If the Story Aligns

Chapter 9-Infuriating Encounters

Rhea Griffin

I was kissing him. Not like just a slight peck or something small I was actively, passionately kissing him. I've never been kissed like this. It almost seems as if his kiss is searching, trying to figure out who I am, get to know me, like he truly cares.

He can't.

There's no way he can possibly truly care for me, I'm me. He only knows a fraction of who I am, and if he knew everything it would break him. Against my own desire I pull away. Looking at Asher's face he looks so happy, so content. I don't want to break him but if I let this keep going he will just end up more hurt.

"That was-" He gasps.

"I have to leave." I interrupt before he could finish and I storm out of his house, passing a confused Nia and Nora on the way. Asher is calling my name behind me trying to get me to stop but I know if I stay and talk to him I won't be able to stop myself. I hop on my bike and just ride.

. . .

I skipped my first hour today, it's the only class I have with Asher and I don't want to face him just yet. As I walk into the school heading to my second hour, this kid I've seen around a few times approaches me. I believe his name is Mark, he's in my math. I'm next to my locker when he leans up against the one next to me, way too close for my comfort. There's a few other people in the hall but not many.

"Hey Rhea, I've been dying to get a moment with you alone since you moved here," Mark creepily says as he moves a bit closer, "the things I would do to your body if you gave me the chance." He says while he is less than an inch away from me. From the corner of my eye I see one of the other kids in the hall pull out their phone to record this. People are fucking weird.

"I am going to give you 3 seconds to back away from me." I growl, he doesn't move, he just smirks and says, "I like my girls feisty."

"1.. 2.." I draw out, yet he isn't fucking moving "3.. That's it, I warned you." I shove him back slightly and throw a mean right hook directly into his face.

"What the fuck? You bitch!" he screams and pushes me against the wall, bad choice buddy, at this point more people are coming out of their classrooms and looking at the situation.

"I fucking warned you, yet you still have the fucking audacity to call me the fucking bitch after I told you no and to get away from me. Fuck off." I flip us around so he's against the wall and continue to deliver punch after punch while he's attempting to fight back. "Take this as a warning to not mess with girls when they say no. Prick." I turn around and walk away and realize there's around 30 people in the hall and half of them are videoing yet none of those fuckers made a move to try and help. Just to my luck this will probably end up on social media. I flip off the cameras quickly, hiding my face and walk away.

I walk to my 2nd hour rubbing my knuckles because they were a little red from repeatedly punching Mark. As soon as I enter the class I'm met with stares, there's no way the video has already gotten around.

"Oh my god, Rhea, what the fuck?" I hear Elysia say, "I just saw a video of you hitting Mark, what the fuck was that?"

"He was being a dick and wouldn't move when I told him too, the video already got around?" I groan.

"Everyone's seen it, a lot of people are saying Mark deserved it other people are trying to say you're psycho." She adds, if everyone on campus has seen it I wouldn't be surprised if the office saw it soon, which means I'm going to get in trouble. As if on cue, a student walks in carrying the note and my teacher reads it then looks up directly at me.

"Rhea, you're wanted in the front office." He says.

"Good luck, tell me about it later." Elysia squeaks while I stand.

I was thinking of ways I could possibly get out of this on my walk to the office. Just as I realized he started it, he tried to harass me, and that one girl was videoing so it would prove it.

I walked into the office and the desk lady looked at me and grimaced, "Ms. Griffin, I presume."

"In the flesh." I smirk

"Principal Finley is ready for you, just go through that door." She said point at one labeled principals office.

I knock on the door and am met with a faint grunt and a "Come in." He looks at me with an all too familiar look of disappointment.

"Ms. Griffin, I have been presented with some evidence of you unfairly beating up another peer." He states.

"Sir, respectfully, I would like to share my side of the story," he nods. "Mark cornered me as I was walking into school and was trying to make advances on me that I clearly told him I wasn't interested in. I felt uncomfortable and told him to get away from me which he just responded to by saying 'I like my girls feisty' and before that also told me 'the things I would do to your body if you gave me the chance' I tried to turn him down politely but he was relentless, I then warned him I would hit him if he didn't get away, and I even counted to 3." I breathe, Principal Finely looked shocked, "Once I counted to 3, slowly, might I add, I hit him once just to get the point across. Then he called me a vulgar name and pushed me against the locker. At that point I was fed up, and I felt violated, so I hit him again because he was being disrespectful. There were other people in the hall, I don't remember who but there was a blonde girl videoing it all, so I have witnesses."

"Ms. Griffin, first of all I would like to apologize for Mark's behavior, we do not tolerate that type of actions on this campus, but that does not mean you can beat up students. I hope you just go to a teacher next time, but I will excuse you this time because he was out of line, and you were just defending yourself." He responded.

"I appreciate it, Principal Finley. That is extremely admirable of you taking my situation into account." With that I let out a sigh and left the office grateful for no repercussions. If there's one thing I know is how to defend myself.

. . .