The One Who Drives You Home
The Godsend that was freedom
I cringed at the sound of the bell ringing for lunchtime. This was it - the moment of truth. The walk to the cafeteria felt like I was walking to my doom (which I probably was, my brain so helpfully reminded me). I shuffled over to our usual table with my head down and my eyes on my feet. I knew Ebony was already there without even looking; she somehow always managed to get to the table first, usually flanked by Megan and Louise. I guess she wanted take her place at the head of the table, being the queen of the school and everything.
"Hi Evie," she greeted as I took my seat and placed my bag in front of me.
"Hi," I said apprehensively, waiting for the explosion that would exile me from the student body. Nothing came. Ebony just continued to stare down at her phone screen as I felt the nervousness fading away.
And then Megan opened her mouth.
"I heard something about you, Evie," she sneered, addressing me with a mocking, high pitched voice. Her small, acne covered face contorted into an ugly smirk. The makeup she used to cover her skin caked around the cysts.
"Oh yeah?" I tried to hide the nerves in my voice and instead concentrated on picking out her flaws. That always put me in a better mood.
"Yeah," her smirk grew wider, "apparently, you were running after Gerard Way this morning."
"What?" Ebony looked up from the phone her eyes and thumbs had been glued to the whole time I had been sat down.
I tried to look surprised, my mouth flopping open and closed like a fish. "What?" I imitated Ebony, "why the fuck would I want to do that?"
"I was hoping you'd tell me..." Megan trailed off maliciously. I wanted to punch her orange face.
"Charlotte told me you didn't show for biology this morning, is that what you were doing? Chasing freaks?" Ebony was still staring at me, her eyes hard and round with shock.
"Why is everyone so suspicious of me lately?" I asked, exasperated, throwing my hands up in a questioning manner. "I was late to biology because I left my books in French. That's probably why your informer saw me running." I nodded to Megan, who looked disappointed at what I said.
The atmosphere around the table seemed to loosen instantly. I knew I'd gotten away with it, but I made a mental note not to show Gerard any kind of acknowledgement in school from now on - Megan would be watching me closely.
"Oh," Ebony said, returning to her iPhone, "Taylor told me what happened with Dean."
"Oh really?" What was this, interrogate Evie day?
"Yeah," she nodded, tapping away at her screen, "you have got to stop being so frigid, Evie! So what if he was a little clingy? That's perfect for getting you back in the game!"
"I'm not a whore, Ebony," I reasoned, knowing perfectly well what she meant by back in the game.
"I'm not asking you to be a whore, I'm just telling you to live a little!"
And that ended the conversation. I had nothing more to say on the subject. Not that it mattered anyway - I'd blown it with Dean. The rest of the girls joined us at that moment, and I zoned out as they began to talk about the latest episode of some shitty reality TV show they were all hooked on. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a black haired boy staring at me, but I didn't give him the satisfaction of letting him know I cared, I was just focused on getting home and ending the worst day of my life.
My last period of the day was geography. I had my chin resting on my desk, my eyes staining to look up towards the projector that showed Florida and a map of the Gulf Stream. The clock on the wall behind me ticked noisily, teasing me by letting me know that it wasn't home time yet. I fiddled with the bag strap laid across my knees, ready to snatch it up at the first sound of the bell. I hadn't even bothered to take out my books as I knew I would be doing no work in this class. I was too tired, stressed and eager to get home.
"Well, that ends my lesson," the young Mr Phelps said, flicking to the last slide of his PowerPoint, which read 'HOMEWORK: continue reading on the El Niño/La Niña events'. He looked at his watch and then back up at the class, "the bell should ring any second, so you can pack away your things."
The class burst into sounds of scraping chairs and the clinking of bags hitting table legs. I pulled my own bag up onto the table, slinging the strap over my shoulder and waiting for the Godsend that was freedom. The sound of ringing filled the room moments later and I jumped up onto my feet, swiftly exiting the room before anyone else. I was one of the first out in the corridor so I hurried to my locker to miss the home-time-rush. Eager to get home, I quickly unlocked my locker and was about to tip the contents of my bag inside when a hand landed on the metal cabinet next to me. I stared at the large, tanned fingers for a second before turning around and coming face to face with Dean Stainton. I sighed irritably, not wanting to end my day like this.
"Hey Evie," he drawled in what I assumed to be a seductive manner.
"What do you want Dean?"
"Why are you being so frosty? Did the weather get to you?" He laughed at his own joke. I have to admit, I almost let out a giggle - it was so bad I couldn't help but laugh at the pathetic mess in front of me.
"No Dean," I managed to keep a straight face, "I just want you to get out of my way."
"Treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen, eh?" He repeated the cliché, putting his hand up to my cheek. I turned my head away, a disgusted expression creeping its way onto my face. He entwined his fingers in my hair, leaving me to shy further away from him, to the point where I was almost standing in my open locker. "C'mon Evie, don't you want me?"
I gave him an obvious look. "No, Dean."
His cool, flirtatious expression hardened into anger as he balled his hand into a fist, trapping my hair between my fingers and tugging at it until I was leaning into his arm in attempt to free myself. I guess his patience with me had finally reached the end of its tether.
"Get the fuck off me," I kicked out at him, bringing my hand up to my head and clawing at his wrist. He didn't give in, but instead pulled on my hair so that my face was inches from his.
"Embarrass me again, slut," he hissed, droplets of saliva hitting my nose, "and I'll make you wish you'd never been born."
