“Get out!”
“Baby, I just brought you some soup. I’m not going to stay. Why are you so rude? I didn’t even say anything!”
“Damn.” Corby went to the door, opened it, and looked at her mother who was holding a bowl of steaming soup. Corby felt saliva forming in her mouth. It smelled and looked too appetizing to pass up.
“I’ve used your grandma’s recipe,” her mother said in an offended, but at the same time proud voice. “You’re hungry. Eat.”
“Can I eat in my room?”
Mother shrugged. “That’s why I brought it.”
“You’ve never allowed me to before.”
“You’re big enough to not spill anything on the bed,” Mother smiled.
“Good. Thank you.”
“I’ll put it on your desk, it’s hot.”
Not waiting for an answer, Mother went inside the room, put the bowl on the table, and turned to Corby. She smiled.
“Thank you, mom,” Corby said impatiently. “I’ll eat and start my homework.”
“Yes, of course. Your teacher called. She said you have started falling behind.”
“Did you come for this? To talk about my progress?”
“No, but I have to talk about it. I don’t want people from your school to call me and tell me that you have problems. Corby, you’re so smart, you’ve always been the best student in your class. I didn’t have to force you to study or check on you. You love school.”
“I’ll fix it. I promise. It’s just getting more difficult toward the end of the year. You’ve gone to school, you should know how it is.”
“Okay. I trust you. I’ll let it go for now, because I know how responsible you are.” Mother nodded and headed for the door then turned back to her daughter. “Where did you get that jewelry?”
Corby was taken aback for a moment and didn’t know what to say.
“Looks expensive and like real diamonds.”
“It’s ... It’s not diamonds. My friend gave it to me for a couple of days.”
“A friend?” Mom was genuinely surprised. “That’s wonderful! Who? Tell me about her!”
“Not now, Mom.”
“Sure. Corby?” Mom hesitated.
“What else?”
“Dad and I had a discussion ... Your behavior has changed so dramatically.”
“It’s just age.”
“I understand. I just wanted to ask ... Does it have anything to do with drugs?”
“Drugs?”
Corby was taken aback. She hadn’t thought about trying drugs even once, let alone doing it regularly. She had read so much about drugs and she couldn’t understand why anyone would decide to do so.
“Okay, I understand,” Mother said hurriedly. “I didn’t really consider it seriously.”
It took her another minute to leave. First she kissed Corby on the cheek, then embraced her, then looked around the room and asked about the shoes that Corby promised to return, then Mother allowed her to wear them, but asked that she not take anything else out of her closet without asking.
When Corby closed the door and sat down at the desk she felt tired, but the voice in her head was gone. She could enjoy dinner, and Corby did, only thinking about the soup and how delicious it was. She didn’t have time to finish her food before the voice came back.
“So, your friend gave you the jewelry? Oh well. You should have told your mom that your friend is in the refrigerator with her face chopped off.”
Corby pushed her bowl away, stood up, took off the jewelry, and carefully placed everything on the nightstand. Sitting on the bed, she stared at them under the lamp.
“Imagine how happy they were to receive those? Sylvia was a good girl, really. Vera too. They even worried about you and talked nicely, more or less, when you were alone.”
“That doesn’t change anything. There was no need to humiliate me in front of others.”
“That certainly justifies the murder. I don’t think a judge, jury, or just plain people will understand you. Jacob didn’t.”
“I don’t want to talk about Jacob.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t. He’s a good boy: intelligent, with positive upbringing. You will lose him before you know it. Actually, it’s not like he’s your boyfriend. He’s never kissed you.”
“We don’t know each other well. He told me many times that he likes me. And he didn’t call the police!”
“You can talk and justify yourself, but what’s done is done. You’re a murderer. You deprived people of life.”
“One person.”
“You don’t know for sure. What if you could have saved Vera? And is the murder of one person a good thing?”
“I was just protecting myself.”
“Good excuse. Go do your homework. Vera and Sylvia don’t have to worry about it anymore, but you’re alive. Work on your future.”
