Thrust Into His Arms

Before it gets real. Oh shit there is.

"Yes. That is right, we saw you." She wiggles two fingers in front of her eyes. "You weren’t asleep. You were hiding." Candid reveal. In this moment I’m a deer caught in headlights.

"Look I. . ."

"You were hiding. Like those mouses from Cinderella’s stepmother and sisters. I don’t know if you’ve seen it, but that is how you were."

Hell, does she have to describe it that way? Left with nothing else than to go with the truth since it’s out. I close my eyes and breathe out. "Yes." I admitted.

"Why? Were you scared that we would viciously drug you and ship you off to a human trafficking ring or something?"

Yes. "No. I’m just—

I’m not the party type." I excused. And it is true.

"You really are a good girl." I don’t know if that was a compliment or an underhand remark. "It is cool if you stay that way. But I’d so much prefer you wild. Like me. You would look banging that way." What does that mean?

The bell rings just then for first period. "You would do well to stick to the dentist story in front of the others. It is just me, Ian and Wolfe that saw you. We didn’t tell them because it would be a hassle."

"Thanks." That is a relief. My lie is not known to many. How nicely mature of them.

"Don’t mention it. But you will be coming to the next one or we would tell them. Deal?"

I reluctantly concede. "Deal."

"How awesome! You should totally look forward to our crazy games! You might love it!" She says excitedly.

"I hope so."

I’m now heading to class and she is coming along. Maybe she has math too. I was almost right at the door when some girls suddenly appear in front of me, blocking my path.

I immediately recognize one of them as the cheerleader I saw kissing that boy by the lockers a while ago. She appears to be the queen bee of this wannabe clique.

"Gweneth right?" She asks in a sassy tone.

"What do you want?" I ask her.

"Confirmation. Is it true that your parents paid Annette and her to be friends with you?" The question renders me speechless. Sloane comes forth, asking.

"Where did you hear that?"

"So it is true then. How much of a loser are you that they needed to do that?"

"I’d say a complete Bozo." Another person jeers. "Naomi, stop it!" Sloane grits, staring her down as she is a tad bit taller.

"Or what, Sloane? Want me to get started with you right here?

Can you handle that? No? Then you better shut up and not get me pissed." She threatens her.

"Back to you, new girl. Is it also true that you used to go Krohns Highschool but got expelled." Everything except the world stops for me. I almost choke on my own breath as the words were thrown out to me.

The question that I was expecting and at the same time not expecting to hear is being asked to me.

"Look at how shocked she is. It must be true." I hear a girl’s voice commenting.

"That means that you are the girl who was deepthroating a guy’s dick in that viral video that got deleted." This one was not a question, but a statement this time.

She made sure to say that at the top of her voice. That, and the stares that I’m now receiving. . .

It is landing on me like a bucket of ice cold water had been turned over my head. "Wow. The queen of sluts is in our school and we didn’t notice?" Someone said in mocking admiration.

"Tell me about it. It’s such an honor to meet you." Laughter fills the air. Jeering and mocking. The humiliation that I was starting to think I would not face, thinking that I’d escaped had found me yet again. Coming out a little out of my shock, I see that I’m almost surrounded with phones held up, and cameras clicking. They’re taking photos. Of me. "No." I unconsciously mutter, taking a step back, and another before bolting off as fast as my legs could from yet another humiliation. I run to the iron fence at the back.

Reaching there, I had to pause to catch my breath. Hitting my chest because its burning and it feels so tight. There is not enough air. There is—

"How was that? Hope it was up to your liking?" I turn back and see her. Arms folded, with a satisfied look on my face that says that she is enjoying my misery and she is the cause of it.

"You." I managed to say without breath.

"ANNETTE!" Sloane’s voice yells, coming to us. "How could you, Annette?!" She shouts at her. "Didn’t we all agree to keep it a secret between ourselves?" I look back and forth between them. Annette scoffs at the question.

"Don’t try to act all clueless and innocent now like I didn’t give you a heads-up."

"Yes you did. And I told you not to do it. But now you have."

"Can you really blame me? I really wanted to be friends with her. But then she—"

"Wolfe." Sloane cuts in. "That is what this is about isn’t it? Tell me I’m wrong."

Annette shrugs, "You aren’t."

"Oh my God! What the hell is wrong with you? Wolfe is never, ever going to like you!"

"You don’t know that.

Maybe you are right.

But at least he is talking and paying attention to me—was. Because it stopped the first day that she came. She took that away!" She points to me. Grudge and grievance combined. full load of it.

"And that was all I had. He stopped seeing me. He could not stop talking about her at the party the other night. You were there—you saw it.

He even drove all the way to her house to get her.

Do you know how all those made me feel?"