The Truce

Chapter 21

Things were better and worse by the end of the week. There were still far too many smirks and remarks, and by this point, everyone had heard some variation of Scott's lies. Apparently, Logan only told me the basics. Some of the comments were pretty colorful, so Scott must have gone into detail about what we'd supposedly done. Each picture apparently had a story.

It wasn't enjoyable, but I was able to handle it for the most part. It was a big help that not everyone was convinced. The pictures might look authentic, but with my lack of reaction and Sebastian and our friends sticking up for me, people were skeptical.

Of course, a lot of the guys didn't seem to care what was or was not true, they simply liked reminding me of it all. I'd gotten a lot of notes shoved in my locker, a lot of crude jokes, and a lot of disgusting offers like Logan's. Only when Sebastian wasn't around of course. It was demeaning and exhausting, and I went into my last class on Friday afternoon, more ready for a weekend than I'd ever been in my life.

"Michaela." Miss Campbell waved me over before I could sit down in my usual seat.

"Yes?" I walked over to her desk.

"You're wanted in the office," she said, handing me a hall pass.

Perfect. With a sigh, I took the paper and turned to leave.

"Another photo shoot, Michaela?" someone called over the noise, causing others to laugh.

I didn't care who said it and I wasn't about to acknowledge him. It was impossible to keep from rolling my eyes though.

"Hey, Michaela, got a few minutes?" I heard when I got into the hall. "The janitor's closet is free."

"Any more birthmarks I could see?" another guy called as I hurried by.

Despite the fact that I never responded to these jerks, they didn't seem to tire of their stupid comments. All along the way, I received similar remarks, and I was grateful when the bell rang and the hall emptied. Slowing to a normal walking pace, I thought again how grateful I was that it was almost the weekend.

When I reached the office, I went to the secretary's desk, a little surprised when she pointed me toward the principal's office.

"Come in," Mrs. Foster said after I knocked on the door. When I entered the room, she smiled. "Have a seat, please." 

It wasn't difficult to guess what this was going to be about, and I already felt tired, but I obeyed and waited for her to start. Mrs. Foster folded her hands on her desk and watched me for a moment before she began. "I'm sure you have an idea of why I might want to speak with you, Michaela."

My face warmed and I glanced away as I nodded.

"I'm sorry. I know you must be having a difficult week, and I want you to know that I'd never accuse a student of anything like this, but we do need to address both the rumors and the pictures. Unfortunately you are the only one I know to talk to at the moment, and I need an explanation."

I frowned. "The rumors are lies, and the pictures are fake."

She gave me a sad smile. "I assumed as much, but that's not an explanation."

I'm not sure what she thought an explanation was going to do. I didn't have any proof, but I guess it would be sort of nice to tell her how horrible he was. "I broke up with Scott about a month ago, and apparently, he's still mad. He lied and said Sebastian cheated on a test, and since it didn't work and he got in trouble instead, he decided to get more creative. I guess he figured his lies would be more convincing with pictures." I shrugged.