Problems With The Hierarchy

#22 Unbreakable Relations

As I was saying, I didn't want to draw much attention. I just wanted to walk to homeroom peacefully, make no unnecessary comments, spend the day at school then go home.

Au contraire, life played a big joke.

Once I entered the gate, I sight Joey dashing towards me.

"Pull down your hood!" She whispered, breathless.

I did as told, pulled down my hood. "Why?" I whispered back, clueless.

"They knew." Joey replied simply.

Getting my attention, she pinned me to the wall, like what Annabelle does all the time. “You really think Richard likes you? He’s with me now.” Kelly threw the sentence I dreaded into my face. I swallowed. “He told Kel, and Kel told me. Now the whole world is going to know what you did. Pity yourself before you don’t get to anymore. For rejecting him, we don’t make your life easy here.” Vanessa ‘advised’. “Yes, you better watch out. He doesn’t need you anymore, he has me.” Then they walked away, laughing.

My face fell for the gazillionth time this week.

Oh man. Holy shit. Now think of all the curse words in the world.

"How did they know...?" I asked Joey. I genuinely didn't want to believe that Richard told them. Because if he did, he would have abused my trust.

Joey shook her head. I guess she had no clue too. "I'm gonna leave before I draw attention on you." After she said she ran away in a hurry.

I stood there like a fish out of water. There goes my anonymity.

As I continued to walk, I lowered my head and pulled my hood down. Thank god I chose a hoodie this morning. But then again it was a black hood so I looked a little gothic. Wait I shouldn't even be thinking of this.

"Look who's there?" Someone shouted rhetorically from my left. I stole a furtive glance. Alex. The meanie.

Another person who sounded like a guy shouted from the left again, "Bethy Bird, who else?" He laughed at his joke which made the others start to laugh with him.

Bethy Bird? Seriously? I swallowed. I knew they would not let me off this easily. My brain told me the best way to avoid them is to flee.

One.. Two.. Three!

So I started sprinting.

As I took each step my heart pounded faster. I broke into cold sweat. I knew my plan failed when I was obstructed by a huge chest ahead of me.

Did I mention I wasn't originally tall? Now that I had my head down, I could not make out who the giant was.

I looked up reluctantly. Alex? How? He was still standing there a moment ago. Did he teleport here or something?

He disrupted my train of thoughts. "Oh look, Bethy Bird can't fly!" He joked lamely again. It was then that realized the whole crowd was closer to me than I thought.

Ugh. I know why now. My frantic steps actually brought me closer to them. Damn!

Bring it on! Bring me down! There was nothing I could do now. I was in the arms of Alex. You should have seen his fat arms.

I just brought myself to the epidemic of violent bullying. I cussed under my breath to myself. Great, I'm all dramatic at a crucial time like this.

Alex pulled down my hood forcefully. Then he put his finger at my chin, pushing my head up, forcing me to face him.

Lighter! He's so violent.

"Now you can't escape, can you?" He chided.

"You are very courageous, aren't you?" He said fiercely. I could sense the threat in his tone. "Is Richard someone you can reject however you want?" Alex asked.