Unpopular - Enemies to Lovers

➸ 16

Maude's POV

I sat in Chrissy Carrigan's stylish basement and fiddled with my sweater.

She had thrown a small get together for about 15 of our closest friends, and it seemed everyone was having fun but me. Felix's words about me being a bully kept ringing in my ear. I knew it was true.

I was sure Chrissy only threw this party to be near Michaelson and she had no idea that her best friend was sleeping with him behind her back.

Now that I knew Lara was secretly hooking up with Chrissy, my perspective on our friend group had changed entirely.

I watched as Lara smiled in Chrissy's face, but stole glances at Michaelson. I saw the way Lara and Michaelson suavely smirked at each other in group conversations because they thought they were getting away with it...

I had severely ruined my friendship with Jack and Felix for these people. Was it worth it?

I didn't think it was.

I loved Eve. She was my oldest friend and someone I trusted, but my feelings of admiration for her were clouding my judgement. Eve was mean.

It was difficult for me to call her that because I knew her so well. I knew that she had a sweet side and her own intense personal issues, but that didn't excuse the constant insults she was hurling at other girls.

Even now, Eve was still talking shit about other people.

She was talking to us about how ugly she thought Marissa Obe was.

Marissa was a shy girl in our grade who loved to sing.

I didn't think Marissa was ugly, I thought she was pretty. Marissa was intelligent and funny and she always opened the door for the person behind her.

By listening to Eve make fun of Marissa and keeping quiet, was I part of the problem?

I realized it did make me part of the problem. I was participating in the bullying and I felt sorry that I hadn't noticed it before.

I wordlessly watched my own friends pour milk on Jack and I didn't say anything. I didn't stop them. Even now I was sitting in the same party as Michaelson as if we were on good terms, as if I was okay with what he had done.

I knew the boys were bullies, but I always looked the other away because I wanted to be liked. Maybe a part of me didn't care about the victims because I wasn't one.

"Did you see that picture of Marissa in a bikini? She looked so fat," Lara commented while the girls laughed.

I couldn't take it anymore. I gathered my things and stood up.

"Why do you guys have to be such assholes to her?" I asked.

Eve looked at me in complete shock.

"Maude, what're you talking about we're just kidding," Lara replied.

"You're sitting here calling her fat and ugly when you don't even know her. She's one of the nicest girls at school."

I realized that I had been speaking rather loudly. Everyone in the basement had turned to face me.

I hated making scenes. I hated having everyone focusing on me. But I knew that my message was important.

"Maude don't be so uptight. You laugh at every 'mean' thing we say about her," Eve said.

"Because I'm part of the problem. You guys are bullies. It's not funny, it's not a joke, you make people not want to come to school," I turned to speak to Logan and Michaelson, "do you guys even feel bad about what you did to Jack Walker? He barely comes to school anymore and he never eats in the caf."

"It's not my fault he's a pussy," Michaelson retorted.

"You're the pussy for picking on someone weaker than you. Grow some balls and throw milk on someone that'll actually hit back. Grow some balls and make your hookups public instead of sneaking around." I declared.

Michaelson's bushy eyebrows raised. If I finished my sentence I would start World War III.

"What does that mean?" Lara asked as if she didn't know.

Her feigning innocence severely pissed me off.

"Just fuck all of you. When high school ends you're going to realize you spent it making other people feel bad so you could feel better about yourselves," I spat out.

I straightened out my jacket and left the basement.

For a moment, I felt fear. I realized that I had just pissed off all my friends, but it was the right thing to do.

I no longer cared if they liked me, I didn't need to be friends with douchebags.

I checked my watch, it was only about 6 pm, so I had time for one more stop.

I prepared myself to go to Jack's house and make things right. He was the only person whose opinion about me mattered.