Ruby (Rue) Mack is on the varsity softball team. She started pitching for all three years of her high school career, and she hasn't struck out at bat once throughout all of her seasons.
When a mysterious note appears at her locker, threatening to b...
Karma's just sharpening her nails and finishing her drink. She said she'll be with you shortly.
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I avoided my team for as long as I possibly could. I went straight to homeroom, only bothering to go to my locker after the tardy bell rang so I knew the other team members wouldn't be there. Thankfully, after our last game of the season, Coach gave us a week off in order to get "pumped" for the playoffs, so I didn't have to see them at practice, either.
The tardy bell rang. I quickly excused myself from homeroom, once again claiming that I had forgot something in my locker. I don't know why I kept going there every day; it's not like any more notes were showing up. Seal Bay had gotten what they wanted.
I twisted the lock backwards- 5 - forwards twice- 16 - and backwards- 23. The door easily swung open, revealing a neatly organized stash of stress food, textbooks, and extra pencils. A piece of paper was laying on top of the books placed side by side. I grabbed it, flipped it around.
A snake. With a softball caught in its tail. A shiver ran through my body. Why was this still happening?
I opened it.
BETTER A SNAKE IN THE GRASS THAN ONE UP YOUR -
SORRY
I chuckled to myself. So this mystery man likes making jokes after they've already won? And what the hell was he sorry for? The notes? Scaring me out of my mind? And why was this note so secretive?
I placed the note on the top shelf of my locker, just in case I needed evidence for another video. Another bell rang. Students flooded the halls, and immediately I knew that if I didn't move, I was going to get trampled.
Closing my locker, I pushed my way through the crowd. I could feel eyes of my teammates on me, but as they walked past me I made no move to make conversation of give them a passing glance. I was in no mood for thinking about our loss; and the fact that Bailee was in my first period class didn't help, either.
I swear even though she was horrible at pitching, she looked as though she owned the Seal Bay game. She sat on top of her desk, dressed in skinny jeans and one of those shirts that hooked underneath your hoo-hah (I don't know why they do that anymore, we aren't infants), her legs straddling Brandon, his hands on her waist, hers supporting her body leaning back onto the desk. He was whispering something in her ear, and I swear her laugh made me more sick than the results of that game.
I quickly moved to my seat near the back of the room, as far as I could possibly be away from Bailee. The only plus to this class was that Brandon sat right next to me. As he sat down, I could already feel small goosebumps forming on my skin.
I don't know how long I've known Brandon; since we were little, I guess. He used to come over and we'd play Cowboys and Indians - me being the cowboy, of course. He always loved to strut around wearing that ridiculous headpiece like a peacock. I snicker to myself in my seat until a voice interrupts my reminiscing.
