Confrontations
1137 Words
Chapter Four: Confrontations
“We’ve come to the end of the class. Any questions you have on the history of America should be written down so they can be addressed in the next lesson,” Mrs. Jones, our history teacher, announced before gathering her books and walking out of the classroom.
The moment she left, Clara let out a dramatic groan. “That was so exhausting.”
I chuckled, stretching my arms. “Tell me about it. My brain is fried.”
Clara turned to me with a sigh. “Seriously, why do we even need to know American history? We’re not even in America.”
I smirked. “I was thinking the same thing, but I figured I should keep my mouth shut before Mrs. Jones gave me another one of her ‘history is the backbone of society’ speeches.”
Clara rolled her eyes. “She needs to chill.”
Before I could respond, I felt a presence beside me.
“Hey, Layla.”
I looked up to see Denzel standing right in front of my desk, his usual confident smirk plastered on his face.
Suddenly, I felt several pairs of eyes on me. The classroom wasn’t exactly silent, but there was a noticeable shift in attention. I wasn’t used to being the center of gossip, but it seemed like that was changing fast.
“Thanks for agreeing to come to my birthday party,” he said, flashing a grin.
“It’s not a big deal,” I replied, keeping my tone neutral.
But he didn’t leave. Instead, he stuffed his hands into his pockets, tilting his head slightly as he studied me. “Actually, I wanted to ask—are you free to hang out after school today?”
Clara gave me a look, her eyebrows raised in surprise.
I hesitated for a second before answering. “Yeah, sure. I’m down.”
The truth? I didn’t care about hanging out with Denzel. A few weeks ago, I would have been over the moon at the thought of spending time with him, but now… something had changed.
The feelings I thought I had for him? They weren’t there anymore. Maybe they never were. Maybe I had just liked the idea of him.
But if saying yes irritated Bella even a little, then why not?
Denzel grinned, satisfied with my response. “Cool. I’ll meet you outside after school.”
As soon as he walked away, I caught the smug look on his face as he rejoined his friends.
“I told you, no girl is too hard for me to get,” he bragged.
I frowned slightly, my stomach twisting.
“She’s not in love with you yet, bro,” one of his friends, Ethan, pointed out. “And she might never be.”
Denzel smirked. “As you said—yet. Give it time. I’m just too damn charming.”
I clenched my jaw, my fingers gripping the edge of my desk.
So that’s what this was? A game to him?
I shouldn’t have been surprised.
I wasn’t surprised.
But that didn’t mean it didn’t piss me off.
---
On the other side of the classroom, Betty leaned toward Bella, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Denzel just asked Layla to hang out after school.”
Bella, who had just sat down, immediately stiffened. “What?”
“I know, right? You have to do something, Bella. She’s getting too close.”
Bella’s fingers tightened around her pen. “I don’t know what Denzel is thinking, but Layla needs to back off.”
Betty smirked. “You should teach her a lesson.”
Bella narrowed her eyes, her mind already working. “Oh, don’t worry. I will.”
---
Later that day, during a short break before math class, I turned to Clara.
“I need to go to the restroom. You wanna come?”
Clara shook her head, tapping her pen against her notebook. “Nah, I gotta finish this math assignment before Mr. Hill gets here. You know how he gets when people don’t turn in their work.”
“True.” I nodded and walked out of the classroom alone.
The hallways were mostly empty, and the bathroom was quiet when I entered. I quickly did what I needed to do, then stepped over to the sink to wash my hands.
As I reached for a paper towel, a sudden, sharp thud against my back made me stumble forward.
“What the hell?” I cursed, spinning around.
Bella stood there, arms crossed, a smug smirk playing on her lips.
“Oh, don’t act surprised,” she said sweetly. “That was for talking to my Denzel.”
I blinked in disbelief. “Are you serious right now?”
She tilted her head. “Dead serious.”
I scoffed. “You do realize Denzel was the one talking to me, right? You should be going after him, not me.”
Bella’s smirk faltered for a fraction of a second before she crossed her arms. “Oh, really? So now you’re blaming him?”
“I mean, yeah?” I rolled my eyes. “Newsflash, Bella—if he actually wanted you, he wouldn’t be asking me to hang out with him.”
Bella’s eyes darkened.
“Oh, please,” she sneered. “Just because he asked you out doesn’t mean he likes you. He probably just wants a taste of what’s between your legs.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Oh? So you’re saying that’s all he wants from you too? That would make sense, considering I don’t see any other reason why he’d stick around.”
Bella’s face turned red with fury. “You little—”
She took a threatening step forward, but I only smirked.
“You really don’t like hearing the truth, do you?” I said coolly.
Her eyes blazed. “You slut. Just wait—you have no idea what I’m capable of.”
I chuckled. “Slut? That’s funny coming from you.”
I turned to leave, done with the conversation.
But before I could take another step, Bella grabbed my arm and yanked me back.
I barely had time to react before she shoved me—hard.
I lost my balance. The world tilted as my back slammed against the cold, hard tiles.
Pain exploded through my skull, and a sharp sting spread across my nose. Warm liquid trickled down my face—blood.
Then—darkness.
---
Bella stood frozen, staring down at my unconscious body.
She hadn’t meant to push me that hard.
She hadn’t meant to make me hit the floor like that.
Blood was pooling beneath my nose, my face pale, my body still.
Her breathing became erratic.
“Damn… what have I done?” she whispered.
---
- Writer
