Endless pursuit

Chapter 3

Tears welled up in her eyes again as she walked into the empty hall where the guests to the party had once been. In a thousand years, she had never imagined her birthday would end like this. She had supposed her eighteen-year birthday party to be glorious and full of joy and fun, yet it ended in tears.

As the tear was about to fall down her face, she felt someone drag her across the hallway and to her room. She didn’t even bother knowing who it was until she was inside her room, weeping on her bed.

“Don’t cry, Selina,” the person spoke, and she recognized the voice.

It was her brother, James.

“Why did you drag me away from there?” she asked, wiping her tears.

“I didn’t want everyone to see you cry. It would have worsened the situation,” James replied, and sat beside her apologetically as if he had just ruined her party.

“Everyone? What do you mean by everyone?”

“The maids, the gardeners, our workers, “ he replied.

Selina scoffed.

“Like, I'm so concerned about that. Do you know why those people came today?”

James had a sad expression on his face.

“Yes.”

“So why didn’t you tell me?”

I just got to know you a few days ago. And I never thought the scoundrel would show up at your party.”

Why does this have to happen to me? I have so many plans for the future. And Dad too.”

I don’t think he is happy about it either, Selina. He is as sad as you are, as we all are.”

I'm also going to have to face my toxic schoolmates tomorrow! What will I do? I will be the laughingstock at school tomorrow, especially after promising everyone a blissful party!”

James drew his sister to him and placed her head on his shoulder to comfort her.

“They won’t. Instead, they will talk about how gorgeous you looked today, how much you slayed.”

“But brother, you don’t know my school. They are always looking for an opportunity to bring someone down and ridicule them. They are brutal and wicked. They won’t forget this embarrassment,” she said.

“They will. By tomorrow everyone will have forgotten anyone even came here," James reassured.

James soon got up and left her room. Selina sat in bed, heart heavy. She stood up and walked around, and then sat back on her bed and lay there, thinking deeply about what was going to happen after. She also wished her classmates would forget all about today and not make it much of a joke the next day.

But they didn’t, because the next day, when Selina walked into the school, she immediately noticed everyone’s attitude towards her. Wherever she went, she heard laughter and gossip. In the hallways, in the classroom, in the canteen. They were still angry about being kicked out of the party they had taken time to attend.

Everybody was talking about the girl whose birthday had been cut short because a rich man had come to visit. They spoke in loud, harsh whispers about how her father was a gold digger who would prefer pleasing rich men to make the best out of his own daughter's birthday.

And in the locker room, when she went to get her books, she saw on her locker that someone had made a poster of a caricature drawing of her with red ink written beside it, which read ‘Behold, Selina, the ugly pig!’.

Everyone laughed loudly at her, and she cried in the bathroom.

She stayed there for the rest of the day and ditched classes. She was still there when Tiana found her.

“What do you want? Do you want to be associated with the school loser? Don’t pretend you care!” she shouted when Tiana tried to speak.

During the lunch break, Selina ate alone with Tiana. All her other friends had carried their lunch trays and sat at Yvonne's table. They didn’t want to be associated with the school loser, so they wouldn't be bullied. That was how things were at their school. The moment someone had ‘fallen from glory,' everyone who was friends with the person was expected to ditch them lest they suffer the same fate. That was what happened to her.

Even her other friends, who usually sat at her table, avoided her too and sat elsewhere.

She tried to talk to Aaron later, but he had splashed the apple juice he held on her white dress and told her to stay away from him, and then proceeded to make hurtful jokes about her being a gold digger and a party pooper.

Selina was crushed. She ran crying into the bathroom and stayed there till the end of the day.

The whole week, the ostracizing and bullying continued. Yvonne was having a blast. She was the one who had probably made rude posters about her in her locker and also around the school, in that even juniors made fun of her.

It was only Tiana who stuck with her. As a result, she was also mocked and ostracized, but she didn’t care. Selina was very grateful to her but unhappy about what she was also going through. She asked her several times to stay away from her, so she wouldn’t suffer so much. Her boyfriend even broke up with her because he didn’t want to have anything to do with Selina at all.

“You are my ride or die,” Tiana would say, “ whatever happens, we go through it together.”

“Oh, Tiana, what would I do without you? You have proven to me that you are a true friend. You don’t even care about your reputation at this evil school. Everybody has turned their backs on me. Even people I thought were my excellent friends, and that jerk I had thought liked me. What can I do to thank you for always being here?”

“Nothing. That is what friends are for. We stick together. The only thing you can do for me is not to let all these get into your head. You have to become as successful as you can be. Show all these people that their words and actions can’t stop you. You are a powerful wind clearing everything in its path. You only have to promise me that no matter what happens and no matter what anyone says, you will never give up,” she said.

Selina stared into her friend's brown eyes.

“I promise.”