Emma got off the bus and trudged toward the entrance of Ridgewood High School—the public high school she attended, or as she liked to call it, the jail for all the teenage scum who made it their mission to ruin her life.
“Ugh, what’s her problem? Look at that creep. Does she really think she’s cool with those black clothes? Haha, seriously, what a weirdo.”
The whispers came from every direction, wrapping around her like a suffocating blanket of judgment.
Ignore them, ignore them... come on, Emma, you can do this! She tried convincing herself, resisting the very strong urge to smash in the teeth of those useless teenagers.
She sat at her usual spot, popped her headphones on, and tuned out the world.
If there was one good thing about the arrogant pride of the popular kids, it was that they thought she was too weird, too beneath them, to bother with. So most of the time, Emma was left alone, which suited her just fine.
Until the teacher, as always, had to ruin it.
“I’ve told you a lot of times, Emma, you need to open up to your classmates. I know now isn’t the best time to discuss this, but… I’m really worried about you.”
Oh, please. Another lame lie. Come on, stop playing this awful game. I’m perfectly aware that the only thing you’re worried about is your job. And if I’m ‘problematic,’ that’s just going to hurt your precious career. So save the act, Emma thought bitterly.
“Okay, class,” the teacher said, drawing everyone’s attention, “we’re going to have a group project, but it’s going to be a little different this time.”
Now she had Emma’s attention too.
“As you all know, this is your first year at Ridgewood, and we’ve been together for almost three months now. I think it’s time we take some steps to build more unity within the class.”
With that announcement, chaos erupted. The popular kids made it clear they would refuse to work with anyone they considered beneath them, and the quieter ones—the nerds, the outcasts, the shy kids—looked at the teacher with silent, desperate pleas.
This was just a set-up for bullying. There was no way any of them would be able to work with the snobs in this class.
Emma, meanwhile, sat there wanting to disappear.
Why does life insist on making me miserable? Seriously, just go bother someone else already!
“The next person to argue will end up in the principal’s office!” the teacher shouted, finally regaining control of the room.
“The groups will be…” She started listing names, rapid-fire.
“Hey, Anderson!”
Robert Smith tapped Emma’s shoulder, startling her.
“What the hell—” she began, then realized Robert was one of her groupmates.
Robert Smith: popular, rich, part of the basketball team, and the ideal crush of almost every girl in school. In other words, exactly the type of guy Emma despised. Well, maybe a bit less than the usual popular jerks. At least Robert had some semblance of decency.
“Listen, Anderson, I know you’re not into this kind of stuff, especially with people like us.” He motioned to himself and the rest of his group of popular friends.
“But we’ve got no choice, so please just cooperate with us, okay?”
“Fine, I guess,” Emma answered coldly, already dreading the project.
YOU ARE READING
A Notebook From Hell
Misteri / ThrillerEmma's life was always boring and miserable. She at one point put up with it because she had one person who didn't hate her, moreover somone who loved her, her dear father. But everything changes after he dies in a car accident. Emma now remains a...
