Chapter 20: Day From Hell

Despite the endless promises I made, the next day while prepping for school I found myself yet again a slave to trend setting and lip-gloss. So much for the new and improved Syd who didn't take crap from anyone. In fact, by the time I hit the front steps, I was a nervous wreck. How much damage had I done? If they thought I was a freak before, what was I classified as a target now?

Unfortunately, yes. Might as well have had a bull's-eye painted on my chest. From the moment I set foot in the front lobby of Wilding Springs High, I opened myself to the bombardment of Alison's revenge. Not just Alison, either, from the looks I took from the general population. I was in it deep and even those who might have felt some sympathy gave me a wide berth. They knew a sinking ship when they saw one. Nobody wanted to get sucked in when the vortex of Alison decided my doom was at hand.

Still, they started small, bless them, softened me up a bit, eased me into it. Nothing overt, at least not at first. If I was doing the bullying the whole dissection of self-esteem would have been way more messy. I would never give the sucker a chance to see what was coming. Hit them with both barrels right away. But then again, I wasn't an expert in emotional and psychological torture like Alison and the 'Fem Bots'. They were far more subtle, insidious, breaking down the spirit and will of their chosen prey, chipping away at all self-esteem with their French manicures and evil hearts.

The people who think witches are dangerous were never bullied in high school.

So, like clockwork, the subtle, nasty stuff started it off. At least I was expecting it. Not wanting it, hoping I could avoid it, but otherwise knowing in my soul it was inevitable.

It began with the 'innocent' bump knocking my trendy bag into a puddle of spilled chocolate milk that just happened to be there. I managed to get to a bathroom and get most of it out before it stained. Of course, the milk already had time to turn rancid, naturally. Fresh stuff wouldn't do. So, stinky purse it was, then.

I was vaguely surprised to make it to my locker with only minor tripping and secretive name-calling incidents. Surely they would attempt something else in the three minutes it took me to get to homeroom? I needn't have worried. They thought of everything.

Someone scrawled 'bitch' across my locker door with black marker. I suffered glares from the people with lockers around me. Goody, Syd's making more friends.

I took a deep breath and chose to ignore it. I think it's probably one of the bravest things I have ever done.

I tried to put it in perspective. After all, someone went to all the time and trouble to decorate my locker door. Wow, that took talent. And, hey, I was part of something normal, wasn't I? Amazing I could cheer myself up at a time like this.

But more was to come, oh yes.

My homeroom teacher, Ms. Fiat, was not amused by the use of vocabulary displayed on my locker door, and made me go to the office to tell the vice-principal what happened. Which meant I ended up cleaning the door of my locker myself because the janitor refused to do it. Even better, I missed a test in English I had to make up on my own time.

This was getting old fast.

Imagine my absolute misery when I returned to class in time to find out Quaid Moromond was in my homeroom.

Oh, the day just went better and better. I struggled to ignore the burning sensation on the back of my head as his smirk wore a hole through me. When I stood up at the end of period bell, I caught his eye. He smiled at me in a dark and nasty way.

"Syd." It wasn't fair his voice made me shiver with the richness of it now that I'd decided he wasn't getting anywhere near me.

"Quaid." I think I managed the right tone. That's it. Keep it impersonal.

His grin widened while the dark of his eyes stayed flat and cool. "Nice school you have here." Those words felt like a weapon. Did he know already what an outcast I was? How could he? Panic overtook me even as my demon inhaled his scent and decided she liked what she smelled.

Traitor.

"You can have it." My voice wavered a bit as I struggled to control her and my concern about how much he knew. I'm not sure why it bothered me since I figured if he didn't know he'd be finding out soon enough. Still.

Quaid rolled his shoulders in a shrug, the leather of his black jacket creaking. "We'll see," he said, sounding bored as he looked around. "Nothing's caught my attention so far."

He was a total and complete ass. My body vibrated with the need to slap him while my demon hummed and purred, reaching tendrils of herself around my trembling shields. I stepped back quickly, out of physical reach, hating that she had so much control over me.

"Maybe you'll be moving on soon, then." I made it pretty clear my opinion on the matter just from the glare I gave him.

