She's With Me

by Jessica Cunsolo

  I’m about to text Charlotte, but then I remember that she has the calculus test this period with Chase, so her phone is in the basket at the front of the room. Annalisa’s phone is off, but she’s long gone from school by now, judging by what happened at lunch. I don’t have any other girl’s number, and it’s not like I can ask one of the Boys. Since I’m in the middle of my spare period, no one else is in the bathroom to ask for help.

  Making a quick run to the convenience store down the road, I buy the only box they have in stock—a giant, hulking package of fifty—and make it back to school and out of the bathroom just as the bell rings.

  I hate being late, but since starting here, it seems like it’s an everyday occurrence. Abandoning going to my locker, I shove the open box of tampons into my shoulder bag and head to sociology class—the one I share with Mason, Noah, and Aiden. Oh, and Kaitlyn and Makayla.

  I get there before the bell and sit down beside Mason. Aiden sits behind us, an empty chair beside him where Noah would be.

  “I miss him.” I look longingly at the empty chair.

  “Class is definitely going to be less enjoyable without being able to laugh at his stupid comments,” Mason agrees.

  “I’ll text him to come get ice cream with us after school today.”

  Mason shakes his head at me. “The kid’s at home with a concussion.”

  “A mild concussion,” I correct him. “He won’t pass up an opportunity for free ice cream.”

  “Especially if Mason’s paying,” Aiden adds.

  Aiden’s being weird today. Contributing to normal conversations? He could barely even look at me without a scowl on his face last week. He even smirked at me today. Multiple times! Maybe I’m wearing down his gruff exterior and he’s starting to like me, or at least feel more comfortable around me. It’s just a theory.

  Mason mumbles about us being lucky he doesn’t back out of promises when Kaitlyn walks by, glaring at me the whole time. She sends Aiden a wink, but other than that, she doesn’t cause any trouble. Near the end of class, Mr. Rogers calls me up to the front to collect my homework from last week.

  I place my bag on my desk and head to the front to grab my paper. On my way back, just before I get to my desk, one of Kaitlyn’s friend’s shoots her leg out into my path. I narrowly dodge her leg, and look back at her with a triumphant smile. Ha! Take that!

  But my victory is short lived—as soon as I look back at her, I slam right into my desk. My open bag goes flying to the floor, and I steady myself, narrowly avoiding tumbling over the desk.

  The whole class is looking at me, some with stunned faces, and some trying not to laugh. I hear a gasp and suddenly some giggles. Soon most of the class is trying to hide their amusement or looking embarrassed for me.

  I’m confused. What’s embarrassing about stumbling? I do it all the time. Mason’s quietly chuckling, and even Aiden’s usually stormy gray eyes are light with amusement.

  Kaitlyn shouts, “God, Amelia, do you need any more tampons?”

  Oh.

  My open bag is sprawled out on the floor, and laying a few feet away from it, clear for everyone to see, is the open tampon box that puked out forty-nine tampons, scattered everywhere.

  Totally the worst day ever.

  Twenty-four hours later, my bad luck’s continuing. I’m late getting to school because of traffic and the majority of the parking spaces are all filled up.

  “Yes! You’re all mine, baby,” I say to the open spot in a prime location right near the front door. But when I’m about to pull in, a blur of bright red speeds past me, cutting me off. Slamming the breaks, my seat belt locks, preventing my head from going through the windshield.

  “What the actual hell?!”

  A cherry-colored convertible Porsche just parked in my spot. The owner gets out, and all my questions are answered. Kaitlyn throws her hair over her shoulder and wiggles her fingers at me in a taunting wave. Her malicious eyes shine with victory as she slams the driver’s-side door, struts up the stairs, and goes through the front doors.

  Seriously? Is this her following through with her promise of tormenting me for not staying away from Aiden?

  Please, bitch. You’re going to have to try harder than that.

  Turns out, she did try harder than that; a little too hard if you ask me.

  After having to park a good five-minute walk from the front door, I meet Charlotte at her locker and tell her what happened with Kaitlyn as we head over to my locker together.

