Welcome to Oceanside High: Revenge of the Bully

Chapter 18

By the time Friday morning shows up I'm ready to face whatever else the world, the Devil's Trio, or the Bitch Squad tries to throw my way. But before any of that can happen Travis messages me and tells me he won't be coming to pick me up and that he'll talk to me later. I tell Annabelle to pick me up instead and we head into school in her car. But it's not until third period that I finally get another message from Travis.

Travis - Hey, I'm okay. The police used a breathalyzer on me and saw I didn't have a lick of alcohol. Tried to get me to rat out anyone at the party but I didn't.

Brittney - How are you feeling?

Travis - Mom's a nurse so she patched me up good when I got home. This morning she wanted to keep monitoring me and make sure I didn't have a concussion. I don't. She doesn't advise me to go to school but I'm pretty sure I don't want to miss another day without you.

Brittney - Your mom wasn't mad?

Travis - Nah. She's cool about most things. Contrary to what my dad always thought, she knows I'm responsible.

Brittney - I think I understand. Beverley hasn't been seen since last night. I hope she's not in prison.

Travis - LOL she probably wishes she was. I think Beverley's parents might not ever allow her to live unsupervised though. She was mumbling and incoherent when the cops took me back through the house to get treated by the paramedics. I heard her screaming when some lady cop called her parents over the phone.

Brittney - I'm just glad you're okay. That fight was brutal. But I'll have you know school isn't so bad. Everyone is talking about how nobody better fuck with Brittney 'The Badass' Bahalia. I kinda like it.

Travis - I'll be there to hear all about it. I just got to wait for mom to roll into work for her double-shift.

Brittney - You're coming!?

Travis - Hell yeah. I'm not going to miss the whole school worshipping my girl.

Brittney - If you're really hurt I don't want you to come. Stay home. Get some rest.

Travis - Me? Me need rest just because of some bumps and bruises? You're joking.

Brittney - Okay. See you later, then?

Travis - Most def.

As much as I want to demand Travis stay home and heal his wounds, who am I to tell him to stay home? Okay. So maybe I'm being a bit selfish. But I want to see him.

I want to see the guy who is tough as a hammer on nails. He took up Muy Thai boxing just to be close to me. That's a lot of hard hits a guy has to take for a girl. I guess that's how he survived Donny's drug-induced punches.

The thought suddenly reminds me: what happened to Donny? And then it occurs to me that Donny's dad is a police officer. His dad and I never exactly got along either, he always gave me a weird look like he was looking down on me like I'd never be enough for his boy. Maybe that's where Donny gets his chauvinism from. Yeah, I'm sure he took care of his boy.

Finally school ain't so bad. Third period is over and I step out into the hall and notice papers taped to the walls, every where, black and white photocopies of me. Bra exposed, belly fat exposed, practically everything exposed. The photo was what I'd thought I was sending to Travis, back when he was supposed to be Mr. Unknown Number.

Every girl, and definitely every guy is looking at the picture. I walk in a daze past every taped up 11 X 8 pieces of paper with my body on it. It's the same photo which repeats itself over and over, row after row, column after column.