Page 6 of Intercept My Heart

“Do you need me to take you home, or are you walking with your friend?” I made it clear that those were her only options.

“Oh, I thought maybe I could stay here and keep you company. I already got permission from my parents to spend the night with Navy, so that is where they think I am right now. We could pick up where we left off earlier.” She wrapped her arms around my neck, but I removed them.

“I’m sorry, but I planned to be alone tonight. Maybe we can catch up with one another tomorrow.” Bri’s face dropped in disappointment, but I didn’t give a damn. I didn’t do sleepovers with any girl. That would only make them clingier, and I hated that shit.

“Oh, well, I guess. Maybe we can have breakfast together or something.”

“I’ll get up with you once I start moving around tomorrow. I plan on sleeping in. Do you need that ride? ’Cause if not, I’m gonna go ahead and head to bed.” This wasn’t the complete truth, but I needed her to know that I wasn’t budging on what I said. I wanted to be alone, and I wasn’t about to change my plans to accommodate her.

“Okay. Call me tomorrow.” Brielle attempted to kiss me, but I dodged it. I wasn’t sure if she was trying to show out for her friend, but we never kissed in the past. Again, this was another thing I didn’t believe in. We weren’t on that level to be kissing. I didn’t even eat her pussy because it wasn’t my thing.

“I will.” I nodded as the two of them stepped out of the door.

I watched them walk together. I was sure they were probably gossiping about me, but it didn’t matter. Lately, my feelings for Brielle had shifted, and I wasn’t even trying to fix things. I guessed this was a part of teenage growing pains. Her body was perfect, and she was a beautiful girl, but there wasn’t much else to her. When I thought about my future, I needed someone on my arm with some substance. Besides, we were still young, so I wasn’t trying to settle down with anyone. I wanted to see what the world had to offer.

“If it isn’t losergirl. Where’s your little slutty sidekick been? You must be lost without her.” Brielle sneered, cutting me off as I tried to get out of the bathroom. I really wanted to know why she hated me so much because I’d do anything to get her to stop.

“She’s probably somewhere sucking dick behind the bleachers. Johan and Micah talked about how they ran a train on her behind the bleachers a few weeks ago. She better stay far away from my man if she knows what’s good for her,” Nadia spat, glaring at me as if I’d taken her man.

Trust me, I lived with him; he wasn’t all that special. Drake brought different girls to the house weekly, so I wasn’t sure why she thought she was so special anyway.

“We’ll beat her ass if she even thinks about it. Anyway, I saw you staring at Dinero, and I’m warning you now, he’s off limits. Besides, you’re not even his type. He likes pretty, popular girls… two things you are not. You’re a dirty foster kid that nobody wants.” Brielle’s words pierced through my soul, but I remain stone-faced. If nothing else, I knew she fed off getting reactions from people, and I refused to give her the satisfaction, even if she did get under my skin.

“I’m not interested in Dinero or any other boy, so there’s no need for the warnings. Can I go now?”

“Oh, what, are you some kind of lesbian or something? Bitch, you don’t have to worry because no one wants to be associated with a dusty bum like you.” Nadia interjected. I’d never understand why girls like them chose to pick on people they believed were beneath them. Ciera insisted they were jealous of us, but for what reason? They had beauty, money, and popularity. Meanwhile, I had to wash the same three pairs of underwear in the sink every other day. I wanted to understand how kicking me while I was down made them feel better about themselves.

The warning bell sounded off, and I breathed a sigh of relief when the mean girl trio walked out of the bathroom. I’d take a tardy mark for a few extra moments of peace. Ciera was one of my only friends, and I felt naked without her. Everyone called her my bodyguard because she never allowed anyone to bother me when she was around.

There was no way I would be able to survive the rest of the school year without her, let alone go into senior year. A part of me thought about trying to find her, because I knew where they hung out, but I didn’t know if I should. Once Ciera had her mind set on something, there was no convincing her otherwise. Still, I missed her, and I wanted to see her face.

Most of the school day felt like a blur as I traveled from one classroom to the next. I normally carried all my textbooks in my backpack so I wouldn’t have to make too many trips to my locker during the day. Brielle’s locker was next to mine, so I tried to avoid running into her as much as possible.

“Ouch!”

“Watch where you’re going, bitch!”Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Brielle shoved me to the side while Nadia snatched my backpack from me.

“What are you doing?”

“You were in our way, so we moved you. It’s simple.” The two of them slapped hands as they laughed at me. Instead of reacting, I grabbed my backpack and raced to the cafeteria. We all had the same lunch, so I decided to grab my food and eat outside at the picnic tables. I needed this day to speed up because I didn’t know how much more I could take. It seemed like they were riding me harder because I was alone.

Today’s menu included Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, corn, and a dinner roll. While the food didn’t look the most appetizing, I decided not to be ungrateful. Meals were few and far between at home, so I was happy to be able to put something on my stomach.

The sun shined brightly, and the bench was hot the moment my thighs touched it. My uniform shorts were supposed to be just above the knee, but since these were hand-me-downs, I had to take what I could get. The breeze brushed across my face as I sat here, taking it all in.

The birds were chirping, and the squirrels chased one another up a nearby tree. They all seemed happy and carefree. I wondered what a life of peace would feel like. We only had thirty minutes for lunch, so I decided not to waste my time. Leaning over my tray, I took a bite of my food, but before I could fully chew, some kind of liquid dripped down my head.

Leaping out of my seat, I was met with the smiling faces of my enemies. Clearly, they hadn’t gotten enough of torturing me for one day.

“Oh, my bad. I must have slipped and spilled my drink on you.” Brielle snickered. Anger burned inside of me as I stared down at my juice-stained clothes. She tossed the Gatorade bottle on the ground before wiping her hands on her pants. My tears mixed with the juice, and all I saw was red. To make mattersworse, all the students were lined up by the door with their phones out.

I’d never been suicidal, but I wouldn’t mind if today were my last day on Earth.

“You’re so wrong, best friend. That’s probably the only uniform she has, and now it’s ruined,” Nadia instigated. My fists were clenched together as I tried to calm myself down. My shorts were soaked, as well as my panties. There was no way I’d be able to finish out the school day like this, but I had no other way to get home because I rode the bus.

“Well, at least the Gatorade enhanced her looks. Her ponytail looked dry as hell. Technically, I helped her out,” she boasted. The sound of their laughter triggered me, and before I knew it, Brielle and I were fighting on the ground.

“Bitch! Get offa me!” We rolled around on the ground until I gained control. As I straddled her chest, I released all my anger on her face.

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