Knowing Asher

Chapter|2|

"What do you want now?" I deadpanned, keeping my face carefully void of emotion.

I wasn’t weak, and I definitely wasn’t scared of her. Bullies thrive on fear. They want to see it written all over your face, to know they’ve won. I wasn’t about to give her that satisfaction. Not now. Not ever.

One day, I’d put her in her damn place.
That was a promise to myself and to every other person she’d tormented.

She pressed her lips together, pretending to think. "For you to leave," she finally said, smirking. "And never come back."

I faked a yawn.

My eyes drifted around the hallway, noticing the small crowd that had gathered - students pretending not to stare while doing exactly that. Gawking like this was the highlight of their day.

God, I hated high schoolers.

They loved drama. Loved gossip. Loved watching someone get bullied as long as it wasn’t them. Most of them did nothing. Some even pulled out their phones, recording everything to post later on school group chats, or worse, online just to humiliate the victim even more.

I ignored Katrina completely and stepped into the cafeteria, not bothering to look back and see the shock on her face.

I’d heard somewhere that ignoring someone who constantly spews bullshit is the best way to deal with them.

Yeah. Right.

Truth was, I just couldn’t think of a comeback, and it felt better.

I grabbed a plate and headed to the counter, relieved when I got my lunch for free, as always. I ate here every day, and honestly? The food was actually good.

At least, that was one thing this school got right.

I looked around and spotted my friends. Head held high, and I made my way toward them. I wasn’t about to let that girl ruin my day.

"Sup, people?" I said with a big smile, setting my tray down and giving a few casual side hugs except to my besties.

Our little clique consisted of seven:

Amanda and Lily, my two besties.

Rose, whom I’d already met.

Thomas: 6’1”, blonde hair, ocean-blue eyes, a bit of a geek, but somehow still made girls swoon. Future robotics whiz.

Rob: 6’2”, dark hair, black eyes, captain of the volleyball team, official playboy.

Angela: 5’4”, red hair, green eyes, smart, funny, and always ready to defend her friends. The ultimate source for all school gossip.

"I missed you, girl," Angela said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Me too," I replied, settling next to Amanda, who squeezed my hand in greeting.

I munched on my fries while listening to everyone recount their holidays.

"I went to my grandparents’ farmhouse in Texas. Learned how to plant stuff
, and I brought fresh apples and strawberries for you all," Angela said, pulling some fruit from her bag. We each grabbed one.

"This tastes amazing," I said, biting into an apple.

The popular table was empty. I learned from Angela that they were still on their trip to Miami. I unlocked my phone, checking Asher’s Instagram out of habit.

Pictures of the basketball team, some girls in bikinis. Katrina wasn’t there, probably miserable about it. Maybe that’s why the cheerleaders weren’t in the cafeteria either.