  Charlotte scoffs, “She loves that car. I swear, she treats it better than she treats people. Ever since her dad bought her that Porsche, she drives around like she owns this town.”

  There’s a huge crowd of students in the hall where my locker is, all gawking at something.

  “What’s going on?” Charlotte asks as we shove our way through the sea of students. She gasps. Tampons—taped by their strings—hang down, covering the front of my floor-to-ceiling locker. There are so many of them that the metal of my locker isn’t even visible. Some are still in the little plastic applicator, but the majority are bare, a lot are red with—

  “Is that blood?” Charlotte breathes, looking a little sick.

  “That’s disgusting. That better be paint,” I reply.

  On the wall directly above my locker is a sign that reads: Amelia Collins’s Tampon Drive, with an arrow pointing down.

  “Who would do—Kaitlyn?” Charlotte suspects.

  “That’d be my first guess.”

  As if just saying her name summons her, Kaitlyn appears from the crowd, the rest of her friends right behind her. People move back a little to give us some more room.

  Kaitlyn gives me a triumphant smirk. “What do you think of our generosity, Amelia?”

  I’m stunned. She didn’t even bother denying the fact that she orchestrated this whole thing. She just got here, so she must have gotten her friends to come early and do it. She’s proud of it. She wants everyone to know what she’s capable of, and publicly humiliating me is her proof.

  “Your generosity?” I’m bewildered.

  “After yesterday, we realized just how many tampons you need. So, being the kindhearted people we are, we decided to help you out.” She turns to the crowd of students and announces, “Students of King City High! Let’s show that there’s no limit to our generosity! If you have a tampon, step forward and contribute to our tampon drive for Amelia Collins. It doesn’t even need to be new!”

  I might throw up. Before anyone can react, a loud, furious voice booms from the crowd, “If anyone even thinks about doing that, I’ll beat you so hard the doctor who delivered you will feel it!”

  The startled crowd parts for the source of the voice, and Aiden steps toward me, looking ferocious. His deadly gray eyes meet my slightly traumatized hazel ones, and they seem to darken even more. Noah and Mason step from the crowd, both looking hostile as they scan the scene before them.

  Aiden turns his murderous gaze to the crowd. “Get to class, now!”

  Everyone scatters like someone detonated a bomb, and soon me, Aiden, Charlotte, Mason, Noah, and Kaitlyn and her friends are the only ones in the hall.

  Kaitlyn pouts. “Aiden! Way to ruin the fun.”

  “You have a problem, Kaitlyn.” Mason stands beside me and wraps an arm around my waist, hauling me close to show his support.

  “I did warn you,” Kaitlyn asserts, looking at her nails like this is just any other day and she didn’t just humiliate me in front of the entire school. “I guess this warning extends to you now, too, Charlotte.”

  Noah steps in front of Charlotte, as if he can protect her from Kaitlyn’s venomous gaze.

  “I can’t believe you went to all this effort just to make a point,” I hiss.

  “I take a stand for what I believe in. Plus, I promised I’d make your life a living hell, and I’m good at doi
ng that. I never back down from my word.”

  “Well, I’m even better at keeping mine.” Aiden steps in front of me and Mason, power and dominance radiating from him. “Go near Amelia or Charlotte again, and you’ll have me to deal with. And you definitely won’t enjoy that, I promise you.”

  Something in Aiden’s threatening tone must register with Kaitlyn and her girls because their eyes widen. I guess his ruthless reputation filled in the unsaid threats, and Kaitlyn’s girls start leaving. Kaitlyn gives me one last hate-filled glare before turning with Makayla and heading out of sight.

  Mason brings his hand to my cheek, turning me to look directly into his chocolate-brown eyes.

  “Are you okay?” he asks softly, stroking my cheek with his thumb.

  Out of the corner of my eye, Aiden gives us an unidentifiable look. He turns around and rips down the sign above my locker with ease.

  “Yeah, I’m okay. Thanks.” I wiggle out of his intimate hold and turn to Charlotte. “I’m so sorry if I just dragged you into this.”

