Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
RILEY
Ihad never been so happy for it to be Friday. Had my mom been home, I would have asked her to call me in sick. The last thing I wanted was Saturday detention for an unexcused absence.
I sat in the guidance counselor’s office, staring across the desk at her as she tapped her pen. "Your teachers and a few students have expressed some concerns over what has gone on this week."
I looked down at my hands folded in my lap and my cheeks puffed as I exhaled. "You could say it's been a rough week."
Most of my classmates didn't say or do anything per se, but they stared. A lot. They were just as guilty becoming bystanders instead of allies. I had been guilty of the same, telling myself it was none of my business and fearing the bullies would come after me. This was a rude awakening.
I didn't even want to think about what social media looked like. I had stayed off all the apps all week. The last thing I needed was another thing to worry about.
"What does your mom think about all of this? Have you told her?" The pen stopped tapping and I looked up and met Mrs. Miller's concerned eyes. "Bullying is not okay, but we can't do anything if you don't tell us who is doing it."
I twisted my lips to the side and remained silent. I should have told her, but was nervous I'd have a mental breakdown if I rehashed everything. Would it even help? The Tritons ran the school.
After a tense minute of silence, I looked past her and out into the quad her office window overlooked. "Jax West, Blake Huron, and Morgan Wade."
If she was surprised, she didn't show it. "You should report every incident so myself or Mr. Lee can investigate. We checked the video footage, but there were technical issues." She opened her drawer and then slid a small pack of M&Ms across to me.
"Technical issues?" I stared at her, not believing for a second that the cameras just happened to be inoperable. "Even if I did report them, what good would that do? They're the Tritons."
I took the candy and opened it. I needed a king-size bag after this week. I closed my eyes as the chocolate melted on my tongue.
"Is that what they're calling themselves?" She snorted. "Do they realize they're calling themselves mermaids?"
I laughed along with her before my laughter faded and I played with the small wrapper in my hands. "My mom took everything and left. The police won't do anything until twenty-four hours after she told me she'd return."
I looked up through my eyelashes, and Mrs. Miller's eyebrows drew together. A deep frown slid into place, which made her look ten years older. "Your mother wouldn't leave you like that."
"I'm almost eighteen. I know she was pretty upset about the whole oil platform thing. Maybe it was too much." I tilted my head back and dumped the rest of the fun-sized bag into my mouth.
Mrs. Miller stood and went to a file cabinet and used a key on her lanyard to unlock it. She opened the bottom drawer and pulled a file from the back. She sat back down with a heavy sigh.
I swallowed the last of the chocolate and stared at the folder that looked like it had seen better days. "What's that?"
"I was a year ahead of your mother in high school.
When I got a job here, I found this cleaning out the files.
The counselor in this office before me kept everything.
Forty years of everything." She opened the manila folder and took out a piece of paper.
"It's a police report of an assault on Robert Kline by Finn West. Charges were dropped. "
I reached forward and took it. "I saw in my mother's junior yearbook she was cozy with Finn, but she went to senior prom with my dad."
Mrs. Miller laced her fingers under her chin. "Your dad stole your mother from Finn. Finn and Natalia had been together since freshman year. They were the couple everyone was jealous of."
The police report didn't tell me much other than Finn West beat the shit out of my father at the beginning of senior year. "Why would Jax and his friends torment me for this though?"
"I'm not sure." There was a knock on the door and the head school resource officer walked in. "Riley, this is Officer Thomas. I want you to seek him out whenever you have trouble with those three."
I looked up at the officer and smiled. He didn't return the sentiment and crossed his arms over his chest. I stood and handed Mrs. Miller the police report.
"I should get back to class." I grabbed my bag. "I'll find Officer Thomas if they bother me again."
I took the late note she handed me and slipped past the officer, not liking how he looked at me. Why was everyone a dick when there was no reason to be?
English was almost halfway over by the time I showed up. As soon as I entered the room, whispers erupted and I tried not to let my anxiety show on my face. I scanned the room quickly and didn't see Blake.
Once I slid into my seat, Aiden reached across and patted my hand, giving me a look that said he was on my team. I was glad I had Aiden and Ivy by my side.
The Tritons were all absent from school, which was relieving but worrisome at the same time. Maybe they had admitted to vandalizing my car and were suspended. I was pretty certain that was where Jax had gone at the end of yearbook the day before.
We sat down in the cafeteria after much discussion of the pros and cons of entering gossip central. The Tritons weren't around and it was our opportunity to see the rest of our friends. We weren't a big group that hung out, but any extra support I could get was a win.
"I can't believe they're targeting you. They're a bunch of assholes." Piper had been the most excited to see us eat in the cafeteria after we had avoided it all week. She wasn't a stranger to being bullied herself and went through a rough patch in junior high.
"Hot assholes." Santina looked over her shoulder at their table. "I'm missing my daily eye-candy today."
I laughed because Santina was a lesbian. She swore it was because penises looked like they had the eye of Mordor.
"I've got some eye-candy right here." Alex elbowed her. "I don't see why they are so popular. They don't do anything except swim."
Ivy began ticking reasons off on her fingers. "They're rich, mysterious, have amazing bodies, and I hear they are amazing lovers."
