After Everything Sucks!

10. The Blows That Come With It

Emaline had almost forgotten about the whole ordeal with her locker when she returned to it after lunch. There were people gathered around the scene, chatting away, but she couldn't care less. She was used to being the centre of attention.
"Move! I want to get into my locker," she called out when the locker door was blocked by a student standing next to it.
They moved immediately, and Emaline swung it open, trying to reassemble her brain. She had drama next. Her favourite. The only subject she wanted to be relevant in her life.
She noticed the student who had moved out of her way was still present beside her, just staring with a smug look on her face.
"Do you have something to say to me, honey?" Emaline asked.
"Is it true that you're a lesbian?" The girl asked.
"I don't know why you think you even have the right to talk to me, but I'd stop right now unless you want your life to suck," Emaline warned her, pulling out the script for her next drama assignment.
"I don't think you're the Emaline Addario you all want us to think you are," the girl smirked.
"Who the fuck even are you?" Emaline demanded. She thought she had never seen this girl in her life, and then it dawned on her. It was the freshman girl who had bumped into earlier. The one she had humiliated only because she had been angry. She had short, blonde hair, braces and was wearing dungarees.
"You're not the only one who can make a person feel small," the girl stated, before turned and walking away.
Emaline shook her head, trying to ignore what the girl had said. But she couldn't. She was beginning to realise how much of a bitch she really was. And how it was now coming back to bite her.
"Are you okay, babe?"
Emaline turned to see Tracey, her best friend in front of her.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Emaline replied.
Tracey pointed at the graffiti on Emaline's locker. "You know what this is right? Revenge. Kate Messner's lesbian claws are all over this," Tracey told her.
"I've told you. Kate Messner's cooler than I thought. I doubt this is her," Emaline said with a sigh.
"Really? I don't see anyone else who would do this. I reckon that Kate Messner is a bit of a psycho-"
Emaline slammed the locker door shut. "Say another word," she hissed.
Tracey looked afronted. "What's got into you? You used to hate that girl," Tracey said, following Emaline as she began to walk away.
"I never hated her," Emaline stated.
"Okay, well talk to me," Tracey demanded.
Emaline stopped in her tracks. She never really trusted Tracey. She was one of the girls she had always clung to for the sake of popularity. And that was definitely why she was never going to reveal her secret to her. However, as she looked at her, she could sense the girl was putting two and two together in her head.
"I've got to go. I'll see you later," Emaline said, before speeding off again.

***

McQuaid stormed to the cafeteria as quickly as he could. He knew who had done this and he felt more betrayed than he had ever done in his life. He saw her immediately, with a small cluster of people around her. She was not a popular person, so this in itself was odd.
"I need to talk to you," he stated as he approached her. She stopped talking to her small crowd and stared at McQuaid.
"What about?" She asked slyly.
"You know what this is about. Why have you done this? We had a deal," McQuaid exclaimed.
"She deserves what she'd getting. She's just a bitch with too much power. It's about time she stepped down from her high horse," Jennifer told him.
"I can't believe you. Have you even thought about this? What about Kate? What about me?"
"Who's Kate?" Jennifer asked. But it was too late. The look of realisation on her face made McQuaid mentally kick himself ten times.
"Not Kate Messner?"
McQuaid was sweating. "What? No. I didn't..." There was nothing he could say. The damage had been done.
"Did you hear that? Kate Messner and Emaline Addario!" She addressed the crowd.
McQuaid didn't want to stay and witness this. He exited the cafeteria as quickly as he could, bumping into none other than Emaline herself.
"McQuaid," she gasped, taken by surprised. She seemed down.
"Emaline, I..." He stuttered.
Her face became more sympathetic. "Are you okay?" She asked.
McQuaid sighed. He knew what he had to do.
"I need to talk to you," he said.
"Okay, shoot," Emaline said, walking backwards and sitting down on the step behind her.
McQuaid swallowed, shuffling on the spot. Did he sit? He decided against it as he tried to form the words in his head.
"So, the thing with your locker. I saw it when I walked past. It sucks," he began. Why couldn't he just get straight to the point?
"Yeah, I guess," she nodded.
"I know who did it. And regretfully... it's my fault," he admitted.
"What do you mean?" Emaline said confusedly.
"I may have accidently made an insinuation which this girl, Jennifer, picked up and now she's telling half the school," McQuaid explained. He anticipated her wrath, and avoided eye contact with her at all costs. However, it never came. All she did was exhale.
"Oh, McQuaid," she said painfully.
"I'm so sorry. Please understand I never meant for this to happen," McQuaid pleaded.
"I'm not mad at you. It could have happened to anyone. Besides, it's not the end of the world," she told him with a small smile on her face.
"What's it like?" McQuaid asked, finally sitting down beside her.
"What's what like?" Emaline questioned.
"Being loved?"
She smiled sadly. "McQuaid, you are loved. Perhaps not in the way you recognise. But you have to two solid best friends. I think you're way cooler than you appear. The amazing part is not being loved. It's feeling loved."
She rested her head on his shoulder, and he sat motionless. The word "love," now had a whole new meaning.