Room 206 - Luke Hemmings

twelve

I wasn't ready to deal with Alex drama Tuesday morning when I walked into the dining hall, knowing I looked like shit. Concealer can only do so much about the dark circles under your eyes, and mine were unfortunately worse than any amount of makeup I could put on.

I sat down without even looking at Alex, waiting to be served. The girls were chatting quietly, and I kept my mouth shut and ate my breakfast without saying much. I was mostly just listening to the conversations around me and trying to keep my mind off of my fight with Alex. I was clearly not anywhere in the wrong; he was the one making assumptions about an inappropriate and nonexistent relationship with my teacher. It was simply pathetic that he thought I was cheating on him, especially with some asshole like Professor Hemmings.

Of course, he ignored me all throughout breakfast and I went to my first class without speaking a word to him. I actually went the entire day like this and kept quiet when I walked into English. Alex sat in the front, away from where he usually sits next to Eleanor and I. I rolled my eyes at how immature he was being even though I was actually hurt that he was still convinced of me whoring around with my teacher.

I kept my mouth shut in English and Professor Hemmings didn't call on me for anything. Eleanor and I walked to the library together after class to work on our homework while I knew Blair was helping set up this guy who was planning on asking Eileen to the Autumn Dance. The thought of the dance made me sick to my stomach knowing that my date thought I was cheating on him.

"What happened last night?" Eleanor asked me after we'd been working on our homework for a little bit, quietly gossiping about these girls in our English class who were always trying to get Professor Hemmings' attention by hiking up their skirts and loosening the buttons on their shirts to show cleavage. Those girls were clearly trying to get something from him, yet I'm the one who has rumors going around about fucking Hemmings?

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You came into the dorms last night and you had clearly been crying after you went to talk to Alex," she said. "What was that about? Did you guys break up?"

"I don't know," I sighed. "It's all so stupid."

"What went wrong?"

"He thinks I'm fucking around after class during detention with Hemmings." I rolled my eyes. "Like, he tried to tell me that there were rumors going around about it and that it was affecting HIS reputation, like he cared so much about his reputation and not about our own relationship and standing up for the fact that he should know I'm not like that?"

"I don't know, Daisy," Eleanor said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked, my stomach dropping.

"I mean, yeah it was kind of a dick move for Alex to complain about his reputation being ruined but he does have a point," she said slowly.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked, getting upset. "You don't seriously think that I'm actually doing that?"

"You just get detention so often." She looked down. "I mean, he's right, Daisy. People are talking, especially knowing the reputation you have and the fact that he's a new, young teacher."

"My reputation?" My jaw dropped. "Are you calling me a whore?!"

"No, Daisy!" She sighed, trying to reach for my arm as I packed up my bags.

"Don't." I yanked my arm away from her hand and she looked hurt.

"Daisy, I didn't mean to infer that you were a whore."

"Well next time, don't infer it, just fucking tell me if that's really what you all think of me," I snapped, slinging my bag over my shoulder and storming out of the library.

-

I ignored pretty much everyone all week.

I didn't say a word to Eleanor or Alex after our fights. When I was served for meals, I took my food and sneaked into the bathroom, sitting in the stall and eating it. I sat in the very back away from anyone else in all of my classes. Professor Hemmings left me alone all week, thankfully. Eleanor tried to text me asking to talk but I deleted her message without even reading it.

It's not like I went sleeping around with just anyone. In fact, I hardly ever actually did anything with anyone, and if I did I was committed to them, like Alex and I were. I hadn't actually had sex with that many people before either, just Alex and another guy I dated the year before. I went to a party the summer after Year 10 and got a little messed up and made out with some girl, but that was all I'd ever done. I couldn't believe that Eleanor would be calling me out on my "reputation" when it wasn't my fault that girls just hated me because their boyfriends all have a crush on me so they felt the need to spread rumors about me.

Friday evening, I was in a corner of the library concealed from view of people walking in working on my homework so no one would try to come and talk to me. I planned on still ignoring all of the girls all weekend and probably Alex too, just to spend time by myself and not worry about people thinking I'm such a whore.

However, my plan for becoming a recluse was executed when Eileen came into the library and sat next to me where I was doing my homework.

"Hello Daisy," she smiled at me, giving me a small side hug.

"Hey Eileen," I said, sighing and setting my pen down from my homework.

"I've noticed that you've been kind of down in the dumps all week," she said. "And I would really be happy if you would come dress shopping with us tomorrow. I can put your name in our group still."

"I don't want to--"

"Come on, Daisy," she said. "Eleanor won't be there so you can work things out with her later. Blair and I both want you to come along, we both agree you need a day away from everyone and everything you've been stressing out about all week."

I sighed again.

"Please?" She batted her long eyelashes at me, smiling and laying her head on my shoulder.

"Fine," I said. "But only because I don't want to run into Eleanor or Alex this weekend."

"Yay!" she clapped happily and the librarian sitting behind the desk shushed her, and she whisper-yelled a "sorry" back to her.

"Come on, bookworm, I'll eat with you in the bathroom for dinner."

-

A/N: happy Friday you guys!! sorry for the late update ): I hope you're all doing well <3

vote/comment/share? x