Corby growled and threw the pillow on the floor. She wanted to send the lamp there too, but her parents would run to investigate the noise and she didn’t want to see them. She picked up the pillow and covered her head with it, falling on the bed. She was a murderer. She deprived a girl of her future. She had to live with this thought for the rest of her life.
CHAPTER 33
Corby was afraid to go to school. There was Jane, Molly, and of course Jacob. There were teachers and students, who saw how she fell. Everyone was there. She walked as always, with her head down and her hands in her pockets, with her bag hanging from one shoulder. She didn’t feel even an ounce of the confidence that pleased her so much yesterday. She was now the center of attention, she was a star, she was popular. It was something all high school students wanted without exception. From being a nobody, to becoming somebody. From being nameless to finding a name. Corby wanted it, but not like this. One day everyone admired her because she stood up to a girl who harassed her and the next day everyone laughed at her because her yellow panties were put on display. Corby waited for the voice that haunted her last night, but it didn’t return.
All eyes were on Corby as she walked to her classroom. She could hear the whispers and laughter of the other students. Most of all she didn’t want to see Jane, and she didn’t, but when she had almost reached her destination, she realized she was about to cry. Again crying. Too many emotions, too much resentment. Halfway to the classroom, she turned and hurried to the bathroom. She perched over the toilet with her feet on the seat and gave way to tears, as so often before. She cried with her hands covering her mouth, so no one who entered would hear her. She cried out all her bitterness, fears, and stress. She cried until her eyes were dry.
When she came out of the stall to the sound of the first bell, she saw Jane, Molly and Abigail in front of her. Corby didn’t hear them entering and was so surprised by their appearance that she even hiccupped. Three girls, her enemies, stood silently, not moving, just staring at her.
Corby wiped her eyes with her fingers and tried to go around them, knowing they wouldn’t let her.
“Excuse me,” she said politely.
Molly blocked her way and Abigail clasped her hand over her mouth. Corby looked at Abigail and realized that this girl didn’t want to stay here and do what she was supposed to do. She agreed with the unspoken rules of their school and these rules required that she follow the leader. The leader in this case was Jane and no one was allowed to contradict her.
“Are you in a hurry?” Jane smiled.
“The bell rang,” Corby said. She wanted to look at the floor as before, pretend she was invisible, that she wasn’t here, but she forced herself to keep looking into the eyes of her opponent. It enraged Jane, because she abruptly stopped smiling.
“Whore,” she hissed. “Fat, dirty whore.”
Corby heard heavy breathing and looked at Abigail for a moment. She looked like she was about to faint or vomit.
“Look at this bitch. She put new shoes on as if that would change anything. There are folds of fat under that ugly jacket. You are a box of meat forever. Fat cow!
Look at you!”
Jane grabbed Corby’s jacket and pulled her down. Corby pushed her hand away, but Jane, with incredible speed, hit her on the shoulder so hard that Corby gasped.
“I’m not Payton,” Jane said. “I’ll fucking crush you.”
“I can crush her too! She just took me by surprise!” Molly protested.
“Shut up!” Jane snapped.
“Girls, let’s leave her alone.”
Molly and Jane both looked at Abigail like she was mad.
“I think this is too much,” an excellent student almost whispered and fell silent. It was clear that she would not say another word and Jane and Molly turned to Corby.
“Whore. What did you do with Glasgow? Did you fuck with him?” Jane asked.
“No,” Corby responded. She didn’t want them to doubt and say something to Jacob.
“You are a stupid cow,” Jane grinned. “I’m kidding. There’s not enough money in the world for him to have sex with someone like you. Fat pig.”
The door to the bathroom creaked and Jane turned to Abigail.
“Don’t let anyone in!”
The obedient girl rushed to the door, apologized to those who were behind it, and turned the lock. Corby felt bad for her. She didn’t want to be here. She was ashamed, or scared, or just sick.
