Hunted

Naomi

Chapter 19
Five years ago.

My legs feel shaky as I make my way down the school hall. Ariella and Tina are leaning against their lockers, chatting, until they spot me. Ariella gives me a quick up-and-down look, while Tina glances at me with that worried expression she gets.

I've known for a while—I'm a terrible friend. Truth is, I've always felt like the third wheel between them, the odd one out. The extra in their duo. It's not their fault either, they've been friends since forever, while I only met them when I started high school.

In the beginning, Ariella used to scare me. She's got that resting bitch face like she's ready to murder anyone who crosses her. The queen bee of the school. If Marcus and his crew are popular for their looks and basketball, Ariella runs the place with her personality. She'd always look at me like I was beneath her—at least that's what I thought—until one day she just started talking to me while I was sobbing in the bathroom.

"You've got snot all over your face," she said, casually lining her lips with brown lip liner in the mirror.

I wiped my face, hands shaking as I grabbed a tissue.

She dropped her hand and turned to me, "Why are you crying?"

I shook my head. "It's nothing."

"Sure," she went back to her lips. "Keep telling yourself that while you ugly cry."

"I don't think it's any of your business," I snapped.

She looked at me, unfazed. "Baby girl, you're gorgeous. So you crying like a kicked puppy in here is offensive."

I glared at her. "We don't live the same lives. Mind your own business."

She shrugged. "Marcus ain't shit."

My head snapped up. "How do you—?"

She rolled her eyes, going back to lining her lips.

"You can't even pretend to hide it. Everyone knows about your little crush. But trust me, you can do better. Marcus is just a scumbag who thinks he's hot stuff."

"We grew up together," I said, feeling defensive, "And he's a great player,"

She raised an eyebrow. "And now he acts like you don't exist. So romantic."

My lips tremble as I think about the game a few hours ago. I had cheered him on in hopes he'd glance at me. And he did, all while kissing some random girl.

Ever since that day, I've grown to like her and started talking to her and then she introduced me to Tina. And soon, I started to hang out with them. I found it in my benefit that Marcus would look at me more now that I'm hanging out with them. That guilt will always haunt me.

Before I can reach them, a girl with dark hair taps me on the shoulder. I turn to look at her.
"Hey, you're Naomi, right?"

I nod.

"I'm Kaya. Our moms used to be friends."
I blink, confused. "Our moms? Do I know her?"
She shakes her head. "I didn't know you either until she showed me your picture. I just moved here. Freshman. Been in town for two weeks."

Two weeks. That's when my mom came. "Did you move here with her?"

Kaya shakes her head. "No, we ran into each other on the street coming back from the store."
"Oh." I offer a smile. "Nice to meet you. Want to join me?"

"Sure."

We walk up to Tina and Ariella. Ariella's face is tight with anger, shoving her phone into her bag. "Fuck him," she spits.