A Shadow's Kiss ~ A Pitch Black/Rise of the Guardians Fanfiction

Chapter 8 ~ The Worst Nightmare Is Reality

*** Trigger Warning: Not mentions of violence or suicide. Cyber-bullying warning. Anara is a victim of harsh online bullying through social media. Some of the comments are harsh and may trigger people. Please be cautious when reading. If anything like this could upset you, DO NOT read the beginning of this chapter!

"If you weigh over 120 pounds, you shouldn't wear fishnets." That simple little statement began what I would consider to be one of the worst days of my life. It had been a reasonably chilly afternoon, winter creeping in like the moon's shadow on the sun during an eclipse. School was typical, the teachers lecturing on their subjects to students who wanted nothing more than to get through midterms and begin their winter break. Only a few questions in regards to the identity of the mysterious man at Jade's party were brought to my attention, inquiries I answered with the reply that he was a friend from another country who was on holiday. Surprisingly, Priscilla had yet to return to school. No one had seen her since the party. Jason, who had not shown up at the party, was speaking animatedly to a group of his friends, and he smiled at me when I walked passed. Strange...I thought, shrugging and continuing on my way. I was ready to go home and open a good book to unwind. My head was already hurting, and I wondered if I was coming down with the flu. This was not to mention that I, who was generally a teacher's pet, had received a less than perfect score on my math test, putting me in a bitter mood. The day already wasn't going well for me and it just seemed to get worse as the minutes ticked by.

Following an excruciating final hour of class, I was released for the day. Walking outside and into the fresh air, I noticed the "Queen Bee" Priscilla and her gang of leeches leaning against the railing of the stairs leading to the sidewalk. Attempting to be cordial, I pretended not to see Priscilla and Jason as they watched me walk by them. What are they up to? I grimaced, knowing whatever they were planning could not be good.

I strode to my car, setting my bag in the back seat and my purse in the passenger side. Getting settled in the driver's seat, I noticed my phone going off. Leaning over, I retrieved the device and unlocked it, finding that I had over thirty text alerts. My heart began to hammer in my chest as I opened the first set of messages, all from Jade. "Holy crap! Did you see this?...Anara? Look at your phone!...What is this?" Jade had sent an image of Priscilla to me. Priscilla had posted a picture on one of her social media pages, her makeup dark and wearing a costume similar to the one I was wearing at the Halloween party. Her makeup was exaggerated and she posed like a damsel in distress with the back of her hand pressed to her forehead and her mouth open in a gasp.

Priscilla captioned the photo with the words, "Guess who I am everyone? I'm sulky and fat and my musical skills are almost as terrible as my luck in relationships! Shout out at Anara Rose for making the Halloween Party a truly horrific event!" I felt my blood run hot as I read her words, furious at Priscilla's attempt to goad me into a social media argument. Part of me expected some shenanigans like this to come from the popular girl, since she was robbed of her chance at Jade's Halloween party. Closing the picture, I read the rest of the messages from Jade."Anara?? Is everything okay?... Are you alright?...Don't read the comments!....They are all wrong and completely untrue. You are my best friend and you are so beautiful ...I've already left a message for Mr. Winborne. Priscilla deserves suspension for this at the very least." I quickly sent back a thank you response and agreement to Jade, before my phone buzzed again and my gaze landed on the other twelve messages.

Random numbers were sending me screenshots of the comments under Priscilla's picture. A few people had disliked her post and called her out for being a big mouth, but most seemed to be in agreement with her. I felt my throat constrict as I realized I was now the victim of cyber-bullying, as the comments I was reading were exceptionally harsh and mostly targeted toward me. I prided myself on having thick skin for so many years, used to scathing remarks and disapproval for my outspoken attitude, but never had I experienced so much hatred at one time. The comments were heartbreaking, some of them even coming from classmates I thought had respected and/or liked me. I couldn't read all of them, but I saw the ones that said; "You're so right, P. She's soooo fat." "Talentless" "Know-it-all." "If you weigh more than 120 pounds you shouldn't wear fishnets, or a corset, or leather." "Did you see that guy with her? They are perfect for each other. Both are ugly." "Actually, you're wrong, he seems really attractive and deserves better than her." "Anara is such a pretty, natural name, too bad she wears so much makeup." "I would never date a girl like her." I couldn't read any more, so I threw my phone back in my bag and put my key into the ignition.