The Reputation

Chapter 8 : Goodbye Camping, Hello School

D o m i n i c

After the silent treatment that Isabella gave me for 2 days, we finally had to go back to school. Today was our first day back and honestly, it was terrible. Isabella still ignored me and Matt barely talked to me because he was hanging out with Isabella.

Brittney was clinging to me even more now that she found out that she was pregnant. Sometimes I wished that I didn't have a reputation so I could have a happy life, but I realized it was my choice. "Baby, let's go. The bell rang," Brittney said as she dragged me out of the gym.

We walked into the cafeteria together and what's the first thing i see? Matt and Isabella getting all flirty with each other. I pulled Brittney the other way to sit at our usual table. Our table consisted of me, Matt, Brittney, and Crystal, but today it was just me and Britt. Brittney was ranting about how she doesn't know how to tell her parents that she's pregnant but I wasn't really paying much attention. All of sudden she got really quiet and just looked into her lap. I looked to see if she was ok, and she had tears in her eyes.

Crap. "Britt, what's wrong?" She shook her head and excused herself to use the restroom. I couldn't just let her leave so I followed a couple steps behind her. She didn't actually go to the restroom, she went to an empty classroom. Suspicion took over and I peaked through the window of the classroom to see her with Randal. Randal is the ultimate need of our school. Why would Britt need to see him for? Maybe homework? These thoughts were running through my mind but then Britt leaned over and pecked him on the lips. Not the cheek, the LIPS!

My head started to swirl and I stumbled back a little. I knew I wasn't a good boyfriend, but I never thought I was so bad that I'd get cheated on. I needed air.

I walked towards the doors and wasn't paying much attention to where I was going. I ended up running into someone. "Sorry," I began to say but my voice got caught in my throat when I saw those amazing eyes staring back at me. "Dominic, are you ok?" She asked concerned.

I opened my mouth but nothing came out. I just nodded and she took a step back. "I, um. I uh have to go," she stuttered. She was fighting back tears and a few fell down her face. I stepped closer and wiped them away. She inhaled a sharp breath. "Don't. Just, stop," she said as she turned and walked away.

As she walked away, I suddenly felt an emptiness in me. Something I never felt before. I have to go. I can't even think straight. I walked into the parking lot of our school and just sat in my car for a minute. Too much has happened in such a short amount of time.

I needed space. I went home and saw my mom. "Honey, why are you home so early?" My mom asked concerned. I broke down. "So many reasons mom. So many," My mom grabbed my hand and pulled over to the couches. "Do you wanna talk about it?" I sighed but nodded. "Ok, it all starts with this girl I met at the camping trip," and then I told her everything from our kiss, to Britt's pregnancy, to me being rude to Isabella, to Britt kissing Randal, to bumping into Isabella. My mom took a minute to take everything in. "Aww, my baby boy is grown up, but is this Brittney girl pregnant with your child?" I shrugged. "She said I was, but I don't know what to believe," I said in a whisper.

I s a b e l l a

Today was the first day back. It wasn't bad, but I wouldn't say it was great. Most of the bullying has stopped considering my change and all. Nicole was ranting about how horrible the trip was and how they should never make us do that again. I agreed. We headed to lunch with Matt following close behind us. He kept on flirting with me and it was funny. He's super sweet and really friendly. "Hey, so I'm having a party tonight. Wanna come?" I nodded. "Sure, can Nikki and Chris come too?" Matt beamed. "Of course!" I really had to pee because I drank about 3 waters before and during school so I excused myself. When i was washing up after using the restroom, I realized i changed. A lot. I walked out feeling confident and then ran into someone. "Sorry," I heard them say. I looked up and saw Dominic. "Dominic, are you ok?" He looked pale and shocked. He nodded. I realized who I was taking to and said, "I, um. I uh have to go," some tears came out as I relived the events that happened during the camping trip. The kiss, the rejection, the hurt. Dominic wiped away some tears but I couldn't. "Don't. Just, stop," I said as I walked away and let the rest of the tears fall. I definitely needed that party.