Bloodstream (#2 Blood Series)

Chapter 10

Lately my life has turned into an episode of Everybody hates Chris with the only exception that everybody hates Haley. I was never the most popular girl in school but I'm pretty easygoing and friendly so I get along with most everyone. I had a lot of friends and acquaintances throughout the school. Now people are scared to interact with me and although I understand that no one wants trouble with the Bloods it still kind of stings to be isolated all the time.

I shouldn't complain though. It's worse for Callum. He was already on probation when he stood up for me and now he's just waiting for the sky to fall on him a.k.a. for the Bloods to punish him for his actions. To be perfectly honest I'm kind of surprised they haven't done it already. Not that I want to see him hurt but their retaliation is usually immediate. I know Callum feels the same way even if he refuses to discuss it. He's nervous and just wants to get it over with. Maybe that's part of his punishment, the excruciating wait.

"So are you going?"

I lift my gaze from the most boring project we have had to do in ages. "Huh?" I manage to say although I'm still half-asleep. I'm not even sure what we are supposed to be doing. Our English teacher gave us a huge book and told us to get acquainted with it and then discuss it all the while Mrs Fellini herself sits on her computer and scrolls down Facebook. Because lately I haven't really been feeling that whole school spirit and whatnot I'm napping on top of the book while Callum scrolls his phone. It's the last period and I haven't slept well since I got back so what do you expect me to do?

He doesn't lift his gaze from his phone when he elaborates: "To that party everyone's talking about. You going?"

Hmm... Do I want to go Oliver's party? Let me think about that for a minute. Oh yes. No way in hell. I shake my head but then I realize he can't see that and say: "Nah. You?"

"I don't know. Do you know if --" Callum starts to ask if Drea is coming but I put my hand up and silence him. We've agreed not to talk about things that bum us out a.k.a. Drea and Nathan and the Bloods in general.

"Don't go there", I warn him.

"Right", he nods and doesn't bring it up again while we fight exhaustion and avoid Mrs Fellini's random searches to see if everyone is immersed into the book she gave us. I end up actually sleeping for the rest of the lesson just to be abruptly woken up by Mrs Fellini when she starts to yell at Callum and I for not doing her stupid project. Everyone else gets to go start their weekend but we are stuck in here waiting for this crazy woman to be done with her rant.

It takes 23 minutes for her to get all of her anguish out in the open. When Callum and I actually get to leave the school premises no one else is around anymore. We head over to my car and I drive Callum home. He shares his car with his mom and therefore really only gets to use it at nights and on weekends so he often drives with me to and from school.

After the hellish school day I had I was hoping to spend a quiet Friday night at home where no one judges me or even knows about the whole situation I've got going on with the Bloods but then dear old Dave shows up for dinner. Now I'm stuck with eating dinner with him and my mother while Dave goes out of his way to criticize me. The worst part is that he does it in the manner that makes it seem like he's trying to give me advice so I can't even protest. I just have to sit there quietly and wish he'd just shut the hell up and go away.