“She actually sat there!” someone said.
“She didn’t even notice it was broken!” I heard another one. “She’s so stupid.”
“This was a great idea, Natalie! I’m posting this on Instagram!”
She was heinous . All of this to hurt and humiliate me, and they all reveled in it, seeking it like their next meal. It was like I wasn’t a human being. It was like I didn’t deserve to live.
Suddenly, breathing became difficult. My chest was constricting in pain, and everything was a blur. I felt like I was going to faint, and I truly hoped for that to happen.
I hoped I could faint and finally escape this nightmare.
Chapter 4
I DIDN’T FAINT. I DIDN’T escape. I had to put up with my classmates laughing at me and taking my photos like I was an animal in the zoo. I stood up, on the verge of leaving and skipping class, but then Ms. Roberts came, and I had to explain what had happened. Everyone waited for me to snitch on them so they could give me hell later. Been there, done that. I’d lost my faith in teachers and the school administration a long time ago.
“I wasn’t careful, so I fell. It’s nothing special. Faulty chairs happen.”
“Are you sure you are okay?”
“Yep.”
“Are you able to stay in my class?”
No matter how much I wanted to run away from this hole, I couldn’t. “Yes, Ms. Roberts. It wasn’t a big deal.”
“Okay. I will call the school janitor and tell him to bring a new chair for you.”
I couldn’t wait for the period to finish.
After calculus, I went to my locker to get books for the next class and halted in horror when I saw Hayden leaning against it with his hands in his pockets and one leg crossed over the other.
He’d become even more muscular during the last two months. His arms were corded with muscle, which bulged through his tight black shirt. They were perfectly honed and standing out just like his abs. I followed the various designs, shapes, and words of the tattoos he’d put on his upper arms last year, thinking how good they looked on him. They were completing his “bad boy” look, along with his earrings.
The artist in me appreciated the fine contours of his face, the glint of his eyes that gave a mysterious depth to them, and the way the shadows accentuated his striking features that hid the inner ugliness. He was definitely the most beautiful boy at East Willow High and the cruelest guy I’d ever met.
I considered running away, hoping he didn’t notice me, but I couldn’t do that for two reasons.
1) I needed my art notebook and pencils.
2) He noticed me.
I was embarrassed and scared of him at the same time, my stomach feeling heavy as I approached my locker. The last time I spoke to him, I did something that was way out of my league—I defied him and made a fool of him in front of the whole school. The last time I saw him, he took my nude photos. He saw my naked body, and if that weren’t enough, he threatened to post my photos online for everyone to see. It was nauseating.
I couldn’t even look him in the eyes. I stopped several steps away from him, but he didn’t move an inch, completely blocking my locker.
“Hayden, can you please move so I can open my locker?” I was looking at his black Nike sneakers, silently pleading for him to move.
He waved his hand in front of my eyes, trying to catch my attention. I dragged my gaze to his face and looked at the spot on his temple that had been scarred from the car accident. An inch-long scar was almost invisible now, perceivable only if someone knew about it, but it was quietly accusing me of my stupid mistake nevertheless.
“I’m up here.” He pointed his thumb at himself. “Look at me when you’re talking to me, do you understand?”
I blushed, and I cursed myself for not being able to prevent or control my chronic, excessive blushing at almost every single thing. I didn’t want him to see that he intimidated me. I couldn’t have an upper hand if he knew he could affect me that easily.
I stared at his eyes that seemed so black now as he glared at me. His jaw was set in a firm line, his full lips unyielding.
“Yes, Hayden.” I wanted to avoid confrontation at all costs.
“Good. Now, hand me your phone.”
My eyes bugged out, fear yielding cold in my limbs. “Why do you need my phone?”
“Your phone. Now .”
“I don’t want to give you my phone.”
Without any warning, he grabbed my phone out of my front jeans pocket. I yelped, jumping back, appalled by his audacity.
“What’s the password?”
I crossed my arms on my chest and drew back a couple of steps. “No. Give me my phone back.”
“Give me the password, or I’ll break it.”
He couldn’t be serious. “I won’t give you my password!”
I squawked when he let my phone slip out of his hand and fall. It hit the floor with a crash and careened off, ending a few feet away from us.
No. He couldn’t be doing this! It was a cheap, used model I bought after Kay’s death to replace the phone I had with me during the accident, but it was valuable to me because it contained some of my art ideas, notes, and art photos I took these last two years. It was like my diary. It was a container of my interests and dreams. Besides, I couldn’t afford to buy a new one.
Several students passed, casting us curious glances, but I knew better than to expect anything from them other than morbid curiosity. Once more, I wished there were cameras, but then again, would they make any difference in this rotten place?
Hayden picked up my LG from the floor, and my heart sank upon seeing the broken screen. It was covered in a crack resembling the web, which now silently mocked me.
“Oh, look. It’s still working.” His piercing eyes bore into mine, and shivers ran down my spine. “Next time, it won’t just slip. I’ll fling it away. So you better give me that fucking password.”
I exhaled a shaky breath. “Password is my birthday. It’s 022—”
“I know your birthday,” he interrupted me and entered four digits, unlocking my phone.
I tried to ignore the fluttery sensation in my belly caused by his words. He knows my birthday... Why does he care to remember it?
He kept swiping and tapping his thumbs over the screen, and each passing second brought more uneasiness.
“Please, give me my phone back. What are you even searching for?”
“I’ve been away for two months. That’s a plenty of time for you to meet someone, and since you’re stupid, I wouldn’t be surprised if you thought you could hang out with them.”
“For crying out loud, do you really think you can invade my privacy like that and decide who I can hang out with or not? You have no right to interfere in my life!”
Hayden lunged at me and backed me against the lockers. He slammed his left hand next to my face, making me flinch, and my breathing turned ragged. I was trapped, overcome with tension because our bodies were almost touching. I could smell the mossy scent of his cologne mixed with the smell of cigarettes, and it was distracting me.
His nearness was too much. I tried to look down, but he didn’t let me, pushing my face up with his forefinger.
“You keep forgetting you have no freedom. You can’t escape me or disobey me. Remember what will happen if you disobey me, and trust me, you don’t want those photos to end up online. Besides, don’t think I forgot about what you did in the cafeteria two months ago. You’re going to pay for that.”