"Take that freshies! We're the big dogs around here! Go Coyotes!" some varsity cheerleaders yell and howl as they run down the hall, smashing plates into other people's faces.
The plate floats to the tile-covered ground at my feet as I whip away the chunky substance out of my eyes.
Some of it got in my mouth. It tastes so foul that I ran over to the water fountain that is three feet away.
Slapping water onto my face, I can see a figure coming toward me through my peripheral vision. "You okay? That was unexpected," Zeke says in a timid voice.
"Eww! What is this stuff?" I ask, rushing my words to make this nightmare go away faster.
Zeke came closer to the fountain, examining the pile of bits as it sat above on the metal. "Uhh it looks like wet dog food, but why dog food? Why not something good like whipped cream?" Zeke mentions.
Dog food.
Of course, the preppy prisses used dog food.
Our mascot is a coyote, so they brought dog food into school.
Ha! Hilarious...
After I whipped away the last remanence off my face, I look at Zeke. He looks sorry for me.
Then, a girl skips up behind Zeke. She looks about our age and is in a cheer uniform that shows off her mid-drift. I never understood why high schools allow uniforms to expose someone's stomach. I don't care if they workout constantly or not; I don't want to see it. Showing less skin is always more! Trust me.
"Hey, Zeke! How's it going?" the girl excitedly questions.
He takes a second to answer her. "Hi, Mallory. Do you know what's up with the squad leaders shoving dog food pies at the freshman?" Zeke looks annoyed.
"Well, not all of the freshman. Only the uncool ones. You better stay with your own kind, Zeke, unless you want to end up as one of the rag-a-muffins of the school" Mallory scoffs as she nods at me.
School hasn't even started yet and I'm already being label as 'uncool' by a cheerleader.
Awesome.
And how totally cliché.
So, basically Mallory is a freshman cheerleader, but as a member of the squad, she is not associated as an "uncool freshie" and she isn't required to have dog food pied in her facial region.
But why didn't Zeke get pied?
Zeke shakes his head, "Seriously, Mallory? You care about all that?"
Her mud ball brown eyes rolled around so slow in her head, I thought they were going to get stuck mid-roll. "Well Duh! Appearances and peeps are essential to your survival in high school. Friends who eat dog food aren't at the top of the list. A definite no-no." Mallory finishes that well thought out sentence with a hair flip.
I wish I could slap the devious smile off of her face. But instead, I'm completely lost for words and really trying not to cry in front of most of the student body, and so I sprint down the hall the girls' bathroom.
"Braelyn, wait!" Zeke calls after me as he starts down the hall.
"Hey," Mallory places her hands on Zeke's bicep to gather his attention. He stops and looks at her. "Stick with me babe and you'll never be mistaken as an unpopular geek," Mallory says, glazing into Zeke's eyes.
When she says the phrase 'unpopular geek,' I know she's turning her head in my direction. She's talking so loudly that everyone in the hallway can probably hear her. I couldn't be bothered to pivot around to glimpse back at Zeke's reaction.
Pulling the cool metal door handle, I flung myself inside of the bathroom at the first sink in line. Bracing myself onto the vitreous bathroom sink, I hang my head low as I exhale so loudly and want to cry. Staring into the drip dry white sink, I can't help but reflect on the recent events of these past seven minutes.
Of all people to have a terrible first day at a new school by having dog food mashed in their face, it would be me.
The door creaks open along with some familiar voices, but I don't care to look up to see who created the noise.
"Brae, are you okay?" Paige asks.
I don't speak at first. Sighing, I question, "What did I do to deserve that?" Still not looking up from the silver drain.
"Honestly, nothing. But the cheerleaders think they rule the school, so even a minuscule detail isn't overlooked. Plus, Mallory has an open crush on Zeke. Everyone knows it, so I'm sure she told the seniors to pie you for just talking to Zeke," states a girl that looks familiar.
That must be Paige's other freshman friend, Mikaela, who Paige insisted I meet today. Currently, I'm wishing I was making new friends outside of the girls' bathroom.
I shake my head, "But I was just being nice and talking to him. He's my neighbor. We used to be really close."
Mikaela cuts me off before I could continue my rant.
"It doesn't really matter. Mallory clearly sees you as a threat which would be weird to hear on the first day if it were anyone else," Mikaela bluntly says, wanting to reassure me that this could have happened to anyone potentially 'flirting' with Zeke.
I wasn't flirting. I'm not even sure I know how to properly flirt with a guy, let alone, say the correct thing.
Paige's hand touches my shoulder as she responds, "Also, Zeke doesn't seem like a good guy at least not anymore. I mean, he started to run after you, but after Mallory stopped him to talk, he walked away with her. Zeke didn't even put up a fight."
Not wanting to process these accusations, I grip the sink tighter. We are talking about a guy who used to build sand castles with me. Could he really be that different now?
Why would Zeke not run after me? Yes, I know I ran into the girls' bathroom and he wasn't allowed in here. But, still. He could have waited outside the door or something. I know we really haven't been best friends for a few years, but he's the one who acknowledged me at school this morning. Maybe it's just me, but I would think that he would want to make sure I'm okay. Right? I mean, he did get a front row seat for the humiliating show.
If Mallory thinks that Zeke is "her property," then maybe I should fight for my friendship. But, would Zeke want that? Maybe I should just let our childhood friendship go. If and only if he wants to be friends as teenagers, then we'll figure it out at that moment.
As I look up into the mirror on the wall, I stare at the blue-eyed girl staring back at me.
A fire burned within her irises; a fire set by the underdeveloped brain that occupies the space within the head of Mallory.
Only one thought crossed my mind at this very moment: Never, will I ever let anyone make me feel that small again. Especially Mallory. She may have won this round, but never again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hello readers! First of all, I would like to say welcome and thank you for taking some time out of your lovely day to read my story.
Wow! That was intense. Poor Braelyn. Hopefully, the rest of high school gets better. It can only go up from there, right? Do you think Zeke and Braelyn will be friends again after that embarrassing moment? Now onto Chapter 4!
Enjoy! :)
GIF: Google Images
YOU ARE READING
Splattered Affection
Romance"A boy and a girl can be just friends, but eventually one of them will fall for the other. Maybe temporarily, maybe at the wrong time, maybe too late, or just maybe forever." + + + "Zeke, you can't go around acting lik...
