The next day, I walked to school with Toby, and it was ok. Not until we got to school. Everyone started insultingly cheering me on.
Things like, "Woo! Let's go! He almost got in your pants! So close!"
"Nice leopard print bra, FRESHMAN!"
"Hey, are you with the emo, now? Make up your mind."
I felt bad, getting Toby involved. "Toby, get out of here, don't let them mess with you."
Toby shook his head. "No, where you go, I go." He put his hand in my arm and tried to pull me one way, but I got pushed by a group of girls. I merged toward the restroom, and my hair got caught in someone's hand, as well as my shirt in someone else's. The restroom door slammed shut, and there were about six girls gathered around me. I looked them over. Typical pretty girls. The ones guys would hit on within seconds. My eyes scan from left to right, and I find Lillian hidden near the back of the group. The one in the front, I'm assuming was the leader of the clique. She was as tall as me, but a bit heavier. She had more of a body than me. Long blonde hair. Some freckles. Blue eyes, trendy clothes. She shoves me against the wall.
"Who do you think you are?! You think you can just sleep with whoever you want?!"
I didn't sleep with Jordan. I just shook my head.
"Don't play stupid." Lillian said. "I saw you go upstairs with him at the party."
All the girls 'oohed' and smirked at me. "That doesn't mean anything."
The main girl shook her head, "you're a terrible liar." She smacked me across the face, then kneed me in the stomach. It made me feel sick.
I shook my head helplessly and whispered, "but I'm not! I...I...I REFUSED to sleep with him! We just met!"
"Scissors!" She yelled. "No. Wait." She smirks. "Tape." Someone hands her some silver duct tape, and she puts it over my mouth. I didn't know people could be so cruel. But I was too weak to fight back. All I could do was cry. I couldn't get up. I took the knee in my stomach too hard. I tried to get up, but when I finally lifted myself off the floor, the leader would shove me back down, "now the scissors." She yelled. Someone handed her the scissors, and another girl came over and picked me up, so I stood on my knees. She turned me around, so my left cheek was against the cold wall, and I heard clipping. It wasn't until they threw me back onto the floor, dropped the scissors, and ripped the tape off my mouth before they ran out, that I found all my hair on the floor. I turned toward the mirror to see Lillian still standing there, and she glared. How could she do this to me? She seemed so nice when I met her. My hair was cut unevenly. In order to cut it correctly, it'd have to be above my shoulders. I sat there and cried as Lillian walked out, and I cleaned up the mess. I picked the scissors up to put them in my locker. As I walked toward it, someone opened their locker into my face. It left a purple mark on my cheekbone.
When I walked into class, everyone snickered. Mr. Ferguson stood up and looked at me. "Howard! What. HAPPENED?!"
I looked around. Two of the girls who were at the event looked at me. "I..." I bit my lip then looked away, choosing to lie for some reason. "I...smashed into a locker." Which pretty much wasn't a lie, but it wasn't everything.
"But your hair!" He said.
"Oh, that..." I blushed, "I did that. I messed up. Badly." I said. I exhaled deeply and bit my lip. Hopefully he believed me.
He chuckled a little. "Ok...be careful. Please. That's a big bump. Ice that when you get the chance, Courtney." He said.
***
After school, I was planning on walking home alone. Which wasn't a good idea. But Toby had gotten a ride home early, because he had an appointment with his eye doctor. I walked down the school steps, and I hear voices. I turn to see, two guys, including Jordan, I see three girls, not including Lillian and the clique leader. "Go get her, Heather!" Ok, the clique leader's name is Heather. Oh ok, she's running after me. Why can't I run? I'm trying to. I can't. She knocks me to the floor. She starts furiously punching me. What did I do to her? Then Jordan comes down. He gets in my face, and Heather slaps aggressively at my face. I scream.
"You think you were cute?" Jordan asked. "Flirting with me?"
SLAP
"You think you can just...fit in like that?"
SLAP
"You're gonna tell me you have feelings for me, and when I try to show you my affections,"
SLAP
"You, reject me."
SLAP
"And you run off."
SLAP
"And this is what happens."
Heather raises her hand to slap me again, but Jordan pushes her to the side. My face red and numb, I'm bleeding under my eye a little. Jordan picks me up by the neck of my shirt and I hear a car screech. He held me up for so long, my shirt ripped, exposing most of my chest. He kicked me, then I rolled down the stairs, and I hear a familiar voice.
"Hey! Stop!" I can't turn to look, but I know it's Uncle Matt.
I hear punching, and screaming, and ripping of clothes. Finally, Uncle Matt picks me up-his shirt ripped too-and he puts me in the passenger seat. He looks me up and down.
"Oh my god, are you okay?!"
I burst out into tears and I shake my head. Uncle Matt took me home and I let Dad know I was with him. I told Uncle Matt all about the party, and what happened to me today. I'd never seen him so angry. I started to worry about Toby. I just hoped he wasn't worried about me. I ended up sleeping at Uncle Matt's and Aunt Amber's. I was feeling too much grief to go anywhere else.
