Bullied (Bullied Series #1) (SAMPLE)

Chapter 5

I reached the parking lot and stopped in my tracks when I noticed a crowd of students gathered near my parking spot. They were all looking at something and taking pictures. I willed my legs to move, hoping the crowd wasn't there because of me.

As I got closer, I realized it was my parking spot they surrounded, and my pulse sped up. I'd thought I was finally free from hell after everything that happened today, but Yin—oh, that old fiend—was ever-present. I bypassed onlookers only to freeze when I saw my car.

No.

Someone had completely vandalized it. They had covered the doors, roof, and hood with various paints, but that wasn't the end of my humiliation. The word "snitch" had been sprayed in large white letters all over my windshield, taunting me with its derogatory nuance, and it was too much. My classmates pointed their phones at me to capture my reaction, and for a moment, I was too tired to move or react. The voices around me grew louder.

"She's so lame."

"Look at that reaction! She looks like she's going to shit herself!"

"Maybe she already did."

Tears filled my eyes, but I refused to cry. I wouldn't cry in front of them. I wouldn't give them the pleasure.

"Snitch!" one guy shouted.

"Snitch!" the student next to him repeated.

"Snitch!"

"Snitch! Snitch! Snitch!" Everyone started chanting, and it was more than I could handle. I needed to run away.

"Step aside!" I yelled at the students and pushed them out of my way, trying to ignore their goading shouts. I entered my car and slammed the door shut.

"Snitch!"

"Snitch-bitch!"

"You're a freak!"

"Go and die already!"

I ran the engine, sickened by their brutal chanting. Two seniors stopped in front of my car and kicked the bumper.

"Get out of my way!" I screamed at them, pressing the horn twice, but they didn't pay any attention to me.

I noticed Hayden and Blake watch this scene from afar, and I could clearly see the delight in Blake's eyes. This was Blake's retaliation. I was disconcerted by how easy it was for him to degrade me.

Tingles appeared in the back of my head and my heart rate accelerated as panic gripped me. I had to get out of here before I lost it. I pressed the gas pedal and released the clutch, making my car jerk.

"What the...?!" The guys in front of my car darted out of the way, afraid I would run them over, which was the whole point.

I started the engine again and sped up, finally getting out of here.

**************

The car service Johns' Corner was one of the cheapest car services in Enfield. I used this service for two reasons. The first reason was the price. The second was that Mrs. Johns was one of the nicest ladies I'd ever met.

Mrs. Johns was in her fifties, always wearing flowery dresses that suited her plump body but were inappropriate for the car service. Her dyed black hair was usually collected in a ballet bun, and her russet brown face was covered with makeup at all times. Mr. Johns passed away many years ago, and they didn't have any children, which could be the reason why she'd always treated me as if I were her daughter.