Page 5 of Bullied By The Bad Boy

Maria leans in, and her head drops to my shoulder. I pat her arm. “Don’t worry. You will ace it.”

She lifts her head to stare at me like I said the impossible. I shrug, and she returns to her former position. After the risks we took to get here, she has to kill that opening, or we will be eternally grounded. As far as our parents are concerned, she’s at my house, and I am at hers. They don’t know their beloved daughters are at a pub, awaiting the go-ahead from the manager. He promised to let Maria open for the new band. I don’t know why they are late, but we have to wait.

The song switches. Maria yells, almost falling off her seat as Shakira’s “Time for Africa” plays. She is obsessed with that woman. Her bandage gown rides up her thighs as she begins to rotate her waist. I play the role of a hype man, clapping and encouraging her to move that sexy body.

My phone pings in my pocket. There have been tons of messages since someone uploaded that slap video. I’ve also received praises. Talk about “nice job”, “Congrats on hitting the bitch”, and “You go, girl”.

Ben also complimented me—that is, if “nice slap” counts. I’m aware many students hate Olivia’s guts, but I don’t want to be anyone’s hero. I must have looked sad because Maria plops back in her seat and squeezes my knee. When my phone vibrates again, she pulls it out before I can.

“Told you your five minutes of fame will end soon,” she says.

What’s she talking about? Five hours since the incident, and I’m still getting buzzed. My phone dangles between her fingers, and my brows nearly disappear into my hairline at the new post.

A video of Ben planting a kiss on Olivia’s cheek plays on repeat like a broken record. It was not even a real kiss. That was a sloppy peck.

“Everyone’s talking about the cafeteria kiss,” Maria says. Her feet dangle from the bar stool, and she frowns at me. “I thought Olivia only deals with college boys now. What’s she doing with Ben?”

I don’t know, and I don’t want to care. Since that breakup, she has not dated anyone from school. She’s above that and will rather date college guys. Good for the rest of the girls crushing on the jocks.

“She might have changed her mind,” I say when I see she’s waiting for my reply. “Ben is…fine.”

“Oh, he is more than fine.” Propping her elbows on the counter, Maria lets out a dreamy sigh. “He’s hot. I would change my mind too if he asked me out.”

I doubt he asked Olivia out. She must have imposed herself on him. Maria is still frowning, so I nudge her with my knee. She can get any boy in school if she tries. Her phone beeps, and she scowls at the screen.

“Daniel’s not coming,” she declares.

Daniel Holt is our friend, the last person in our group. Tall, curly hair, and green eyes. Maria has had a giant crush on him for as long as I’ve had one on Ben. Hold up, that didn’t come from me. I don’t have a crush on Ben. He’s hot, and that’s it. Anyway, Maria has a crush on Daniel but won’t mention it, and Daniel is oblivious. The boy barely comes to school; how will he know? I’m a bit glad they are not together. I don’t want to be the third wheel or watch them suck on each other’s faces.

I am about to reassure her when her phone rings. She pouts at something the voice on the other end says and, on a nod, ends the call. The second time she smoothens her gown, I grab her hand.

“What?” I ask.

“It’s time.”

She’s the one performing, but my limbs liquify when I get up to engulf her in a hug. “Good luck.”

Maria’s smile is jittery, and the layers of makeup don’t hide her nervousness. She walks a few feet away from me and stops to toss me a look over her shoulder. “You better get my good side.”

I flip my middle finger, but she is already out of sight. We discussed this. I don’t want to be in a crowd of sweaty bodies holding up a phone to create a video that will never make it to her TikTok or YouTube channel. At the end of it all, I will get bashed for my poor videography skill.

The crowd goes silent as Maria climbs the stage. I eye those in the VIP section. They get a first-hand view of everything, so they should make the video for her. My resolve weakens at her smile. Why do I have such a soft heart? Knowing me, I’ll be out there in seconds, trying to get Maria’s best side as she sings her heart out. I pop out of my seat, but a walking nightmare stops me from moving.

Olivia.

How does she always know where to find me?

Olivia is not alone. Nate has a protective arm around her waist. I almost feel bad for Ben. His girlfriend is cheating on him hours after their kissing show. Nate snickers when I shove my hands into my pockets, and I remember what sticks out about him. She cheated on him with Nate.

My blood boils at the distant memory. It was a long time ago, but I can never seem to forget it. I put on a fake smile and excuse myself, covering only a few steps before a cold liquid trickles down my scalp. Olivia stops in front of me with an empty glass in her hand, smirk intact. I want to throttle her or slap some sense into her head, but Nate is here. She slams the glass on the counter, and a crack appears on it. I scoff as she closes the gap between us to gloat, and my fist uncurls when Nate takes a protective stance behind her. The bitch can’t fight her battles alone. Shame.

Maria’s voice fills the pub. It’s so angelic and smooth I want to scream “she’s my best friend”. One more glance at Olivia’s smirking face, and I stand taller. This night belongs to my best friend. Hair dripping with coke, I brush past Olivia and the tall bozo by her side to capture Maria’s moments on stage. I can’t let them ruin her night. Besides, getting back at the witch will only result in a back-and-forth of dirty pranks. I want none of that.

I slapped her, and she emptied a drink on me. Now, we are even.

Five

One thing Mariaand my parents don’t know is I fight in an underground ring. Mom and Dad will have a mini heart attack if they learn their daughter is somewhat of a champion at underground martial arts, thanks to their son. There’s no way to tell Maria without her diving into a series of questions, wanting to know why I haven’t beaten half the school’s population for giving me shit.

---