Life Is a Mess

Chapter 3

It turns out Callia is more than just a simple confidant. The way she tells me things with such ease makes me wonder why I've been so superficial to ignore her phone calls. After all, she just wanted to reach out to me.

Okay, Lindsay, no more pointless rants!

I sit on the empty bed opposite her, ready to listen to what she has to tell me. Trying not to focus too much on her gaze, I take a deep breath, knowing that what she's going to tell me is going to make or break things with the clique and probably even my friends.

"Do you know why I left the clique?" she asks, and I nod promptly. I remember the day Shaylee Stephens, the resident queen bee, went on a full rampage and decided to get rid of half of her minions just because they were unsure about voting her for the title of Homecoming Queen. Callia was one of them, of course.

"I couldn't let her empire of terror go on as if nothing happened, and I didn't want to lose my dignity for her anymore. So I told her to take a hike," she explains, not shuddering even when she reveals the crudest details. "Unfortunately, Shaylee is popular and powerful enough to bring mayhem to the entire student body if she wants. This is why, when she realized that she wouldn't have many chances of winning, she took drastic measures."

I intervene, shocked at the mention of these infamous measures, "What do you mean? Are you saying that she bribed other students?"

"No," she corrects me. "She did even worse. She blackmailed them. But you're not completely wrong. She did promise them money and a fairer treatment—at her conditions, obviously. She wouldn't let Karin Rose win at any cost, even if it meant bringing war."

Karin Rose isn't a saint either, but at least she doesn't gang up with her minions like Shaylee. Though, she's as bad as that other bitch because she always bullies whoever isn't worthy of being her friend, including me. Yeah, I had a taste of her despicable attitude during a school project, where we both got a D and she had the nerve to blame solely me for our failure although she gave no contribution.

Honestly, I didn't vote either of those two brats, but I don't really care. Plus, my vote wouldn't really change things. Homecoming is utter bullshit and I don't get why Leighla and Caiyah are so hyped for an event where talent, good manners and approachability are shunned in favor of mere popularity. Good grades usually help, but it's often said that both Shaylee and Karin paved their way through a good GPA by cheating and tricking teachers.

As my thoughts are drifting me away to those awful memories, Callia's soothing voice immediately drags me back to reality. "She also threw a huge party the day straight before a major test, and guess what? She did so at her own advantage since almost everyone failed. Do you remember?"

I point out, "Well, I actually passed it. I got a B." I don't mean to gloat, but Callia's frown is a sign that perhaps I've rubbed her the wrong way. "Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

She cuts me off. "Don't worry, I understand. You don't look exactly like the party type, to be honest. Actually, it's a good thing that you didn't go there. It was utter shit." She grimaces as she pronounces the last sentence, as if she regrets being sucked into the clique's toxic world. Moreover, she doesn't exactly look eager to share details about that night.

Instead, she goes on, "The party plan succeeded, which earned her a lot of votes. Yet, there were people that were still loyal to Karin. Posters and flyers weren't enough, so she went on with a daring, risky and horrible plan."

"Oh my gosh," I comment, sickened at what I'm about to hear.

"She told her boyfriend to go and frame Karin with every means. Guess what that idiot did? He slept with her and then gloated about it, so that his lovebird would slut shame on her!" Her voice, although still measured, is slightly raised, but not filled by rage. A feeling that, on the other hand, is literally consuming me.

"And, obviously, people started isolating Karin, right, and turned their votes to Shaylee?" I shriek, standing up abruptly and heading to the door. I can't keep up with this shit anymore. I feel the need to go and strangle Shaylee. But I can't just do it—she would use it against me do drag my non existent reputation down even further.

Callia simply nods, making me want to burn this place to Hell. Actually, this poor girl doesn't deserve to face my wrath, but the bitch who ruined her life does. "And I guess it was her who caused your accident, right?" I ask again, only to stop as I notice that my heart is skipping beats.

Callia nods again, but this time she also says, "I caught Shaylee acting flirty with this guy from Art class. Felix, right?" I can't believe it. This bitch is playing him as his pawn to turn my life miserable like the others. "I was shocked when I saw them together. When I reached for him, she pushed me and I fell off the road. I was too slow to move away and a bike hit me."

I still can't get why she's still so calm in spite of being in that accident. I would've freaked out if I were in her shoes. "S-so, h-he was there, r-right?" Tears are welling down my face. I can't believe that he isn't seeing through her schemes. If only I could get him to reason...

"Yeah, he was there. And he helped me out along with the biker who hit me," she states, much to my relief. I can't think of Felix Halston as the kind of guy who doesn't help out people in trouble. This, apart from his talent and his interest in art, is what makes me shudder when it comes to him.

"Wow. I guess I need to go home and process all this information. I mean, I wouldn't have known if it weren't for you. Thank you, Callia. You've been nice to me altogether all this time, and I should've made a bigger effort to get to know you." Now, I'm crying rivers. I've never felt so grateful to be in a hospital. If Leighla hadn't warned me, I wouldn't get why Felix seems to unapproachable.

The fact that Callia is smiling at me proves that I, after all, still stand a chance. No-one is a pawn, and no-one deserves to be played like a fiddle. And, since now, I'm not going to see Callia Pickering as one of Shaylee Stephens's minions anymore.

Everyone has a voice and a place in the world. And I, Lindsay Reaves, will find them and use them to get Felix Halston out of that hole Shaylee is digging deep for him.

But now, it's my cue to go back home. Knowing my mother, she's going to ground me for the rest of my days and possibly subject me to the torture of the never ending comparison with Laycee.

No, I don't need that bullshit in my life anymore. If she keeps preferring Laycee, fine. I'll have no issues getting out of her life without being noticed.