"Maybe. I'll see you, Syd." He had the nerve to offer a little wave and a wink as he brushed past me out the door.

I snarled at my demon to shut up and stop whining when he disappeared into the crowd. Like I wanted anything to do with the arrogant creep. I had no idea what the demon side of me saw in him and had no desire to find out.

I slumped through second period in misery, simply ignoring the hail of spit balls from the back of the room, knowing they were added fun, not on Alison's sophisticated lineup of plans for my personal embarrassment. No, this was simply the football team adding their own particular brand of Neanderthal entertainment.

A quick trip to the bathroom after class for some rapid brushing eliminated the offending projectiles. I tried to ignore the stares and unfriendly giggles from the other girls in the room and bent to replace my brush in my bag, only to discover it missing. I checked around, feeling a little desperate when I found it gone. The bathroom emptied, innocent kids running for cover as they sensed the horror to come. I turned in time to see one of Alison's cronies smiling at me. Her eyes flickered to a stall as she left me all alone in the bathroom. I went to the doorway and cringed before looking inside.

I wished I hadn't. The entire contents of my bag were in the toilet. My lip-gloss tube floated gallantly to the surface while most of the rest of my belongings soaked up water and sank like rocks to the bottom of the bowl.

Oh, well. At least no one used it first. Anything to give this a silver lining.

I was running out of pep talks, though.

It took me the better part of lunch to retrieve and dry my stuff, at least the stuff I wanted to salvage. Most of it ended up in the trash with the added moisture of my silent tears for good measure. I was glad I was alone in the bathroom. I would have hated it if it got back to Alison she managed to make me cry so early in the game.

The last thing I fished out was a picture of Meira, one of my favorites. That pissed me off. The anger from the day before started to emerge again. I shoved it away immediately. I was already in enough trouble. There was no way I'd willingly bring down any more crap on myself by being stupid enough to think I could stand against Alison when she really wanted me to suffer.

I retrieved my lunch from my locker and retreated to a quiet corner to eat it with the five minutes I had left. I curled up on a wide windowsill in a quiet part of the school and tried not to cry some more. I started to nibble at my peanut butter and jelly sandwich, feeling the most alone I ever had, finally tossing the majority of it in the trash. No use eating something that tasted like defeat.

When the bell rang, I squared my shoulders and went to class. I would take my punishment and get my life back to normal.

But what if this is just the beginning? I froze in mid-step, forcing a couple of people walking behind me to go around and give me odd glances. I gulped, averting my eyes, panic gripping me. I hated when that little voice reared its ugly head. This was not going to continue. This was Alison Morgan wanting her pound of flesh, nothing more. As long as I behaved and took my knocks, it would dry up and go away.

Only I had a sinking feeling the little voice was right.

Chemistry was a nightmare. I stuttered through a presentation as Alison watched me. Worst of all, Quaid did too. I had it hard enough dealing with the real world. Why did my other life have to get involved all of a sudden? I managed to glare back at him before taking my seat. I saw Alison notice. She had a look of interest on her face that made me nervous and after class I saw why. She chatted up Quaid. The two seemed to be hitting it off quite nicely.

Probably plotting against me, I thought. When they laughed and glanced my way, I knew my paranoia was justified.

By the end of the day I was a quivering wreck. The small insults kept coming, from a trip here sending me sprawling and tearing my new jeans, to a horrid little note being passed to me from an anonymous author telling me what everyone thought of me, to getting sent to the principal's office again for passing notes. Not to mention the gagging noises and hocking of lugies following me everywhere. I couldn't win and knew without a doubt if it kept up much longer I would personally do something coven-related to make us move.

Finally the endless day ended. I grabbed my remaining belongings from my locker, not willing to leave anything behind. I turned into the crowd to run home and hide under my comforter. Tomorrow was going to be a sick day if I had to make myself ill.

Didn't I do it again? Ran right smack into Brad. I almost had a heart attack. Set up! My little voice screamed as I scanned the crowd for Alison. What diabolical scheme was this? I backed away from him, feeling like I'd just dropped out of the fire into the burning pit of hell. Brad stepped forward, concern on his face, the half-smile in greeting fading fast.

"Syd?" He reached out one hand. "Are you okay?"

