I don't Mate with Jerks

Chapter 4 ~ Rumors die, but Haunt for Eternity

  

Five years ago

Ashington Upper Middle School

Seventh Grade

"So, Katie, while you were up on stage, you know, when you were practicing with Mrs. Guetti and the other kids in Little Women?" my close, fun-loving, energetic friend, Amber, asked as she sat down next to me at the lunch table. I nodded, nervous about where this discussion was heading yet waiting for her to continue.

"Well, while you were up there, Chloe leaned over and whispered to me, 'is Katie, like anorexic or somethin?' She, like, totally lost a lot of weight.' And then Sydney said, 'I bet she's like depressed or somethin' and is starving herself to death. Creep.' I just couldn't believe they said that. I was about to punch 'em." Amber growled. My jaw dropped, hurt filling my eyes, ready to pour over and stream down my cheeks.

My dad just passed away, I've been sad and mourning, barely able to eat. I was the definition of "Daddy's Lil' Girl." He had been sick months before and while my mom worked her butt off to pay off the mortgage and take care of his medical bills, I sat with him, helping him with even the smallest things. I knew his time was running out, but I never expected his death to be so soon.

I was definitely hit hardest with the news. I practically went into a coma; locking myself in my room, hiding under my covers, crying for hours on end until I couldn't cry any longer, but only because I dehydrated myself out by crying out everything I had been holding up for the months my dad was suffering.

I couldn't talk to anyone; I felt they wouldn't understand, no one could understand. And going to school, acting as if everything was fine and still participating in the school play, that took all my effort and all my guts and the last thing I needed to hear was Chloe getting warmed up to start spreading around a rumor. 

To everyone else in the school, her words were the golden truth. Everything she said was inspiring and amazing to others. For her to start a rumor about me being anorexic would be the truth, the great truth, the golden truth to others, and there was nothing I could say to prevent people from believing her lies, nothing at all. I just had neither power nor authority in this school. I was just an outcast.

Present Day

Next day I sat with my friends at lunch, Mary going on about her horse Navy and Abby talking her 'groovy' talk like always. Maggie sat on one side of me and Danica the other as we discussed between ourselves just about the happenings at school.

They were telling me what the bullies have been doing in my absent years. Apparently, after I left, they moved onto another victim who just so happened to be a close friend of mine, Amber McCane. I noticed her sitting at a table in the other side of the cafeteria and instantly felt bad. 

My once, happy-go-lucky friend looked depressed, staring down at her food with vacant, stormy eyes. Her skin looked pale and her vibrant orange hair was now dull and a little shaggy. Just by looking at her like that, I felt the ghastly memories fill my mind, all the terrible things the bullies had said to me. I have never wished once that they were to be cursed on someone else.

Cautiously, I stood from the table, well aware that my friends' eyes were on me, and headed towards Amber's. She didn't notice me coming until I sat down in the rickety plastic chair beside her.

"Hey, Amber," I smiled softly at her. She looked up at me and almost instantly did her eyes glow a fraction of their usual china blue. I didn't know whether or not she had heard of my return, but either way, she just seemed ecstatic to just have me sitting in that chair beside her.

"Oh my gosh, Katie? You look totally different! I love what you've done with your hair," she grinned, though I could tell her excited words were forced. She was still suffering and I knew she would, for a while... but that gave me an idea.

"Why don't you come sit with us, I wanna talk to y'all bout somethin'," I ushered, standing from the table and getting her to follow me back to ours where she sat down on the other side of Maggie. Luckily, Abby and Mary were too wrapped up in their conversation to notice what we were planning.

"Is it true that Chloe, Sydney, and Ella still hang out at the mall every Saturday in the afternoon?" I asked, leaning in so only the three other girls could here.

"Yeah, why?" Danica wondered aloud, even though I could see Maggie and Amber were getting the idea.

"I say we get back, hard." I hissed, a sly grin sneaking to my face. Similar grins made their way to the girls' faces, Amber's eyes instantly filling with a shine of mischievousness. An idea was already beginning to take place in my head and once it started, it wouldn't stop.

After I explained my revenge plan to the girls, more kept filling my mind, but they were planned for the rest of the bullies. Jeff. Alistar. Chase. Damon. One by one, they're going to meet their own game, and the person pulling the strings.

KC Blarez.