“Fat pig,” Jane repeated thoughtfully, turning back to Corby as if remembering where she was at the moment. When she recalled the situation, her eyes sparkled. “He wouldn’t sleep with you even if you paid him. Whatever he told me was a joke. He just wanted to play hero for a second. It will pass. He did that to get my attention. He knows that I won’t hang out with a guy with no personality.”
Corby didn’t even realize when she chuckled. It happened suddenly.
“Is that funny to you?” Jane was taken aback. “What’s so funny, bitch?”
“Jacob doesn’t like you,” Corby said. She knew what she was saying and did it deliberately.
Jane and Molly exchanged glances. Abigail squeezed the door handle. Corby didn’t have to look at her. She saw everything perfectly with her peripheral vision.
“He likes me,” Corby continued, feeling each part of her body separately, like someone poured hot water on her gradually, like someone poured hot water inside her body.
“Are you sick?” Jane asked with hope, taking a step back and looking at Corby. Looking at her like she saw her for the first time in her life.
“He likes me and he kissed me.”
“He would never kiss you, dummy,” Jane said in a tone that Corby read as denial mixed with confidence.
“He kissed me and said I was beautiful.” Corby knew that Jane would tell Jacob what she said, but decided she would deny everything. She was sure that Jacob would believe her rather than someone from River’s gang.
“Shut up,” Jane hissed suddenly.
“He said he would rather eat a frog than kiss you,” Corby continued. She didn’t care what happened after this. She knew that she had won and that was enough. She won even if it was only for a few minutes. Jane was hurt. She felt resentment and injustice. She felt it and it was good even for a few minutes.
The victory lasted a few seconds. Jane growled and lunged at Corby, knocking her back, grabbing her hair.
“Oh no, no, Jane!” Abigail screamed. “Don’t! They’ll expel us from school.”
“Shut up!” Molly yelled, joining Jane.
Corby pushed them both away, despite Molly’s height and Jane’s karate lessons. Did she really study karate or was she lying? Corby was inclined to believe the latter. At the same time, her work in the shop had not been in vain. She didn’t even know how strong she was and started to laugh.
“Shut up, you fat bitch,” Jane screamed, rushing back to Corby. Corby couldn’t stop and continued to laugh, pushing Jane away again. Jane and Molly didn’t want to stop either and attacked Corby again. They beat her with their fists and finally knocked her down. Jane sat on top of Corby and grabbed her hair.
“Girls, are you crazy?” Abigail screamed. “You can’t do that! You’ll hurt her!”
Neither Jane nor Molly paid attention to her. Corby felt blows on her body until Abigail grabbed Jane by her arm and pulled her down, so that Corby could sit up and push Molly away from her. Molly flew to the sink and bellowed, hitting her head.
“Are you crazy?” Jane yelled at Abigail. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Fuck you, River!” Abigail said breathlessly. “I’m out. I don’t care about your fake popularity. I won’t even see you once school is over. No one knows who will be more popular—you or Mackentile.”
“Get out of here now!” Jane screamed. “I’ll talk to you later. You’ll regret your words.”
Abigail pursed her lips and took a step toward Corby. She couldn’t believe it when Abigail held out her hand. Corby grabbed it, got up, and looked at Jane who was puffing with anger and Molly who was sobbing.
“Grow up,” Abigail said to Jane. “Mackentile, wash your face. I’ll wait for you.”
“Thank you. You go ahead, I’ll come later,” Corby said.
“If you try to come after me, you are going to deal with my father,” Abigail said. “He’s not our principal and he doesn’t care about your father’s money. Leave her alone too. I can’t believe I got involved in this. Ugh.”
Abigail flew out of the bathroom.
“Bitch,” Jane hissed. “She’ll be sorry for this.” With those words, she turned to Corby. “It’s not over, Mackentile. Trust me. This is just the beginning. I dare you to tell anyone.”
“What will happen if I do?” Corby had to say. It was too tempting.
“You’ll see.”
Molly stopped crying at that moment and studied herself in the mirror, repairing her disheveled hair and makeup.
