad at that statement?

“He’s not your boyfriend Shelby,” a voice snapped from my left. I turned to see who it was and my eyes landed on Vanessa and Alexis.

Shelby instantly put a friendly smile on her face, “Alexis, I didn’t see you coming.”

“Obviously; why are you harassing my new friend?” Alexis questioned as she stood next to me, Vanessa on her other side.

Shelby frowned. “I wasn’t harassing her, we were just… talking.”

“Yeah right,” Vanessa scoffed. “Aiden’s going to be ticked when he hears about how you were ‘talking’ to his… I mean Samara, like that.”

Shelby rolled her eyes and smirked, “His what, Vanessa? You don’t honestly think she can be his-”

“Well, she is and she doesn’t know yet, so shut up before you do something stupid,” Alexis replied. “And leave her alone or Aiden’s going to force you to find another... you know what.” She’d lost me at ‘well, she is’, but Shelby seemed to understand the threat perfectly.

She flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder and stomped off, her heels clinking against the cement. I smiled gratefully at Alexis and Vanessa, “Thanks.”

“No problem, she needed to be taken down a notch. Hey, I heard you’re good at calculus,” Alexis stated, changing the subject.

I nodded slowly, “Yeah…” What else did I have to do besides study and draw?

“Do you mind helping us out? I have no idea what we’re even learning about right now,” she told me, pursing her lips and staring at me hopefully.

I felt a smile tug at my lips that they weren’t only being nice to me when Aiden was around or because they were being forced to. “Sure.”

“Great come on,” Vanessa grinned, grabbing my wrist and pulling me along with her and Alexis in the opposite way of my house. She let go of me when we reached a black jeep parked in the student parking lot.

Alexis smiled proudly and patted the jeep, “This is my baby.”

“I know, she’s weird,” Vanessa snickered, but hopped in and climbed over the seat to sit in the back. I followed in after her uncertainly and sat in the front next to Alexis.

She started the engine and asked Vanessa, “My house or yours?”

“Is your family home?” She asked in reply and Alexis shook her head. “Alright, let’s go to your house then. You know how annoying my brother is.”