Chapter 5 THE PAIN

{CHAPTER THREE}

TW: BULLYING

Standing in front of Crescent High School, a shiver went up my spine, immediately making me stiffen. I sensed a panic attack coming my way, and I braced myself for the onslaught of fear and anxiety. Today was not going to be a good one. My palms were sweaty, and I absentmindedly rubbed them on my school skirt as I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. With my head down, not daring to meet anyone's eyes, I began walking towards my locker. I hoped that today would not be as bad as i had imagined it to be.

Safely reaching my locker, I let out a sigh of relief. "Well, it looks like I was just overreacting", I whispered to myself trying to regain my composure. However, just as i started to believe that maybe, just maybe, things were finally looking up, fate had other plans in store for me.

I was abruptly dragged out of my thoughts when I felt a forceful push from behind. Stumbling, I fell to the ground, my books scattering around me. Looking up, I saw two familiar faces - Tyler's bitches/lapdogs, as I liked to call them. They had become his new friends after he cut all ties with me, and ever since then, they seemed to thrive on making my life a living hell. They saw him as some sort of messiah, and i couldn't understand what all of the slavery and dedication were for.

"Good m-morn-morning Vicente," I stuttered, my voice trembling with fear and anger. I despised how my voice always betrayed my emotions, making me sound weak and vulnerable. I had to stop doing that.

"Hey whoreee," Vicente drawled out, making sure to enunciate every syllable loud enough for the entire hallway to hear. Tears threatened to spill from my eyes, but I refused to let him see my pain. I kept my head down, hoping that by avoiding eye contact, he would lose interest and leave.

"Awwwn... The slut wants to cry," he taunted, his voice dripping with sadistic pleasure. "Well, I suggest you save it till the end of school today because we have a lot of things planned out for you. And seeing you cry will be an extra reward we get."

My heart sank, and I felt a lump in my throat. I had become the target of their cruel games, their twisted amusement at my expense. Vicente turned to leave, a triumphant smirk plastered across his face, but before he walked away, he paused, making my heart skip a beat. I knew what was coming next and i braced myself for it.

"By the way, I left a little surprise for you in your locker, bitch," he smirked and walked away haughtily. My heart sank as i rushed to open my locker. What i saw brought tears to my eyes, my locker was filled with black paint. How was i supposed to clean this up now? Laughter and snickering filled the entire hallway as other students saw my predicament. I knew it would take me at least 3 periods to clean this up before the school's authorities found out. A malicious message scrawled across the mirror read. "You deserve this".

I fought back the tears, refusing to give them the satisfaction of seeing me break down. But deep down, I felt the weight of their torment crushing me.

I slumped against the lockers, feeling defeated and dejected. This was not the first time that i had been targeted by Tyler and his gang, but it seemed to be getting worse with each passing day. The constant humiliation and degradation had taken a toll on my self esteem. I felt like a shadow, always hiding, always trying to avoid their torment.