A chip went down the wrong way and I coughed, tears springing to my eyes. All eyes were on me as I took a swig of Sprite and shook my head. "How can high schoolers possibly know what good sex is?" This wasn't a romance novel.
"If you have enough of it." Aiden looked to their table and put his cheek on his fist. "I bet Miles is an amazing lover."
"I do not need to hear about your sexual conquests." Alex laughed. "You're really thinking about going after him?"
"He asked me out." Aiden grinned and did a little finger wave to Miles, who was looking in our direction. "If he wants to test the waters and explore his sexuality with me, I'm fine with that."
I missed the lunch crew we ate with. It was yet another thing that had been missing from my life over the past few days. I needed to find normal again, or as close to normal as possible.
I'd never felt like I needed to hide away and never come out again, but the last several days it had been tempting to just stop caring.
My day was really starting to look up, but then the three of them walked into the cafeteria and headed straight for our table.
"Fuck." Ivy stood and put herself between them and the table. My best friend was badass to her core.
"Move out of the way, Ariel-reject." Morgan glared around her at me. "Unless you want to be next."
If I could have seen her face, I'm sure she would have rolled her eyes. "Listen, fish boys, I don't know who you think you are-"
In the next second, Jax was around her and pulling me to my feet. "Come with us. Now." I didn't want my arm pulled off, so I stood.
The entire cafeteria had gone silent. Where the hell were the SROs? They should have been in the cafeteria doing their job. There were usually two during lunch that kept the peace.
"She isn't going anywhere with you." Aiden stood and pulled me away from Jax and put me behind him. "Go pick on someone else."
Jax narrowed his eyes. For a second, I thought a fight was going to break out, but then Jax backed up a step. "You'll regret this."
"I can't wait," Aiden deadpanned as they walked out of the cafeteria.
As soon as they were gone, the noise reached deafening levels, and I wanted to bury my head in the sand.
I sat back down and stared at my half-eaten food. "Thanks, guys. That was pretty-"
"Murderer. Murderer. Murderer." The chanting started from the far side of the cafeteria where the Tritons crew sat and got louder and louder.
My face was probably as red as Ivy's hair as I ran for the nearest exit. I'd rather run than have them see my cry.
I ran right into a brick wall of a body and almost fell back. "Officer Thomas. They-"
He laughed and shoved past me just before Ivy and Aiden came out of the cafeteria. I stood gaping as he walked into the cafeteria, the chanting filtering out and then cutting off as the door shut.
I shut my eyes and held up a hand as Aiden started to talk. "I need to get out of here."
"We'll come with you." Ivy's voice was shaking.
"Alone."
I walked as fast as I could to the nearest bathroom and shut and locked the main door. I didn't hear anyone inside and a sob escaped me.
I needed to find my father.
"Come on, Riley. Please don't lock yourself away like this." Ivy stood at the end of my bed where I was curled under the covers. "They want to break you, but you can't let them."
"Easy for you to say, they haven't done shit to you." My words were muffled by the pillow my face was buried in.
"Ivy's right." Aiden laid down next to me and yanked the comforter and pillow away from me. "When I came out in junior high, do you remember what happened?"
I rubbed my swollen eyes. "Yes."
"I could have locked myself back in my closet, but instead, I embraced it, and soon enough only a few assholes were calling me a faggot." Aiden stroked my hair. "So let's get you dressed and looking fierce. We'll show those idiots that you are a queen."
I snorted back a laugh. "I'm scared."
Ivy came out of my closet and threw two hangers on the bed. "What's the worst they could do? If they were going to physically hurt you, they would have already."
"Even the police are on their side." I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth. "They could murder me and get away with it."
I had fallen headfirst down a deep, dark hole of what-ifs when I got home from school. I was letting them win instead of putting a stop to their madness. It wasn’t like I had a choice in the matter. It was three against one.
"No." Aiden stood and took a red lace bra from Ivy. "Jax has kissed you twice. He might hate you for whatever reason, but that boy desires you."
I scrunched my nose and sat up. "It's all just a game."
"Then beat him at his game. Go after one of his friends." Aiden laughed and twirled the bra around his finger. "Turn them against each other."
"You want me to seduce one of them?" I couldn't help it, I laughed at that. "It's not a bad idea, though. Maybe I can get some information out of one of them."
Ivy practically skipped over to the bed and grabbed my hands, yanking me to my feet. "You can ask Morgan to dance with you and give Jax a show he won't forget!"
"I don't know... that will probably make the situation worse, won't it?" I snatched the bra from Aiden as it almost hit me.
"Maybe, but he'll also be pissed at Morgan." Ivy ushered me into the bathroom. "Take a shower and we'll do your hair and make-up."
"This isn't one of those high school dramas you like to watch. Besides, I literally have no sex appeal."
"Honey, I'm gay, and I even know that is false. Just because you don't see it, doesn't mean others don't." Aiden plopped down on the bed and pulled out his phone. "Now hurry up, you hussy, we have men to seduce."
My common sense told me going to the senior bonfire to flirt with Morgan was a bad idea, but if I could distract him, there might be an opportunity to get information out of him. And maybe Ivy and Aiden were right. Maybe they would turn against each other.
It wouldn't hurt to try.