Off the Charts

Chapter 4

Chapter 4
    I walk into school this morning feeling worse than I ever have. Everywhere I look, Ronan and Celia are sucking face with each other. Ugh. PDA sickens me. It's even worse when it's my crush and my nemesis. I knew that Ronan was a poser. I knew it was him texting me last night. I know that he is Noah.
    Ow!
    I just bumped into someone. I hang my head and apologize, kinda shyly but at the same time rude with a lot of attitude and sass. I'm not in the mood for this crap. I start walking away and someone grabbed my shoulder, all but softly.
    "Ow!" I squeal and suddenly everyone is watching me. The person that grabbed me is the guy I walked into. He's actually kinda cute with his shaggy, black hair and dazzling, green eyes. His pale skin practically glowing. When I scream he lets go and the look on his face is pure terror.
    "I-- I'm so sorry." He's freaking out. Ronan and Celia are now walking out of a closet down the hall. Ugh-- cheesy janitors' closet cliche. He must have recognized that something's up. Whatever my expression is, it can't be good.
    Ronan's running this way. He's the last person I wanna see. Even over the gorgeous klutz that's trying to help me with my books.
    "What's going on?" Ronan asks.
    "Nothing Ronan!" I snap. I'm am so over him. "You and Ms. Princess can buzz off. The two of you wreck my life enough as it is." Mr. Klutz's green eyes light up when I say that. Now he's helping me up off the ground.
    "She's right. You guys are the worst. You make everyone in the school miserable. The two of you are jerks. No one likes you guys so you and your posse can leave us alone." Greenie yells.
    Now that I'm up off the ground and Greenie has my books, he's shoving me down the corridor. Who does he think he is? When we turn the corner and no one is around, I whisper-scream my head off.
    "What's wrong with you? First you're knocking me down in the hallway, attracting the attention of Celia. Then, you drag me off here and don't even explain yourself?" He looked confused.
    "You don't recognize me?" He asks.
    "What?" I rasp back. "Who are you?"
    "Oh yeah I forgot. You wouldn't know me. I've only been hangin around you since freshman year. I've only been in your math, social studies and spanish class since then too. But no. You wouldn't know me." Now he's got me really confused. "So let me introduce myself. I'm Noah Michelson. Your secret admirer since the day we met. When your locker was next to mine on the first day of high school and you had to ask me where your first period math class was. I walked you there because we were in the class together. And Celia had to tag along, whispering insults about me into your ear."
    Well that was descriptive. But he's right. I remember him now. I remember how Celia called him anorexic because of how skinny he was. She said it was gross. I guess I forgot about him when Celia leaked my secret crush to the whole school and started talking trash about me.
    "You gave me your cell number that day and it took me three years to get up the courage to actually text you."
    At that point, all I cared about was how bad my life was.

    When I get to ELA, I shimmy right on over to Mr. Rick's desk and ask him right away. Now I'm walking to Paula's desk and I plop down where Jackson was sitting a moment ago. I know that Ronan was never Noah, but after I yelled at him earlier? It'd be too embarrassing to work with him now. I risk a short glimpse over Paula's shoulder. Ronan's face is a mix of confusion, disappointment and longing. I'm sorry Ronan.
    "So what Jackson and I were debating was the idea of mandatory school uniforms." Paula is saying. "Jack said that school uniforms should not be... what are you looking at?" She follows my gaze.
    "Come on, Paisley. Grow up! It was obvious that he would toss ya sooner or later! Face it! People like you and me? We don't get up there. The rest of us are still trying to figure out how you, of all people, even got close." I don't know why she's yelling at me but I also really don't care.
    I get up from my seat and run out of the room. Darting through the school, I find myself at the girls' bathroom. I don't realize which one it is until I open the door and there are about a half dozen popular girls looking back at me. Looks like they're all here. In the 'cool girls' bathroom. Yes, they took over entire restroom.
    Celia turns to me from the mirror where she was putting on what must've been her fifteen-hundredth layer of lip gloss. The way she stands right now is the look of confidence. Like someone people would admire. Huh, never noticed that before. But the smirk she gives me is terrifying.
    "Hey girls?" She pouts.
    "Yeah, Celes?" The rest all say, simultaneously.
    "You girls know that this brat in front of us made me look like a fool, right?"
    "Yeah, Celes."
    "And you know she crossed the line when she dared coming in here. Right?"
    "Yeah Celes." they all get the same evil grin on.
    "And, you know that the bathrooms are the only places in the school that don't have cameras. The only place we can't get in trouble. Right, girls?"
    "Yeah Celes!"
    "Alright then." Celia steps back. "Get her." She says grim and blunt and then they all lunge at me, clawing and pulling at my hair with their manicured fingers. I'm on the ground and they're all still attacking me.
They were punching and slapping me, I squeal in pain, flailing my arms. Blood drips from my open lip and my eye is bruised. One girl bites my leg and another steps on my hand with her three inch stilettos. I cry out but the walls are soundproof. No one out there can here me.
    I'm getting kneed in my gut when Celia tells them that I've had enough. Bleeding and crying on the floor, I'm starting to feel sick. The girls all pull me up and Chloe Durnam holds me by my hair in Celia's face.
    "Tell anyone about this and it'll be way worse." she hisses. I leave the restroom and burst out of the school, crying as quiet as possible. The bell rings for fourth period as soon as I get to my car. I start it up and drive home to be alone while my mom's at work. I'm gonna need all this time by myself to come up with a good cover-up story.