Falling Away #Watty 2023

•Chapter 9•

I TURNED TO SEE THE BOY I hit when Trina dodged my slap. He was standing there holding my shoe with a finger and staring at me in disgust. Despite his rude appearance and unappealing looks, there was something striking about him.

"You don't have to throw stuff at people if you can't aim right," he said, his voice grating on my ears.

I watched him, trying not to make eye contact. His outfit was unconventional, with an unbuttoned t-shirt revealing a white singlet underneath, black jeans, and a flashy belt with a golden tiger head design.

He ran a hand through his jet-black hair, then frowned. "First you slapped me, pushed me, and threw your flirty shoe at me. What kind of dummy are you?" With a groan, he tossed the shoe back at me.

As he turned to leave, anger surged within me. I couldn't let him insult me and walk away. I picked up my shoe and put it on.

"You're no better, you delinquent weirdo!" I shouted after him, hoping he heard me.

He turned toward me slowly and walked closer, his expression stern. "What did you just say?" he asked firmly.

"You heard me, so why are you asking, dumbass? Do you want me to spell it out for you?" I shouted back.

A crowd began to gather around us, some chanting for a fight, while others took out their phones to capture the scene. Across the crowd, Trina and her cronies looked on with amusement.

I turned to walk toward them, but someone grabbed my shirt and pulled me back. I spun around to see the guy holding my shirt tightly, anger evident on his face.

"Leave her alone!" Betty defended me. "Are you going to hit her? Don't you know the rules of this school?"

"This isn't Graham High, where you're allowed to do whatever pleases you, Liam!" Caroline added, surprising me with her familiarity with the guy.

"Touch me, and I promise you'll regret it!" I warned, slapping his hand off my shirt.

He was momentarily speechless as I turned to leave, but someone blocked my path, causing me to stumble and fall face-first onto the ground. My mouth filled with muddy grass, and I felt the dirt cover my face. Betty and Caroline quickly helped me up, while Caroline wiped the mud off my face with a tissue.

"You're just so arrogant, you don't see well," Liam said, high-fiving Tony Walter, Trina's brother, a junior class dude who I once bullied for telling a teacher on me. I ripped his life apart after that and set him up.

The rest of the crowd burst out laughing hysterically. For the second time in my life, I felt embarrassed and timid. It seemed I had more enemies than I thought I had.

"Betty, take care of your friend. She's blind; she might fall again on the way!" Liam roared with laughter.

I slapped Betty's arms away from mine. "I can walk by myself. Stop making me look helpless."

"Uh, Zoey. You're bleeding!" Caroline exclaimed worriedly. I looked down at my injured leg; it was bleeding. I had a slight cut on the corner of my leg. Caroline and Betty assisted me to the sickbay, where they begged Mrs. Smith, our laboratory assistant teacher, to help apply first aid.

"Oh, Zoey. What happened?" she asked with a sympathetic look.

"I fell on my way to the car," I lied.

She shook her head slowly. "Why are you lying to me? I saw you walk out of the crowd. Were you fighting with the guys this time?"

"Nothing," I groaned. "Will you help me or keep asking me questions?"

She stopped. "What about your good manners, Zoey? I'm not your slave. I'm trying to help you here!"

I rolled my eyes. "Well, don't," I stood up and turned to leave, but I got caught up with Betty and Caroline's angry stares as they both screamed my name.

"Zoey! Why can't you just keep your mouth shut for a while?" they said almost in chorus.

I squinted; their voices and words were harsh. I had never heard them speak to me in such a manner before. They were always on my side, supporting me no matter how bad things got.

I turned to Mrs. Smith. "I'm sorry," I said. "Please help me."

She sighed and dressed the wound on my leg. It hurt, but I held back the pain. When she was done, I stood up and thanked her.

I walked out of the sickbay toward my fourth class of the day. I couldn't wait to go home and sleep. Betty and Caroline promised to help me study for the test, so I felt somewhat relieved.

On my way to the cafeteria, I came across Liam. At first, he didn't notice me, which was great. I couldn't stand seeing him after what happened.

God knows where he came from; now, the delinquent freak hang around the school like he owned it.

"Hello, Zoey," Liam smirked. I ignored him and kept walking. He snatched my book bag from my hand. "You freak!" I tried to grab the books, but he was stronger than me, so I gave up. Finally, he gave me the book and went away.

He took a seat next to Tony and another student named Zachary. He was looking straight ahead, and I looked around, trying to find an empty seat to sit. There was none.

Liam smirked again and started speaking.

"So, Zoey, how's your week been? Any new thing?" His words stung, but I stayed silent.

"Don't ignore me; I want to know how your day has been," he shouted, not caring if the entire cafeteria was staring at us.

I huffed. "Fine, your day sucks. Stop bugging me," I snapped, and started walking away. I heard him laugh, and his friends joined in.

"Hey! That's not nice, Zoey."

My stomach churned, and I clenched my teeth, turning to glare at him. "Let me be, weirdo," I growled. His friends joined in the jeering laughter too. "It's not funny, you idiots!"

"Zoey! Come sit with us," Caroline said, and I quickly took a seat next to her. Betty was reading a small notebook and was attentive.

"How are you feeling now?" she asked, looking concerned.

"Better," I replied, trying to sound normal. "I'm fine," I said sarcastically. Caroline looked confused but didn't question me further.

After the lunch break, I had one class left before the school day would be over. I sighed as I stared at the wall clock in the cafeteria, begging time to move faster.