With that, he gave me a rough kiss on the cheek and threw me backwards, stalking away. I glared after him as I rubbed the place on my hip that had just collided with the lockers, wanting to let him know that he didn't scare me. If anything, he'd just seriously pissed off an already highly strung girl. I would make him pay for messing with my hair. And my hip.
"Hi Evie," she greeted as I took my seat and placed my bag in front of me.
"Hi," I said apprehensively, waiting for the explosion that would exile me from the student body. Nothing came. Ebony just continued to stare down at her phone screen as I felt the nervousness fading away.
And then Megan opened her mouth.
"I heard something about you, Evie," she sneered, addressing me with a mocking, high pitched voice. Her small, acne covered face contorted into an ugly smirk. The makeup she used to cover her skin caked around the cysts.
"Oh yeah?" I tried to hide the nerves in my voice and instead concentrated on picking out her flaws. That always put me in a better mood.
"Yeah," her smirk grew wider, "apparently, you were running after Gerard Way this morning."
"What?" Ebony looked up from the phone her eyes and thumbs had been glued to the whole time I had been sat down.
I tried to look surprised, my mouth flopping open and closed like a fish. "What?" I imitated Ebony, "why the fuck would I want to do that?"
"I was hoping you'd tell me..." Megan trailed off maliciously. I wanted to punch her orange face.
"Charlotte told me you didn't show for biology this morning, is that what you were doing? Chasing freaks?" Ebony was still staring at me, her eyes hard and round with shock.
"Why is everyone so suspicious of me lately?" I asked, exasperated, throwing my hands up in a questioning manner. "I was late to biology because I left my books in French. That's probably why your informer saw me running." I nodded to Megan, who looked disappointed at what I said.
The atmosphere around the table seemed to loosen instantly. I knew I'd gotten away with it, but I made a mental note not to show Gerard any kind of acknowledgement in school from now on - Megan would be watching me closely.
"Oh," Ebony said, returning to her iPhone, "Taylor told me what happened with Dean."
"Oh really?" What was this, interrogate Evie day?
"Yeah," she nodded, tapping away at her screen, "you have got to stop being so frigid, Evie! So what if he was a little clingy? That's perfect for getting you back in the game!"
"I'm not a whore, Ebony," I reasoned, knowing perfectly well what she meant by back in the game.
"I'm not asking you to be a whore, I'm just telling you to live a little!"
And that ended the conversation. I had nothing more to say on the subject. Not that it mattered anyway - I'd blown it with Dean. The rest of the girls joined us at that moment, and I zoned out as they began to talk about the latest episode of some shitty reality TV show they were all hooked on. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a black haired boy staring at me, but I didn't give him the satisfaction of letting him know I cared, I was just focused on getting home and ending the worst day of my life.
My last period of the day was geography. I had my chin resting on my desk, my eyes staining to look up towards the projector that showed Florida and a map of the Gulf Stream. The clock on the wall behind me ticked noisily, teasing me by letting me know that it wasn't home time yet. I fiddled with the bag strap laid across my knees, ready to snatch it up at the first sound of the bell. I hadn't even bothered to take out my books as I knew I would be doing no work in this class. I was too tired, stressed and eager to get home.
"Well, that ends my lesson," the young Mr Phelps said, flicking to the last slide of his PowerPoint, which read 'HOMEWORK: continue reading on the El Niño/La Niña events'. He looked at his watch and then back up at the class, "the bell should ring any second, so you can pack away your things."
The class burst into sounds of scraping chairs and the clinking of bags hitting table legs. I pulled my own bag up onto the table, slinging the strap over my shoulder and waiting for the Godsend that was freedom. The sound of ringing filled the room moments later and I jumped up onto my feet, swiftly exiting the room before anyone else. I was one of the first out in the corridor so I hurried to my locker to miss the home-time-rush. Eager to get home, I quickly unlocked my locker and was about to tip the contents of my bag inside when a hand landed on the metal cabinet next to me. I stared at the large, tanned fingers for a second before turning around and coming face to face with Dean Stainton. I sighed irritably, not wanting to end my day like this.
"Hey Evie," he drawled in what I assumed to be a seductive manner.
"What do you want Dean?"
"Why are you being so frosty? Did the weather get to you?" He laughed at his own joke. I have to admit, I almost let out a giggle - it was so bad I couldn't help but laugh at the pathetic mess in front of me.
"No Dean," I managed to keep a straight face, "I just want you to get out of my way."
"Treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen, eh?" He repeated the cliché, putting his hand up to my cheek. I turned my head away, a disgusted expression creeping its way onto my face. He entwined his fingers in my hair, leaving me to shy further away from him, to the point where I was almost standing in my open locker. "C'mon Evie, don't you want me?"
I gave him an obvious look. "No, Dean."
His cool, flirtatious expression hardened into anger as he balled his hand into a fist, trapping my hair between my fingers and tugging at it until I was leaning into his arm in attempt to free myself. I guess his patience with me had finally reached the end of its tether.
"Get the fuck off me," I kicked out at him, bringing my hand up to my head and clawing at his wrist. He didn't give in, but instead pulled on my hair so that my face was inches from his.
"Embarrass me again, slut," he hissed, droplets of saliva hitting my nose, "and I'll make you wish you'd never been born."
With that, he gave me a rough kiss on the cheek and threw me backwards, stalking away. I glared after him as I rubbed the place on my hip that had just collided with the lockers, wanting to let him know that he didn't scare me. If anything, he'd just seriously pissed off an already highly strung girl. I would make him pay for messing with my hair. And my hip.
I read this a year ago and loved it. Thank you for writing more.
1/25/15