  “I’m not scared of her,” she clarifies. “Plus, you didn’t even do anything. She’s just crazy.”

  “Crazier than a PMSing girl with caffeine withdrawal who ran out of tampons and got locked out of her favorite coffee shop,” Noah says. We all glare at him. “What? Too soon for period jokes?”

  I shake my head at him. “Why are you even here? Aren’t you supposed to be on bed rest for the week?”

  “What? After you told me about what happened yesterday, there was no way I was missing out on all the fun!” he explains. “Best decision ever.”

  During this exchange with Noah, Aiden walks to the nearest garbage bin, throws the now-ripped-up sign into it, and drags the bin to my locker.

  The five of us stand in a line beside each other, quizzically looking at my locker.

  “Do you think it’s real blood?” Charlotte asks.

  Noah sticks his hand out, swiping his finger on a tampon covered with red liquid, and puts that finger in his mouth. The four of us stand there with hanging jaws, too shocked to process what just happened.

  “Just as I thought,” Noah announces. “It’s ketchup.”

  “What if it was blood?!” Charlotte exclaims, looking slightly nauseated.

  “But it wasn’t,” Noah deadpans.

  “But what if it was?!” she repeats.

  “But it wasn’t,” he emphasizes.

  That concussion seriously messed with Noah’s head. Maybe he shouldn’t even be at school right now.

  “Do you really think Kaitlyn and company would touch a dirty tampon?” he adds.

  Or maybe Noah’s a lot smarter than we give him credit for.

  8

  It’s lunch, and the group is at our usual table. I’m sitting between Charlotte and Mason, with Annalisa directly in front of me. I told her, Julian, and Chase what happened, as they hadn’t seen my locker this morning.

  “I wish I was there so I had a valid reason to break her face.” Annalisa stabs her pasta with her fork.

  “I can’t believe she’s doing this just because she doesn’t like you around Aiden,” Chase remarks from the other side of Charlotte. Aiden’s eyes darken but he doesn’t say anything.

  “Well, I did bitch at her a couple of times, but she started it!” I defend myself. “I just hope Charlotte isn’t dragged into this now.”

  Chase’s head snaps over to meet my eyes, suddenly very alert. “What do you mean?”

  Noah fills him in. “Kaitlyn was all, Ohh, since Amelia and Charlotte are best friends, imma go after both of you.”

  No one else notices, but I catch Chase subtly moving a little closer to Charlotte. Aiden’s keen eyes didn’t miss that small action either. He’s perceptive, and I don’t miss the fact that I’m the only one who catches it.

  “She’s batshit crazy anyway; she doesn’t need a reason to torment someone,” Charlotte states. “Plus, I was brought into this the second she decided to mess with my best friend.”

  “Me too,” Annalisa states, and the others murmur and nod in agreement, and Mason throws his arm around my shoulder.

  “No one fucks with my k-bear,” Mason announces confidently.

  My heart swells. Never has a group of people stood by me and supported me like this. I’ve had friends before, of course, but not like this—nothing that felt like they had my back, no matter what was thrown at them.

  I lean my head affectionately on Mason’s strong shoulder. “Thanks, guys, but there’s no need for anyone to get involved. I just need to think of how to get back at her.”

  “Like hell we won’t get involved! Fuck with my friend and you fuck with me!” Noah declares.

  Annalisa nods. “Let’s just corner her and break her nose.”

  “We don’t hit girls, Anna,” Aiden informs her, putting his phone away.

  “I know you guys don’t, but I don’t have a problem doing that!” Annalisa clarifies.

  Julian sighs. “You know you can’t do that, babe.”

  Annalisa gives her boyfriend an irritated look. “You know just as well as I do that I’m perfectly capable of breaking her nose.”

  I lift my head from Mason’s shoulder to look at him when he speaks. “No one doubts that you can break her nose, it’s just that you can’t.”

  “Her mom is the principal, which means Kaitlyn pretty much gets away with everything,” Noah explains, more for my benefit than anyone else’s.

  “Charlotte told me that the first day of school,” I say.

