Retaliation ✔

Chapter 17 - Cigarettes

*one day later*

I was in my same spot, the floor at the bottom of the staircase, when June snarkily strutted up to me. I rolled my eyes at her and leaned my head back against the brick wall. She bent forwards to whisper in my face (and give me a good whiff of her terrible breath).

"So I see you and Lover Boy have finally broken it off," She quietly taunted so that no one else could hear. I scoffed and shut my eyes, attempting to ignore her. She gripped my chin in one of her hands and forced me to look her in the eye, clearly trying to be menacing. "Listen to me, little bitch. I knew you two would never work out - Corey and I are meant to be together. I hope that the breakup was tough enough for you to know never to mess with my man again."

I chuckled sarcastically and pried the blonde off me. "What do you think happened between us?" I questioned, making sure to use the same mocking tone that she had.

"He obviously saw Gregory and I together at school and got jealous. You noticed this and broke up with him to save yourself from the possible heartbreak," June stated matter-of-factly, standing up to her full height and preparing to leave. "I know you, Aveline. I know you'll do anything to save yourself from getting hurt. You're a selfish piece of shit." She made her remark before turning and traveling up the stairs.

Quickly, I said, "It sure feels nice to be called a selfish piece of shit while I'm still mourning the loss of my brother," barely loud enough for anyone to hear. I saw June stop for a second, which hinted that she had indeed been listening, before she quickly finished walking up.

Honestly, the drama of my fake breakup (and ignoring the entirety of my friend group) gave me a nice diversion from thoughts of Ashton.

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I had been distracted from school even more that day. I had solid Fs in every class, which once again frusterated me to no end. Halfway through sixth hour, I got so fed up that I simply got up and left. My teacher shouted at me to stop. It didn't work seeing as you can't stop me once I get my mind on something.

The permanent ache in my chest had gotten worse throughout the course of the night before and that morning. My encounter with June had somehow affected me. I felt like there was a hope in my heart.

I wanted to fill that hole with smoke. As I made my way through the hallways of the school to leave out of the back entrance, I ran straight into one of the people I did not want to see.

"Aveline," Corey breathed out upon seeing me. "Why the fuck did you publicly break up with me?" He questioned immediately.

I shrugged my shoulders and trudged around his tall body. Out of nowhere, his strong hands were on my shoulders, stopping me. I took a deep sigh and looked over my shoulder at the boy.

"Tell me," He declared. I raised my eyebrows at his confidence, something I didn't see much of from Corey.

"Our plan was shit, Cunty. June wasn't even affected by our relationship anymore. Seemingly, she was over you," I replied in my monotonous voice. Prying his hands off of me, I slunk my way out of the school.

Once outside, I leaned back against the cold, rough bricks. Reaching into the pocket of my leather jacket, I extracted my two newest favorite items - a cigarette and my dad's old lighter. I smoothly lit it before bringing the cig up to my puckered lips and taking a deep inhale.

It felt almost too soothing and peaceful. With nothing outside of my high school left to distract me, I began thinking about Ashton. Remembering him.