Keily
Manjari
X
Monday morning came too soon for my liking, and when I walked into my English class, I wished it hadn’t come at all.
James sat right next to my desk as usual, scrolling through his phone, casually unaware of the dread he filled me with. A cold shiver ran through me as I moved to take my scat.
I felt his eyes the second I reached the place beside him. Highly conscious of my every movement, I sat down and started taking out things for the class from my bag, not daring to meet his gaze.
“Why so shy now, Piggy?” James said, making me stop and look up at him shyly. My checks heated as our eyes met. His glare was fierce and accusing, and like always, pinned me into submission.
“What happened to the animal that couldn’t keep her hands off Lucas the other night?”
“Stop it. That’s not ”
“Oh, wasn’t it? You’re the one trying to be something you’re not. A Piggy in human clothes.” He cut me off, leaning against the back of his chair. His eyes traveled over my whole form, and I squirmed in self–consciousness.
I was wearing a pink–and–white striped top tucked inside my plain blue denim skirt, which reached right above my knees.
I’d never thought the outfit was bad, but under James’s scrutinizing gaze, I hoped it didn’t make me
look too fat.
“Look at you.” His gaze bore into me again. “No wonder you’re so desperate that you wanted to take advantage of my drunk friend.”
His words felt like a punch.
“Stop,” I pleaded. “I didn’t want to take advantage of anyone. It’s not what you think.”
“Then what is it?“”
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My mouth shut. I didn’t think it was a good idea to tell him what Lucas and I had been planning.
James scoffed when I didn’t say anything. “If you want it so bad, why go to Lucas?” He sat up, an arrogant smirk appearing on his lips, before leaning toward me.
He didn’t stop until our faces were only a few inches apart.
My b*dy froze, but my senses became hyperactive at his close proximity. A trace of rich cologne mixed with his own musky scent surrounded me.
I saw the pupils in his dark eyes dilate when they moved to scan my face–just like the last time at the party. His smirk fell a little as his gaze moved down to my lips, lingering there longer.
I noticed his haughtiness slipping away and something else replacing it, something intense.
A damn zoo was fluttering in my belly, probably with fear. It had to be fear. My skin burned under his eyes, goosebumps appearing all over it. I had no doubt that my face was at its brightest red.
“James?” I whispered, scared.
One word, and it was enough to wipe the dazed look off his face. In an instant, the taunting gleam in his eyes was back, along with that gloating smirk.
Seeing this, I finally reacted and moved back a little, but James grabbed a lock of my hair on my shoulder and yanked me into him again. I knew something malicious was going to come.
“If my Piggy wants it so bad,” James began, his minty breath stroking my face, “she can come to me. I’ll give you that k*ss you want so bad… maybe you’ll even turn into a princess.”
With one last look, he let me go and sat back in his chair comfortably, acting as if he hadn’t just insulted me. Like I was desperate enough to k*ss anyone just for the sake of doing it.
Asshole!
I wanted to slap him hard or shove his face into his own desk and see him writhing. Anything to hurt him back like he had done to me just now.
It was awful, and my self–esteem stung. But all I could manage was to stop a pathetic whimper from escaping me at his degrading remark. I am such a coward.
Punched down and defeated, I went back to my stuff on my desk. I opened my textbook and kept on reading the same sentence again and again to hold back the tears until Mr. Crones arrived.
I did my best to pay attention to our teacher and forget what James had said, but I couldn’t.
My bully, as always, managed to be on my mind with his vicious ways, making me replay his insult
on repeat.
And the tingling that coursed through my b*dy every time he looked at me in class didn’t help either.
I hate him so much.
***
“You should come to the tryouts this afternoon,” Lucas said to me. “It’s better than being alone in the library. Also, you can see Addison shaking those pom–poms.”
He gave a teasing grin to Addison, who was on my other side.
My cousin glared at him. “With the way you guys ogle us on the field, I thought you noticed we aren’t using pom–poms this season.”
“No!” Lucas frowned. “But that’s where all the fun lies. You guys should use them.“.
Addison rolled her eyes.
It was lunchtime, and Addison and I were walking to the cafeteria when Lucas joined us.
I hadn’t seen him all morning, but that was mostly because on Monday, the calculus class we shared was after lunch.
I was a little apprehensive about seeing him due to the incidents at the party, but Lucas, acting like nothing was out of the ordinary, took all the awkwardness out of our conversation..
He didn’t mention the party, and neither did I. But I had an inkling Addison was dying to talk about it, if the suggestive glance’s she was throwing my way were any indication.
