Page 247 of Keeping 13

“You’re the biggest mistake of them all, girl…”

“Your own mother didn’t want you…”

“You’re the poison in this family…”

Enough.

Enough.

Enough.

“Enough!” I screamed, scrambling to my feet. “Don’ttouchme!” Tears were pooling in my eyes but I blinked them away, feeling more fury in this moment than I had in my whole life. “Don’t you ever fucking touch me again!” I continued to scream as I completely took leave of my senses and charged at Bella.

I caught a glance of her surprised expression about two seconds before I lunged at her, releasing sixteen years of pain and mistreatment into my fingertips as I scratched and shoved at her with everything I had in me. She was too big for me, and I knew I didn’t have a hope in hell of finishing what she started, but for once in my life I was fighting back. Something had changed inside of me, I felt it the day I woke up in that hospital bed, lucky to be alive, and I refused to take any more. I wasn’t going to be pushed around by her or anyone else.

“You fucking bitch,” Bella snarled as she knocked me onto the bathroom floor and climbed on top of me. “Who do you think you are?” she screamed as she scratched and tore at my hair and face with her nails. “Little fucking scumbag.”

Refusing to just lie there and take it like I had a million times before in my old school, I pushed and shoved back at her. “Get off me!” Catching ahold of her hair, I yanked hard, stunning myself with my own strength when a clump of her black hair extensions came away in my hands.

“My hair!” she wailed loudly. “Oh, I’m going todestroyyou!” Rearing back, she smacked her palm across my face before roughly pinning my hands above my head. “Kelly, get my bag.”

“Stop!” I could hardly breathe from the weight of her on top of me, but I continued to thrash and buck and try to break free. “Get off, Bella!”

“Uh, Bella, maybe we should just—”

“Get my fucking bag, Kelly!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. “Now!”

Without another word, the blond handed Bella’s schoolbag to her. “What do you want from it?”

“Lunch, water, and makeup,” Bella ordered before hacking up a huge phlegm ball and spitting it on my face. Kelly pulled out a plastic lunch box and Bella said, “Pin her hands down for me.”

“But I—”

“Do it!”

Sighing heavily, Kelly knelt down and took over pinning my hands down, while Bella opened her lunch box and began to smear the contents all over my uniform. “Like that, bitch?” Bella hissed as she opened a tuna sandwich and smudged it against my jumper and skirt. “The smell suits you.”

Still straddling me, she grabbed a tube of lipstick from her bag and then roughly cupped my jaw in her hand. “Go on,” she mocked, as she smeared the lipstick over my forehead and cheeks. “Cry, little baby. I dare you!”

I will not cry.

I will not cry.

Do not give her the satisfaction, Shannon.

Bucking against her hold, I desperately tried to free myself, but it was no use. I wasn’t strong enough.

“Are you not going to say anything?” Bella mocked as she climbed off me, holding her water bottle in her hands. Turning it upside down, she poured the contents over me. “No, that’s right. You’renotgoing to say a word, because if you do, I’ll fucking ruin you.”

Don’t lie there,Joey’s voice hissed inside of my head.Fight back, even if you can’t win.

A lone tear slid down my cheek.

“Aw, look, the little baby’s crying,” Bella taunted. “Fucking loser.”

Fight back, Shannon.

Come on.

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