S.S. Caterina

Chapter 5

I shuffled through the seemingly dreary hallway, bumping into kids before they push me away. My black attire doesn't suit anything but my emotion, and my unbrushed hair flopped and flew around. "Oh no.." I mumbled as Keya came into view. She wore a short plaid skirt -modified from the school uniform- tall white knee socks, and a khaki tank. Her heels looked unbearably uncomfortable, and my stomach turned at the sight of them. Two girls stood by her side, one examining shinny nail polish while the other kissed a vigorous guy. In my attempt to avoid any visual contact -much less social commentary- from Keya, I quickly shuffled to the right. Too far. "Hey Danny!" A beefy and blond jock waves to the redhead watching her hand. I turn into him and my shoulder hits his opposite, making me bounce to the side as he shoves me past him. "PFT!" I flip out and hit the hay. Literally. The soft yet crunchy hay surrounds me, just as I fall face first into the stringy gold. Just fantastic, I really didn't want to make this mistake again.. "Aw shoot." I mentally kick myself for letting Keya see me and my notorious visual puns to make another landing. I spy her in my peripheral vision, staring at me smugly. Her hips sway gracefully as she sashays over. "Wait, why on earth is there hay right here, right nowwww?!" My thoughts curse me. I sighed, Keya raises one eyebrow and smirks. "Men have reasons, but I didn't know it was because his girlfriend was a horse." I spit out the hay and looked at my right elbow. It was scratched and bleeding. "He made you feel pretty didn't he? I can imagine how tiring that was, that he hugged you, gave up and then kissed me." I gulp, an image of flashbacks from our first date when he he told me I was beautiful. His contagious laugh, how he tucked my hair behind my ear when it covered my face. "What about that movie theater huh? How cold it was, how special you felt?" Her dark eyes dug into my skull as she bent forward. That cold, musty old theatre where we saw that movie. It was Terrible, though the movie is never as good as the book. He put his arm around me, it was freezing in that room. He fed me popcorn, such a cliche trick. He kissed my forehead and stretched out his jacket that we shared as we came from the theater. "He found me before you. He always, ALWAYS loved me back. And he still does. Always. How about you?" She sneered, dragging out the ALWAYS. I gulped again and stumbled to my feet. He cheated, he lied, he talked, he spoke, he laughed, he yelled, and he was always with her. A tear slowly streamed down my face. Keya leaned in, her fake eye color tearing out my real one. I stepped my foot back and to the left, stepping back until I felt my hand reach out and touch the wall of the schoolyard. "Always, right? That's what he said, but what's he never, ever, ever promised you." She continued to lean into me, her face about an inch away from mine. "He made you smile? Well now you're crying. Get used to it." Her stone cold words bent my already twisted heart. I trusted him, but now I only trust myself. "Yea, but he only made me public, you were just his side job." I stuttered, feeling no belief in what I just said. Her eyes flashed in a flurry of hatefulness. Suddenly I felt something hard hit me. I screamed and fell back, hitting my head on the stone wall. I felt a slap against my cheek and my face helped in pain. I screamed, reaching to the back of my head and touching a sticky, warm, liquid. I panicked, but the only thing I knew was that I could hear a familiar voice shouting through the blurry crowd, deep and scared. I never heard it that way, but I knew that time, that it was a true feeling. I swatted at whatever was in front of me, it had punched me in the stomach twice, and it wasn't Keya. Her strength wouldn't compare to a football player," she hit me! She threatened me for talking to-!" She yelled. I couldn't catch the last of her words as the cold air burned my blood. "Someone help!! Set her straight, she's even been stalking me!" She faked a tear, and screamed out in a fake yell of pain. "OWW!!" I gasped and lurched forward, barfing. "Oh my god Keya, are you okay?!" Her friends yelled. I made a sharp, piercing cry, "I. Didn't. COUGH*. Do any- AUGH." My shoulder bled. "KEYA WHAT DID YOU DO." He shouted at her. "IM CALLING THE COPS!!" I hit the spot I had earlier sat in, crying. "You-" I began to speak, but didn't know the words. Sirens blasted the air and I heard dramatic cries from Keya. I didn't know what to do, I couldn't fight back. I had no strength in me, and somehow.. Somehow everyone believed her lies. No one helped me, they acted like I killed someone. A final hit and I blacked out.