Fallen For My Bully

Chapter 4— Ruining my image.

I swallowed hard as my heart quickened. I couldn't believe what I had just heard. I should kiss him? My worst enemy. The one who destroyed my teenage life?

I had never thought of him in a romantic way and never wanted to. But the way everyone was looking at me expectantly made me feel pressured to comply.

I didn't want to look like a good and naive girl, or worse, be labeled as the nerd who rejected the hottest guy that every girl wanted. The way the girls were even looking at me like I had won a lottery made me realize that if I refused it, I would be seen as crazy.

"So, are you in or are you too modest to do something like that?" Tristan said teasingly and Caroline chuckled.

"Come on, it's just a kiss. Lydia might look innocent, but she can't be that innocent," she chimed in and Tristan smirked knowingly.

"I can bet a thousand bucks that she won't do it," he added and I frowned hard. I knew what he was doing. He was challenging me.

I cleared my throat. "Don't beat yourself up, Tristan. I can do it," I said boldly and for a split second, I saw a glint of joy in his eyes.

But I refused to believe it. I could swear on my future kids that he would never be that excited to kiss me.

I stood up and everybody looked at me expectantly, while an alté girl pointed her phone camera at me. And for once, I didn't mind the idea of being recorded.

I needed Tristan Reed to always remember this embarrassment.

I began walking towards him, and once I was close to him, I noticed the confident smirk on his face and chuckled.

"In your dreams, Tristan. I will never kiss someone like you. You're not my type at all," I said to his face and his jaw tightened.

I turned to Andrew, who was seated beside him, and before I could second-guess my thoughts, I pressed my lips against his.

A loud gasp sounded, while Andrew stiffened for a second, then he responded with his hand instinctively settling at my waist.

The kiss was brief, but it was enough to leave an impact. To hurt Tristan Reed's ego.

When I pulled away, my heart was racing wildly and it was then I noticed the murmurs and the camera flashes.

This was the first time I was doing something this bold in public and strangely, I liked it. I had a feeling that this would be used to mock Tristan Reed.

Finally, he would know what it feels like to have a whole school talking about you in a degrading way.

I shifted my gaze to him as I walked back to my sitting area and all eyes were also on him, waiting. But he didn't speak or move.

His gaze on me was cold and unreadable as he let out a quiet, humourless chuckle.

"Isn't that cute?" he remarked, as he leaned back slightly, resting his arm on the chair behind him like nothing happened.

His tongue ran over his lower lips with his eyes still glued to me. "You're getting bold, Lydia." he added calmly, then his lips curved up.

"I like that." He finished off and my breath hitched. He had spoken like I had started something I couldn't finish.

The game continued and laughter returned like nothing had happened, but the tension never really left. I could still feel it in the way people looked at me.

And as people kept daring each other to do stuff, I kept choosing truth. I was feeling intimidated.

After about twenty minutes of playing, the game came to a stop and Tristan who hadn't glanced at me for a while now was the first to leave.

I began to head to Caroline and Maya, and when Caroline's gaze flickered in my direction, I smiled at her, but instead of smiling back, she grabbed Maya's hands and they walked away immediately.

My heart sank. It was happening again and I hadn't even spent a day here.

I was about to walk after them, when I felt an arm on my hand to stop me.

"Leave them. They're probably disappointed with you in how you treated Tristan, but you didn't do anything wrong. Tristan is too proud." Andrew said from behind me and I sighed.

I knew he was right. Why should I go after friends who take the popular guy's side over mine? But I didn't want history to repeat itself where I lose all my friends because of that jerk.

Besides, they didn't know about how much he made my life miserable. If I told them, I'm sure that they would understand what I did.

"They just misunderstood. Everyone probably thinks I did it out of ego. They don't know how much he's haunted my life." I scoffed. I crossed my arms as I watched my new friends walk away.

"I will explain things to them when I get back to the room and leave them to judge if I am in the wrong." I finished off, smiling warmly at Andrew and he lightly patted my arm.

"Haunted your life? What do you mean?" Andrew frowned slightly and I hesitated. I didn't want to talk about it here.

"It's a...long story." I said finally, offering him a tight smile and he nodded.

"Okay. We don't have to rush it." He replied gently, and there was a brief silence before he gestured towards the drinks table.

"Would you like something to drink? I think it would help get your mind out of the awkward situation." He suggested and I let out a small breath.

"Yeah, I think I need that," I replied then he smiled briefly before disappearing into the crowd.

And it was then I realized how people were still staring at me. In fact, some were pointing or gesturing at me while muttering things to their friends.

The music felt louder and every laugh I heard felt like it was directed at me.

"Well...well..." A voice cut through my thoughts and when I turned, I saw three girls approaching me. They were all dressed in revealing swimsuits and their expressions weren't friendly at all.

"So you're the one who embarrassed Tristan," one of them said, folding her arms and I frowned lightly.

"I didn't..." I began, but got cut off.

"Oh please. Don't act innocent. We all saw what you did." She replied and I took a deep breath in.

"It was a friendly game." I retorted and they laughed.

The third girl stepped closer with her eyes scanning me like I was a freak.

"A friendly game? You think humiliating Tristan Reed is a game?" She scoffed, then she leaned so close to me that her face was a few inches away.

"Then take this as a friendly game too." She said, using her two hands to push me into the pool.

And as my body hit the pool with a loud splash, I could hear laughter, whispers, and camera shutter sounds and my body stilled in panic.

I tried to move. I tried to swim, but my limbs felt too heavy. It reminded me of the many times I had been humiliated among a crowd.

As time passed, my breathing became uneven. I kept trying to fight my way out, but I couldn't.

Just as my body gave up fighting and I began to drown, I felt a strong arm wrapped around me. I felt myself being pulled upward away from the water and I could finally breathe.

I coughed up water I had swallowed as people's voices and the sound of music once again filled my ear.

"Hey, hey, breathe." A voice said close to my ear and it was too familiar for me not to notice.

I slowly opened my eyes and there he was. Tristan Reed. The last person I needed to see.

His hair was soaked with his shirt clinging to his body and for the first time ever, he looked shaken.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice soft and urgent, and I stared at him bewildered, but then I remembered how all the humiliation I had faced was because of him.

"Put me down," I said sternly, not caring that the entire crowd was watching.

His grip tightened. "Lydia, you're not steady yet..." he argued then I shot him a glare.

"I said put me down!" I repeated firmly and he hesitated, then he slowly let me go.

The moment he set me down, I stepped away from him like he was poison. And thankfully, I saw Andrew waiting for me with a towel in his hands.

His face was filled with concern as he walked towards me and wrapped the towel around my body.

"Are you alright?" He asked and I nodded quickly, even though my body was still blazing in anger.

As we moved through the crowd, I could still feel the stares, the soft chuckles and of course, the sound of cameras clicking.

And then the realization hit me.

I was once again in the situation I dreaded. Now, the whole school was probably going to turn against me.