Winona ✔

Three

Three

I walked into class during rush hour, which was two minutes before the second bell would ring. In the chaos that was the task of getting to class, no one had bothered to spend much time looking at me. The whispers and glances were minimal as I turned up at my second period class but even so, my head was down and my walk was brisk.

I began to walk towards my seat and saw Drew, sitting in the seat in front of mine. Her big, blue eyes looked up and caught mine. Unlike the night before, I pulled away immediately. I didn't look back at her as I walked to my desk and sat down. I didn't look up when she glanced behind her to get my attention. I just stared at my desk, my eyes tracing the indents and the signatures made with a faded ball-point pen.

Drew finally turned away and I let out a long breath of relief, my body slowly letting go of some tension. If anyone was looking or talking about me, I didn't know. My hand moved on its own accord, jotting down the notes on the board as information was sucked through one ear and poured out the other.

Halfway through the class, I slowly looked up from my sheet of paper. No one was looking at me. In fact, everyone was so focused on the class that no one was bothering with me at all. Relief didn't course through me but a sad glimmer of hope spread across me.

Perhaps this was as bad as it would get.

Maybe the video was all it would ever be; a video. Something that is spun around school for a little while and then forgotten the next week. People would forget. I was sure of it. Something else would happen to replace my mistake. Someone else would do something worse and my mistakes would no longer be the only exhibition on display.

I relaxed a little, letting my pen drop to the table and I looked at the red indents on my fingers from my tight grip. I winced and rubbed at the sensitive skin gently. Glancing at the back of Drew's head, I sighed. I could do this. It was just a video and it would all blow over soon. Everyone would forget anything even happened within a few weeks. I just had to get through this phase of it right now.

I looked down as my phone vibrated lightly on top of the desk. I picked it up and unlocked my phone, staring at the message. Within a second, my heart dropped and my stomach felt like it was in my throat. Panic consumed me.

Why did you even bother coming to school today? You're so stupid and ugly. That video is disgusting...

The rest of the words in the message blurred on the screen. I looked at the contact number but I didn't know who it was. A line of numbers glared back at me, each one as mocking and cutting as the words they sent. I read over the message once, then twice before I came out of the app and placed my phone into my pocket. It sat there, a heavy presence in the room.

I looked around at everyone. All their phones were out, sitting on their desks, some on and some off. It could be any of them. Someone in the room could have sent that message. They could be staring at me right now, typing out another one and another one and another one...

I didn't realize I had stood up until nearly everyone's eyes were on me. I placed my hand over my phone in my pocket and caught my teacher's eye, pointing to the door.

"Bathroom," I said and he nodded.

I stumbled my way past people's chairs and opened the door as quickly as I could. Leaving the door wide open, I rushed down the hallway, my heart constricting painfully. My phone didn't vibrate again but I was waiting, my breath held in and my eyes stinging. The bathroom door stared back at me from the end of the hallway and I sped up, not slowing down or looking at anyone until I was through the door and stood in the middle of the bathroom, my reflection looking back at me through the mirror.