Write Me A Letter

48 | kaleidoscope

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT | K A L E I D O S C O P E

        FAST. PURPOSEFUL. DETERMINED – that was how Brie's steps were until she reached Xander's locker. There was a laughing couple leaning against the locker next to his but upon seeing the look on her face, they immediately scrambled away like doused ants, and went to leave with only curious back glances to accompany their steps.

She was too angry to care. She was too angry at Xander, Ollie, Yuki, Izzy... herself. How could she let this happen? Stupid, stupid, stupid. She was a fucking mess. No wonder nobody liked her, no wonder nobody chose her.

Tears blurred her vision, yet determination won out as she shoved the paper into the slot of rusty metal. The paper didn't go through the first time, her hands too shaky to be precise, then with a frustrated cry, she slid it again and again and again until it went in with crumpled edges.

The relief came instantly the moment the paper was out of her shaking hands. She leaned against the locker right after, feeling the weight lift from her shoulders. She did it. She was done with him and everyone else.

"You bitch. They were right."

Brie whipped around to see a fuming Izzy. She looked as immaculate as ever with her sharp wing-liners and sleeked back ponytail. She walked over to Brie with the same determined steps as Brie had earlier, then, to the surprise of everyone, Izzy pulled at her hair.

All Brie could think about was how much it stung as she yelped, hands flying to push Izzy away, but Xander's girlfriend was relentless and tugged even stronger until Brie could feel the pain all over her scalp. "Let me go!"

Izzy ground her teeth and tugged at Brie's hair again, eliciting gasps from the students. Brie could feel Izzy's warm breath against the apples of her cheeks, it was warm and heavy with pent-up anger and burning aggression. Through her tears, Brie saw a girl who tried to run toward them but was stopped by her friend. Others whipped out their phones, their cameras and amused eyes following Izzy's moves as she pulled her in a tight circle.

She couldn't... it hurt.

"You're really testing my patience, aren't you? You think I don't know that you're hitting on Xander? I already told you that you'll regret it when I catch you. Is this what you want, huh? To be humiliated and exposed to everyone, Brie?"

"Izzy, let me go," she croaked out, yelping when Izzy pulled at her hair again. "I-I didn't do anything wrong. Please..."

"You think I didn't see you?" Izzy shoved her toward Xander's locker and she screamed along with the others as her face hit the metal in a resounding smack. She gasped, struggling to steady her steps and think through the numbing and growing pain on her temple. She felt like fainting. The school, the faces around her were spinning in blurry circles. "You're such a slut! I cannot believe I trusted you! I should've listened to my friends when they told me that you're not a good person. I should've pulled at your hair when they told me to do it. But no! I told them that you're Xander's friend."

Brie tasted something tangy on her lips. Was that...? "Izzy..."

"Ms. Fence!"

Brie slumped on the floor like a sack of potatoes when Izzy shoved her away. Her head spun, and her ears felt like they were full of air and a line of painful heat tingled on her scalp. Reaching out to her forehead, tears formed in the corners of her eyes when she saw that her trembling fingertips were now colored crimson.