Chapter 5

I had no idea how Oscar and Tracy resolved the issue that day. But for the next few days, they didn't come to bother me, so I assumed that they must have worked it out somehow. I never expected that Oscar would suddenly appear after school that afternoon. He rode in on a motorcycle, dressed in a black leather jacket, and glared at me with pure hostility. Something in my gut told me that he was dangerous. I instinctively turned to leave, but before I could take a step, he revved his bike and cut my path off. Before I could even say a single word, he swung his fist and punched me hard in the face. He scolded, "Do you even realize how disgusting you are? What does my relationship with Tracy have to do with you? Did you really have to run to Mom and Dad and tattle? What, do you actually want to get married to me? Have you ever looked at yourself?" My head spun from the blow. For a moment, I couldn't even process what he had just said. By the time I picked myself up from the ground, he had already ridden off. It wasn't until I got home that I learned the whole story. That morning, my parents had gone to see Tracy's mother, Daisy Newell. They reminded her to keep her daughter in line. When Tracy got home, she was beaten black and blue. Oscar assumed that I had asked our parents to confront Daisy, so he waited for me at the school gates and punched me. When my parents saw the bruise on my face, they were heartbroken and kept apologizing to me. But I knew this wasn't their fault. At the same time, I could see their unmistakable disappointment. After that day, a rumor circulated around the school. People claimed that not only was I in love with my adopted brother, but I had also attempted to throw myself at him in the middle of the night. Every detail was disturbingly accurate, and even the small red birthmark on my back was mentioned. I never expected Oscar to take his revenge this far. Almost overnight, I became the most despised girl in school. Oscar even went around pretending to be the victim. He told anyone who would listen that I was a pervert who had stolen his underwear. After that, whenever I walked through the school grounds, people would whisper snide remarks at me. My phone number was leaked, and I received disgusting text messages daily. Some people even called to ask what my rates were. It sickened me. One day, when I finally had some free time, I confronted Oscar. "Do you think this is fun?" He had a cigarette between his fingers and was lazily puffing out smoke from his nostrils. His expression was one of impatience as he replied, "Of course it's fun. If I can't have peace, neither can you." "I already told you that I had nothing to do with Mom and Dad going to see Tracy's mother," I said firmly. He scoffed, his eyes filled with pure disdain. Clearly, he didn't believe me. "What do you want from me?" I pressed on. "It's simple. Drop out. Leave this place as far behind as possible. Tracy said that just seeing you makes her sick." "So you admit that you spread those rumors? You slandered me, didn't you?" "Yeah, so what? Making up stories about a girl who has disgusting thoughts about her own brother is a pretty good idea, isn't it? What do you think will happen if Mom and Dad find out? You should just be smart and leave before it gets any worse." I laughed coldly in response. That was all I needed to hear. Oscar would never have guessed that the very words he had just spoken were already being broadcast across the entire school. I was holding a phone that was still on an active call. On the other end of the line, my friend was in the school's broadcasting room, holding the phone to the microphone. "You bitch! You tricked me!" Oscar roared.