And just like that, it seemed the spell was broken. On a whoosh, I let out the air I’d been holding and Bo leaned back to look at me.
“What are you doing to me?”
His brows pinched together, but he said nothing. I hadn’t intended to say that out loud; it was more of an internal musing, one to which I didn’t really expect an answer.
“Bo, are you ready?” It was a girl’s voice that called from behind him.
I looked over Bo’s shoulder and there stood Savannah. She grinned when she saw me peek up at her.
“Sorry to interrupt,” she chirped happily. “I didn’t see you there, Ridley.”
“You’re not interrupting,” I assured her.
When I looked back to Bo, one brow was quirked. Ignoring that my stomach was aflutter and that my blood pounded in my ears, I slipped out from around Bo.
“He’s all yours,” I said, steeling myself and heading for the cashier.
Without so much as a glance behind me, I placed my order, paid and moved to the other end of the counter to await my coffee. I could feel Bo’s eyes on me, but I refused to turn around.
I didn’t have to look to know when he left. I felt it, like the draining away of something vital. I ached to turn and follow him, but I didn’t. I waited for my coffee and then took it to my car where I waited for my pulse to return to normal.
When I finally managed to get my body under control, I drove to school and parked at the top of the lot. On the few occasions when I drove, I parked in that same spot. It was always available and it was always in the shade.
I walked slowly toward the building. I dreaded school more today than I had in…well, actually, more than I ever had. I knew it was just a matter of time until Trinity either exploded or executed some sort of vicious sneak attack. It hovered over me like a huge guillotine, its razor-sharp blade glinting in the morning sun. All Trinity had to do was pull the lever and thwack! I’d be headless.
Making my way quickly through the halls, trying my best to ignore all the stares, I saw a tight knot of people in the same general vicinity as my locker. My stomach curled in dismay.
I politely asked to be excused as I pushed my way through the masses to get to my locker. When I finally managed to wiggle my way through, I saw what was garnering all the attention, what they were all looking at.
Trinity had been hard at work during practice last night. She’d been defacing my locker. I knew without a doubt she was the responsible party and I’m sure everyone else knew that, too.
Taped to my locker were several photo-shopped pictures of me doing disgusting things with old men, other girls and farm animals. In between the pictures, written in black magic marker, were words like traitor and whore among many other, much more colorful slurs.
Unfortunately, though, that wasn’t the worst of it. An overpowering stench was emanating from my locker. Upon closer inspection, I realized that there were feces smeared all over the pictures and a big hunk of it was stuck to the lock.
But there was something else. Beneath that smell was something that had an even more rancid odor than the crap all over the door. I feared that it was coming from inside.
I wondered if Trinity might have managed to get into my locker and put something nasty in there, something dead. It sure smelled that way, and it sure sounded like something she’d do. In addition to being curious just like everyone else, I was also a little concerned about my belongings. I hated to leave them in there with the funk, but there was no way I was touching my locker without a HazMat suit. If there was road kill ‘possum in there, it would just have to wait.
Turning on my heel, I went straight to Home Room. I could do without books for one day. I’d just explain what happened to the teachers so they’d not penalize me for showing up without them and without my homework. I could take my duffel back to the car after first period so that I wouldn’t have to lug it around with me all day.
No biggee, I told myself, but even so, I could feel tears of humiliation stinging my eyes. I’d known Trinity was vile, but I hadn’t expected something like this. I had assumed it would be something much more…social, her revenge. And I still suspected that it would be. I could only assume that she was biding her time, which didn’t bode well for me. That probably meant that it was going to be epic. I just wished she’d just get it over with so I could move on in peace. Waiting was the worst part.
I kept to myself through all my classes, but I made sure that, when I walked the halls, my chin was held high and my face as pleasantly blank as possible. I’d die before I let her or anyone else see that she’d rattled me.
Thankfully, I didn’t see Trinity until lunch. When I walked out the cafeteria door, I saw that she had assumed my position between Drew and Summer. The door shut behind me with a loud click and all eyes turned toward me.
At my former table, several people shifted, scooting their chairs this way and that to make sure that there was not enough room for one more person to squeeze in between them. That person, of course, was me. Wordlessly, I was being put in my place, exiled.
I scanned each face one by one, challenging them. Many either dropped their eyes or glanced away when I looked their way. Only a few held my gaze, eyeing me defiantly.
When my eyes met Trinity’s from across the patio, she glared at me in silent triumph. I hadn’t really expected much more from such a group of blind followers, but the betrayal hurt nonetheless.
Having long since lost my appetite, I took my Coke to a huge maple tree and sat down in the shade at its base. I leaned back against it, facing away from Trinity and the others, trying to pretend that the rest of the world had disappeared.
I jumped when Bo spoke.
“Want some company?”
“Not really,” I said without looking up. Even as the words left my lips, I craved his nearness like I craved fresh air.
“Too bad,” he announced, sitting down beside me and leaning his back against the tree, too.
My plan was to ignore him, but that only lasted for about three minutes. My jealousy couldn’t be contained any longer than that.
“Where’s Savannah?”
“Enjoying the fruits of your labor.”