(1) Talk Me Down: An All Time Low Fanfiction Romance

Chapter 59: Vulnerable

        Tuesday morning, I woke up before my alarm, leaving me a few minutes of dark to think. My first thought, Rian and the guys coming home, may have left me excited for a moment, but it was quickly replaced with the dread of one more day in school without them.

        I strongly debated playing the sick card. I couldn't stand another day with Veronica. I didn't want to face the rest of the school knowing that she was telling everybody I'd slept with Nolan, Rian and was now using Kyle. She was giving me her reputation. She was dragging Rian and now Kyle further down with me.

        I didn't want to think of what Rian would say when he heard about the two days i endured without him. He would obviously know Veronica was lying, but he wouldn't be happy. He'd probably want me to do something about it, like tell my parents or a  teacher, but if I tried to tell anybody what Veronica was doing, it'd make things worse. She'd be furious that I got her in trouble, or tried to, and it wouldn't end well.

        I became so wrapped up in my thoughs that I forgot my alarm hadn't gone off yet, and when it rang loudly beside my head, I flinched, arm flying out to turn it off. With my hand still gripping the clock, I laid still until my heart beat had returned to normal. I sat up, wondering if I could convince my mom I was sick.

        I wasn't usually good at pretending, but I had hope until I remembered my science teacher hinted at a quiz today and I had a history paper due, that I had to hand it today or find some other way to get it into school, which, with my lack of friends and non-reliable school e-mail accounts, was nearly impossible.

        Tilting my head back to sigh, I pushed my covers off of my legs and then stood up slowly. I didn't have the energy, or the drive, to care about anything today. Veronica was draining me, and I was surprised my parents hadn't noticed my sudden change in attitude.

        I changed slowly into jeans and a sweatshirt, dreading every second that brought me closer to school. When I finally got into the building that morning, I knew I shouldn't have come. Practically every eye landed on me as I walked down the hall, and people turned to their friends and started to talk.

        With almost everybody in the hallway talking about me, it was hard not to hear what they were saying. I did my best, but as I pushed through people who looked down at me and whispered, I wanted to disappear.

        They thought I slept with Nolan, and then Rian and Kyle right after. I had a reputation abased on an absolute lie.

        People stood around my locker and I had to push past them to get to the lock. They didn't move when I tried to open my locker and I clenched my teeth together, face flushed with tears stinging my eyes as they just stood around.

        "Okay, guys, we'r enot at a fucking zoo here, you can all keep walking," a voice said loudly, and it took me a moment to recognize it as Kyle's. I felt people around me start to move and whispers change as people were no longer standing next to me and talking.

        "Thanks," I said meekly when Kyle stood beside me to my left. I was between my locker and Kyle, blocking me from some of the students in the hall.

        "Somebody has to try to help you until your boyfriend comes back," he said, smiling genuinely at me. "When is that, again?"

        "Some time tonight," I sighed, rubbing my eyes. I pulled out what I needed for today and then shut my locker, walking with Kyle next to me. He walked with me to my class, and when I asked why he told me his class was next to mine and he just figured I needed company. I thanked him and slipped into my classroom, thinking it would be better with a teacher around, but the moment I looked in everybody's head rose to look at me.

        In the back, two girls turned to each other and started talking, giggling to themselves and their friends around them.

        "Uh, Mr. Hurley, I don't feel good," I muttered to him, before turning and rushing out of the classroom. It wasn't a complete lie, because my stomach had felt like it was doing summersaults inside of me, but I also couldn't stand being the center of attention in that class.

        I didn't want the attention. I didn't want people talking about me behind my back, calling me names I didn't deserve. I didn't need Veronica tearing me down every chance she got, but that's what I was getting.

        I walked into the nearest bathroom, unsure of what exactly I was doing. I stood in the middle of the empty bathroom, feeling completely lost. It took me a minute to realize that I should be going to the nurse, calling my mom to pick me up. I turned to walk towards the door but then stopped, thinking that the worst possible thing had just happened.

        Veronica smirked at me as she stepped into the bathroom, pushing me back, with Ava shadowing her.

        "Hiding out in the bathroom now, are we? It's not going to save you from anything, you know? The whole school is talking about how big a slut you are," she snarled, her eyes gleaming.

        I was blinking rapidly, trying to keep myself steady. I felt like I was being crushed by a thousand weights. I couldn't even try to make myself disagree with Veronica, because at this point, I felt like she was right.

        Without Rian and the guys here, I was more vulnerable. I couldn't stick up for Veronica by myself because every attack brought me farther and farther down and made it harder for me to think that Veronica was wrong and I was above her. But I wasn't. To her, the girls, and even to myself I was pathetic. I was a bad friend, useless and I didn't deserve Rian.

        "You're the last person in this school to be associated with. All you do is bring people down with you because you fucked up. Those bad idiots may like you now, but they'll get tired of what you brought on and they'll leave. Kyle won't stick around for long because you brought him and all he did was try to help poor Kara.

        "You can't win, Kara. You'll end up with nobody because you don't deserve anybody."