Chapter 19: Put a Pin In It

Monday came far too quickly. I spent all night wishing Chase would message my fake account back, but he never did. Hannah texted me earlier in the morning to get the details of my conversation with Emma, and I was able to fill her in. It was rocky. I was also feeling judged, even though she was supporting my newest obsession, also known as Chase. Classes seemed to be equally boring in comparison to my life on the weekends and after school. For the first time in a while, it felt like I had a life. "Can we just skip class today?" Hannah asked me as I approached my locker and made a few attempts to unlock it. "I wish, but considering I want to graduate, I'm going to go with no," I said, trying to stack my morning books so I didn't drop them. "Fair enough. Well, I have to go have a little one-on-one meeting with my French teacher. I think I am the best student in her class, or I am failing. It's tough to tell." She waved and walked off as I laughed at her lack of understanding of languages. If I had to guess, it was that she was failing. Suddenly, my locker slammed shut. The sound terrified me. A quick and small hand landed hard on the top of the books I held. The books drop to the floor and spread out. I needed to go digital. "What the hell?" I asked, looking down and trying to process what just happened. "Loser." I heard, looking up to see Courtney, who was leaning against the locker next to me. She had an evil smirk on her face—one that I wish I could slap off of it. "What is wrong with you?" I asked as I bent down to pick up my things for the hundredth time this year. I needed to stop carrying everything around at this point. There were too many bullies in my life. "Something just comes over me when I see your face. I think it's an annoyance or possibly just pure hatred," she said and pretended to ponder. "Or maybe jealousy, insecurity, and being plain pathetic," I mumbled to myself. "Did you say something, loser?" She started to tease me. I could not help but roll my eyes at her attempt. With how much experience she had bullied, you'd think she would start getting creative. I bent down to pick up my books. Just as I reached the ground to lift the first one, I heard it. The sound shattered my soul into a million tiny pieces. It was the one sound to end me completely—a rip or tear coming from behind me. "No way! Oh, this is perfect!" I heard Courtney shout. She pointed at my lower half. My hands rushed to my butt, and I felt it immediately. My zipper was ripped from the skirt itself. I couldn't close it. I fumbled and wrestled to keep it closed with my hands, but it didn't work. I lost my grip, and my skirt fell to the ground. "No, no, no. Come on, why does the universe hate me?" I asked myself aloud. I scrambled to pick up what I could to maintain some sort of dignity, but I failed miserably. "Probably because it knows everything the entire school knows. You're a loser doomed for failure," she said disparagingly. "Seriously? Courtney shut up! I get better grades than you, I have friends that like me, and don't forget about Chase!" I shouted out, and she shut up immediately. At this point, I had one giant textbook in front of me and one behind me. People in the halls were laughing and could see the sides of my panties, but I couldn't be worried about this right now. "Hannah!" I tried to shout down the hall, causing more people to look, stare, and laugh. "She can't hear you. No one is going to help you." Courtney laughed. "So this is why Chase likes you," a female voice said. "Damn, nice legs, new girl," a male voice said in passing. Courtney was pointing and laughing like a cheesy nightmare. I looked around for a shield when out of nowhere, a shadow loomed over me. It was Chase. His locker was only halfway down the hall from mine. Although he rarely used it, he could be found leaning up against it regularly. "Hold still," he warned and pulled my skirt up, pinning some sections together. The laughter continued, and Courtney barely let up. I could feel the heat leaving my cheeks slowly. Was it too late to be homeschooled? A piece fell to the ground. Courtney grabbed it and handed it to her friend. The cheerleaders start to pass it around. "Courtney, be mature. Give us the skirt piece back," Chase said with his hand out, waiting for her to come to her senses. "Why should I? This is fun. You remember the fun, right, Chase? Why are you even hanging around her?" she asked, sounding offended. "Doesn't matter. Can I have my skirt piece?" I asked, drowned out by the sound of cheerleaders snickering. Chase gently pushed me behind him. "We can talk about this later if you feel the need, but remember, my life is none of your business. Give me the piece." He took a step forward and loomed over her. Courtney's cocky façade started to fade in front of my eyes. I felt relieved. She finally handed him the piece, and the rest of the cheerleaders started to disperse. Chase turned his back on her and pulled another pin out to nestle the piece back to its original location. This skirt would not be the same, but I would be forever grateful if it could just hold on until I got home. "Are you okay?" Chase asked as he put the last finishing touch on my makeshift skirt. "Another embarrassing day in the books. What else can I say?" I asked, trying not to cry. It was just frustrating at this point. It cost nothing for her to leave me alone, but she just couldn't. "You have a knack for drawing out some crazy people." He smiled and pushed a piece of hair behind my ear, making me shiver. "Some are at least interesting. She's a classic textbook mean girl. I just wish she would move on," I said. He nodded as if he was trying to understand. His hand grazed my arm ever so slightly. My head began to whirl. I understood how I am so obsessed with his presence. He's like a drug. "Ignoring her doesn't seem to work. I'll see if there is anything I can do to keep her off your back. By the way, this is the second uniform you are down, right?" he asked, trying to keep his voice low. The hallway had begun to clear up as people got to their next class. "Don't remind me. My mom is going to kill me. I still can't quite explain what happened to my last one," I said, unable to make eye contact with him. He pulled me close and whispered in my ear, "We will figure this out."