High School Survival Theory

Chapter 15

One Direction disappointed me on so many levels yesterday. But thankfully, Taylor Swift is making up for that.

But who's there to listen to my tragic story....please ignore my stupid self and continue the chapter...

🎞

Rainbows? No.

Unicorns? No.

Skittles? No.

Dragons? No, not this one too.

"Isn't this section only for kids?" Someone says. I look up from the shelves and see Ashley staring down at me.

"What do you want?" I get up on my feet and cross my arms over my chest. There was a time when her presence would make me delighted, but that's all history now. Even having her within a five feet radius around me makes me suffocate, reminds me of the time when I was alone, lost, helpless, and instead of saving me from my own misery, she along with my other two best friends wrecked my life.

Ashley takes a step back and smiles at me cheerfully. I saw you roaming around the kids' corner."

Oh right, that. I finally made some time for buying those stickers for my survival theory. I already broke so many of the rules in the last one week, I can't risk more. Because breaking rules are like a crack. Once you start breaking them, you keep breaking them, and nobody, not even your own insists, can stop you.

I'm just hoping that marking them will prevent me from making the same mistake again.

And Walmart is just across the street from Starbucks. So while Derek is buying our beverages, I came here to buy those stickers.

But I don't need Ashley to know that information.

"And you decided to come over and ask me when I produced this kid?" I ask her.

Instead of getting mad, Ashley chuckles. "We all know you out of all of us will never grow up."

My cheeks burn, maybe in embarrassment, maybe in anger, I can't tell. "But that's not what you said then."

Her eyes widen for a moment and as she turns red too. "Can we just forget that time-"

"It's a bit too late to start over again," I wave a hand. "On the second thought, there was never a good time for starting over. And to be honest, I'm grateful. Grateful that you made me the center of the joke. Without that, I wouldn't have been the person I am now. Good work. Keep doing it."

An annoyed look passes her face but she quickly masks it.

"Look, I'm not here to talk about the past," she continues. "I wanted to thank you and your friends for publishing that article about Cora. It was about time someone should show her her limits."

Is it some kind of test? Did Cora send her to check whether I'm the one who published that article or not?

"I don't know what limits you're talking about, but I've told this to everyone and I'm going to repeat it to you too, none of us has a hand in publishing it," I tell her.

"You-"

"Seriously Ashley? What is it?" I ask, getting annoyed. "Why are you suddenly so nice to me? Or even talking to me in the first place?"

She doesn't reply.

I sigh and pick a few packets of stickers randomly. "If Ashton believes that we're not doing it, then why is it so hard for you to believe?"

"I-"

"Whatever, I'm out," I turn around but Natasha blocks my way. Seriously, what's up with them today?