Daisy in a Meadow

1 - Crazy Daisy

"There she is—Crazy Daisy!"

At the sound of his sadistic voice, goosebumps arose on my arms. I hastily closed my locker and turned in the opposite direction. Perhaps I could pretend not to hear him.

It was to no avail. I only made it three steps away before he harshly grabbed my upper arm and pushed me against the locker. It made a loud bang, and some people in the hallway began to look, whispering to each other.

My heart was hammering so loudly that I was afraid he and his minions could hear it. "Let go of me," I quietly whispered.

"Oops," he unapologetically laughed, removing his tight grasp on my arm. The sound of his laughter should've been pleasant, however it caused a frown to grace my plump lips. "Where are you headed, Crazy?"

My eyebrows knitted together at the inane nickname, and to make matters worse, tears began to well up in my dark brown eyes. "M-My name is Daisy," I said, though my voice was shaking, and it came out a lot less firm than I imagined.

"M-My name is Daisy," he mocked. "Your stutter's worse than I remember, Crazy. Jeez, what would your father say? Oh, right—"

My breath hitched and I bolted in the opposite direction, leaving my dignity behind with him.

"That was a good one, Anthony," I heard one of his friends praise him.

"She looked like she was about to cry!" another one said. They each roared with laughter, though none as loud as Anthony Miller, my tormentor for as long as I could remember.

There was something about me that had always interested Anthony Miller in the worst way possible. There were three important things to know about him. The first was that he was captain of the football team at Oakland High. The second was that he had the entirety of our school practically kissing the ground he walked on. The third was that he wanted my head on a silver platter.

Anthony Miller hated me, meaning the entire school hated me as well.

I hated showing weakness in front of him, but he always knew exactly how to hurt me, and bringing up my father was a low blow.

As I sped through the hallways, I could feel all my motivation and hope for the year crumble. I wasn't quite sure why I'd convinced myself that things would be different this time. Senior year and all. However, I was a fool to get my hopes up. Anthony was still a bully, and I was still the same friendless loser I'd been since high school began.

With my head down and tears welling in my dark brown eyes, I barged into the nearest washroom and arrived to a stop in front of the mirror, surveying myself.

I willed myself to blink away any tears that threatened to fall from my big doe eyes, however one managed to slip away. It slowly rolled down to my plump lips, tainting my clear, dark brown skin.

Voluminous, shoulder-length curls framed my face. In an effort to compose myself, I attempted to tuck a strand of my dark brown hair behind my ear, though of course, my fluffy hair had a mind of its own, and the strand merely reverted back to its position on my cheek.

With a gloomy sigh, I entered a washroom stall, figuring I should hide away until classes began. Almost as soon as I entered the cubicle, the door to the washroom was slammed open.

"Man, that was a close one," a boyish laugh echoed throughout the previously silent washroom.

"Did you guys see his face? He looked pissed!" another guy wheezed.

My eyes nearly bulged out of my face. Why were there boys in the washroom that was clearly designated for females?

"Don't get too excited, you guys. Anyone could've seen us," a deep voice calmly commanded. This one was different. His voice was as smooth as butter, and he sounded so... composed. I found myself holding my breath just to hear him speak again.

The other two guys seemed to listen to him, because they went quiet for a bit, and all I could hear was the sound of panting. I wondered what they'd been up to for them to be so out of breath.

"Come on, Elias," one of them said after a moment, "we made sure no one was around. Besides, even if someone saw us spray paint Principal Lawrence's car, what're the odds they're gonna rat us out?"

I covered my mouth in shock. They spray painted the principal's car? What kind of miscreants was I dealing with here? Certainly, no one would be stupid enough to pull such a prank.

"That's what you said last time, before we got expelled," the guy with the deep voice, Elias, growled back.

"Relax, no one's gonna touch us. Especially not with you on our side," said the third guy.

"Yeah, yeah," Elias grunted.

"Speaking of, when's your next match?"

"This Saturday," one of the other guys replied for him, "he's going up against—"

"Careful," Elias raised his voice. "What if someone's in here?"

There was a moment of silence, but it only lasted for a brief second before each of the boys began to check the washroom stalls. I could hear their footsteps getting closer. In a last ditch effort to remain hidden, I climbed the toilet so that they wouldn't see my feet. However, my phone fell out of my pocket, making a loud noise.

I froze as the door to the stall was banged open, revealing the three most gorgeous men I'd ever seen in my lifetime.

To the left was a tall, dark skinned boy with short dreads protruding from his head, and cheekbones to die for. To the right was a shorter blond guy, whose blue eyes widened at the sight of me crouching on the toilet. He gave me boy next door vibes.

In the very middle of the two was the most tall guy I'd ever encountered in my life. He bore a glare powerful enough to make my knees wobble. His dark, tousled hair rested just above his thick eyebrows, which were knitted together as he surveyed my petite figure awkwardly standing on the toilet. The black tee that he wore accentuated his bulging muscles, and I became afraid of what he could do to me.

Then—

"Get her."

*****

Hey guys!

Totally writing this on a spontaneous whim, who knows where this will go. Sorry if this was a bit boring, but don't worry, I'm just getting started!

QOTD: how old are you?
AOTD: 17

Feel free to follow me on Instagram, my username is @emmanuela.nnamdi!!

Until next time, Emmanuela<3

12/12/2022