I'm The Alpha's Challenge

9

"So you're sitting with Danny, huh? We'll see about that, Joshua." I opened my eyes at her voice and watched as she picked up the carton of milk on his tray. I was frozen to the chair as she put it above my head and slowly tipped it over. Milk ran into my hair and down the sides of my face and the tip of my nose. "You sluty little bitch," she growled, emptying the cartoon over my head. There was complete silence except for my gasp in the room before it broke out in hushed whispers. Destiny's table was laughing so hard that one guy fell out of his seat, clutching his stomach and they laughed even harder.

Milk was dripping down my cheeks, racing with tears. Destiny touched my cheek, bringing milk back on her fingers. "You've got some white stuff on your face, whore" She said, smiling with a hidden joke. I stood immediately with tears running involuntarily down my face and dashed out of the cafeteria, hearing Josh and his cousin growl curse words at Destiny. Luckily the bathroom was close to the cafeteria and I locked myself in, still collapsing into a stall. I've been trying for years to go to school and not be noticed. I'd almost had it down before Josh came. I had sometimes been counted absent because teachers didn't notice me; especially on the first day. Now since Josh's been here, Destiny's done nothing but fuss over him and me. She's blaming me for his actions when I haven't even said a word to him. The only reason she did this to me was because she can't touch him. He was too 'popular' for her to make fun of. But, of course, I'm fair game.

"Danny? Danny, are you alright?" Josh called from the other side of the door, knocking loudly. "Let me in, Danny." He called. I ignored him, but instead slid to the floor and buried my head in my hands.

"You idiot! She's not gonna open the door after that. Don't you know anything about girls?" Coffeeblue scoffed.

"Then what am I supposed to do?" he asked irritably.

"Look—here comes a janitor! Go behind the corner, now! Watch and learn, little cuz." She said, teasing him.

"I guess even I can learn something from you." Josh said, but was ignored by CJ too.

"Excuse me! Mr. Janitor, sir! The bathroom's locked and I really have to pee!" Coffeeblue called.

The janitor paused and I momentarily thought he had overlooked her. "Uh…sure…hold on a sec. Ah! Here we go!" I heard the lock click open and I reached up and locked the stall I was in.

"Thank you!" CJ yelled after him. After a while, she whispered hurriedly. "Josh, c'mon!"

"Yea, yea, yea, I'm coming!" he cried. "Danny? Baby, where are you?"

I had trained myself at a young age not to make a noise when I cried. Silent tears rolled down my cheeks and I wiped at them, but didn't do anything to respond to them. "Now…let's see, if I was—" CJ began, but Josh cut her off.

"Hey, genius, she's in here. Can't you hear her?" he said. Hear me? They can hear me? How? He knocked on the stall door. "Danny? Are you alright? Please, unlock the door or I swear I'll crawl under." I made a disapproving noise, refusing to unlock it.

He sighed and I heard him crouch. "Danny, please? We ain't gonna laugh at you. We just wanna help you, sweetie." Coffeeblue said in a calm, sweet voice. "All you gotta do is unlock the door."

I was stubborn, but for once in my life, someone wanted to help me deal with my abusive sister. So I reached up carefully and slid the lock out. Coffeeblue chuckled victoriously. "See?" I didn't know what they were talking about, but I just stared up at them when they opened the door. Josh's face fell and he kneeled next to me.

He took my face in his hands and studied me, tears still trailing. "Let's clean you up, alright?" he asked slowly. I stared at him for a second before nodding and taking his hand to pull me up. "Should I take you home, honey?"

But she'll be there later. I thought, but I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to stay here, but I didn't want to go home either.

"Yea…I guess that was stupid. I meant my house, not yours. Did you want to go home with me?" he asked.

But before I could answer, the intercom sounded, saying, "Danny Kimble please report to the office. You're leaving." My heart dropped. I had never been taken out of school before. Ever. I'm calling Dad.

Oh, no. I nodded my head, my eyes wide with fear. Let him take me with him; don't let me go with my father. Both of them pulled their eyebrows together and glanced at each other. "Danny, c'mon, let's go get your stuff."

Defeated, I nodded and followed Josh as he walked out of the bathroom, CJ heading back into the cafeteria. We walked down the halls in silence, milk still dripping onto the floor, but my tears were dry. He walked me to our classroom and let me get my stuff before he sent me to the office, where my father was waiting, twirling his keys around his finger impatiently. "There you are!" he said cheerily. But I knew him, sadly, and I could tell he was faking it. A smile crept up his lips at my appearance. "What happened to you?" he asked as we walked out of the school.

I stared at the ground, ignoring him, wondering why he would pick me up. Probably gonna take me home and kill me there so there's no blood on his precious daughter's school. I thought, scowling. "First, we're going home so you can…take a shower because you smell like foul milk—not much different though. But I need you to look nice. Do you think you can handle that?"

I stared at him. Where were we going? What the heck? I climbed reluctantly into the police car and buckled myself in. "So I heard you upset my baby." 

I glanced at him, my eyes widening again. He scoffed, leaning back in his seat with one hand on the wheel. He looked content and happy. "Don't worry, I'll see that you get punished." He smiled wickedly, laughing darkly to himself. "And I'll get something out of it, too."

A shiver ran down my back and I began trembling. I pulled out my phone as it vibrated. You know, I heard that milk really helps soften your hair(; Josh texted me and I relaxed a little, deciding to text him and pretend I wasn't in the cop car traveling to my death.

Oh, haha! You're sooooooooooo funny! I'm laughing as hard as I can, honestly. I said back, hoping he would note the sarcasm I intended with it.

Thank ya, thank ya very much(:

You know, you really shouldn't be texting during school, mister.

I know, but I like it when you actually respond to me.

Haha. Smart boy. Hahaha. No. I do have a reason for not responding, you know. But I can't tell you.

Oh, and why not? You scared?

A little. But not for me.

"What are you doing? Give me that!" My father said as he snatched the phone away. I frowned at him. The whole reason they gave me a phone was so they could take it away from me, I swear. I looked up, scowling, already missing not talking to Josh, and found that we were already home.

He cut off the car furiously, shoving my crappy phone into his pocket and jumped out of the car. "Go on, take a shower—quick. And remember to look nice!" he growled, now in a bad mood. I rolled my eyes and hurried into the house. I swear he's bi-polar sometimes. I thought.

As I rummaged through my closet for something 'appropriate' I wondered where he was taking me. He had never taken me anywhere just to go somewhere for 'father and daughter bonding.' Sometimes I wondered if I was adopted, and that's why they didn't love me. Weren't mothers and fathers supposed to love their children no matter what? I shivered as I thought about a story I had read in the paper about a woman raping her three months old—with someone else—until the baby was about 13 months old. I shuddered as I thought, maybe not.

Maybe it's just me. No one can love me, not even myself.