your city gave me asthma // Wilbur Soot

twenty-five

a/n: over 300 reads???? this is so crazy, tysmmmm 🩷🩷🩷🩷

I take a deep breath and press my palms against the dash of Claire's car. Despite the freezing temperature outside, I'm sweating my ass off. I have to walk back into this school that I absolutely despise, full of people who hate me. Who think I'm a nasty slut for dating a guy way older than me. Someone in this school even told Lacy about my story, letting her torture me.

Thankfully, I only need two more credits to graduate, so I'm only here a few hours. Claire's in both of my classes so I'll have some sort of protection.

"Let's go, love." Claire says, squeezing my arm before we climb out of the car. Maddie came along too, and gives me a hug before running off to meet her friends.

"Miss Skylar!"

I look up and see Andrew, Claire's boyfriend, approaching us from his spot. He's always been super sweet to everyone, and even to me after everything that came out. He understood that it wasn't my fault I was groomed and abused, but I'm also sure he defended me since Claire would dump him if he didn't.

"Hey Andrew," I grin, scratching at my neck. "Good to see you again."

"You too," He says, now shifting into a British accent. "Did you have plenty of tea and fish and chips, chap?"

"You're a dork," Claire groans as he kisses her forehead.

I don't answer his question, instead feeling envious of them. I always have been. Before, I had a shitty boyfriend who rarely cared for me. Now, I have a boyfriend who I can't even kiss.

Andrew smiles at me, wrapping his arm around Claire's waist as we walk up the steps of the school. "I apologize. Claire will never support my voices."

"No one ever will," She teases, giggling as he squeezes her closer to him with yet another kiss. God, I could puke. Obviously, I'm insanely happy for them. They're literally perfect for each other, and I can't wait to be the maid of honor at their wedding and the aunt to their kids. But seeing anyone being intimate and happy has formed a permanent pit in my stomach. I'm constantly reminded of what I got spoiled with them stripped away from me. I won't be kissed for months. Just a kiss from Wilbur could save me right now. But that can't happen, and each day, I feel myself slowly sinking further into my depressive state. I know I'm relapsing into my mental state from Eli, but I try my best not to let anyone know. I put up a face as much as I can. But I'm pathetic, aren't I? So many people deal with long distance, yet I'm a fucking mess. Absolutely ridiculous.

We say bye to him as we separate to go down a different hallway. Maybe I'm delusional and my constant paranoia is messing with me, but I can swear everyone is staring at me. Claire reassures me they're not. I don't believe her.

We step into our first class, economics, and I immediately regret showing up today as I see who sits in the back. Basically, the American version of Lacy, Claudia. Honestly, she could be even worse. Like the fucking perv he is, Eli was talking to both of us freshman year. Even though she's, like, a million times prettier, he chose me. I have slightly bigger boobs, so that might've been the deciding factor. But she still hasn't let it go. She is the one who told the whole school I was a whore, letting a college boy fuck the shit out of me anywhere, anytime. She adores acting like she knows any bit of my story, when she has no idea. She has twisted the awful narrative that everyone has of me. Second to Eli, Claudia is the worst person in my life. And I can't seem to escape either of them.

We're a couple of minutes late, so the only empty seats are right next to Claudia, of course. Claire takes the desk in front of her, myself next to Claire, diagonal from Claudia.