Life Of A Bitch

30

Crowds of students surround Callaghan as she enters the halls. She seems very happy and carefree, as compared to when Brandon talked her down in the library. Are things alright between them now? Woah, that was quick.

People are laughing, whooping and clicking selfies with her as if she was some kind of a star. Things they never do with me.

That's completely your fault. You're very mean, you know that. You intimidate people.

Please, stop.

I try not to look so jealous- I can actually feel my face going green with envy- and enter the halls, following the huge crowd. I quietly walk towards my locker and wait for Stephanie and Lana.

Whatever, this is just a one-time thing. Let a week pass by, and they'll soon forget about this incident. And then, I'll be the most popular girl here again.

Not to be rude, but you're kind of the nasty one here. Popular, yes, but nasty too. Some of these people hate you to such an extent, they might not even hesitate to kill you.

You're not helping.

I don't want to. What you do is wrong. There are many ways to gain popularity. This isn't one of those.

Oh, shut up.

Yes, as I always do.

In my peripheral vision, I see Brandon entering the hall, scanning everybody's faces. Then his eyes fall on me and he gives a slight nod. I give him a barely perceptible nod too.

My phone pings. A text from Brandon.

Will you tell me what was the idea now?

I text him back: not now. At physics. Come early. Don't want Callaghan to see you and me together

Why? That's stupid

I just don't. Do as I say

I groan in frustration. I have Math in the first period, and since Steph has Spanish which is on the way to Maths, we always walk together to class.

She's so late! Where the hell is she?

I lean against the locker for another minute and scroll through my phone. I opened a temporary account on Instagram, with a fake name, as I don't want people to find me there and as I want to be updated about whatever the school and Alz has been up to. The second one is more important.

"Hey Jen?" I hear a shrill voice call out my name and look up. It's Lana.

"Hey," I smile and slip the phone into my pocket. "Have you seen Stephanie?"

"Steph Steph Steph?" She says, twirling her hair around her fingers. "Do you even wonder about me?"

"But you're here now, Steph isn't. So, where is she?"

Lana groans and points her thumb back backwards at the crowd, out of which Stephanie suddenly walks out. She looks at Lana, as if to say 'where were you' then she notices me standing beside her and she freezes.

I freeze too. "What was she doing inside that crowd?" I ask Lana, my eyes never leaving Stephanie's.

"Clicking photos with her or hanging out?" Lana says disinterestedly and then she looks at me, with wide eyes, realizing the impact of what she said.

"Obviously, the photos are for- uh, for, editing to make her look like a chimpanzee?" She blurts out.

"I wish." I say, spotting no signs of this-is-not-what-you-think in Stephanie's eyes.