by Bella King
Travis was shaking with rage again. “You’re going to pay for this.”
“For what?” I asked.
“First, you get us both sent to detention. That’s one beating. Then, you trick me into having Principal Reed’s tires slashed. That’s another beating,” Travis said, his voice trembling.
“If you lay one finger on me, I swear to god I will call the police,” I said, afraid that I may very well become Travis’s next victim.
“Not you, dumbass. I’m the one who is going to get beaten,” Travis said, shoving my desk and backing away. “I hope you’re fucking happy.”
“By who?” I asked, seeing fear flickering beneath the rage in his eyes.
Travis sighed. “My father.”
The room got deathly quiet. I didn’t know what to say to Travis after he had just dropped that bomb. I had no idea how bad his situation at home was, but he seemed terrified by the thought of his dad beating him.
I lowered my voice, speaking softly to him. “Travis, are you going to be okay?”
He shrugged. “I’ll live.”
His body seemed to go limp, like he was a puppet being pulled by strings back to his desk. He slumped in his seat and stared at the wall blankly.
I got up, walking slowly over to him. I placed a hand on his back, which was very warm. “Travis, is your dad beating you?”
Travis didn’t say anything.
“I can tell a teacher or something.”
“Don’t bother. My dad practically owns the damn school. He donates every year on top of tuition.” His voice was filled with defeat.
“What are you going to do about it? You can’t just let him do that to you,” I said.
“Oh yeah? And what the fuck am I supposed to do instead? Drop out of school and live on the streets? Just because you have a little fairytale life at home, doesn’t mean that everyone here does.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said, tears filling my eyes. I was cursed with the kind of empathy that made me feel bad for just about anyone’s misfortunes. My mom always told me that it was a gift, but it certainly didn’t feel like one when I was crying for my bully.
Sensitive people are more attuned to other people’s problems. They understand the world around them better and notice things that other people don’t. They have an acute sense of right and wrong because of their emotions, so they can live a more virtuous and meaningful life.
That’s what my mom had explained to me the first time I cried for someone else’s pain. It was never my own that brought me to tears. It was always someone else’s, and now that someone was Travis.
“Why are you crying?” Travis asked, glancing up at me as I sobbed beside him.
“I’m sorry Travis,” I cried between sobs.
“Jesus, chill out. I’m not going to die. You might, though, after what you did to me,” he said, glaring at me.
Travis’s life at home didn’t give him the right to threaten me, but I gave him a pass during detention. I genuinely felt horrible for him, and I didn’t want him to go home that night to his father. I wished there was something I could do, but what could an 18-year-old at Crimson High do for a young man who had to choose between his father’s beating and his education? Life could be cruel.
I pulled a chair up beside Travis and rubbed his back, sniffling and trying to calm myself down. “Don’t you dare tell anyone about me crying in detention and I won’t tell Principal Reed that you’re the one who had his tires slashed. Grace can take the fall,” I said.
Travis looked at me and paused for a second, blinking at me in surprise. “Yeah, I like that idea. You would do that for me?”
I gave him a smile and a nod.
Life flooded back into Travis’s body as he sprung up from his seat. “I guess I’m going to have to find myself a new set of ears. Shouldn’t be too hard. Half the women here are crazy about me.” He said, flashing me a smile that made me feel oddly aroused.
That cocky asshole thought he had every woman in the world in the palm of his hand. But then again, had I not just been rubbing his back and promising to cover up his mistakes for him. Was I any better than those other girls who were madly in love with him, like Grace?
I hoped that I wouldn’t end up like that. I swore to myself that after all of this, I was going to start a new page at Crimson High. I wasn’t going to let myself get pulled into Travis’s dramatic life. He had his issues, but that didn’t mean I needed to share them with him. I had my own obstacles to overcome.
Travis and I spent the rest of detention complaining and laughing about things at school, like how nasty the lunches always were. We had a bit of a bonding experience that made time go by quicker. It was actually quite pleasant.
Chapter 7
The next day, Grace was accused of the crime of slashing Principal Reed’s tires but attempted to shift the blame to Travis, the mastermind behind the whole thing. Once Travis was put in the spotlight, he brought me in to testify against Grace, which I did, despite her being more of a scapegoat than a legitimate criminal.
Grace stared daggers at me as I defended Travis in front of Principal Reed.
“Travis was with me the whole time in detention. We’re friends, so I can’t imagine why he would slash your tires thinking they were mine. He knows I don’t have a car,” I explained to Principal Reed as he looked at me like a hawk with his beady little eyes.
Travis nodded. “Grace made up that lie to get back at me because I refused to date her. She’s crazy about me.”
Grace crossed her arms and pouted. “Fuck you both. Travis told me to do it because he thought it was Alice’s car.”
“You’re in a world of trouble young lady,” Principal Reed said, shaking his head at Grace. “And trying to blame your fellow classmates for something they clearly have nothing to do with is only making matters worse for you. I’m afraid I’m going to have to expel you.”
I was shocked, but kept my lips sealed. It was better Grace than Travis, right? Or was it? I wasn’t entirely sure, but Grace looked furious. I was a little afraid that she would leap across the room and strangle me for what I had done.
