Bad Blood

Chapter 7

It was Friday. 

Dante had football after school today, so instead, I was just going to return home to work on homework. Over the course of a couple days, I was sure that my chances of going to a good university have dropped drastically - having flunked a math test which slipped my mind and having earned a couple lunch-time detentions.

How does Dante even stay in school without doing any homework?

Fortunately or unfortunately, my soliloquy was cut short. 

“Kat!” I stopped walking at the sound of my name, “Wait up!” I whirled around only to see Emma racing down the pavement, trying to catch up with me.

“Em?” I asked for confirmation aloud, squinting under the sunlight to verify if it was really her. 

My reply came as the figure accelerated, the features of my best friend slowly appearing before me. 

“Hey!” Emma came to a stop next to me, chest heaving as she gasped for breath.

“Hey…” My greeting was much less enthusiastic than her’s, “... Don’t you have volleyball practice? Every weekday save for Monday right?” I frowned. 

She looked taken aback for a brief second, “Uh... It was cancelled,” She coughed before quickly adding under the glare of my skeptical look, “The basketball teams have some kind of off-season weekend tournament.”

I sighed at her blatant lie, pursing my lips. I was hoping that this whole “Sofia” and “Bullying” talk could wait until the right time, but clearly not.

“Em,” I began to walk again slowly, my best friend by my side, “We have to talk.” 

I winced as she sucked in a sharp breath next to me, “About what?”

My shoulders sagged, “Volleyball,” I changed my mind and clarified, “Sofia.”

Biting my lower bottom lip as I caught sight of her crestfallen expression, I added in a somewhat joking manner, “You know that you’re way awesomer than her right?” 

“No I’m not,” Her harsh response caught me off guard.

“What?” I managed to squeeze out.

“She’s way prettier with me with boobs and an ass and all that,” Emma spat, “And a much better volleyball player at that.”

“Wait, so this is about looks? That’s why you were eating so much, you wanted b-” I cut off and mentally cursed as I realized how insensitive my response sounded, “I mean, everyone knows that you’re the most amazing girl inside and out at school!” I offered a sincere grin that she ignored.

“No,” She looked down at her fingers, “I’m flat and a rectangle. No curves,” She commented bitterly as we took a left turn.

“Don’t say that!” I swatted at her shoulder, “You’re f-ing gorgeous! She’s just jealous!”

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better…” Emma shrugged my hand off, “I get it. You’re my best friend, you’re supposed to do that.”

I shot her a look, “Come on Em! It’s the truth,” Nudging her, I questioned, frowning, “And why didn’t you tell me about Sofia?”

Emma gave me a loose shrug, “I can handle it.” 

“But I can help you handle it,” I explained, a desperate tone in my voice as I tried to make up for all the times I’ve been a bad friend, “Hell, I could’ve done something!”