  “Basically, if you touch a hair on Kaitlyn’s head, you’re screwed,” Mason explains.

  “You’re telling me I can’t do anything about it? Not even get even?” I say.

  Noah shakes his head. “Even the smallest thing she’ll go crying to her mom.”

  “Once, this girl Kaitlyn didn’t like accidentally spilt coffee on her shirt.” Julian leans forward. “Kaitlyn ran to her mom and said the girl attacked her and threw scorching hot coffee at her for no reason. Kaitlyn’s followers obviously backed her up. That girl got suspended.”

  “It’s so unfair,” Charlotte huffs.

  I refuse to accept the fact that I can’t do anything about Kaitlyn. If there’s one thing about me that has never changed, it’s that I don’t take shit from anyone. It’s what’s kept me alive this long. I’m programmed to stand up for myself, and daughter of the principal or not, I will get even with Kaitlyn.

  “Amelia?”

  Aiden rarely contributes to conversations when Charlotte and I are around, so when he does, he gets our full attention. “What are you thinking?”

  He didn’t miss how I was deep in thought, calculating my revenge. And in that moment, I’m struck by how alike we actually are.

  “I’m thinking that Kaitlyn’s shit out of luck. I don’t care who her mother is and there’s no way in hell I’m letting her get away with this,” I say.

  Annalisa’s diabolical smile fills her face. “That’s what I’m talking about! What can we do?”

  “You’ll get suspended!” The always practical Julian tries to talk some sense into us.

  “Not if it’s so subtle she’ll have nothing to rat about,” I say, my mind already reeling with possibilities. And then I’ve got it, and a huge grin spreads across my face—my friends look at one another and then lean in . . .

  During our spare fifth period, Annalisa and I drive to the dollar store to get the supplies we need.

  “We need one of those big envelopes that you practically have to claw open once it’s sealed,” I tell her.

  We grab it and a few other things before paying and driving back to school.

  “I love this idea. It’s so harmless yet subtly annoying it’s genius!” she exclaims from the passenger seat of my car.

  “Best part is, if she goes crying to her mom, what’s she goin
g to say?”

  “She can’t! It doesn’t hurt anyone, just annoys the hell out of you.” Annalisa says. “You have such a way of subtly screwing with people. I tend to go right for the violence, which will get me in trouble one day.”

  I laugh. “What can I say? It’s a gift.”

  Now that we have the supplies, I hope that Aiden will cooperate for part two; he wasn’t keen when we talked about it briefly at lunch.

  When last period starts, Noah and I turn around in our seats to face Aiden and Mason. We’re huddled close. Fortunately, Mr. Rogers is one of the most disinterested teachers I’ve ever had. He just assigns homework and doesn’t care if we work with others as long as we hand it in by the due date.

  I’m currently leaning in close to Aiden so that no one will overhear our conversation. When I ask him for help, he flat out refuses again.

  “Come on, Aiden! When have I ever asked you for anything?!” I plead.

  He pretends to be deep in thought. “Well, you’ve asked me to fuck off a couple of times.”

  “Aiden, if we’re going to do this, we have to do it now!” I say urgently.

  Kaitlyn and her friends are currently oblivious to the rest of the class, sharing a laptop and scrolling through some website, their headphones plugged in.

  “Come on, man! It’ll be hilarious!” Noah prods Aiden.

  “Fine,” Aiden grumbles. “Give me the stupid envelope.”

  “Yay!” I take the envelope out of my bag and discreetly hand it over to Aiden along with a black sharpie.

  He takes the marker and writes Kaitlyn’s name on the front in his bold, identifiable handwriting. I quickly take the envelope back from him and shove it into my shoulder bag. Now, for the last part of the plan.

  “Mr. Rogers!” I thrust my hand up in the air, grabbing the attention of the rest of the class.

  He looks up from his laptop screen. “What?”

  “Can I go to the bathroom?” I ask.

  “What? Time to change your tampon already, Amelia?” Kaitlyn sneers.

  Mason, Noah, and surprisingly even Aiden, all turn to glare at her.