brandon
it's monday. i don't want it to be monday.
i was able to escape the rest of the weekend by slugging down alcohol and sleeping for long periods of time but there's no way for me to avoid school. i really don't think i have much choice in the matter.
the bell for first period rings as i walk through the classroom door, my hoodie covering my mop of hair that i was too lazy to take care of this morning. i barely had the energy to brush my teeth.
"impeccable timing, mr arreaga," mr cooke says to me, only flicking my nerves.
i don't say anything as i walk to the back of the room where my seat awaits me.
cassie's backpack is placed on top of it as if to say 'nope, you can't sit here. sorry, asshole.'
she has her earbuds in, blasting music loud enough that i can hear it faintly as i stand at the stool. she stares at her notebook and i wait to see if she'll move her bag. and she doesn't.
huffing, i pick it up and place it down beside her chair, realizing that she's going to play the game where she ignores me. i don't like this game very much. i don't like it at all, actually.
i get why she's ignoring me; i really do and i can't be mad at her for it. but she can't stay mad at me forever and she'll have to get over it and start acting like a mature person. we aren't twelve and this isn't some movie.
i plop down beside her in the chair and put my head down on the desk, ignoring everyone and everything around me.
about twenty minutes into class, i feel something hit my head. i look up and see zion and edwin snickering, my eyes landing on the crumpled up ball of paper that they threw at me.
agitated, i grab the paper and rip it into pieces, shoving it into the desk and putting my head down. i'm really, really not in the mood.
"who shit in your corn flakes this morning, man?" zion asks, throwing another paper at my head.
i don't answer him but i roll my eyes even though he can't see the action of annoyance.
today is going to be a long day.
-------------------------------------------------------------
it's lunch and i'm in the cafeteria, sitting with the guys as i usually do. i don't touch my food that i spent five bucks on. it doesn't look too appetizing to me.
"so, i saw you with cassie's friend," nick nudges zion. "anything going on between you two?"
zion shrugs his shoulders as he smirks. "all i did was walk her to class," he says. "she's just really nice."
"first you walk her to class, then you smash her in the bathrooms," austin cracks up, earning a fist bump from nick and a punch in the gut from zion.
"i'm not nick," zion retorts. "i have respect for women."
"ooooooh," edwin chimes in. "nick just got blasted."
nick starts stammering about how he knows how to treat women and some other type of bullshit that i don't bother listening to.
suddenly, i feel someone tap my shoulder from behind me. i turn around and see cassie standing there with an infuriated glare directed towards me.
"hey" i say, unsure of what's wrong. "you alright?"
"stay out of my goddamn life, brandon." she says with gritted teeth. her hands are balled into fists that hang at her sides.
i'm shocked and confused. "what?" i ask. "what do you mean?"
cassie is fuming. her cheeks are flushed, her eyes are wild, her voice is shaky. "i don't want anything to do with you. how could you think that after everything you could do this?"
i turn to the boys and they all look as shocked as i do. their faces are blank with knowledge of nothing.
"why would you do this?" she rephrases,
"i don't know what you're talking about, cassie." i assure her. she's starting to make a scene as people look over and stare, fingers pointing in our direction. the area around us has gone quiet.
"you don't know?" she mimics me, her voice unbelieving. "bullshit, brandon!"
i'm taken aback by her anger and outburst but words don't seem to be an option for me right now. i'm speechless.
"got anything to say?" cassie asks loudly. her voice echoes throughout the room. i can feel eyes on us from every angle. my heart pounds in my chest and i start to feel angry. i don't know what's happening.
i sit there with my mouth gaping open. no words form behind my lips, and my thought process seems to have shattered into oblivion.
"fucking coward." she says quietly, reaching into her pocket to pull out a piece of paper. she flings it at me and it lands on my food that i hadn't touched yet.
"go to hell, brandon." she turns around and storms away, leaving me to deal with the stares from around the cafeteria. my mouth stays open in shock, unsure if i'm dreaming all of this or not.
i really want this to be a dream.
just one big nightmare.
"brandon," austin says to me quietly from across the circular table. "you need to see this."
i turn and see the paper has been unfolded by the guys and they all collectively look at it, surveying the damage that's been done.
"give it to me," i demand. i hold out my hand and snatch the paper.
it's a photo of cassie and i from the party, my hands on her ass as we were making out. across the paper in red marker are words scribbled down:
SLOPPY SECONDS
i only know one person who could've done this.
kayla.
i crumple the paper in my fist and follow cassie out of the cafeteria. i jog into the hallway and i'm about to shout after her when at least fifty photos are plastered on the lockers. they're all of me and cassie and they all say 'sloppy seconds' on them. some of the photos are different than others but i rip a bunch of them down and begin to tear them into pieces, trying to erase them from the school.
people stare and point and someone even pulls out their phone to record me.
"fuck off," i say to them. "delete that before i come over there and punch your face in."
my voice sounds like an angry snarl and i'm glad. i don't want people messing with me again.
it's time i do something about this.
