Weaving Destinies

After Precalc, I went back to my locker. Kiyoshi was already there. Instead of asking if my teacher had told any good jokes, she said, “Are you doing okay, Livvy?”

“I would be,” I muttered, “except everywhere I turn, someone is talking about me! I hate it! It’s like the first week of school all over again!”

“Don’t worry. They’ll get bored and talk about something else soon.”

“I hope so. I can’t believe I still have two more years left in this miserable place.” I saw that Kiyoshi was acting sort of weird, twisting the strands of her short light-brown hair with her finger and looking away.

“Oh, no,” I groaned. “Let me guess: you started a few rumors yourself, didn’t you?”

“Well, people wanted to know what happened, and I was there, and I just started explaining, and… I’m sorry! I wanted to clear things up!”

“I can’t believe it. I just can’t stand it anymore. I want to transfer!” I moaned. I leaned back against the wall, trying to figure out a way to just escape from my problems. I needed a good anti-depressant cocktail, but they wouldn’t give those to me anymore. Sure, it made sense that they didn’t want me to get addicted, but they weren’t the ones who constantly had to deal with this. I wanted anything that would numb the pain.

“I’m really sorry!” Kiyoshi stood next to me, feeling guilty for her actions.

“It’s not you, Kiyoshi. I know you were just looking out for me,” I smiled to reassure her. “But I do wish that everyone would just shut up.”

After giving me a piece of gum to make me feel better, Kiyoshi walked to her next class while I went to U.S. History. As soon as class began, I looked up from my planner and saw Alec talking to the teacher at the front of the room.

“Oh, please God, no! Please don’t let this be happening!” I whispered under my breath. Everyone was looking from me to him and back to me. It was hard to hear what everyone was saying, but I didn’t like the things that I could hear.

“You know, I can never even hear myself think over you!” the teacher said loudly. I rolled my eyes.

“Class, this is Alec. He is new to this school and our class, so any threatening comments towards him will result in being sent to the counselor’s office,” the teacher said. Just as I expected: protect the poor, vulnerable new student. Who cared about me? I should have a “support system” by now, considering these had been my peers since middle school. No one seemed to take into consideration that my “support system” had completely disbanded, leaving me with only my parents and Kiyoshi.

“Alec, you may choose your own seat until I can get a seating assignment ready, which probably won’t be until next week,” she told him. Alec gave a polite smile and started walking towards me. I turned and stared with horror at the empty seat on my left.

“Oh, please tell me this isn’t happening!” I moaned inwardly. I felt like I was going to be sick.

But Alec had already sat down beside me, and class began. Throughout the lesson, Alec hissed “Faith!” to me, but I ignored him. My parents often told me that a bully would stop if you just ignored them, and although I knew it wasn’t true, I also knew it was better than provoking them. Finally, when class was almost over, Alec scribbled a note on a piece of notebook paper. He shoved it into my hand when the bell rang before I could object.

I went back to my locker and got ready to go home. I also decided to read the note. Maybe he was apologizing, saying that he had just done it because he wanted to impress the other guys. He was new, after all. He needed to make his own “support system.”

My dearest Faith, I do not understand your actions, yet I do trust that you have good reason for them. I need to speak with you. I will wait for you outside, by those rather large yellow cars.
My deepest love and affection,
Alec

“That’s funny,” I said out loud, frowning.

“What is?” Kiyoshi looked at the note. I gave it to her. When she finished reading it, she exclaimed, “This is so weird! He’s acting like he knows you or something! This must be part of his stupid prank. What a little twit.”

“I know. I was hoping that this note might be an apology, but it looks like he’s planning to further increase his coolness factor by tormenting me,” I sighed.

“Livvy! You can’t go outside!” Kiyoshi stopped me before I could walk out the doors. “He said that he’d wait for you by the buses.”

“But I ride the bus! How else am I supposed to get home?” I asked.

“I don’t know, but do you want to be humiliated again?” Kiyoshi demanded. I shook my head. “Then we have to find some way to get you to your bus without him seeing you!”

We crept outside and crouched behind some bushes. Alec was standing right in the center of the sidewalk, searching the crowd impatiently for me. I saw my bus right behind him and motioned to Kiyoshi. She nodded, understanding what had to be done.

Kiyoshi stood up and walked over to a group of gossiping girls. They had apparently not seen Alec yet. I followed, and she turned around and said loudly, “Hey, isn’t that Alec?”

“Where?” one girl screeched. I pointed to Alec, and the entire group ran over, giggling the entire way. I hid myself behind their group and managed to slip past unnoticed. I sighed thankfully as I got on the bus, but I had a bad feeling that this wasn’t the end of my ordeal with Alec. I had more of a feeling that it was just beginning.