One of the Bullied | ✔

Chapter 15 - Cry Me A River

At first, Jean looks confused. His face eventually changes to concerned, and from there to confused again. "Zoe?" He asks finally, touching my shoulder gently. I pull my knees up to my chest. "Are you okay?"

I shake my head, burying it into my knees. "No, I am not bloody okay." I whimper. "I am not okay." I think about everything I talked about to her, everything I confessed, the way she always said she was sorry about everything that happened... And it was all probably Luke, having a laugh.

"What happened?" He asks quietly, edging closer and putting a hand on my shoulder. I forget why he's here with me, I forget that we're only friends and he's only here because he needs to learn English, I forget everything except the fact that he is a boy. And I have had no contact with a boy for years.

"I just need a moment." I sniff, wiping my eyes on my sleeve and standing up. I leave him, walking down one of the aisles of bookshelves and leaning against them. Rita was all I had. Now I have Jean, but Jean will be gone soon. Then I'm back to no one again, because Rita was a prank.

I continue to pace until I feel a pair of hands on my arms, stopping me.

"You are not okay." Jean says with a small frown. "At all." I look away, my eyes catching on a book about psychology I've been wanting to read for a few weeks- Okay, not the time to be a nerd, Zoe. There's a boy in front of you. For God's sake, he's touching you. "Do you want to talk?"

"You know..." I sigh. "What I was telling you about the messages and such?" He nods, one of his eyebrows raising a little. Goddamnit, I've always wanted to do that. "Well, it was a prank."

"How do you know that?"

"Because of what just happened." I mutter. "She bar he probably got your phone off mine, then told Caitlyn to text you when I was with you just because they want to ruin everything in my life." Another tear slips down my cheek. "I don't care anymore, I guess."

"But you obviously do care, Zoe." He says, touching my cheek gently. "And you don't know for sure that it is a prank. It could have just been a coincidence, and it's easy to get people's numbers." He chuckles softly. "Come on, Caitlyn is like crazy for me. She was bound to find my details."

"Why does she have to be crazy for you, though?" I whisper, hoping he doesn't hear me.

"Because she's popular, and she thinks she can get anyone, Zoe. I've known her for a week now, and I've seen what kind of person she is." He smiles, raising my chin a little so that we make eye contact. I divert my eyes immediately. "Don't worry. She'll have a hard time getting me."

That makes me laugh a little, although it doesn't fill the gaping hole Rita has left in my chest. It hurts to think that someone would do that, that someone would put so much effort into a stupid prank. I can expect to be properly humiliated then, on Monday.

"That doesn't change anything." I sigh. "It's obviously a prank. I should've known right from the beginning that nobody in that place cares enough to do something right." He lets go of my chin gently. "Something sincere."

"I care about you."

"You've known me for a week." I sniff, wiping my eyes, checking to make sure no more tears will leak out. I turn, starting to walk back to the table. "You haven't seen anything, you don't know anything."

"I've seen enough, Zoe." He grabs my shoulder, spinning me around. "I've seen that you haven't done anything to deserve what's going on, and I've seen the way they treat you. It's not fair on you."

"And?" I snap. "You're here for, what, a month?" I look away from him again, shaking his hand off my shoulder. It's only distracting me. "Then what, Jean?"

"I'm not saying there's anything I can do!" He exclaims. "But maybe this Rita thing was your way out. Their texts were honest and kind. Why not, Zoe? Give them another chance."

I shake my head stubbornly. "No way. Wait until Monday morning, then you'll see it's a prank. Everyone will be laughing, pointing, jeering, and you're never going to want to see me again because it'll be so embarrassing."