Principal Reed dismissed us but kept Grace in his office as he finalized her expulsion from Crimson High. Her parents would not be happy about this.
“Thanks for looking out for me, Alice,” Travis said, a bounce entering his step as we walked down the hall through crowds of other students after leaving Principal Reed’s office.
“Just don’t ask me for any more favors. We’re done,” I replied, waving a hand of dismissal.
Travis shrugged. “Sure, just make sure I don’t catch you gossiping about Kimberly or I’ll do something a lot worse than sticking a knife in your tires.”
I didn’t take his threats as seriously now, waving him off and splitting paths with him. I walked all the way to the other side of the building, where my locker was located, to find Amy there fiddling with her lock.
“Woah girl, you made it out alive. I heard you spent the whole evening last night with Travis,” Amy said to me with a grin from ear to ear.
“Unfortunately, I did,” I said, coming up beside her and swirling the knob on my lock to unlock it.
“What did you guys talk about?” Amy asked.
“Nothing.”
“You’re no fun,” Amy said, shutting her locker. “Why won’t you tell me?”
“He just insisted that he didn’t murder Kimberly and told me to shut up about it. That’s all,” I said.
“It sounds like he did kill her, and he doesn’t want you to know the truth. I think we should do some investigating,” Amy said excitedly. “We could get to the bottom of this now that you’re close with Travis. How does it feel to be dating a murderer?”
“I’m not dating him, and I think we should leave it be before he murders me next. He keeps threatening me and stuff. I don’t want to get involved,” I said, pulling open my locker and shoving my books from the previous period inside of it.
“Do you really
think he would do that?” Amy asked with a frown.
“I don’t know, but I don’t want to find out,” I replied.
Amy nodded. “Fair enough. Hey, I have something for us to do this weekend.”
“I have work,” I reminded her.
“After work, silly. There’s a party and Kain is going to be there. You can pick up a new guy if you’re not going to date Travis,” Amy suggested, her eyes bright with excitement.
“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,” I said.
“Please, pretty please!” Amy clasped her hand together and bounced up and down.
“Okay, fine. I guess I could use some fun after all this drama. Let’s not get carried away though. I don’t want to have to rescue you from the jocks.”
“I wouldn’t need rescuing. They all can have me,” Amy said with a giggle.
I laughed. Amy had slept with several jocks over the course of the school year, and it had only just started. I’m sure she would be able to get in Kain’s pants soon enough. I didn’t have any interest in those guys. To be honest, the only guy I found remotely cute at this school was Travis, but I he was off-limits.
I thanked Amy for the invitation and headed toward the school exit, happy to finally be going home and getting away from all this bullshit at school. I planned on curling up with a big bowl of ice cream on the couch to watch my favorite TV show all evening, forgetting about Travis, Grace, and even Amy just for the night.
Chapter 8
As the night of the party Amy had invited me to neared, I began to grow more excited for it. I guess I really needed to let loose a little and relax. I had been so on-edge lately that even my parents were starting to notice that something was up.
“You look pale,” my mom had said as she washed the dishes after dinner the next day.
I shrugged. “I think I just need some sleep. I didn’t sleep well last night.” That was partially true. I had woken up several times during twisted dreams about Travis chasing me and trying to attack me.
“Why didn’t you sleep well. Are you getting sick?” My mom said, putting the dishes down and placing a hand on my forehead.
I pulled away from her soapy wet hand. “I don’t think so. You know, it’s just a new school and there’s a lot to take in.”
My mom nodded. “Yes, it can take some time to get used to things. Your father and I are very proud of how hard you’ve been working. We’re glad you’ve stayed out of trouble too. I wasn’t always well behaved at school when I was your age.”
I hadn’t told her about detention, nor did I intend to. I didn’t want her to worry about me. The last thing I needed was another person getting into my business, even if they had good intentions. I did best when I was left alone.
“I think things are going to go really well this year,” I said, faking a smile. “I even got invited to a party on Saturday. I think I’m going to go.”
“Oh? I hope it’s a supervised thing,” my mom responded.
It was typical that she would want me to go to some sad excuse for a party where they watched a movie and ate pretzels that someone’s mom had dipped in chocolate. I doubted that this party would be anything like that, likely involving a lot of rule-breaking and adult things. We were all adults, after all, because it was a seniors-only party.
“It’s going to be pretty low key. Nothing big,” I lied.
My mom smiled. “Alright, just don’t come home too late.”
“I won’t,” I promised, fully intending on keeping that promise. I would have work on Sunday anyway, so I didn’t want to stay out too late.
“I love you, Alice,” my mom said, looking back at me as she went back to cleaning the dishes.
“I love you too mom. I think I’m going to bed early tonight,” I said, getting up and leaving my mother in the kitchen. I didn’t feel much like talking today. Sleep would suit me better.
✽✽✽
The next few days at Crimson High were pretty boring. Amy kept talking about how excited she was to see Kain, Travis kept his distance, and Grace was nowhere to be seen because she had been expelled. It was just the way things should be.
