Switch Up

Chapter 27

Claire

    After weeks of avoiding the cafeteria, I was back in it. Ryder had coaxed me into joining him while he bought lunch and because I was a sucker for his pouting face, I had agreed. I regretted it however, because for some reason I felt uneasy. Probably because I could feel everyone's eyes on me as they questioned why I had been avoiding the cafeteria.

Ryder and I were standing in the line, waiting to speak to the cashier. He was telling me a story and I was trying to listen, but for some reason my mind went to Blair. We hadn't spoken in weeks and at home, I rarely saw her since I always came home late. Curious to know what she was up to, my eyes found themselves wanting to go to her.

But, I stopped myself. Knowing Blair didn't deserve my worry, I forced my eyes to remain on Ryder. My heart ached, however, which left me confused. After everything, I didn't understand why I still cared about Blair. She had done such a horrible thing to me, but still I wanted to see what she was up to. I didn't understand myself.

"Claire," Tori suddenly said, catching me off guard.

I looked to my left and watched as Tori walked towards me. Behind her was Jake and Maya who stared at me, seeming to question what was wrong with me. I froze in my spot, unsure of what to do. It had been weeks since I talked to my friends and to be honest, I didn't want to. After my talk with Ryder, I knew they weren't true friends.

"Where have you been?" Tori demanded, stopping in front of me. "Why are you avoiding us?"

Tori was basically shouting, which brought attention towards us. Everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at us, which left me feeling nervous. For once, I didn't want everyone's eyes on me.

Staring at my friends who I had grown distant from, I took in how mad they seemed. I saw how annoyed they were and suddenly, I realized that I didn't want them in my life. With that, I decided to be honest.

"Honestly, I don't think any of you were good friends," I admitted, catching them all off guard. "I went through a lot this past year and you guys didn't support me at all. True friends, people with good hearts, would never just let someone suffer. They would never just tell someone to move on from their problems because they're sick of them. You guys did that and I know I don't need that kind of negativity in my life."

They all stared at me for a moment, stunned. The cafeteria went silent with those words and I felt embarrassed, but suddenly Ryder went to my side. He looked at me and nodded, seeming to encourage me, which made me relax. I was doing the right thing, I knew. They deserved to realize how horrible they were.

"Excuse me?" Tori finally said. "You have to be joking. I'm sorry you're so emotional and couldn't get over a guy who didn't want you."

My face went red as others began to murmur around us. I hated how public our argument was and I wanted it to end, so I lowered my voice, making sure that only Tori, Jake, Maya, and Ryder could hear what I would say next.

"That's exactly why I don't want to be friends with you anymore," I hissed. "You guys are bullies. You're heartless and I don't want to be a part of a group like yours. So, just leave me alone from now on."

"We're the most popular people in this school," Tori hissed back. "Are you sure you want to lose your spot in our clique?"

"What I realized is that we were never popular. We may have everyone's attention on us, but we were never loved by everyone. I couldn't care less about being in your group."

Tori and I glared at each other for a moment. I felt so angry and I hoped she would leave me alone. Nothing she would say would change my mind. I was done being friends with them. No longer would I be a part of a group that was okay with putting down others.

"You're just bitter because Blair and Carter were hooking up behind your back," Tori suddenly said, making my heart stop.

Stunned, I stared at her, unable to believe she knew. I had no idea how she knew and my heart dropped, knowing things weren't going to end well.

"What?" I said. "How..."

"Carter." Tori smirked. "Let's just say he's been lonely and decided to come to me."

I couldn't believe it. Tori was hooking up with Carter now and the thought left me wanting to scream at the world. But fighting down those feelings, I knew I had to do something to make sure Tori would never tell anyone what went down.

But before I could do anything, Tori turned around. I moved forward to stop her from whatever she would do, but Jake suddenly grabbed me. Ryder went to shove Jake, but it was too late.

"I know everyone has been wondering why Claire won't show her face in the cafeteria!" Tori shouted. "It's because her own sister has been hooking up with Carter, her crush, behind her back! She's ashamed and that's why she's been avoiding the cafeteria!"

My eyes flew wide at those words and I felt nauseous immediately. Everyone around me gasped and began to murmur, but before I knew it their eyes flew to Blair. My eyes went to her as well and I stared at her, watching as she paled. Her eyes were wide and suddenly, she was flying out of her seat and running out of the cafeteria. People sneered and I found myself growing angry at them.

"How could you!" I shouted, grabbing Tori by the arm and forcing her to look at me.

"That's what you get for getting on my bad side," Tori shot back, smirking. "Bye Claire. I hope I never have to see you again."

Tori pulled away from me and stormed off. Jake and Maya followed her, leaving Ryder and I to stand where we were. Ryder looked at me and I shook my head, not knowing what to do. As everyone's eyes flew to me, I found myself growing ashamed.

I had nothing to be ashamed of, but I felt humiliated. Deep down, I felt like a loser because my sister had actually done that. She and my crush had hooked up behind my back and no matter what, it hurt. Staring at the ground, I wished I could disappear.

"Hey, remember what I said. These are lessons," Ryder said. "These events will make you stronger, so keep moving Claire. Don't let other's ruin you."

I nodded numbly, knowing he was right. Things weren't easy, but I was learning from my past. I was going to leave high school strong, so I looked up at Ryder and smiled. He smiled back and together, we left the cafeteria with our heads held high.