When Dares Collide

THREE

I HURRIED INTO the girl's bathroom, I put on the tap and washed my face in the cold running water. I closed my eyes as the water helped me to calm down. Then my mind went back to the bad boy's behaviour in class. Does he have a death wish? He must have done that to annoy me or even irritate me.

I heard voices from the next bathroom. It was probably some hormonal teenagers sucking their tongues off or doing whatever in there. Can't this school be useful for once? Well all that blame goes to the students and not the teachers.

I came out of the bathroom and sighted Michelle and her squads putting the hair of a fellow student into the toilet. The sight was so awful, I watched them painfully as they carried out their mischievous plan in bullying another student. The poor girl pleaded with them but they were too cruel to listen. What could she have done?

Leave it to Michelle Conway, she is a rude, wicked and pompous b***h, whatever the girl had done was totally not her fault.

Michelle glanced at my direction. It was as if she knew I had been standing there, watching her gruesome way of bullying another student. I quickly looked away but she had already seen me.

“You are the next Bee Hale.” She said mockingly as her friends give a high-pitched laughter.

I quickly got away from the bathroom not because I was afraid of Michelle but because I made a promise to myself not to get in a fight with anyone until I got out of Sherwood Coast High.

I couldn't wait for school hours to dismiss, the chattering and screaming of high school students was like a buzzing sound in my ears. I couldn't wait to be out of high school.

“Where have you been Phoebe?” Clarisse asked, jolting me from my far end thoughts.

“I felt my head ache and I had to go to the bathroom.” I told her hoping she buys it, but that's the truth.

“Hmmm…let's go have lunch in the cafeteria.” She said jumping excitedly as if it was a new thing.

I hated having lunch in the cafeteria, I prefer taking mine in the class where I would be left alone with my thoughts and the quietness of the class, since no students take lunch in the class, it'd be empty and it'd be just me, empty classroom and lunch. Clarisse is incredible to have a best friend like me- one who would listen to her pleas.

“What are we having? Burgers, meat rolls, strawberry cream, cupcakes, name it.” She squealed happily.

“Burgers and strawberry cream will do.” I gave a nod, smiling at her.

We marched to the food table, there were so many assorted dishes on the table, I couldn't help it as my eyes popped out.

“They are all so lovely I wish I could have it all.” I told her and I mean it.

As soon as I was done admiring the dishes and snacks. I picked a burger and a cup of strawberry cream.

“We took the burger and cream after all.” Clarisse squealed as we both look for an empty table.

I bumped into a kind of hard chest, making me spill my cream on the both of us. I wasn't watching or maybe I was, but the person wasn't, cause if they were watching this incident wouldn't have happened.

“How dare you?” He asked, his eyes bloodshot in anger. He raises up his hand to hit me.

It took me three minutes to recover from the slap. What kind of a bastard hits a girl on the face. Ouch! The slap hurts. My mouth went open in amazement as I saw the bad boy in front of me. I badly wanted to say something, I am not going to let anybody intimidate me again in sophomore year. I'm a softy, I tend to cry too much when someone insults or bully me, I just chicken out. My subconscious urged me to push him. I pushed him but he was too quick not to fall, he had a good stamina. What am I saying? I didn't push him too hard, if I did he wouldn't be facing me, maybe I just gave him a soft push.

Every high school student started surrounding the scene. I hated attention but the jerk bad boy caused it. I wished I could just disappear and reappear curling on my big, comfy bed, reading my books. Yeah, you could read my life like a book.

“How dare you too?” I asked him after some moments of quietness. “It's not my fault, if you were being extra watchful you wouldn't have cream on your shirt.” I was extremely angry now, I did everything to calm myself down but it wasn't working. I needed to vent on him. He should have been extra nice with his words. He is so mean.

“What kind of a b***h doesn't say sorry?” He snapped at me.

“Hey, watch it, my name is Phoebe, not a b***h you careless jerk!” I breathe on his face.

He looks somewhat embarrassed, it seems like no one has ever said that to him.

“You are being such a dollophead, you should be the one apologizing, not me.” I told him, pushing him while I got out of the cafeteria as quickly as possible.

I grabbed hold of my bag, immediately I heard the bell ring and school dismissed I quickly took a cab home. I couldn't wait for Clarisse. My day at school was totally ruined because of the bad boy whose name I still don't know. What does it matter? How dare he call me a b***h when I don't w***e around with people like him. Who does that?

One day, just one day I'd slap the guts off his face. What am I even saying? I am way out of his league. He is freaking rich and popular and tall and even cute. Ugh! Not like I'm admiring him or something, that is what everyone says for the exception of me.

“Mom?” I called as soon as I stepped into my home. “Clare? Is anyone home?” My mom was probably not back from work.

“Clare? Oh my god! I left her at school, how could I?” I snapped in disappointment. “She would go with Clarisse."

I am just home alone. I felt like giving myself a face palm right now, I shouldn't have left Clarisse and Clare alone, they would have helped me ease off the boredom.

Getting to my room, I threw my school bag on the floor and scurried to the bathroom, taking my soap with me. I hated keeping my soap in the bathroom, the day I did Clare exchanged it with some kind of antiseptic soap which gave me boils all over my face. I didn't attend school for a week until she confessed that it was a prank she played on me. Not just on me, on my face! I wouldn't let mistakes repeat itself so I learnt from my past mistakes and started hiding my soap, better still I started taking my keys with me.

In the bathroom, I let the cold running water penetrate through my being, promising myself that I am not going to think of the bad boy and the incident that took place in the cafeteria. I washed my hair and dried it with my hand dryer. When it dried, I combed it, letting it fall below my shoulder.

When I was done, I sat on my bed only covered in a white towel from taking a cold shower. I couldn't stop thinking about the bad boy, his facial expressions and his nonplussed behavior. Someone ought to teach him a lesson, but why do I feel so concerned? I walked over to my wardrobe to get a sports bra and shorts, when I got them I put them on and wore my blue flowered dress. I paused momentarily as I heard a knock on the door, my door actually.

Mom was back anyway.

Dropping my cell phone which I've been typing away at, I stood up to get the door, standing in front of my door is no one else but Clarisse with a pissed off face.

I lowered my head in shame. Oops! Clarisse is here for trouble, her expression reveals everything.

“Clar? You came?” I scratched the back of my head, feeling guilty about what I did.

“Why did you leave without me? You'd never leave school without me. Why?” she ignored my questions as she made her way into my room.

“You won't understand Clar.” I told her.

“Of course I would, you know Phoebe you really got a lot of nerve saying all that to Harry.” She rummaged my bag looking for dark chocolates.

“I'm sorry I've run out of dark chocolates, you can drop my bag now, young lady.” I said mocking her, she gives a small pout. Every time she visits she always expects me to keep a pack of dark chocolates inside my bag, but she is unlucky today. “I didn't say anything to Harry, excuse me.”

“You mean you don't know Harry Wayne, the guy whom you spilled cream on earlier today at school?” She exclaimed wide-eyed.