10 Things I hate About Her (10 Things #1)

22. The 10 Letters from Val Walsh

Detention would be agony. Yet, it was a small price to pay for Val to hear Naomi's message. The classroom, though large enough to hold thirty, held only seven. Naomi sunk into her seat near the front of the classroom close to the door. A girl walked in, her blue hair molded into spikes along the center of her scalp. Silver studs lined her ear lobes and a black choker locked around her neck. She blew a gum bubble till it popped and sat next to Naomi. Naomi didn't know her, so she shifted her desk slightly opposite to the stranger. There was a vibe, an external energy force exuding from the girl that she didn't like. There was no rhyme or reason to it. She contemplated moving but wanted to stay close to the exit, so she could be the first to leave.

The girl's dark eyes shifted to Naomi. "Where's Romeo?"

"Sorry?"

"You know, Val, the handsome chic everyone is talking about. The one you talked about on the announcement this morning." The girl grinned and popped her gum a second time. "I never met a lesbian before. How often do you guys do it?" She paused, and her jaw dropped. She said, "Or is the rumor true that you guys broke up?"

Naomi's vision tunnelled. The background blurred, and the girl's obnoxious face zoomed into focus. Naomi stayed quiet. The last thing she needed was a spiteful reminder of how fragile her relationship with Val had become.

However, it was not all bad. Val had left a collection of letters in the locker. All Naomi had to do was ignore the prying girl and then she would learn what Val had to say.

The girl relaxed in the chair and said, "Oh Romeo, Romeo where art thou? I miss you, mhm." She kissed the air mockingly.

She earned some laughter from the others in the classroom- a ragtag bunch of skinny kids who preferred to skip class to play games in the computer lab, and athletes whose parents had forgotten to teach them to respect others.

One of the guys, Naomi recognized from Hunter's team, she couldn't remember his name. He asked, "Did you date Hunter to hide the fact that you and her were together? He's real hurt. I don't see why two girls date, you know, guys are made to be with women, get it right. Fucking homos." He spat on the ground.

Naomi realized that the bullying hadn't come to an end, but fewer and fewer people were approaching her in a more public setting. This was ignorance in its purest form. People became braver when they felt that no one would stand against them.

Spike asked, "Tell the truth, Val has a dick, don't she?" She popped her gum again.

The entire conversation made Naomi want to leave while her dignity was intact. Luckily, Mr. Burns walked into the classroom and dropped his messenger bag on the desk. He straightened his button up shirt and addressed the assembly. He said, "There will be no talking, no phones and no food."

Good. The students would have to shut their damn mouths or risk getting into trouble. Naomi would get her well deserved peace or, so she thought.

Spike popped her gum loudly.

Mr. Burns picked up the bin from its corner and brought it to Spike's desk. "Spit," he told her.

She said, "No." And continued to pop her damn gum.

Mr. Burns said, "You spit that gum out now, or you are stuck on garbage duty for the rest of the week."

Spike measured him with her eyes, crossed her arms over her chest and spat into the black depths. The teacher nodded, satisfied and returned the bin to its place. Then he sat down and took a book out to read.

Naomi observed him. Ash white hair covered the sides of his head, but carefully avoided its bumpy center. His protruding nose came out far over puffy lips. His ears, small flaps on the side of his head. If Val was here, she would probably compare him to a bald chipmunk and mutter some sarcastic comment. But Val wasn't there.

The bitter comments of her schoolmates swam in her head and she almost decided not to take out Val's letters and read them but thought better. She dug into her bag and produced the collection of papers tied like a Christmas present by a careful hand. The green ribbon was bright, fluorescent. Spike watched her, curious, but cautious enough of Mr. Burns not to try him. Spike ended up scratching her nails into the desk's wooden top instead of further annoying Naomi.

Naomi unwrapped the letters. The sticky note atop them read, I've never shared my writing with you, but here is a single letter for everything you hate about me.

Naomi couldn't stop the smile that spread across her mouth.

She picked up the first one and her classmates grunts and the tinkering of metal objects faded. She thought herself mad, but she imagined Val straddling the back of the chair in front of her and smiling at her as she read. The image vanished as quickly as it appeared. Naomi's solemnity returned as she thumbed each line.

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