Anywhere, Any Time, at Any Cost

Chapter 4: School is my hell

The next day is pretty much the same as every day. Everybody is staring at me, and even though I'm no clairvoyant, I know they're thinking I'm weird. Their eyes say it all. BITCH. LOOSER. WITCH. WHORE. FREAK.

I don't know what I've ever done to them, to look at me like that, to even yell those words at me sometimes. I just lower my head and lay low. I don't want any more hatred than I'm already receiving.

The day goes by like that, until after my last period. I take my books out of my little grey locker, when suddenly, I heard a loud BUM right next to my ears. I slightly turn my head to see a woman's hand, and before my eyes meet hers, I know who she is.

Ashley Madison. The school's bitch, at least in my eyes. To others she is popular, famous, I guess even a goddess. But to me, she's been mean and rude for the last couple of years. She's actually the only student at this school who's ever talked to me, beside Elli and that fake friend I once had. But Ashley's intentions were terrible from the beginning, as opposed to Elli's.

She looks at me with her evil eyes and ominous smile.

''So, FREAK, what are you up to? Are you gonna catch some guy with your amazing seduction skills?Oh, wait no I forgot, you are too stupid to do that, AND you are gay. So maybe you wanna look at my boobs? Or Rachel's? Are hers better? Come on, Kacey, you're the expert, give us the verdict.''

She and her right hand, Rachel, laugh so rudely, it actually sounds like witches are laughing.

I look to the ground as I know the best thing to do is to just ignore them. I know nobody is going to come to my aid, teachers and Elli are not around, and other students couldn't care less about me. But the truth is, that I'm also scared of Ashley. So scared.

She lowers her head, until she looks into my eyes, then she says:''What's wrong? Why are you hiding? Is it something you've done? Maybe you're not just interested into girls, but also into kids ha? And nobody knows it. Nobody knows how sick and twisted you really are.''

Suddenly I am filled with rage, barely able to contain it, so I let out words, that I should not say:''Stop it. You're the one who's sick and twisted.''

I lift up my head, and add:''The only difference is, everybody knows that, but they pretend like they don't.''

I am now braver than before, but really for no reason. I know she's going to win in the end, but I wanna show her that I'm not afraid of her, even though I am. But I don't want her to know that.

I feel pride and courage running through my veins, but it all fades away when she gives me one of those looks, that really convince me she's a witch. Once again I feel fear.

''Listen to me, you little bitch. If you think you can just disrespect me like that, oh, than you are very wrong. Very wrong. You say something like that again, I'll make sure you go through hell.''

I smile, because for a moment I feel stronger than her.

I say:''Well guess what? I'm already in hell and I'm surviving it. So good luck with that.''

She grabs my chin with her fingers, so that her nails cut into my skin. It burns, but it's not a pain I couldn't handle.

She comes closer, and I can see every evil stripe in her ugly eyes. She smiles and says:''You will never win. Because I always do, and there's room for only one. Me. You will go down as a weirdo and a freak and you will always suffer. I'm glad you're already in hell. Cause now you've given me a challenge of making it even worse.''

She laughs and I immediately regret my last words. What was I thinking telling her something like that?

But I gather the last pieces of bravery and my scattered dignity and say:''What have I ever done to you? Why do you enjoy so much in torturing me? That's sick you know.''

She laughs and replies:''Kacey, Kacey, Kacey. I've gotta have some fun right? If it's gotta be torturing you, so be it. I can't help the fact that I enjoy it so much. Sometimes you gotta be crazy to achieve your dreams.''

She laughs even more and I see a spark in her eyes. A spark of the devil. I know it sounds crazy, but it's true. I think she was sent by the devil to torture me on purpose. Because I deserve it.

She steps away and says:''So long school freak. Oh and family pics on your locker ... not OK. Well for everybody else maybe, but not for you.''

I turn around to look at the picture of me, my dad and my mum on a sunny day. We are sitting in front of our house, smiling. I see pure happiness, which ended soon after the photo was taken. When mum died. The memory brings tears into my eyes, but I know I can't show them in front of Ashley. It would just be another excuse for her. Another weakness of mine she can exploit.

But it's too late, she already saw it, and she laughs and says:''Oh, you miss your mommy. I'm sure she's happier wherever she is. I mean, she doesn't have to put up with you, right?''

A tear rolls down my cheek and Ashley walks away, but not before throwing all of my books from my arms, to the ground.

I fall to my knees and start picking them up, with tears in my eyes as I hear her evil laughter distancing away from me. But it's still in my ears, still in my mind. And I know it will never truly go away.