Page 304 of Filthy Elites

TWENTY-FIVE

Aubrey

Because last nightwent the way it did, I think I underprepared for my first day back at school.

People smirking in the halls, knowing they saw that picture of me? Sucks.

Some openly calling me a skank and a whore as I walk past? Not great.

When I open my locker and a whole ream of paper with the screenshot of her video (including the “pathetic”) showing my picture spill out into the hall and cause everyone in the vicinity to stare?

Zero out of ten, do not fucking recommend.

I tell myself to shake it off and pick the papers up as quickly as I can, but they’ve spilled everywhere. They’re covering the ground in front of the lockers. People are stepping on them as they walk past. Some guy stops and grabs one, then keeps walking.

“Hey, give that back,” I call after him as I hurry to pick up the others before anyone else grabs one.

“Suck a dick,” he answers. Then, turning around and smirking, he says, “Oh, wait, you’re already sucking Dare’s, aren’t you?”

His friend laughs, he smirks more maliciously, and they turn and disappear down the hall with my picture.

Assholes.

I’m late to homeroom by the time I get every last stray paper out of the hallway. Seats are assigned in this class, so we always sit at the same one.

When I hurry in, a couple minutes late, and get to mine, I find another copy of that screenshot picture taped down on top of my desk, and next it is a printout of the haiku I deleted from the comments on my post.

Face burning, I tear them off and sit down while the teacher gives me the evil eye for coming in lateandbeing so distracting.

By the time I get to English class, I’m so tired of having that picture thrown in my face and insults hurled at me, I just want to leave.

Especially because this is the class I have with Dare.

He hasn’t realized I’m in this class yet. He’s already seated in his usual seat with his friends around him by the time I get there. The guy who stole my picture in the hall is one of them, and he’s sitting right next to Dare.

Dread settles over me as I drop my bag. I have my whole bookbag with me today because I think I’ll eat outside again. I need a break from the nonstop bullshit.

“Hey, there she is,” he says with a shit-eating grin, nudging Dare. Then, loudly, he says, “Think she’ll sign it for me?”

Dare turns slowly, clearly surprised to see me over here in the corner. He frowns, stands, and grabs the paper out of his friend’s hand without looking.

He balls up the paper on his way over. I look up at him, a little relieved, but a bit nervous, too. He hasn’t famously been fantastic to me in front of his friends, and I’m not sure what’s coming.

“Have you been in this class all year?”

I nod. “Sure have.”

“Huh. And here I thought I was observant.”

I crack a smile. “I’m easy to miss. My class before this one is so far away, I barely get here on time, and I sit by the door so I can be the first one out.”

“Good strategy.”

I nod, glancing at his friends. They’re watching, a bit confused. I guess I can see why. The way Anae’s video framed it, I sent this picture of myself to him unsolicited. Even though people saw us arrive at school together last week, I guess they didn’t think he actually liked me.

Which, again, makes sense if he still has a freaking evil girlfriend.

Haven’t been able to get confirmation on that yet. Maybe I would have at lunch, but there’s no way I’m putting myself through the cafeteria today.Everybodyhas an opinion about us even though literally none of them have any of the facts.

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