Blood Reckoning

4.

I have a drooping shoulder. I was just going to eat that until after school. I would have to spend the entire day without food. Ellie nearly broke the empty dish as she slammed it down. I recoiled as I saw her leave the kitchen without saying anything more, followed by the sound of the front door opening and closing as she headed to school. I heard her car pull away. Inside the house, I was by myself. I stood up a little unsteadily. I had to finish the dishes and head to school. I had to walk, and it was quite a distance, unlike Ellie.

I noticed with anxiety that time was not on my side. But even though I was trying desperately to blink the tears away, they still trickled down my cheeks as I was washing the dishes. I kept myself occupied by fantasising about a dashing prince who ardently fell in love with me and extended an offer of marriage. But, I realised tragically, fairy tales are just that—fairy tales—and dealing with reality is far, far worse. I wiped away my tears, completed my work, picked up my backpack and headed out of the home to start the arduous, protracted walk to school. I felt pitifully that perhaps Ellie was right and maybe I should take my own life. However, a small part of me persisted in wanting to go and find a pack of my own to call home.

By the time I arrived at the main gates of the school, I was drenched in perspiration. I was panting and out of breath, my face a bright crimson. I could feel my rucksack getting heavier than when I had started out. I walked by a group of popular females who were sitting on the steps, giggling, with my head down and the hoodie over my head. As usual, my disguise had not worked.

"Observe that plump cow. "She seems so out of place," one of them muttered.

Another person chuckled, "She's so big that her ass jiggles as she walks," which made the gathering laugh.

I clenched my teeth. I sadly thought to myself, "Snooty popular girls, they have no idea what my life was like. I doubt they would be laughing if they had to go through what I went through every day." I averted their gaze and entered the building, going directly to my locker, Slam. I sensed a forceful thrust into the lockers. I let out a little wail and there was more laughing. Mitchell, a big brown-haired jock, was among the bunch of jocks standing there, beaming broadly. I could tell right away that he was the one who had shoved me. Stupid. He towered over me, frightening, but that didn't stop me from becoming irritated and upset with him. I became enraged.

I growled, "That hurt. What's your problem?" I bolted.

He smiled smugly. He apologised, "I thought there was a rhino loose in the school," to the smirking looks of the other jocks. With a look of delight on their faces, the other students in the hallway paused to observe. I drew a long breath. My gaze strayed to the Jocks group.

My pack's future Alpha, Tyson, met my eyes with guilt before sliding them away. I felt like yelling at him. We were pals once, and I wanted to yell, "How can you treat me like this?" In what way are you like them? You've rejected me despite the fact that I've done nothing wrong—all in an effort to gain popularity. It ached so much. When I was a kid, Tyson was the only friend I had, and now he was just as harsh and mean as the other students. He had betrayed me, I felt. I detested him. Now that he was gone from my life, I told them to "f**k you" while giving them the finger in a hostile manner. There was a shout of laughter as I stormed off.

I went to my locker, unlocked it, and took out the few books I had to bring to class. I hurried along the hallway to get to English class when the bell rang and sat down at my desk. The English teacher, Mrs. Alex, strolled in and gave each of us a stern look as her glasses sparkled.When she asked, "How many of you completed your homework?" most of the kids slouched at their desks or averted their eyes. My schoolwork came out of my backpack, and I set it down on my desk. My decent grades were the one thing I had going for me. I always finished my homework, even if I had to do it in homeroom or before class, regardless of what happened. I made use of every benefit I could. Even though I had doubts about the viability of my college ambition, I still wanted to attend.

Mrs. Alex sighed with prolonged agony. "Those who completed the homework, please raise your hand," she said as she moved between the seat rows. I raised a hand and cast a confused glance about. Not many of us had cared. Mrs Alex did not feel happy.

She angrily said, "Those who didn't turn in their homework will automatically receive a failing grade. I'm tired of you being lazy." Cindy is the only student in this class who has consistently turned in their homework and maintained a good mark, the teacher proclaimed. Oh, that's wonderful. Gosh, I fell back in my chair. The attention she was focusing on me was certainly not something I needed. The other pupils gave me a glowering look. Someone laughed behind my back as I felt a spit ball hit me on the back of my head and fished it out.

One kid argued, "You can't give us a F—that's not fair," but as Mrs. Alex looked down at him, he became silent. Her piercing gaze challenged anybody else to disagree. The class as a whole fell silent. She then gave us an essay to do for homework that was titled "The Challenges I've had to Overcome" and instructed us to interpret it anyway we pleased. The students felt irritated. I slid deeper into my chair, hoping that the bell would ring, feeling as though they were watching at me. More spitballs fell into my hair, and when I tried to remove them, I winced because they were so sticky.

Clap. Mrs. Alex grimaced as the students all made a frenzied dash for the door. I gradually tucked my belongings away while the classroom decluttered. I then made my way to my next lesson. I was completely worn out by lunchtime and my stomach was rumbling. I made myself go to the cafeteria in the hopes of finding a seat. In the distance, I could see Ellie and her friends talking, so I looked for a table across the room. Since I didn't have enough money for lunch, I sat down in the chair and focused on my homework, tuning out everything else around me. The backdrop was filled with the noises of students laughing and chatting. In the cafeteria, I had the impression that I was by myself.

I ought to have focused more intently. I ought to have known better than to lower my defences. However, I would have rather to think that everyone was more engaged in their lunch than I was. I didn't hear the silence in the crowd, so I knelt down and continued to scribble. I felt something chilly pour over my head, and I wanted to get as much done as possible. I spluttered, looking up in shock at the shock of the freezing cold liquid. Ellie was standing there grinning broadly at her group of girlfriends.

She asked, seeming concerned, "Oh, did I get you? I didn't mean to." It was an absolute coincidence," she scoffed.