Not All Spider Bites Are Deadly; Heartbreak High

Chapter Four

TW: implied abuse

My phone vibrated in my pocket twice. The first one across the screen was a new number, and the second said. . . Mom. I felt the blood leave my face as my stomach felt like it hit the floor. She knows. That was quick. I could feel Spencer's eyes on the side of my head. The new number was probably his.

I clicked open his message first.
S: u ok?

What the fuck did he think? Was he being stupidly rhetorical? Actually concerned. The concerned stare I feel at the side of my head shares the latter. Ugh. At least he was giving me space to not talk, but StOp.
G:😰☠️
S: meet me at the party tomorrow?

As he was texting me back, I was reading the other text.

Mom: You get home after school. You are grounded. Your door is gone because apparently there are secrets in my house and that is unacceptable. Allen will be with us for Dinner tonight.

It was not what she texted that bothered me too much, I figured I was grounded. The door is stupid but whatever, but it was what she actually meant that made my eyes water and my other hand clench till it was white.

The last time I lost my door was when Dad told her that he saw a boy leave through the window when I was up North with them over break. It was the first thing she did before she made me get a part time job and go to the office with her three times a week so I wouldn't have time to be alone in her house with the ability to let boys through the window.

Dad gave me a box of condoms, and a stay safe talk over break. Mom took my door and let Allen deal with me over the same window incident. Why can't separated parents make parenting make sense?

I swallowed hard. I clicked back over to Spencer's text.

G: grounded. sneaking out isn't safe. Do not come over.

I hit send and shifted in my seat putting my phone back into my pocket. He had to know what I meant by not coming over, but I didn't get to talk to him post the window incident. Not that we used to cross paths a lot in Hartley.

As soon as my phone was away, Ant was asking about permanent records and Woodsy was taking over.

"All right, everybody up! Up, up, up,up ,up." The whole room reluctantly moved out of their seats. I was still tense, and knew I was quickly going into flight. I pulled the airpod out of my ear and shoved it into my jean pocket. Then crossed my arms, gripping myself a little too tight that my knuckles were turning white, and where my fingers were pressed into my arms. I wish I brought a hoodie today. I long to have some long sleeves and a hood right about now.

"Okay, now clear these tables to the side, please. And lift them, don't scrape them along the floor." Woodsy ordered and we collectively scraped them along the floor. Lift the tables; please.

Spencer must have gotten my response as he was standing closer to me than necessary. I assume that if we were not in the middle of a classroom filled with people he would have touched my back or my shoulders. I would love it if he rubbed my shoulders again. He has gentle hands, large hands, stupid hands. Stupid hands, that did stupid things, that made me see the caring human under all the layers of ass he projects. Those few days I got to see what builds the boy to be such an asshole, but I digress.

"Thank you. Now I want you all to start walking about the room." We all sigh in distress as we don't move to start walking. "Come on. Walking." She repeats. "Oh good you can walk," She sasses as we all begin to move. As I went to move forward I felt his hand on my shoulder. It just cupped it, squeezed and he was off walking toward Harper. Why did that help? He shouldn't make me feel this way. I walked toward Darren giving their hand a squeeze and a smile which was returned, moving around to a few other kids that I didn't know too well, and the new kid. Dusty avoided me, but that was mostly the case since year 9. He doesn't seem to avoid being in the same spaces as me, nor having to talk to me if he has to for classes, but anything outside of acknowledgement that we know, knew, each other, or did outside of school has been non-existent. I see Ant give Dusty a huge boy style obnoxious handshake with a goofy smile on his face. He may make me wonder what is going on with him this year as he seems sadder underneath. He walked toward me after Dusty and took my hand, still giving me a lopsided smile, making me actually smile in return. He is a goof and he knows it. "Gemma, Nice to meet ya." I shook my head at him, still amused, "Ant". So, he was publicly acknowledging my existence this year, interesting. I kept walking, turning quickly the other way avoiding Amerie.

Part of me should sympathize with her. I know how she is feeling today, and at one point I claimed that I wouldn't let anyone else feel that ostracized. Today was not the day that I could lend her that support. I was pretty pissed at her for creating the map, and the chaos she has caused. I weaved through people back across the room.

"Stop." called Woodsy. I stopped behind Ant, next to Harper. Harper never fully joined in the bullying that occurred the last two years. She pulled Amerie away a few times, when she was being meanly obnoxious, and sent me sympathetic looks. We exchanged small talk in a few classes when Amerie wasn't present, and she came into the coffee shop a few times this summer. She was different from the rest. I liked that. Her new look worries me as one doesn't just go and cut off all their hair for fun, usually. Then tells their best friend to fuck off, and headbutt them in the nose.

"Spencer," my attention perks back at the moment I hear his name from Woodsy, "you have genital crabs." He stiffens. My stomach clenches for him. Woodsy make it make sense. Humiliation is not the goal here. Many people in the room start laughing and I can sense the embarrassment seep out of Spencer.
A "Checks out" is chuckled from Darren and they keep laughing as Woodsy exclaims, "Not in real life, thank you, Darren for the purposes of this game." I cannot believe the audacity of the so-called professionals at this school. I am starting to feel angry on his behalf.

"Put your hand up, Spencer." Woodsy waves at him to put his hand up. Harper catches my eye with a can you believe this look. I shake my head back a little as he reluctantly raises his hand and I see him start shaking the back of his head.

"Now, hands up, who shook hands with Spencer?" Feeling the anger surge through me I raised my hand quickly to her question matching the same reaction time as Ant and Dusty. Cash started snickering at me when he saw this. Why am I fueling the rumors? I shot him a glare. Harper raised an eyebrow at me, and I shook my head in a don't ask way. Spencer turns to look behind him and sees Ant with his hand raised, and then notices that I do too. He pats Ants' shirt and breaks out in a smile of relief. "And, who shook hands with them? And, them? Woodsy asks the rest, who slowly all raise their hands except Amerie. I caught Harper's eye again and raised my eyebrows in amusement, which Harper gives a half-smile of amusement. I hear the new kid correct Woodsy. Malakai is his name. Noted.

I heard Woodsy ask another question, but I started to zone out post the solidarity hand raising. Why did I do that here? Raise my hand so quickly. So publicly. I didn't even know what I felt about the whole situation, but apparently my emotions knew what they wanted. The logical side of me was screaming at me. I am pulled out from my zoning again.

"Stay away from Spider, he's chat," Cash rang out to further the dig at Spencer. Kids around us started to snicker in agreement.

"Fuck off, guys!" Spider yelled to the room. I sent a look over at Cash who was laughing. I saw Harper send a look in Ameries direction with a sad look on her face. Interesting. She still on some level cares, even if she is not showing it.

The school bell rings and I push through the kids to grab my cross body bag, put it on, and quickly left the room to travel to the canteen for lunch, and then according to my schedule I had to find a way to get back across campus back to the same English wing I was in this morning.

The rest of the day went pretty uneventful, thankfully. I just wanted space to think, and a nap. As I was walking out the front doors, and down the stairs into the front courtyard. I felt my phone vibrate.

S: thanks for in slts

I inwardly let out a breath. It was a double edged sword: I could A, give into my emotions and let my heart rule the show, or B: I could listen to my brain which wants to distance myself from not just Spencer, but all three boys. I feel torn between two different paths. I just do not want to end up going back to where I was last year. I wanted to move forward, not in a circle.

G: course

I sent back in more of an acknowledgement way. I needed to make a decision. We need to talk, but not at school. As soon as I put my phone away, the gloom that was going home settled in my heart and stomach. Spencer was pushed to the back burner as I knew I had to mentally prepare to greet Allen and mom.