Evol

chapter ten

Tuesday 4th June, 2019

Day 2.

I felt sick as I climbed out of my car the next morning.

Going round and round in circles, thoughts getting tangled in my head, the night before had done no good. I still had no idea why Julian hated me now. But I knew one thing - he had the whole school on his side out of fear, and if I wanted to survive I had to keep my head down.

I didn't look toward him as I crossed the lot, diving into school.

It was in assembly that I first caught wind of the rumour.

"Filthy slut," someone hissed behind me. I carried on, sat down. It must have been to someone else.

Two girls passed by me. "Do you think it's true?" One of them whispered.

Another girl passed by. "Some of them probably had girlfriends, you know."

I was confused. Were they speaking to me? Just then, Brendan collapsed in the seat next to me.

"Hi," I turned to him. He looked at me sideways.

"Hello." He said stiffly.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine."

"What's wrong? You look like you're about to get shot."

"I am," he said. "If you don't stop talking to me."

I blinked. "What?"

"Listen, Brooke," he whispered, blond head leaning closer. "I never asked why you moved. I thought it would be rude. But how could you expect no one to find out about this?"

My heart thudded. "What do you mean?"

"A whole football team, Brooke." Brendan shook his head in disgust. "Really?"

"I genuinely have no idea what you're talking about." I said coldly, taking off my glasses. "My parents moved here to be closer to the Church."

Brendan finally looked at me. "What?"

But then the assembly began. I spotted people turn to glare at me, their eyes frosty. What the hell was going on? If they found out I was an atheist, they wouldn't exactly be warm to me, but they were all looking at me like I'd committed some hideous crime.

I froze as the realisation hit me. Someone must have started a rumour. The only person with enough power to get it around the whole school overnight was sitting behind me.

I turned, wide-eyed, to see Julian looking at the headmistress, a wicked smirk on his face. Those dark eyes found mine, cold as ice. His long fingers wiggled at me in a wave.

My body seized up with the urge to pounce on him and rip the curls from his scalp. But I just turned back around, shaking with anger.

At the end of assembly, I was still shaking violently. Brendan followed me out.

"Are you alright? Why are you shaking?"

"I shake when I'm angry." I said through chattering teeth. "And right now I'm really angry."

"Why did you move here again?" He asked as people hissed things at me.

"My parents wanted to live in a more religious environment."

He made a startled noise. "So you didn't sleep with the entire football team at your old school?"

My feet stopped. I stared in front, seeing red. No. No, no, no, no. "What the fuck?" I whispered. "I went to an all-girls school."