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CHAPTER 2

When I arrived at school that morning I found my locker and I started getting the books out that I would need for my first few classes when suddenly someone elbowed me in the back and I headbutted the locker.

“Oh, so sorry Skylar. I don’t know what I was thinking.” Madison said mockingly behind me. That was definitely not an accident. Just like every other day wasn’t an accident.

But I didn’t even bother to look back at her and I grabbed my books and closed the locker. I tried to start walking away when Grace stood in front of me.

“Look Maddy. I think you’re gonna make her cry.” Grace said. So Madison walked up next to Grace and looked down at my face that I had looking straight down at the ground. So she grabbed me by the cheeks really hard and forced me to look up at her.

I was doing absolutely everything I could to stop the tears from escaping my eyes. I didn’t want them to see me crying. I couldn’t let them know that they got the best of me. Even though they already knew that they had.

Why couldn’t they just leave me alone? I was struggling really hard right now not to show any weakness when Grace suddenly elbowed Madison to get her attention.

Madison let go of my cheeks and she looked at something that was behind me, so out of curiosity, I turned to look as well.

That’s when I saw the three strange good looking guys walking down the hallway between us. And in the middle of the three guys was the one that I had been waiting to see. The one that I used to know. It was Jax.

I really wanted to call out to him but I felt the bruise on the side of my face pounding and I looked at my disheveled appearance after not sleeping last night and I decided against it.

I turned away as they walked past us and I just knew that I couldn’t let him see me like this. He knew that I had it tough in middle school, I could only imagine what he would think now. And would he even care.

As soon as they passed us and I was sure that he didn’t see me, I tried to walk past Madison and Grace when Madison put her foot out without me seeing it until I had tripped on it and I fell to the floor.

Not only was Madison and Grace laughing but so were a lot of other kids in the hallway that saw it happen.

I quietly gathered all my books up and I slowly got up since I was still in a lot of pain from last night and I went to my first class.

I sat in the back corner like I always did and I knew that there was still a while to go before class started so I rested my head on the desk for a moment when I heard a bit of commotion coming into the room.

I looked up and a few students were starting to walk in but so was Jax and the other two guys.

They all looked to be pretty close and I sat there quietly, realizing that he hadn’t noticed me. Or if he had, he didn’t recognise me.

I watched on as they were talking to a few of the other students, mostly girls, that were hanging on their every word.

I saw the dynamic between the three of them and one of them seemed to be starkly cold and not really acknowledging anyone that was talking to him. He looked bored while he was sitting at his desk, staring out the window. And the other guy, he saw me staring at him. Luckily my long hair was covering the bruise on my face and he smirked at me and playfully flicked a bottle cap from his drink in my direction.

I didn’t respond. I just looked away and pretended like I didn’t see it. Especially before the other girls that they were with thought I had enticed him to do it. That wouldn’t have been good. They wouldn’t have had any problems with bullying me or taunting me in front of them.

I had wanted to talk to Jax but he looked so different now. I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea. But soon I didn’t have a choice, when class started, they all came and sat at the desks behind me.

“So, what’s your name?” One of them asked.

“Leave her alone Lucas. Can’t you see, she obviously doesn’t belong here.” Jax said, flicking at the bottom of my long hair. “Look at the clothes. This is meant to be a rich school, I thought. I guess they’ll let anyone in here.” Jax added.

I looked down at my clothes and I saw the torn and old, ugly clothes that I was wearing. They didn’t fit me properly and no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t get some stains out. But at least they didn’t look like blood anymore. They just looked like old stains.

“The least she could do is wear something that wasn’t dirty.” Lucas said.

At lunch time I went to the library because I didn’t have any money to buy anything to eat. So I sat there doing my homework instead of eating. But as soon as lunch was over I went back to my locker to get my books for the rest of the day.

I looked down the hallway and Madison was walking down the hallway with Grace, her other friends and the three new guys as well that she had obviously clung on to.

“Why do you even bother coming to school anyway?” Madison asked. But I just looked away and kept looking in my locker. As I reached for something on the top shelf I didn’t realize that the bottom of my jumper had lifted up.

I heard one of the guys gasp and I looked to see that it was Jax. When I looked down, I realized that he was looking at the scar on my stomach and I quickly put my arm down and covered my stomach.

“It’s alright Jax. I’m sure that wherever she got that scar, she deserved it.” Madison said. But I stood there staring at him for a moment and he wouldn’t take his eyes off of me.

I quickly slammed my locker door without getting any of my books and I ran down the hallway, away from everyone and I kept running until I came to the side door of the school and I ran outside.

I ran across the football field and behind the bleachers, deep inside so no one could see where I was hiding.

Only moments later I saw Jax running out onto the field with his two friends following him and he was frantically looking around everywhere.

“What the hell is going on?” The quiet one said.

“I need to find her.” Jax said.

“Why? You didn’t care about her this morning when you were teasing the crap out of her in class.” He said.

“I know. Because I didn’t know who she was this morning.” Jax said.

“Who is she?” Lucas asked.

“Skylar. I knew her in middle school. We were friends. Best friends. I didn’t recognise her.” Jax said.

“Well, I don’t think you guys are friends anymore.” The quiet one said.

I looked over to the side and Madison and her friends were standing there watching the three guys look for me but they couldn’t find me.

They eventually gave up and went back inside, so I let out a sigh of relief.

I stayed under the bleachers for a little while until I was sure the coast was clear before I finally came out again. But as soon as I did, someone pushed me up against the side of a brick wall to the school building.

I stared straight into the angry eyes of Madison and Grace was right behind her. The rest must have gone back into class. Not that they need anymore of them to bully me.

“I don’t know what you think you’re doing with those guys, but you better stay the fuck away from them.” Madison threatened me.

“I’m not interested in them.” I said, barely above a whisper.

“Bullshit. I saw the one they took off after you. I doubt they would be so interested if they knew exactly what a pathetic little slut you really are. Isn’t that how you get money around here? By selling yourself to get it?” Madison mocked me.

“Please Madison. Just let me go?” I asked. But I saw a look of amusement in her face when I asked her to do that.

She raised her perfectly manicured hand and slapped me across the face, making my cheek sting and I could already feel it starting to swell up.

“Just stay the fuck away from them.” She warned me as she turned around and walked away with Grace right behind her.

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