Just Kidding | ✔️

Chapter 7: A Gloomy School Day

    
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School appears more viscous and gloomy than usual this early morning. The clouds are rolling in faster than Mother Nature would ever allow, safe to say people are caught off guard. Students are using textbooks and backpacks to cover themselves. The rain isn't pouring yet so everyone's ideas seem useless, I'm not as focused on the weather as I am on the new addition to the school once again.

     Dawson. My ex.
   Dawson is back.

     His name wraps itself around my body a million times over again, slowly it suffocates me until there is nothing. Until I'm nothing.
     The only way to describe how much I'm repulsed by this boy is by saying that he's higher on the list of people I hate than Cooper himself.

    I have far too many reasons to wish the worst kind of karma on Dawson. I have still yet to tell my friends the entire story of him and my parents never truly knew what was going on until the very end, until he was sent away from here and from me. Now he's back and I am left crawling back into the skin of who I used to be; who he made me become. I can't be her again. I can't go back. I won't survive it.

Riley told me in the car the details of Dawson's return.

There wasn't much to tell other than he messaged her, seeing as I have him blocked on all platforms, she wasn't specific about what he said but in her words it was "tell my bitch of an ex she'll be seeing my face in the halls again and to watch her back" or something along those very cliche lines.

I've been trying to process how I'll react when I see him again or how he'll react. Dawson always was a pro at making me fear him.

     "Kyla? Are you alright?" Riley grabs and shakes my shoulders until I awaken from my chaotic thoughts; my heart currently beating against my ear. It takes me a moment to return to the land of a high school student and even then I don't feel like one.

     "I-I'm fine. Why?" My eyes return to Riley's curious ones. "You've been staring at the school entrance for thirty minutes now. Class started ten minutes ago." She says, falling back in her seat.

     "Can we skip the first few periods today? I'm really not in the mood to go in and face everyone." I shake my head as a smile tugs at the ends of her lips. "I was hoping you would say that."

     The car starts up and we make our way out of the school parking lot.

     Along the drive many questions I cannot comprehend race through my mind like: why is Dawson here? Why did he message Riley to only threaten me? Is he planning something?

     Riley and I pull into a run down ice cream shop close to the boardwalk. We don't say much when walking inside where a kind looking older woman greets us, clearly she's ecstatic that customers walked in since I wonder how long ago. For a couple minutes she goes on about her dogs and cats then moves on to her grandchildren. Riley and I nod along the entire time until finally we are able to order a cookie dough and mint chocolate chip ice cream and decide to head towards the boardwalk.

     "How are things going with your crush, Robert is it?" Riley grins, striking up conversation. "It's Ryder actually" I point my spoon at her "and it's great." I lie.
     "You still haven't talked to him yet have you?" She chuckles, reminding me that he might actually never notice me if I don't end up taking this "future relationship" outside of my mind.
     "You know, it's not that easy to talk to him? He's intimidating."

     "You know who else is intimidating like that?" Riley waits for my answer to which I respond with, "Ian Somerhalder?" Unfortunately that isn't the answer. Nothing even close to it. "It's Cooper Rhodes, sweetie. I think you know as much as I do the amount of women who'd sell their soul for that gorgeous devil." That certainly doesn't improve my day.

     "Cooper is a fucking psycho. I can talk to him because I am simply collecting evidence to bring him to the authorities so that I can get him locked up in the looney bin," crossing the street, I continue by saying "Ryder is a God, that's a whole other situation."

After some time of chatting and laughing, Riley suggests we leave and I agree. Finishing the rest of my ice cream I throw it away and follow behind my friend as we make our short walk back to the car. Fortunately it stopped drizzling in the area for the majority of our walk but now it seems the clouds are reuniting for another round. We end up returning to the dreaded school soon enough and suddenly the clouds grow darker, the rain falls harder and my heart beats faster.

     Fourth period is creeping up on us now and I know I need to be in class. Cooper may be a horrible father and human being in general but I am not about to be an unworthy mother and fail. 

"How is the project going with Cooper?" Riley questions as if reading my mind. "Awful. What kind of person would ever trust him with a child?" I complain, leaning back in the passenger seat.

     Riley shuts off the ignition. "In this situation. You." She points out, only igniting my frustration.

     "I'm taking the class because I thought that it would be fun and a good experience but now that Cooper's in it and better yet, my partner, all I want is out of the damned class." I grumble, maybe this is my own karma.

     "Cooper is just making your life a living hell isn't he?" Riley chuckles, kicking her feet up onto the dashboard, her boots scuffing the already worn paint.

     "You have no idea." I groan, running my hands through my hair until we're strong enough to begin the walk towards the office doors. As soon as we make it inside I'm overwhelmed by the scent of  butterscotch and fresh jasmine. The usual unappealing woman sits behind the counter, momentarily she's typing away at her keyboard, eyes glued to the screen.
"What class will you be attending at this hour?" She asks, not once looking up at us. Her hair is thin and blonde but it's changed colors more times than the seasons in the past four years.

     "Mrs.Lenard." I say and the office lady is scribbling down the information on a slip of paper, handing it back to me moments later. Riley and I part ways, she goes left and I stray right.

     Making my way down the halls the need to run for the hills and see where it takes me becomes much more tempting. Soon the thought clears as I stand face to face with the door of the classroom.

     I peer through the window to see that Cooper isn't at our usual table. Instead he's migrated at the next one over. His eyes darken as he leans down, batting his eyes at a perky cheerleader who all but gropes him.

     Disgusting. All of it. Him especially.
     Once I reach for the handle and it slowly starts turning I know there is no going back.

     I'm stuck in this world for another day.