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Do you know those scenes in the movies where the protagonist walks in the school halls like it's her runway and the people stop what they're doing to gawk at her? That's how I feel right now.

Except that the people's reactions are totally opposite.

It's like I have this large sign on my forehead entitled 'freak'. Watch the freak breathe! Watch the freak walk! Watch the freak eat! Watch the freak poop! I feel like I'm some kind of social suicide-slash-bully magnet.

Oh wait, it is kinda like that.

Once I made it to my locker, I found it graffitied with all kinds of insults. All in sharpie.

"Behold! The loner has finally arrived to the royally flushed locker!" Jeff Sanders, my only hater who ever talks to me in a nice way, leaned on the locker beside me. He was giving me one of his annoying smirks, the ones I put up with every single day.

I took my books in my locker and snapped it shut, making Jeff jump out of his place. I batted my lashes innocently at him. "What do you want, Jeff?"

He shrugged. "Oh nothing. Just seeing your ugly face completes my day, you know that?"

When I said that he was my only hater who talks to me in a nice way, I meant it. He was probably the only guy at school who didn't take his insults seriously and didn't cuss at me for being a freak.

"Try looking in the mirror. Your day would be totally complete before you even go to school!" I said my words in the cheeriest manner as possible. When he frowned, I dropped the cheery act and started walking away.

"I'll get back at ya, Vloski! Nobody calls me ugly!" I could practically see everyone around me back away from me in disgust.

I risked an insult and yelled back. "I just did!"

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You're probably curious about why the student body think I'm a freak and why they stay out of my way and never talk to me.

My friends, it's called condemnation.

Reason for condemnation?

She's right in front of me.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Geeky Vloski. The most popular loner in the entire SouthMinster Academy!"

I present to you, Hailie Walkins. Also known as the leader of the RoseWood clique, my ex best friend and my mortal enemy.

"Hi Hailie. I see you're all complete today. No allergic reactions yet?" I ask sarcastically. Hailie has six minions, and all of them are taters who always fail in academics but excel in bullying, being petty, and acting like Hailie's dogs. Oh and they're the winners in being overdressed all the time at school.

Berry, one of the minions, chose the wrong thing to answer. "Actually, Hailie's having the morning cold. We have to keep giving her tissues. Her snot keeps dripping."

The other minions stifled giggles while Hailie glared at Berry. "What did I tell you about not butting in, Betty?! Only I get to speak to the loner!"

Sheesh. She even gets her name wrong.

"Tsk tsk tsk. You're such a tyrant, Hailie. No wonder everyone's afraid of you." I said.

She averted her eyes to me, fists curled. "And you're such a loudmouth, you loner. No wonder I had to leave you behind! To this day, I'm still wondering how I coped up with you!"

I raised a finger. "Mind you, you were my accomplice in being a loudmouth before, Hailie."

If looks could kill and I were a cat, I'd have two lives left.

"You make me sick." She hissed.

I stopped myself from grabbing a handful of her platinum blonde hair and pulling it out. "What did I ever do to you, Hailie?! Back then, I never hurt you. I didn't fight with you. I was always a good friend to you!"

"Well you thought wrong, freak!" She spat, turning away and marching out of the classroom with her minions at her back.

Losers.

At lunch, I sat in my usual spot. By the dark corners of the cafeteria.

I silently ate my burger while watching the others laughing and chatting with each other in their own little groups.

I felt envious. Nobody bothers to sit down beside me. Not even the other loners who sit together. But I'd say they're not loners because they have companions with them! Unlike me who only has a little pink bear as a friend. Yup, I bring a bear to school because who else can I hug or be with?! It's not like it's forbidden to bring a stuffed thingy! Unless the school does and that would be a total nightmare for me and the other people who love cuddly and furry stuffed toys!

"I see you still have Maggie."

When I turned around, Hailie stood in front of me, arms crossed and lips in a straight line. Her stilettos tapped the marble floor impatiently, as if she was waiting for something. There was no sight of her minions behind or beside her.

I said the first thing I thought of. "Do I know you?"

She scrunched her brows. "Of course you do! I'm your best fri-"

"Ex best friend." I corrected.

"Whatevs. I'm your ex best friend and your mortal enemy!" she flailed her hands up in the air.

"It's a good thing you know your place." I said and turned my back on her.

"Gigi Vloski I demand that you turn and face me right now!" she hissed.

"In what order? Huh? What is so important that you have to bother me right now?!" I whisper-yelled at her. She put her hands on her hips.

"What I want you to do is to stop making me look like a fool! You're humiliating me! I'll lose my reputation!" She ordered.

I mockingly laughed. "You only came here to tell me to stop making you look bonkers? Ha! Like you didn't make me look bad when we were in middle school in front of the whole student body!" The real reason everybody hated me was because Hailie trash talked about me in middle school and poisoned their minds into thinking that I didn't deserve to be talked to. When I found out about it, since we were still best friends at the time, she never talked to me again. I didn't get to clear my name and so everyone believed all the bull she said.

"You are nothing more but a slimy attention-seeking freak who has nothing better to do in life but ruin everything!" She sneered, slapping me across the face and leaving me alone.

The burning pain on my cheek hurt, but the ache of the words of what was once my best friend hurt a lot more.

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Yeah not the best I had in mind but eh...

I made a few changes in the story btw. If you didn't notice, then at least it's easier to understand.

If you think things are too fast or too slow, please do tell me! I'll try my best to make it the way it should be.

Thanks for reading, loves!

xoxo

~Naf ♡