“She’ll be bruised,” she said, looking at Corby in the mirror.
“She fell,” Jane said and headed to the door. “I didn’t touch her face. Let’s go.”
Molly hurried after her leader and Corby went to the sink to wash her face.
A girl entered the bathroom, glanced at Corby, and disappeared inside a stall.
Corby remade her ponytail, straightened her sweater, and went out into the hallway. She decided not to go to the first class and instead went to the school yard, in the part of it that was not visible from the windows, where she sat on a bench facing the early sun.
She winced when she heard a rustling and opened her eyes.
Jacob sat beside her. He put his bag on his knees and gazed at the sky.
“You should be in class,” Corby said.
Jacob looked at her.
“I can’t think about classes or anything else, except ... I was looking for you. What happened?”
“What do you mean?”
“I heard there was a fight in the girls’ restroom. Someone said it was River. And you.”
Corby inspected the yard and sighed.
“Did you see her?” she asked.
“Not yet. Bitch. She’s such a bitch.”
“She promised to tell everyone that you and I ...” Corby looked down for a second. “You know. That we slept together. Probably because you stood up for me. Sorry.”
Jacob grimaced.
“I don’t care,” he said. “She can say whatever she wants and we don’t know who they will believe. But honestly, I don’t care.”
“You don’t care what she says or what they believe?”
“Not a bit. Not anymore. You know what? I like you. I’m sorry for what happened yesterday.”
Corby bit her lip.
“If Jane found out what happened to her friends…” Jacob said.
“Are you going to tell her?”
“Of course not. If I haven’t told anyone so far, I won’t.”
Corby looked at the ground, at the dust under her feet, at the grass that never turned yellow. For a while they just kept silent, listening to the roar of the engines on a nearby road.
�
��I didn’t sleep last night, thinking about everything I learned in the last days,” Jacob finally said. “Who could sleep under the circumstances?”
“Okay, I’m sorry,” Corby said.
“That’s not what I’m talking about.” Jacob grabbed Corby under her elbow and let her go right away. “Listen, you have to understand what I mean. Although, I think it’s much harder on you than on me. I wanted to say that I changed my opinion about what happened. I understand you and don’t judge.”
Perhaps it was logically correct to say thank you in this situation, but Corby didn’t. It was logical, but she didn’t understand the reason for saying it. She wasn’t waiting for Jacob’s approval, but it was definitely nice for him to say what he said. Whatever nice meant in a situation of murder.
“I even thought that you, to some extent, acted fairly. I repeat—to some extent.”
Corby looked at Jacob, wide-eyed.
“He’s lying to you!” The voice suddenly appeared, but Corby ignored it.
“Are you serious?” she asked.
“I don’t condone murder,” Jacob raised his hands up, “but I don’t judge you. I don’t know if I’m making sense. I honestly admire you. I couldn’t understand what I felt at first, but now I know. It’s admiration.”
Corby frowned and agreed with her inner voice. Jacob lied, of course he lied. What did he admire?
“I’ve thought a lot about you,” Jacob continued and his voice had changed. His eyes took the same expression as they did when Jane approached him. They were the eyes of a boy who liked a girl. At least that was what Corby read. She felt a shiver running down her spine. She was hot and wanted to move away. Or cuddle against his chest. She didn’t know how to describe or explain her emotions.
“You’re very much like my mother. I know it sounds strange, but it’s true. Not just ... you look like her, but something that comes from you. Some special energy, some power. Of course, you’re not my mom and I don’t treat you like her.” Jacob laughed and then spoke more quietly. “And you are very beautiful. True. You are beautiful, smart, and able to do something that few people can. Not that I’m saying someone else should do it. What will come out of it? But in general ... I don’t know what I’m saying. I want to say a lot, but my thoughts are confused or I repeat myself. I’m afraid I can’t explain. I like you, Corby Mackentile. I like you very much.”
Mean girl_A dark, disturbing psychological thriller Page 20
