The Valiant

Chapter 9

It has been one week since the party, and I haven't talked to Drake much. Whenever we were the only ones in a room, it was really awkward, which caused one of us to leave. School hasn't been so great either. Maddie has been demanding to hear all the details of the kiss Drake and I shared and I always told her that it was nice and there is nothing between us. She replied with a 'yeah right. You two are perfect for one another, like you guys were meant to be,'. After that, I always wondered if I was Drake's match and he was mine, but I always shook the thought from my head. Then there was Cheryl. She made sure to make my life miserable. She always called me a whore whenever she had the chance, either in class or out. She would always talk bad about me whether I was within earshot or not and always pointed out the cons about me and such. What annoyed me the most is that she kept chasing after Drake, flirting with him, trying to kiss him, which he always manages to stop, she always sets her hands on inappropriate places, like his leg, or shoulder. But no matter what, she got nowhere with him.

I sit at a table for lunch, my tray in front of me filled with a corn dog, milk, pears, and a salad as well as a small cup of ranch and a fork. I pick at my salad silently as I am lost in my thoughts.

"Hey, Payt," someone says as the sit down. I look up and see Sammy next to me, giving me a cheerful smile. I return the smile as Kyle sits next to her and gives me a short nod.

"Hey," I reply and take a bite out of the salad.

"Are we having a party or what?" A new voice says and Maddie sits down next to me.

"Nope," I say, "no party," Maddie smiles at me and takes a bite out of her corn dog.

"Oh. My. Goshness," Sammy says slowly, looking at something, "look at her, she is horrible," I follow her gaze to where Cheryl and her group of friends sit. There is Drake, sitting next to Cheryl, who looks very pleased while Drake looks unhappy. Soon, Cheryl places her hand on his leg and suddenly kisses him for quite a long time. Her friends look awkward at this and try to focus on other things. I expected Drake to shove her away and leave, but what shocks me is that he kisses her back. I feel Maddie's eyes on me as I look back down at my food, trying to not care about him and eat. I quickly finish my food and go dump the tray. I walk back to my seat and I pull out my phone.

Meet me in the hallway by the haunted bathroom
~?

I stop about halfway to my table and read the message over and over again. I look up at my table and see them deep in a conversation. They wouldn't notice me going, would they? I hope not, because my curiosity is getting the best of me. I didn't know the random person who texted me. They could be a kidnapper for all I know. I will manage though. I sneak out of the cafeteria without being noticed and I walk down the hallway towards the bathroom.

The haunted bathroom was exactly like its name said. It is haunted. The sinks would randomly go off, toilets randomly flushed, and the lights flickered off and on a lot. No one ever uses that bathroom, so if they have to go extremely bad while walking by it, they wait until there is another bathroom, even if it is all the way across the school.

I stop right before I turn the corner that leads into the hallway where the bathroom is at. I look down at the ground, debating whether I should go back and enjoy the twenty minutes I have left of lunch with my friends. But, I also wonder what this person wants. So with that, I turn the corner and see someone leaning against the wall. They turn their head to me and a smirk works its way on their face. It is Josh. I want to back away, but my feet remain where they are, telling me silently that the only way to overcome my fears is to stand my ground.

"Why, hello beautiful," he says, walking slowly towards me, like a wolf stalking its prey. Which means I'm the prey. My eyes widen as I realize this. I try to go back, but once again, my feet remain where they are. Stubborn little bastards. I narrow my eyes at Josh, my heart beating faster as he gets closer, "did the snake leave you?" He taunts when he stops beside me, his head facing me as he says this in a whisper, "you weren't good enough for him?" He starts to play with a strand of my hair and my anger rises. I turn to him and slap his hand away forcefully while running down the hallway, past the bathroom. I hear him chasing me, getting closer. I urge myself to go faster, and surprisingly, I do. I turn around corners sharply, hoping that would flow him down.