Chapter 7
Casey
When I left Vail, Lee, and Shaw behind, there was almost no point in me returning to math class with it being so close to the end of the day, but I needed Mr. Fortin to sign that form so I could hand it in to the office.
My emotions were all over the place after seeing them again, and I was reeling.
I felt dizzy, disoriented. The blast from the past and the emotions that came with it were heavy on my heart.
You got this, Casey. Don’t let anyone see you weak. Hold it together ‘till you get home…
I braced myself as I paused outside the classroom, sensing that this teacher was not going to be happy to see me back in class after being carried out by two guys.
Sure enough, the moment I walked in, he was ready, and after his withered old face reddened in anger, he told me off for disrupting his class, for the disrespect I’d shown him, and how I wasn’t going to get away being an entitled brat here just because I was from The Hill.
By the time he finished, the bell had rung, and I could hear the other kids snickering as they gathered their stuff and stalked past me, one or two managing to clip my shoulder as they passed by.
Left alone with him, Mr. Fortin continued to bitch me out for another minute before I awkwardly asked him to sign my form.
I swear to God, this guy’s face went so red, I half expected to see smoke coming out of his nostrils and ears.
I was about to ask if he was okay when he snatched my form from me and read it over carefully, as if I had some ulterior motive planned.
Like, what did he think I was getting him to sign?
Rights to his RRSP or savings or something?
But once he noticed the other signatures from my other teachers, he grumbled something unintelligible under his breath, snatched a pen, and scribbled his name down, flicking the end so hard that it ripped the page the tiniest bit.
Thrusting it back at me, he hissed, “Don’t be late or interrupt my class again, Miss Cooper. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, sir.” I nodded and took the form, rushing out of there as fast as I could.
I made my way back down to my locker in record time.
Apparently, when the bell rang at the end of the day here, kids were eager to get the hell out.
And why shouldn’t they? This place felt like a prison.
By the time I made it to the back hallway where my locker was, it was practically deserted, save for a few stragglers.
I fumbled with my lock, trying to remember the combination, when the sound of approaching footsteps informed me that I was no longer alone. I checked over my shoulder quickly and found myself surrounded by Celeste Wood and her Skank Squad.
“What?” I asked wearily, not in the mood. I lifted my hands up and let them drop to my sides, where they smacked against my thighs. “What have I done? I haven’t seen you since lunch…surely I haven’t managed to piss you off already?”
Celeste merely smirked at me and nodded.
At once, several girls lunged, and I was smashed back into my locker.
They stretched out my arms, holding them so that I couldn’t push them away.
Slowly, Celeste stepped forward. “I really do like those earrings…” she said.
When she reached up to take them, I reacted.
I braced back against the locker and kicked, getting her in the gut.
No fucking way was this bitch taking these earrings from me.
They were a gift from my mom. In hindsight, I obviously shouldn’t have worn them to this school, but I hadn’t even thought about it.
I’d woken up and gotten dressed, forgetting that I had them in already.
It wasn’t until Celeste pointed them out at lunch that I realized my error and wished I hadn’t worn them.
But no, I wasn’t going to get that chance.
“You fucking cunt!” Celeste screeched and slapped me hard across the face.
It stung, but her hit was pretty weak. She gave me two more before she whipped her hands to my ears and yanked hard.
I cried out, thinking she’d torn my lobes, but as luck would have it, the backs simply popped off and clattered to the floor, allowing the pearls to easily slide loose, which she pocketed.
The girls who had been restraining my arms shoved me down to the floor, adding a few good kicks to my side.
I cringed and coiled up against my locker, trying to shield myself.
But they were cowards, only landing a few before they scurried off, not wanting to get caught by security.
As I laid there, hunched over, I couldn’t help but think that the guards of this school were seriously inept.
Several times I’d been confronted today, and none of these bastards were anywhere in sight.
I breathed in and out several times, wincing as I clutched my side.
I didn’t think they were broken, but they ached…
bruised probably. I pushed up off the ground, my eyes squeezed shut as I moved, and leaned against my locker, pressing my forehead to the cool metal.
I wouldn’t cry… not now… and sure as hell not in this place.
I felt my earlobes, making sure they were still intact and sighed in relief when I found they were.
If I didn’t cry at my mother’s funeral, I sure as hell wouldn’t be crying over a pair of earrings.
I opened my locker and grabbed my coat, ready to get the hell out of there.
The hall was nearly empty; the few remaining students that had stood by and watched me get cornered were now peering at me curiously as I went on like nothing happened.
My nerves were shot by this point, so when I gathered my things and turned around, I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw Vail standing nearby, leaning against the wall opposite, watching me with his arms crossed.
His face was unreadable, dark, and he seemed like he was fighting back the urge to also have a go at me.
I ignored the part of my brain that was admiring every part of his body and his gorgeous face and reminded myself of the abandonment, the exile, and now, the hostility.
“What?” I hissed at him.
“Want to call in a favour?” he mocked, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
I faced him, closing my eyes for just a moment, and licked my lips, tasting a bit of blood on my tongue.
Huh, I must have cut it somehow in the scuffle.
But when I looked at him again, his expression had changed, from his usual dark and calculating to one that now somehow managed to become even more frightening.
Holy shit… this was not the Vail I once knew. This was someone else entirely.
Seeing this side of him threw me off, and I stumbled back, uncertain.
But I managed to collect myself as I cleared my throat and met his steely glare.
“I don’t need any favours,” I said firmly, not understanding what he meant by that.
“Sometimes, bad things just happen… and you can let it destroy you, or you can suck it up and move the fuck on.” I slammed my locker shut and fixed him with a dark look of my own.
“They were just earrings…” I said to him, and I turned and left, forcing myself not to look back.
When I got home, Keith was passed out drunk on the couch.
I snuck past him up the stairs and hurried into my room, where I shut myself in.
Only then did I release a long, weary sigh and collapse on my bed, completely spent.
Today had been exhausting both emotionally and physically.
Running around that school all day, feeling tense as hell as I braced for pushes and shoves, along with the blast from the past, had seriously done a number on me.
I pulled my phone out of my bag and texted Nylah, checking in to see how practice went.
She had been my only lifeline since I got here and my only real comfort.
But also, I wanted to know if she’d seen that biker around.
I was still freaked out to hear she thought it was the same guy.
Something about it just sent shivers up my spine, and I found myself randomly thinking of her throughout the day, hoping she was being safe.
Downstairs, I could hear the television blaring while Keith snored away, and decided to keep myself busy until he left for his shift cabbing fares around the city of Ashland.
So I sat at my desk, pulled out some homework, and tried to focus, yet I couldn’t distract my mind no matter what I did.
My eyes glazed over as they drifted to the side to stare out the window at the grey, darkening landscape.
With the end of October approaching, daylight didn’t last long anymore, and I often woke up in darkness and came home in it.
It seemed to suit my current mood, at least.
I thought about what Meredith had told me…
about the gangs and how it was expected that I would need to pick a side.
She made it seem like I wasn’t going to get out of it, but I still fully intended on blending into the background.
Hopefully, whatever attention I’d inadvertently caught would pass over time.
If not, I’d make it known that I was a supporter of Vendetta.
Hopefully, aligning with them, whoever they were, would be enough to survive till graduation.