I Spun the Bottle

I Spun the Bottle: Chapter Two

Song for this chapter: “Misery” by Maroon 5

She didn’t show me the picture right away, and it was starting to eat at me from the inside. She watched me, clearly amused with my anxious expression. Why didn’t she show it to me already? I gave a fleeting look at the cell phone that she held protectively in her hand. She wiggled it sideways when she noticed I was looking at it. She then looked at the photo and smirked, tapping it with her perfectly manicured fingers.

“Are you going to show me or not?” I asked, finally giving into the taunting.

“Sure,” she purred, smiling mischievously.

Right then she stretched her fair skinned arm out to me, and directed the screen of the phone to my face. At first, I didn’t recognize the girl in the photo, but finally the image finally sunk into my mind. It was me. This photo was taken over three years ago, when I was still in middle school.

My cheeks flamed when I looked at the rest of the photo. I had my shirt and pants taken off, showing me in my undergarments. I immediately clawed at the phone, trying to take it away from Taylor. She pulled her arm back before I could I could get a good grasp at the phone. When did this happen? I don’t even remember doing this!

Taylor chuckled, sinisterly. I don’t know what it was about her laugh, but it sent shivers down my spine. “Do you remember this?”

When I didn’t reply, she said. “I believe this was in eighth grade. David, my boyfriend, had accidently spilled some milk on your clothes. So, you grabbed your gym clothes and changed in the locker room thinking it was empty.” She smiled. “But, it wasn’t.”

My eyes widened when I recalled that memory. I couldn’t believe Taylor had this picture of me all this time, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to use it against me.

“So, are you going to do as I asked?” She inquired, quite satisfied with her photo.

I bit my lower lip, hard, trying to think of a way to get out of this. “No.”

“Really? So, you wouldn’t mind if somehow, my fingers slipped and sent this message to everyone in my contacts? Hmm?” Taylor arched her perfectly plucked eyebrow at me, and I looked away with annoyance.

I got out of her Porsche and stalked towards the school building. I didn’t know what to do, but I’d have to think about something and fast.

“I’ll give you till the end of the school day, and then I want your answer!” Taylor called to me, in her overconfident voice.

Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!

I couldn’t believe she actually had something this big against me. I just thought she’d have some sort of lame excuse but—but this was unbelievable!

I went straight to the girl’s bathroom, ignoring the fact that I was already late for English. I breathed heavily as I thought about what I was going to do. I only had a few hours to think of an answer for Taylor, and knew that I was leaning towards the answer yes. I couldn’t let her do this to me, but I didn’t want the whole school seeing me practically naked in a picture. Slowly, I looked up into the mirror; sweat had formed all over my forehead. I wiped my brow with the back of my hand and then turned on the water. By cupping my hands together under the faucet, water filled them. I then splashed some of the water onto my face, trying to calm myself down.

I didn’t know how long I stayed in the bathroom, but when the bell rang signaling that first hour was over, I groaned. I missed my first class great, just great.

Just as I left the bathroom, a group of popular girls piled in behind me. Taylor was part of the group, and she shot me a smug smile.

“Tik tock, tick tock,” she muttered, just as she passed me.

I rolled my eyes and kept walking, not slowing my pace dow. I went to my locker first to pick up my textbook. I opened my locker with so much force that the door crashed into the locker right next to mine.

“Sorry,” I said under my breath.

I pulled out my Algebra two book, and shut my door, not even bothering to lock it. I was in a horrible mood just because of some blackmail. In my mind there were only two options I had.

My first option was to tell Taylor I’d go with her and probably get into loads of trouble, or option number two, which is to tell Taylor I wouldn’t go with her and have my almost completely naked body shown to people all around school.

This absolutely sucked.

I was so consumed with my two options I hadn’t realized that I had made it to my next class already. I was sitting in my assigned seat, which was in the corner, staring blankly at the white board. This was my least favorite class. I hated math, always have and I always will.

Most of the time, I spent this class just doodling on my notebook or working on some homework that I didn’t finish last night. But this time I spent the time just thinking about my two opposite options.

“Carolyn Summers?” A voice pulled me abruptly out of my thoughts.

I looked up from my notebook and saw Mr. Harrington staring at me with his disappointment in his eyes. Mr. Harrington was one of the oldest teachers at our school, and he’d been teaching here for about forty-five years. He was very old, and so skinny he looked like a stick like that had grown into an awkward shape.