I risked another glance around the crowd for the bitch queen. Still no Alison. Despite her absence, I knew the kids in the hallway watched and listened with every fiber in their being.

"Yeah, thanks," I ducked my head and tried to dodge him. He wasn't having any. Brad stopped me by grabbing my arm, not hard. The touch alone was enough to make me halt and look up.

"I seem to keep running into you," he said, trying to make a joke of it. "I'm really sorry."

I blinked, feeling like someone hit me hard. He was sorry? Brad Peters was blaming himself for my inexcusable clumsiness? Seriously? I allowed myself to soften and believe it. After a heartbeat, I toughened up.

Definitely a trap.

"Stop being nice," I snapped, tired and upset and frustrated after my long day in a very long week, and it was only Tuesday. "I know Alison put you up to this, so you can stop. I get it, consider me punished."

Brad shook his head, confused. Could it be true he had no idea? No one could be that out of touch. The hallway itself vibrated with tension from me and the other kids in the know.

But nope. He really was clueless. Imagine that.

"I don't know what Alison told you, Syd," Brad said, "but she didn't put me up to anything. I wanted to apologize for yesterday."

"You shouldn't be talking to me," I told him, despite wanting more than anything for him to keep talking to me. Brad Peters was - talking - to - me.

"Why not?" His beautiful eyes crinkled at the corners as he frowned.

"Alison won't like it," I said as softly as I could, worried like in magic, names had power. But nope, no wicked witch appeared. Amazing.

"Alison doesn't tell me who to talk to," Brad replied. "I've actually been wanting to say 'hi' for a while."

I stared at him in open shock, not even aware of the world around me. In that glorious moment, it was just me and him. Any fantasy I imagined on my own couldn't compare to this.

"Really?" I hated how my voice squeaked a little. "How come?"

Brad laughed. The whole world shone like heaven when Brad laughed.

"No reason. Is that okay?" His green eyes gave me the most delicious shivers. It was almost too much for me to comprehend.

"I guess," I said. "I just find it a little strange."

"Why?" His turn to be confused.

"No one else seems to want to get to know me." As soon as I spoke, I worried I sounded like a whiner. "Small town, hard to meet people, you know?"

He ran one hand through his glossy blonde hair. My insides trembled as my knees went soft.

"Yeah, I get it," he said. "It must be tough. I grew up here, guess it's way easier for me."

"I guess," I breathed, clinging to the brief instant in time that I, Syd Hayle, was talking to the most popular boy in school because he wanted to say hello. I knew I'd be replaying it over and over when I made it home.

"So maybe we can go get a pizza or something sometime," Brad said.

And the blessed angels sang Hallelujah. If it kept up much longer, I would need him to hold me up. Which meant he would have to-sigh-touch me and I didn't know if I would survive it.

In the heartbeat I thought the idea could even possibly come true, reality struck.

Alison finally arrived. I thought I was toast before. The expression on her face could have killed a bird in flight. I spotted her over Brad's shoulder. I guess my flinching at the thought of what she had planned next must have alerted him something was wrong. By the time he turned around, Alison morphed herself from a she-bitch from hell to perky cheerleader.

"Brad," Alison slipped one possessive hand through his arm, linking the other over it, a clear and powerful sign of ownership from one girl to another. "I was waiting for you at my locker but you didn't come." She formed her perfect bow mouth into an expert pout and gazed up at him through her fluttering eyelashes. I knew she'd been practicing that one in front of the mirror since birth.

"Alison," Brad looked away from her, actually looked away, and back to me. "I'm talking to Syd."

Part of me wanted to die because Brad cemented my fate. The other part wanted to die because Brad wanted to have pizza with me. I couldn't tell which was worse.

Alison seemed to think she knew. Her eyes cut through me like I wasn't even there.

"Well, we have to go. Everyone's crashing at Johnny's for burgers and you promised you'd take me, remember?"

I noticed we were alone. The local kids knew an impending explosion when they saw one. No one wanted to be called as witnesses against Alison Morgan.

Brad reached out and removed Alison's hands from his arm. He took one step away from her.

"I can't today," he said. "I promised Syd I'd walk her home."