I began to get familiar with the different clicks that had formed at the school. Seniors really seemed to stick with other seniors exclusively, probably because they were all adults. It gave them a higher status than anyone else at the school.
I began to find myself wondering if Travis would be at the party. I didn’t really take him for the partying type, what with his dad being so strict, but if jocks like Kain were going to make an appearance, I figured he might also.
I felt like Travis and I had a connection because I knew things about him that other people didn’t. I knew about his terrifying life at home, and I knew that he was very defensive about Kimberly, for whatever reason.
I had gotten up close to Tavis on several occasions now, and each time I had felt like there was electricity running between us. Sometimes I was excited by his aggression instead of afraid. I knew that was fucked up, and that’s how you end up with someone abusive, but my body and my head were in different places when it came to Travis.
It didn’t help that he was attractive. His eyes were the main thing, but also the way that he carried himself demanded respect and admiration. The deepness of his voice made people shrink and obey, and if he could gain more control over his outbursts, he would actually be a decent person.
As it stood, Travis was a suspected murderer and a bully, walking a very thin line between pitiable and deplorable. He wasn’t the type of man I wanted in my life, and I would be leaving it at that.
If Amy wanted to get herself wrapped up with Travis’s jock friends, then she was free to do so, but I wasn’t going to be a part of it. I was happy keeping a healthy distance between the school bully and myself.
✽✽✽
The night of the party found Amy and I rushing to get ready. Neither of us had a car and the party was pretty far from our neighborhood. We had to catch a ride from Kain, who Amy convinced to drive both of us there. He was coming early though, so I needed to get ready quickly. I barely had time to do my makeup.
I was at Amy’s place because her parents were out for the evening, throwing on whatever I had to wear and racing to put on my makeup. I was in a cute outfit, something a little more revealing than I would wear at school, and Amy looked like she was going to the party specifically to have sex.
“Why don’t you show some more skin for Travis,” Amy suggested, lifting up my skirt and giggling.
I slapped her hand away. “I’m not dressing up for Travis.”
She shrugged. “Or one of the jocks. I heard that some of them don’t like you anymore though, because you got Grace expelled.”
“What?” My head snapped to Amy. “Travis was the one who got her expelled. Why would they think it was me? Dammit, I should never have stuck up for Travis. He probably told everyone it was my fault.”
“Wait a minute. You stuck up for Travis?” Amy asked.
I had been avoiding this conversation, but everyone at the school knew about Grace getting expelled and I didn’t like hiding so much from Amy. She had been a loyal friend for a long time, and it didn’t feel right to exist in a web of lies.
“She slashed Principal Reed’s tires, thinking they were mine, because Travis told her to,” I explained, “But she got in trouble for it because I stood up for Travis.”
“I knew you had a crush on him,” Amy teased.
“I don’t. It was for another reason,” I said, making sure she didn’t think I actually liked Travis. I didn’t want to tell her about Travis’s dad beating him, but I also didn’t want her thinking that I had a thing for Travis.
“Then why did you stick up for him?” Amy inquired, leaning in with a stupid grin stretched across her face.
“I can’t really tell you,” I said, flustered.
“So many secrets between you and him. Interesting,” Amy said, raising her eyebrows at me a few times. “He’ll probably b
e at the party too. Really, everyone is going to be there.”
I sighed. “I really hope things don’t get out of control. I don’t want any drama.”
Amy laughed. “Girl, I think it’s a little late for that.”
Chapter 9
I heard the sound of a car engine rumbling in the driveway of Amy’s house as I put the finishing touches on my eyeliner. My outfit consisted of a short black skirt and a red shirt that showed ample cleavage. I didn’t plan on getting laid, but I could if I wanted to in this outfit.
“Hurry, I don’t want to keep Kain waiting,” Amy squealed, pulling my arm.
“Yeah, yeah,” I said, grabbing my purse and following Amy down the stairs and out the front door.
Kain was waiting in the driveway with his bright yellow mustang, looking like as much of a typical jock douche as possible. He looked comically huge sitting in his car waiting for us.
Amy dashed to the passenger’s seat, riding shotgun beside Kain. That was fine. I got the entire backseat to myself. I climbed into the car, smelling leather and way too much cologne. I coughed. “Jesus Kain, chill with the perfume.”
“It’s cologne, and pretty expensive stuff too,” Kain corrected. Damn, had that not been exactly what Travis had said before? All the guys at Crimson High were the same. It was ridiculous.
“Same thing,” I said, “They used to call men’s cologne perfume anyway. There’s not actually a difference,” I stated.
Amy reach back and pinched my leg.
“Ouch, what the hell?” I said, yanking my leg toward me.
Amy frowned at me. “Kain is being nice enough to drive us. Take it easy.”
Kain nodded in agreement, putting the car into reverse and backing out of the driveway quickly. I was flung around the car as Kain ripped out onto the street and sped away toward the party.
“Give the macho man shit a break, Kain. I’m trying to put my seatbelt on,” I said, struggling to get it to click into place as Kain swerved his car through traffic. I thought he might throw me right out the window the way he was driving.
