Rock, Paper, Scissors

13: According to plan

Promising it was. Not much longer after we were joined by Micah, Tyler, and Nick, a hand on my shoulder startled me. I didn't need to look up to see who it was. I was familiar with those hands, with the softness of those fingers and the strength of their grip.

"Look what we have here. The whole squad, great," Manson spoke with a hint of taunting in his voice. His hand traveled down my arm to rest on the table, making him hover over me. His mouth was near my ear, ready to whisper shots at me.

"What do you want Wilde?"

"Oh, we're on last name bases now? That hurt princess, after all, we've been through." I felt bile crawling up my throat. I was disgusted by him, disgusted that I let his lips and hands touch me so intimately before. "I just came to tell you that I know all about your little reunion with the principal and I have plenty of ways to hurt you."

"If you even touch one hair-"

"I don't need to touch her," Manson cut Micah's menace dry. "I thought of a few ways. I could easily spread rumors around."

"Did you even try to get to know me, Manson? Do you really think I'd care about rumors?"

"Everyone cares babe. When the rumors get too loud, everyone cares even you will. I was thinking something along the lines of doing you was like doing a dummy. Boring. Bad. Something unexpected from someone with so much experience."

I let a dry laugh at the threat and as I looked up to him I saw Nick's hand aggressively grabbing Manson's wrist. I put my hand on top of his as if to tell him he could let go, that I was fine. He relaxed his grip but didn't let go which only seemed to amuse Manson.

"Go ahead then. Tell the whole school. That's fine, really. I'll just tell them that I've never been good at faking it. That's something experience never gave me. And it's hard to show emotions when you feel nothing." I said without leaving his eyes, I could see the wheel turning in his head, destabilizing him. "But maybe that won't be clear enough so I'll add 'what I mean is that I don't think size matters but when you don't have the size nor the talent, things get hard in a bad way."

I smiled, the bitchiest smile I had. We could be two playing that game.

"You think you're so smart?" Anger fired his voice. "If before it was for fun, now it's for real." He got up and left.

Once he was far enough, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"I like your style," Tyler said. "A real angel in disguise." I glared at him not liking the way he kept treating me and finding new nicknames. I wanted him to know we were not friends. Despite what Micah said I still couldn't trust them, not after all I've heard about them.

"How did you even come up with that?" Noah asked, clearly shocked by my lack of innocence.

"Come on, I've been around you guys for years. I was there when you're mother found the ruler in the bathroom. Do really think I wouldn't end up knowing things about guys and intimacy?"

"The fact that you used the word 'intimacy' makes me feel like you wouldn't," Tyler pointed.

"No one asked for your opinion." I raised from my seat ready to go and wait for the start of my afternoon classes, even if I had one hour left.

"Where are you going?" Micah asked, with a worried expression.

"I lost my appetite." I left.

I walked through the empty corridors thinking of all the things that could have been done differently. That got me worked up, if only Micah had told us the truth since the beginning. If only he had talked to us, I wouldn't be hurting this much. But he was my friend. I knew he didn't mean for any of this to happen, I knew he tried to protect me, but I couldn't shake off the fact that he didn't trust us.