How Could This Be Real?

56. Don't... Forget, This

Warning: This chapter has swearing and violence (lol spoiler ;P) so if you get offended by that or don't like reading stuff like that, please skip to the A/N (at the end) where I'll briefly sum up what happened. Otherwise, enjoy!

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"Hey, Elsie."

The words rolled down my spine in a sickening shiver. It was Cole's voice. I pretended to have not heard him and acted like I was writing a text, but I was really watching out my peripheral vision to see if he came closer. He took a few steps and I adjusted my backpack strap, as if my subconscious thought he might try to steal it.

"Did you hear me?" he hissed.

I wished I could go on ignoring him, but I knew that would just get him angry so I glanced over at him.

"What? Not even a hello?"

"Do you need something?" I asked in a tone that told him I wasn't in the mood.

His lips curled back in a malicious grin, revealing his crooked teeth. "I believe there was a mistake on your cast list."

My heartbeat quickened and I tried to come up with an excuse to why he couldn't be in the show, but most of them included, "Because you sound like shit," so I stalled for more time. "Oh? Did we get someone's name wrong?"

He leaned in so close to me that I could smell his rank cologne mixed with the stench of garlic coming from his warm breath. "Yeah," he growled. "Mine. It was spelled, 'C-A-M'. Any idea why that would be?"

I gulped and was tempted to back away, but I didn't want to show him that I was scared so I held my ground. "Well, you see... there were so many people that tried out, and we had to make sure we picked the best ones for the roles. We considered you, but unfortunately, you just didn't really... fit anywhere."

A low, rumbling sound came from deep in his throat and his whole body tensed. "Wrong answer."

"Run!" my mind screamed, but it was too late. He ripped away my bag, which I swear nearly dislocated my shoulder. He pushed me against the wall and gripped my arms so tight that it felt like he could grind my bones to dust.

"Get the hell off me!" I yelled, struggling against his hold.

"Aww, little miss popular is in a bit of a predicament, huh?" he said, a lunatic's smile plastered across his face.

"What did I ever do to you?!"

He snarled and spat in my face. "Shut up." I sputtered to get the saliva away from my mouth, but he shoved me hard into the bricks again, causing my brain to reverberate in my skull. When I didn't say anything, he smirked, as if this was what he did for fun. To be honest, I wouldn't put it past him. " 'What did I do?' you ask," he said with amusement. "Well, you humiliated me in history, got me in trouble with the vice principal," You brought that on yourself, buddy, I thought angrily. "And now you didn't give me a spot in the musical."

His expression turned to steel again. "You're a goody-two-shoes youtuber who gets everything handed to you on a silver platter. You don't realize what it's like to be an outcast, a nobody. Someone that's hated by everyone just because they don't give a damn about anything. You know why I don't?"

I just continued to glare at him but he didn't seem to care.

"It's because no one ever gave a damn about me either. I don't have a family. I live on the streets, crashing at a friend's place whenever I can. My life is a living hell, and do you think anybody wants to help me fix it? No. They just go on with their perfect lives, not once thinking about what it's like to be someone like me."