Today after school, there were going to be football tryouts for anyone who wanted to be on the team.
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Lucas told me they were conducted at the beginning of each year, and the game that was coming next week would be a good warm–up for the new players before the season.
He was insisting that I come and watch the tryouts since I was going to be here anyway because Addison had her cheerleading practice after school too, and she was the one who dropped me off at
home.
Whenever Addison stayed late, I went to the library to wait for her and meanwhile completed my
homework.
I had no problem with this arrangement, as it saved my time for home and let me work with Dad on his web designing projects.
However, now that Lucas was talking so animatedly about the game, I thought I’d love to watch him and Addison doing their things on the football field.
But unfortunately, with them, there was also going to be one person whom I despised. I didn’t want to see James’s face after what had happened in English.
And I had a feeling he too wouldn’t like seeing me there, and given his track record, he’d let me know by trampling over me with his cruel insults.
I was even dreading our next class, calculus, together,
“I’ll see you at practice, Keily, right?” Lucas turned to me, his brows raised, waiting for my answer.
“Sure,” I nodded.
Even though the thought of seeing James there was not pleasant, I didn’t want to disappoint Lucas, especially when he was so caring and always tried to make me feel included.
Also, Addison would probably murder me if I refused.
He smiled, and Addison smiled wider. Oh God!
When we reached the cafeteria, the first person to catch my eyes was, of course, James. He was sitting at his table with the other guys, his blazing eyes already watching me.
I could almost see the darkness looming over his face on finding Lucas next to me.
I was appalled at his entitlement. He had no right to shoot daggers at me after how he’d acted, and with a sudden burst of my own anger, I wanted to show him that.
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“Lucus, why don’t you sit with us today?” I asked Lucas with a bright smile, feeling a certain asshole’s glare intensify.
“The guys are waiting-” He glanced at his regular table, where James was also sitting
“You know what? Let’s go. I have the reputation of a quarterback to keep, and that means surrounding myself with beautiful girls,”
“You’re so cheap,” Addison said, but her face was lighting up with a wide grin. She was looking between him and me, not at all trying to be discreet about imagining our baby’s name.
“I actually am,” Lucas teased back. “So, are you going to pay for my lunch?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll pay for it,” I offered. It was the least I could do after he had been so good to me.
“And she’s the queen.” Lucas threw his arm around my shoulder and bowed his head, making me
chuckle.
But it stopped when my eyes drifted to James, who was seething and gripping the fork in his hand tightly. I would have been lying if I had said I wasn’t afraid.
Lucas let me go when we moved to get in line for our lunch, and afterward, he sat with us Addison, Sadhvi, Lola, and me.
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I would have been reveling in my small victory if not for my nemesis, whose furious eyes promised
me retribution. I’m dead.
***
I visibly gulped when James entered our calculus class and fiercely glared at me for my crime of existing. Lucas, who was just behind him, threw me a smile with a head bob.
I wanted to vanish.
“I’m so excited about the tryouts,” Lucas chirped as he took his seat beside mine. I saw James settling on his other side.
“I am too,” James said, looking at me.
“You know what, Keily? Lucas sounded excited, making me tear my gaze away from James.
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“We just talked to Coach, and he wants James and me to demonstrate plays for une that big of a deal, but I just love to tackle those rookies to the ground.
“It’s fun to hear their painful grunts when they get the first shock of their life.”
“You sound awfully excited about hurting others?” I questioned, trying to ignore James’s piercing
eyes.
“I swear I’m a good person, but when it comes to football, I’m a sadist.”
I nodded, attempting to match his enthusiasm and failing.
“You’re still coming to see the tryouts?” Lucas asked.
My eyes darted to James, and I noticed a look of surprise pass over his face before it turned into something sinister. I had a very bad feeling about this.
“Yes, I’ll be there.” I desperately wanted to scream, “No.”
“Make sure not to dent our bleachers; we just got them painted,” James added, like a habit. Jerk.
I blushed and looked down at my desk, also like a habit.
“James, just don’t,” I heard Lucas sigh.
Surprisingly, the rest of class was uneventful besides James’s usual taunts whenever Lucas tried to include me in their conversation.
However, I had a feeling in my gut that this was the calm before the storm. Okay, maybe I was overreacting, but I knew he’d get back at me in some way.
I had rebelled against James at lunch by purposely going after Lucas, and he’d caught on to that.
Something told me he didn’t take my rebellion well, and I was going to pay.
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