Falling Away #Watty 2023

°Chapter 8°

AS I ENTERED THE HALLWAY, it felt like I was invisible, with no one even glancing in my direction. Clutching my bag tightly, I made my way to my first class of the day.

The teacher was already in the room as I entered. I took the only available seat, near a girl with light natural blonde hair. Betty waved at me and smiled. She scribbled something on a small piece of paper and tossed it my way. I caught it and unfolded it.

"Girl, I miss you so much. I'm happy you're back."

I tossed the paper aside and met Betty's smile with a nod of acknowledgment.

"Okay, that's it for today. I hope you're all prepared for the test tomorrow. Best of luck to everyone," Mr. Collen announced before heading out. "Miss Holloway, I need to see you in my office. We have a lot to discuss."

"Ugh, of course. Zoey's been absent for two weeks. That's a sure failure. F queen!" Brian joked as soon as Mr. Collen left, eliciting laughter from the rest of the class.

"I'm sure Mr. Collen wants to pity her pathetic status and give her a passing grade," Shane chimed in.

"Failure is Zoey's middle name," Daphne added, joining in the ridicule.

"Oh you all shut the crap, I'm suffocating from your bad breaths," I snapped, rising from my seat in frustration. "If you want to waste your lives gossiping about me, go right ahead. I have better things to do than listen to frogs croaks."."

Grabbing my bag, I stormed out of the classroom, with Betty and Caroline quickly following behind. We linked arms as we entered the cafeteria, seeking solace in each other's company.

"It's great to have you back, bestie," Caroline exclaimed as we collected our food and found a table to sit.

"I missed you so much, and I have some juicy gossip to share!" Betty announced eagerly. "You're going to love it."

I began eating slowly, feeling less enthusiastic about Betty's news. She chuckled and dug into her meal, while Caroline poured me some more orange juice and started eating as well.

Watching my friends enjoy their food brought me a sense of relief, but I couldn't shake off the feeling that I was the source of their happiness. Downing the rest of my orange juice, I tried to push those thoughts aside.

As I was about to leave, Gemma walked in, and Betty unexpectedly pulled me back into my seat. I frowned and swatted her hand away, but when I saw the seriousness in her expression, I reluctantly stayed seated.

"What's going on? I have to see Mr. Collen," I reminded her impatiently.

"It's big news!" Betty whispered. "Josh broke up with Madison."

My jaw dropped in disbelief, and I rolled my eyes before slowly getting up. "And why should I care? I'm completely over Josh, and his relationships are none of my business anymore."

Turning to leave, I headed towards the door, but as I stepped out of the cafeteria, I collided with Josh and stumbled, falling on top of him. For a moment, I thought it was a figment of my imagination, but when I opened my eyes, I found myself inches away from him, our lips almost touching, and I could feel his breath on my skin.
He was breathing heavily, mirroring my own rapid breaths. I hastily jumped to my feet and turned to leave, but I felt someone's hand grasp mine. Whirling around, I saw Josh holding my hand. Angrily, I slapped his hand away and eyed him furiously.

"What's the meaning of this drama?" I blurted out without thinking.

He pulled me closer to himself, and I glanced over his shoulder to see Gemma, her face pale as she looked down at her food.