One of the Bullied | ✔

Chapter 29 - You're A Nightmare

I sigh as I open my locker, grabbing a rotten... Tomato? and throwing it behind me. It splatters on the floor. I retrieve the two notebooks that someone's left me and shove them in my bag angrily.

I feel a tap on my shoulder, then a harder pull. Before I've even realised what's happening, I'm inside a small utility room, someone in front of me. I press myself against the wall as I recognize an all-too-familiar head, face and shoulders.

Luke.

"Get off." I protest feebly as he grabs both of my wrists in one hand. He raises his other hand, and for a moment I think he's going to hit me. Then he reaches forward, using it to cup my face. He leans in, close enough that I can feel the warmth radiating from his skin. "Get off me." I mutter again.

"I hate you so much." He hisses. I manage to wrench a wrist out of his grip. "But I can't help but like you." I use my free hand to reach up and slap him across the face. He takes a step back, rubbing his cheek, sizing me up.

I gulp, reaching for the door, but he grabs my wrist again, twisting it until I'm almost screaming in pain. "LET GO!" I scream suddenly. "GET OFF ME, YOU FUCKING-" He slams me against the wall, his larger body pinning me against it.

"Shut your stupid mouth." He hisses. I open it again, about to retort something or scream again, hoping someone will hear, but this time he slaps me, hard.

A tear runs down my cheek as he leans in, pressing his lips against mine.

"I DIDN'T MEAN TO KISS YOU!" I scream against him, pushing him away. "IT WAS A MISTAKE, I DON'T LIKE YOU, I DON'T WANT YOU ANYWHERE NEAR ME!"

He doesn't listen, and I try and bat his hands away but it doesn't work.

"GET AWAY! I NEVER DID ANYTHING-" He leans in for another kiss. "I NEVER DID ANYTHING TO YOU!"

I feel my vision darkening and he fades away, grinning wildly, with an expression of pure evil.

¬

I wake up drenched in sweat, shaking wildly. Tears are running down my cheek. It's the third nightmare I've had. They all involve Luke, they all involve kissing and they all involve some kind of violence.

"Zoe?" Ms Black asks.

I freeze as I realise I'm not in the comfort of my own bed, in my own room where I can now cry gladly and wish this was all over. I'm in History. And sitting next to me is Seth, with a huge smirk on his face.

"Care to explain why you were not only asleep in my class, but disturbing the whole lesson, too?"

I gulp, very hard, finding myself gripping the edge of the desk in pure terror. Everyone's eyes are on me, and I just want to disappear.

"You may be one of my best students, Zoe, but I am considering removing you from this class. Since the beginning of the year, you've done nothing but disturb us all. Some people here are trying to learn."

I stand angrily, my chair scraping behind me and falling to the floor with a loud clatter.

"NO ONE HERE GIVES A SHIT ABOUT LEARNING!" I scream at her, indignant that she dared say that to me. I am- I am the only person in that class who's ever given a damn about history. The only one. "NO ONE. NO ONE CARES."

She takes one look at me and raises an eyebrow.

"Miss, I think she must have forgotten to take her medication this morning." Someone says innocently, and the whole class erupts into laughter.

"SILENCE!" Ms Black shouts. "Zoe, either sit down and let us continue our lesson, or leave the class."

I hear a chuckle from next to me and I wheel on him.