The Girl With The Tattoo

14. leave me alone

Lexi

I was going to wait for Sophie but she's taking a while and I should be getting home. My dad is coming home early tonight and I want to be there when he gets back. I hate it when it's just him and Carl...

So instead of waiting near the back of the building for Sophie, I turn the opposite way and I start to walk home alone.

It's getting quite dark tonight and I wish I could have Sophie by my side. I wouldn't admit it to anyone but I get scared easily, especially outside in the dark. Ever since I was a little girl, I've always feared the dark.

But as I'm walking away from the studio, I hear a familiar voice saying "Hey, where do you think you're going?"

Isabella...

I don't bother to turn to look at her "Home..."

I hear her footsteps getting closer, along with another pair "Without saying goodbye? Why are you in such a rush?!"

I slow down as I know that she's not going to leave me alone at this point "I'm in a rush because I can't wait to get away from you!" I joke.

"Funny." She responds with.

And when I finally turn my head, I realise that she's also with her sidekick, Ava. Great! She's a handful on her own and with Ava she's a hundred times worse!

"Seriously though, why are you in such a rush?" She asks me once again "Is daddy coming home tonight?"

"Don't fucking talk about that!" I show my anger towards her as she mentions something so personal to me

"Relax!" She doesn't take anything seriously "I was just wondering why you're not waiting for your little girlfriend tonight..."

Shit.

She continues "Don't give me some bullshit, I know that you're fucking around with her! So what's her name? Sophie, isn't it?"

I stop walking as I hear her bring Sophie into the conversation. I don't want her talking about her at all! Isabella is rotten to the core and I know that she'll have nothing good to say about her.

"Shut the fuck up, Isabella!" I raise my voice.

"That's right, it's Sophie! She's the little kid in my tap class that doesn't know her left foot to her right, I'm surprised Mr Adam's actually let her into the company!" Isabella starts talking badly about Sophie like I knew she would "I mean, you're not the best dancer, Lexi, but she's just a complete mess! She's even worse than you and I didn't think that was possible!"

I try not to entertain her "Whatever."

But instead of leaving me alone, she continues "And what were you thinking when you started messing around with her?! Have you seen her body, she's built like a fucking door!"

And then she comments on my body "And maybe that's why she likes you because you're built just the same way! I mean, she's a kid and she's got bigger boobs than you, are you not embarrassed?!"

I've had enough of her. She picks out each and every one of my flaws and she doesn't hold back on telling me what she thinks about them. I mean, even when we were dating she'd comment on my body.

But I tried not to be bothered by it because I loved her...

And then Ava begins tormenting me too "Yeah, Lexi still wears bras from the kids section because she doesn't even fit into the smallest size!"

Isabella laughs "I know, it's like she hasn't even hit puberty yet!"

Both Isabella and Ava begin laughing at her joke about my body. I'm not insecure at all about the way I look, and I actually think I look fine, but girls are cruel and they make me feel disgusting.

And then Isabella asks me a question as I quicken my pace to try and get away from the both of them "And I thought you were into older girls? You should've stuck to that because in another year, Lex, you'll be jailed for dating a kid!"

She makes a joke that makes my blood boil "Lexi Donovan jailed for having a sexual relationship with a child!"

"Shut the fuck up?!" I shout, standing still so I can try to intimidate her with the look of anger that I have on my face right now.

But she's not bothered by it at all as I feel her hands on my shoulders pushing me back. I get my balance quickly as I wouldn't dare let myself fall to the floor in front of her or any of her friends. She wouldn't let it go and she'd sure bring it up at any chance she could.

"Who do you think you're talking to like that, huh?" She gets in my face whilst raising her voice at me.

"Just leave me alone." I say, but this time I'm practically begging because I just want to get home.

"Fine!" She shouts "But just know that if you ever fuck me over I'll kill you, do you hear me?"

"W-what?!" I ask, but I'm too tired to care so I just give her what she wants to hear "Sure. I just want to go home, alright? I won't do anything to you!"

"Good girl." She says to me, making me feel like I could throw up at any second because of the way she speaks to me.

And then she looks behind me at the large forest "Now run along to your sad little brother and your daddy. Give them both goodnight kisses from me, will you?"

I turn away from her, trying to hold in the desperate urge I have to cry. I'm so fucking hurt right now and Isabella is just making things so much worse for me. She brings up my personal life, secrets that I want to keep, and it only brings out the panic I feel about everything that's going on.

I begin walking away, and I feel a tear rushing down my cheek so I make sure to wipe it away. I walk the same route Sophie and I would walk together even though it's terrifying. I think it just gives me comfort for some reason.

I'm going through a lot right now. I may hide it from everyone else, especially Sophie, but deep down I'm holding in the pain that I'm feeling.