FIRE | H.S.

Chapter 34

"I remember you, Ava! Very well!"

Nick's words play over and over in my head as the Uber drives through the empty streets.

Remember me from where?

I think hard, trying to remember where I could've met him before, but come up with nothing. As far as I can remember, the only time I've seen Nick before tonight, is the night I went with Evan to that nightclub.

The Uber stops in front of my house; I thank him and get out of the car. I thought of sending Evan a text to let him know I'm home but decided against it. He either won't see it or won't care.

I need to stop giving in to going with him and his friends. Both times we've gone out with them, I ended up coming home by myself and it sucks. I won't tell Aurora or Charles; I don't want to give them another reason to dislike him.

***

I open the heavy door, adjusting my backpack on my shoulders. The school's entrance feels cool, so I close the top two buttons of my light sweater.

The hallways are full of students chatting animatedly before classes start. As I make my way to my first class, I notice a little group of girls looking at me with... judgement? And whispering amongst themselves.

I keep walking and quickly glance down at my outfit, then run my fingers through my hair. Do I look weird? Is it my hair? Makeup?

When I reach the classroom, I leave my backpack on my desk, taking notice of how some of my classmates look at me.

Class starts in five minutes, which gives me enough time to go to the restroom down the hall. Luckily, it's empty. I go straight to one of the mirrors and check my face, my hair, my outfit. I look fine? What the hell were they staring at? Sure, I look a bit tired, working nights does take a toll on you, but my concealer covered my dark circles enough.

I head back to my classroom and make it just before the bell rings. When I sit at my desk, I notice a piece of paper folded in half. I grab it and bring it under my desk to hide it from the teacher while I open it.

The word WHORE was neatly written in bold, red marker. I crumble the paper in my hand and shove it in my backpack, feeling my heartbeat speed up. My face burns, and I keep my eyes down, not listening to what the teacher is explaining. I can't hear her, it feels like the classroom is closing in on me.

A soft tap on my shoulder pulls me out of my trance. I turn and Yessica, a quiet nerdy girl, hands me a piece of paper, signaling with her head who sent it. Of course, Daniella and her fucking littlegroup are behind this. I roll my eyes at them before I read what the note says.

FOOTBALL TEAM'S #1 WHORE!

Written in the same marker and with drawings of footballs and cheer megaphones. I hear their giggles when I crumple the note and I want to run out of the classroom, out of the building, and the fucking planet.

Our teacher turns off the lights to show us a video, and I take this opportunity to let the tears fall from my stinging eyes.

By the time my last class came around, I had cried about five times, and all day I received weird looks from most of my classmates and two of my teachers.

I sit next to Aurora, and she immediately hugs me.

"Oh my god, Ava, are you okay?"

"No," I start crying into her shoulder as she holds me. "I don't even know what's going on, Aurora. People just keep looking at me and I don't know why."

"Jesus, you don't know what they're saying?"

I shake my head, giving her the notes I got this morning.

"I imagine something to do with these notes Daniella sent me." I wipe my eyes with the heel of my palms and will my eyes to stop the waterworks.

Aurora reads them and tears them to pieces.

"What are they saying?"

She lets out a breath. "Ava, I don't know if—"

"Please tell me. My day can't get any worse and I want to know."

She comes close and cups my ear with her hand. I feel her breath on my skin as she says, "They're saying you had sex with the whole football team. Last weekend."

My day definitely could get worse.