Page 42 of Giving In

I turn around, buttoning my shirt and frown when I see Camila and Beth standing just before me. Camila is still in her uniform with a skirt way too short to be allowed and Beth is wearing the Stoneview Prep cheerleading uniform.

“I’m sorry?” I ask as if I hadn’t heard her properly.

“You heard me,” Beth says. Her voice is so high it’s actually painful to the human ear.

“Do you have anything you want to say to me?” I feign disinterest.

“I do,” Camila cuts in. “I have a question actually. On Friday, you conveniently disappeared right at the same time as Jake and you guys were gone for a long time. Do you want to explain yourself? Because he said he was driving Rose home, except Rose was still at my house.”

“Oh wow,” I mock. “You really keep tabs on him. Trust flows in your relationship I see.”

Beth gives me a shove in the shoulder, and it forces me to take a step back.

“Are you crazy? What is wrong with you?!” I fume.

I’m not the biggest girl and someone my size would most probably lose a fight, but I’ll be damned if Beth Lam thinks she can scare me.

“Answer the question, Goody,” Beth orders.

“I don’t have to justify myself to either of you. The fact that your boyfriend can’t stay faithful is not my problem. But if you want to knowthatbad, I didn’t do anything with him. I hate the fucker.”

Now that’s a lie Jamie and we all know it. You’re human, you have eyes, you’re into him.

“Oh please,” Camila chuckles, “You’ve been eyeing him for years. You just know he’d never be interested in a tramp like you. How do you even go to this school? I thought you were poor.”

“Shut up,” I growl. “You don’t know anything about me.”

“I know you’re getting too close to my boyfriend and you’re going to get hurt.”

Camila shoves me and I have to take another step back. Beth is barely taller than me and doesn’t do much, but Camila is a bigger girl and I struggle to stay in place when she keeps pushing me.

“You. Stay. Away. From. Him.” She pushes me between every word and before I know it, I’m hitting the wall of the showers. “I think the tramp needs a good clean, Beth. Wouldn’t you say?”

Beth smirks and takes a step towards me.

“Ugh fuck you,” I say trying to go past them. They both push me back and Camila hooks her leg behind mine as they push. I fall to the floor of the shower in a loud thump. The fall is so hard it hurts all the way from my bottom and up my spine.

I refrain a scream, but it takes me a few seconds to get my bearings again and it gives enough time for Camila to turn the shower on. I yelp when the freezing water hits me, and I hurry to try and get back up. A sudden pain shoots in my stomach and this time I can’t hold in a groan. Camila kicks my stomach another time, her pointy shoe hitting right in my solar plexus, and my breath gets stuck in my lungs. I roll on the floor of the shower, the strong jet of water hitting my face and body.

I can’t really see them anymore, white dots dancing in front of my eyes, but I can feel when they pour shampoo and shower gel all over my body and head. I hear Beth laugh when Camila says, “I bet you’ve never had such a deep clean. Do you get running water at your house? You’re welcome by the way.”

The shampoo gets in my eyes and mouth and I bring my hands to my face trying to wipe away the stinging pain, but they keep pouring more. Both their laughs are ringing in my ears, making the humiliation a hundred times worse. I see a flash at some point and realize one of them is filming with their phone. The pain in my stomach and the sting in my eyes are completely stopping me from getting back up. I just lay there while they keep on throwing insults at me and filming the scene.

The laughs suddenly stop, and I hear a bang against a locker as Beth screams in surprise. A second later, the water stops, and a towel is thrown at me. Slowly, I manage to sit up and dry my burning face from the shampoo and water.

I open my burning eyes, slowly adjusting to the light in the room. My mouth drops open when I see Rose has pushed Beth against a locker and is now standing in-between the two girls and me.

“Are you two sluts for real?” she mocks them.

“The bitch spends her time hitting on my boyfriend, wouldn’t you do the same if she hit on Rachel?” Camila whines.

“Oh Camila, you’re such a fucking disappointment. I really don’t get how Rach is friends with you. Your boyfriend spends his time hitting on anything with legs. You’re nothing special. Neither is she.”

The insult aimed at Camila cuts right through me.Nothing. Special.

Rose turns to Beth and puts her hand out. “Your phone. Now.”

“Fuck you,” Beth spits.

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