Death of the Perfect Girl

54- The First Time

     Sadie stared at her camera for about three minutes. Whenever she did this it was usually to force her tears to come. The air in her room would dry her eyes and force them to produce the tears she needed for her video. But this time her stare was from embarrassment, shock, discouragement and many other feelings that she didn't feel often.

She cleared her throat and looked down, a tears running down her cheek. She quickly wiped it then looked at the camera and shook her head. "I'm sorry...As you can see, this video is unedited. Which indicates to you that this video is serious. It had to be. Because for the first time in a very long time I've realized that I'm not serious enough. That I've been putting myself in situations and hoping that something dramatic happens so that I could have a story to tell. And that's selfish. I've been selfish."

Sadie sighed and squeezed her eyes shut. Then she tucked her hair behind her ears. "I'm sure many of you have already heard about what happened at my eighteenth birthday party. I invited my teacher, who is not only my teacher, but a family friend. He objected but I insisted...because I wanted him there. See...I won't name him- but he's been there for me whenever I felt...depressed, unhappy...sick of being me." Sadie looked at the corner of her room and shook her head then she began to weep. "So," she looked at the camera," I thought I needed him there. And then he drank and he's never drunk before. And things went downhill. Because everyone decided to record him and post him online and he lost his job. I didn't want him to lose his job. I didn't think he would...," Sadie paused preparing to lie," I didn't think he would drink. I honestly do not believe that he got himself drunk. I...I think someone else did because knowing him he would never drink. I just need to let you all know that this wasn't his fault and that he doesn't deserve the hate or to get fired. And so many people have been giving him hate because they think that he either had a relationship with a student, specifically me, or that he had at least come to the party with the wrong intentions."

Sadie looked down at her phone. "Here are some of the comments I've seen under news clips, the videos themselves and so on." She scrolled through her screenshotted photos. "'This teacher should be fired. How could an adult like him think it would be okay to attend to party of his student. H*ck, to get drunk. Sick. Just sick!' Here's another. 'Obvious creep. Someone better look into this guy. Find out what school he works at. Because I would strangle him with my own bare hands if he came to my sister's party.' And the last one I'll be reading is from @Antihero_76 who thought it would be nice to make it about race. He says 'send the Paky back. If they aren't attacking us, they're attacking our kids. Good for nothing Muslim.' First of all," Sadie angrily looked at the camera," he is not from Pakistan. Just because he's brown doesn't mean he's a terrorist. You people- and when I say you people I don't mean white. I mean racists. You people have been the biggest terrorists in the world. You've invaded country after country and killed your own people to get them to start wars. I'm tired of people picking others apart by race when people are individuals. Blame it on culture. Fine. Blame it on their society. Freakin' fine but people are not who they are by their skin tone. I'm freaking Chinese and I'm horrible at Math and better at English. Mr...," she paused before starting again. "He's from Dubai and he's a Christian. I can't. Honestly. He's getting hate for nothing. So please," Sadie wiped her cheek," those of you who believe me and love me- even if you hate me and don't, comment under every video, every meme of him with hashtag #nothisfault or #hedeservesbetter because this man's reputation is being destroyed. His life it being destroyed by one mistake...," tears filled Sadies eyes again. "My mistake." She bowed her head and sobbed the she leaned over and shut off the camera.

*  *  *

"B-frickin'-S!" Poppy stared at her phone screen. "Complete and utter bullcrap."

Liam sighed. "At least she responded. I'm glad she did. People will think twice-"

"But she's lying," Poppy shouted. "Just like she did about me."

"She can't tell people that she gave him the drink. You know she wouldn't."

Poppy shook her head. "I don't wanna hate her."

"Then feel sorry for her. That's what I do. I'm sorry for her. We don't know what's going on in her head. In anyone's."

*  *  *

Pearce's girlfriend stormed into his apartment.

He flinched nearly dropping his phone and turned to his front door. "Hey-"

"Don't hey me," she shouted. "I told you to leave that kid alone. Now she's got you all tangling up in some mess that's destroying my relationship with my co-workers."

"What are you-"

"You're a meme, moron!"

Pearce furrowed his brows. "A meme? Wha...I...," he frowned.

"All it took was one night and you've already become the biggest thing on the internet since sliced bread."

"Sliced bread came before the internet-"

"Don't try to make this a teaching moment. You're aware that you're about to lose your job tomorrow, right?"

"I-I-I," Pearce stuttered trying not to panic. The thought had come to mind after earlier that day when he sat listening to his girlfriend shout at him, Charlotte awkwardly standing in the corner of him bedroom. They, both being under the influence, had fallen asleep in her car the night before. And had woken up completely shocked the next morning. By not only being together in the car, but by the skull splitting hangover that they both had. Pearce, after noticing it in the mirror, had had to wipe lipstick off of his lips along with the puke that had spewed from between them when he had realized what he'd done.

After his girlfriend had left for work, he had spent the entire day weeping uncontrollably and inflicting self harm to his head. He would slam his palm against his head or his head against the wall trying to get himself to make sense of the nonsense that he had done. He hadn't touched his phone. He hadn't eaten. And he hadn't changed out of last night's clothes. He hadn't touched his phone until it had begun to buzz off his coffee table. And when he looked, his stomach had become sick all over again.

"You're going to lose that job that you worked hard for because you just had to go over to that party. And for what? Huh? To ruin yourself over some disgusting teenage girl? You better be glad the only videos from last night are off you dancing. Because if anyone finds out that you kissed a student, you life is way more screwed."

Pearce looked at the video on his phone. It was of him and Charlotte walking into the kitchen, doing exactly what would screw up his life even more. Tears filled his eyes as he read the message above it once more.

Sadie: I FRICKIN' OWN YOU, BRODY.