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Chapter Thirteen// Strange

I am dreading lunch.

I haven't been to my first three lessons of the day. Trapped inside the toilet cubical, I never found the right time to pick up the courage to return to class. With the time I spend in here, I have some how calmed myself down and removed all the trances of my tears from my face.

Lacy has come in numerous times in attempt to persuade me to come out. But now, after many failed responses, she has accepted the fact I am not ready to show my face in public.

Almost the entire school has witnessed the break up of me and Josh, and the humiliation of Josh moving on and leaving me like dirt. Josh is so popular, more popular than me. Students like Josh, they agree with what he says as well as backing him up. So there is no doubt in my mind that almost the whole school will support him on his new relationship. Maybe not everyone will treat me like shit, but no one (apart from Nathan and Lacy) will defend me.

"Paige!" Lacy hugs me the moment I show up at our lunch table. I hug her back with the gratitude of her waiting for me. "I was so worried. I thought you were going to stay locked up in there all day!" She exclaims, glad I am here with her, our feelings mutual.

"I was getting kind of bored." W giggle but it doesn't last long.

Across the cafeteria is the table Josh is sat on, Courtney on his knee. His eyes claw mine and grab my full attention. He pulls Courtney into a kiss, just to make me feel worse than I already do. His actions result positively to his plan, getting a round of applause for a reaction off his mates.

"Let's go outside," Lacy suggests, standing up, noticing I am getting distressed by Josh's distractions.

We step out onto the field and a breeze of cool air refreshes me. I let out a sigh I haven't realised I have been holding.

"Better?" Lacy asks me.

"Better."

We sit down on the grass near the very edge of the field. No one can hear us from all the way over here.

"Why do they hate me?" I let out a long sigh, my fingers tugging at the grass below. I shouldn't take my depression slash anger out on nature, but the grass is a tempting offer to release my up build of stress.

"Who?"

"The school," I clarify. "Everyone has been laughing at me and glaring. What have I done? Shouldn't they be sympathising towards me?" I turn to her with my eyes dropped and my cheeks pail. "I mean I'm the one that just got dumped."

"Well let I remind you that you did call the staring quarter back's new girlfriend, and the head cheerleader, a fuck toy. Everyone just believes you weren't good for Josh, like you were the reason he was unhappy after being replaced in the football team and then Courtney went and got him a place at Rovers. You're just in a very unfortunate position right now. If it helps, I don't hate you."

"I know you don't hate me. But everything you said is true." I let out a weak groan, rolling my head around then resting it on her shoulder. "Why does Josh have to turn out a massive jerk? A frog would have been better than what he's turned out to be."

"We do have a school pond if a frog is what you want," Lacy amuses me with her humour.

"I just have a feeling that today is going to be a long day."