My heart leapt from my chest and to his feet. Okay, not really, but it felt like it. On the edge of hyperventilating, reality crashed down around me, only to be temporarily lifted when Brad turned his attention to me. Reality hit again and so on until I was sure I was going to pass out from the rush.

Alison's face showed her rage for only a heartbeat, but I know Brad saw it. I saw it too. Heck, the entire world saw it. I breathed in and held it.

"Since when do you walk losers home after school?" She demanded. "Our friends are waiting for us."

"Syd's not a loser," Brad was actually becoming angry. He was so cute when he was angry. Hang on, was he honestly defending me?

"Really," Alison said, giving me the dirty eyeball. "Well I say she is."

"Get over yourself, Alison," he said. "No one likes a bitch."

I had a flash of worry for him. Was he really that naive?

Obviously, yes. Alison laughed.

"Says who?" She said, arrogant smile condescending.

"Guess I'm a loser too, then," Brad said, "because I don't." He turned away from her. "Ready to go, Syd?"

I couldn't believe he just did that.

Neither could Alison.

"Brad!" She pulled at his arm. "You are not! No boyfriend of mine will ever be a loser. Ever!"

"Consider this a breakup," he answered. Brad reached out to me and in my total shock, I went with him. He guided me into the echoingly empty hall beyond.

What had I gotten myself into? I glanced over at him and saw he still looked mad. In fact, he ignored the few kids he did know on the way out. Even the calls of his football buddies from across the parking lot went unanswered as we hit the sidewalk headed for my house.

Brad flashed me a boyish grin.

"Sorry you had to see that, Syd," he said.

"Did you really break up with Alison?" I asked, clutching the remains of my belongings to me like a lifeline.

"Yeah," he said. "I guess I did."

"Wow," I said.

"I didn't mean to drag you into it," he kicked at a piece of loose pavement as we walked. "I guess you being there... I used you, I'm sorry."

"No worries," I said.

"Seriously," he turned to me, concern on his earnest face, "it wasn't fair of me. It's just... I've been looking for a reason to dump her for a while."

"Really?" I gasped. "How come?"

He shrugged, hands deep in his pockets. "She's just, I don't know, not nice sometimes. Mean. Like to you. And other people. And she treats me like she owns me. I hate that." He stared off, not with me at all and yet, I was happy to be there as his sounding board.

"So what are you going to do?" I asked. "You have all the same friends."

"Big deal," he said. "They won't care."

"You believe that?" I made a face, certain now he was clueless.

"Don't you?" He asked.

"No. Are you telling me you don't know what she will do to you after this? Never mind what she's going to do to me." I shuddered and tried not to think about it.

"I don't know what you mean," Brad answered.

"Brad," I tried to get through to him. "Alison is the queen of retaliation. She will torture you, turn your friends against you. Probably make my life a living misery day after day if this one is any indication."

"You had a bad day?" I briefly considered asking him if his mom dropped him a lot as a baby.

"I had the day from hell, thanks to your ex-girlfriend. She was pissed at me for yesterday. You really didn't know?"

Brad shook his head. "I'll talk to her, Syd. Get her to leave you alone."

I didn't even try to hide the bitterness in the bark I called a laugh.

"Do me a favor and don't, okay? No offense, but you'll make things worse. If it's even possible at this point."

Brad stopped walking and turned to face me.

"Crap, Syd," he said. "I can't seem to get anything right. I'm sorry about Alison. And if us being friends is going to make things worse, I'll leave you alone."

It took a second for that to register. Damn! Talk about backfire!

Before I had a chance to tell him different, a black SUV pulled up next to us, the tinted windows rolling down. I could hear giggling from inside the truck. A couple of football boys leaned out.

"Hey, man, get in! Johnny's flipping burgers as we speak!"

Brad turned to me.

"See you around, Syd," he said. I wanted so much to stop him but knew I lost the battle. I turned and started walking, refusing to watch him leave, kicking myself over and over for being so stupid as to turn away not only the first person who tried to be my friend but the very person I fantasized about having as a friend in the first place.

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised by the derogatory remarks flying from the SUV as it sped by. Listening to the fading laughter, I felt really hurt Brad didn't put a stop to it.

***