Sweet Dead Sixteen

Chapter 2

When the bell rang it felt like a death sentence, I was dreading my next class. I cautiously exited the restroom after I was certain everyone had left, and walked quickly and quietly to my locker so I wouldn’t be late for class. I flung open the metal door and books came tumbling out. I’m usually a very neat person and would never leave my books all jumbled or ready to fall out at the slightest moment. I angrily gathered them up and gently arranged the books back into my locker, something caught my eye—on one of the books was a hot-pink sticky note pasted to it. It read: Surprise! Hope you liked it birthday girl, in delicate loopy handwriting, with Chloe’s name signed devilishly at the bottom. I sighed and trudged into the classroom. As if on cue the whispering started. One jock whispered, “I wonder how she liked my surprise back in the cafeteria?” My face went red and I filled with fury, that was someone’s idea of a joke? I had lost my lunch and what little remaining dignity I had left. Suddenly I was consumed by a new rage and hatred I had never felt before. This was my day! This day was supposed to be a day that maybe for once I could feel like I belonged, just a little bit. I hated all of them.

The rest of my classes were uneventful, but all the while I was thinking of how I would gladly blow everyone’s head off if I had a shotgun. As the last bell rang my nerves escalated. Gym class… Kill me now. I went to the girls’ locker room where all the other girls were changing into their expensive gym clothes and track shoes. Yes, it’s lovely freaking track season. Sure, I had all the expensive clothing and shoes because my mom is a highly paid doctor, but only if I actually looked good in them. I changed quickly, embarrassed by my thinness and lack of muscle, and hastily left the foul smelling locker room and jogged down to the track. It was a very hot day and I was already sweating from the moisture in the air. I longed for summer badly; school would be out and I wouldn’t have to endure the daylong ridicule of my classmates. At last I had made it to the chain link fence that surrounded the track. I nearly fell forward from exhaustion and the suffocating humidity. I steadied myself by grasping the fence like it was my lifeline. Chloe and her gang jogged by, “Tired so soon Angel? But we’ve just started!” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. I forced myself off the fence and joined the rest of the girls on the track.

We stretched our legs and then it was time for running warm-ups. Oh dear lord no, I saw Johnny and the other boys gathering near the edge of the track getting ready to do their warm-ups too. They were practicing with us today. Normally we wouldn’t even see the boys during our runs, but since wrestling season was officially over they were going to be running right along with the girls. Awesome, I thought, he can witness my epic fails. As I was attempting to jump hurdles I caught Johnny actually watching me, or at least I thought he was. So I ran faster and tried to jump higher. Then for the third time in one day I fell flat on my face. And yeah, you guessed it, laughter exploded all around me. I landed really hard on the asphalt and it hurt, really hurt. I’m pretty sure I had little asphalt chunks engrained in my face. I slowly rose into a sitting position; the coach came to look me over and mumbled something. Sure enough I had a bloody nose. She pulled me up violently off the ground with an iron grip and escorted me to the nurse’s office then left without even a smile or comforting words. 

 I liked the school nurse; she was nice to me because she went to Medical School with my mom. I sat on the cot that served as a ‘sick bed’ and kept my head tilted upward. She asked in a teasing but sweet voice, “Oh Angel what have you done to yourself this time?” I just shrugged my shoulders pathetically and she handed me a tissue to stuff up my bloodied nostrils. I stayed in the safe and confined nurse’s office until the bell rang, signaling it was time to go home.

I happily burst through the heavy double doors, and headed around to the back of the school in the direction of home. As I rounded the corner a high heeled foot shot out in front on me, I stopped myself before I took one more fateful step. I sidestepped the foot and whipped around to confront whoever this sick person was. It was Chloe. Great. She let out a high pitched cackle, “Darn, I thought I would get to see you trip just one more time before the day ended!” Chloe and her followers broke out in vindictive laughter at her joke. My face steamed and I sneered at her. She came closer and caressed my cheek. I could smell her breath she was so close—sugar free mints. “Oh Angel, if you only knew what makeup was.” They all laughed.

“It’s better than looking like a prostitute,” I mumbled under my breath.

There was complete awe filled silence, then smack! She slapped me across the face. Her followers gasped and chanted silently, “Fight! Fight! Fight!”

My cheek stung and I felt hot tears threatening to burst free any moment. But I didn’t dare cry in front of Chloe. She laughed in my face, “Not so confident anymore, are you?” I hated her so much. She deserved to die a slow and painful death. If I had the strength and the guts, I would have punched her right in the nose but I just turned and ran from her like a frightened dog with its tail tucked. Defeated was what I was. “Hahaha, that’s right Angel, run like the coward you are! Run home to your mommy and your cookies and milk!” she called after me. All I heard was distant laughter as I sprinted the three blocks to my street where my two story house was.