“Yes?”

“I said can you solve the problem on the board?” He said, using his boney fingers to point to it.

I shifted my gaze to the board. I had no idea what was written on the board. I tried to figure it out, but I gave up within the minute. I knew the reason why Mr. Harrington picked me. It was because I wasn’t paying attention, but could he blame me? I bet if he was in the position I was in now, he’d be just as distracted.

“I don’t know the answer,” I bit my lower lip, taking my eyes away from the board.

“Right and do you know why?”

“Because I wasn’t paying attention,” I muttered quietly under my breath. My cheeks were heating up from the sudden attention I was getting from everyone. Even Caleb, the school slacker who always slept in this class looked up and watched me with interest.

I hardly ever got in trouble, and when everyone stared at me like this, I felt very uncomfortable.

“Mr. H, I know the answer to the question,” a new voice announced.

I turned my head over just a bit to get a good look at the person. It was David Stokes. He was the person that spilled his milk on me “accidently” in eighth grade. He was the reason why I am in this mess in the first place. He’s the person that made me get in trouble. Him.

David was the person that Taylor was going out with. He was cocky, arrogant, and he could be annoying sometimes. I hardly ever talked to him since we were in different cliques, but he always seemed to be the person that couldn’t shut up. Now, he was trying to kiss-up to Mr. Harrington.

“Is that so? Then go ahead and tell us,” Mr. Harrington looked at me. “And Carolyn, you should pay attention like David.”

“Okay,” I said, looking back down to my notebook.

I sunk lower and lower into my seat, trying to throw away the embarrassment I had just gotten. This literally had to be the worst day in my life, and it wasn’t even half-way over yet.

Once the bell rang, telling all the students that second period was finished, I stormed out of the classroom as fast as I possibly could.

“Hey, wait up,”

I figured that person wasn’t talking to me, so I just kept walking down the hall. It wasn’t until I felt a hand touch my shoulder that I turned around.

David.

“What?” I snapped feeling already irritated that he was standing right in front of me.

“I just wanted to ask you something,” he smirked, amused with my reaction.

I knew I was being too mean to him. It was something he did such a long time ago, and he probably did just do it accidently.

“Taylor told me you’re her new pet,” he grinned, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “So, I was wondering if you’d do my math homework for me, you know?”

My face felt like it had just been slapped. Just when I was about to forgive him, he asks for me to do his freaking homework? Can this day get any worse?

“No,” I sputtered, turning on my heels to walk away, utterly irritated.

How much of a jerk can a guy be!?

“Hey, I was just kidding, sheesh!” David sighed, catching up to me pace.

I tried walking faster, but his longer legs made me seem like I was going slower than him. I knew he wasn’t going to leave me alone. “Why are you talking to me? Why don’t you find your girlfriend what’s her face, Taylor.”

“What I can’t talk to her new lapdog? I didn’t really like her old one. She always seemed just too eager to do Taylor’s work, not even putting up a little fight. What was her name again? Cece?” He mused over his thoughts for a moment. “Oh that’s right, Gigi!”

“There’s no one in this school named Gigi.”

“Sure there is. Or at least that’s what Taylor called her,” he smirked again, and this time I rolled me eyes.

Taylor renames the people that she uses as a slave? If she does then I’m definitely not going to tell her yes. I liked my name just the way it was. Who knows what type of name she’d give me.

“Hey, Davy,” a redheaded guy came up to David. He then looked down at me and smiled. “So, this is the new pup, huh?”

“Yep, she seems smart, right?” David replied to his friend.

“Mhmm, and she’s not too bad on the eyes either unlike Gigi,” he added, winking his eye at me.

I blushed at his comment involuntarily. That was the first time anyone’s ever said a compliment to me, and I wasn’t prepared for it.

“My name is Cameron, nice to meet ya.” The redheaded guy stuck his hand out to me.

I shook it, and said. “My name is Carolyn, but you can call me Lyn, it’s nice to meet you too.”

I liked this guy better than David somehow, he seemed nicer, and he even said I was pretty. Easy on the eyes does mean I’m pretty right?

“Well Lyn, you can call me Cam then.”

I nodded, and gave him a shy smile. I wasn’t used to talking to guys, well except for my brother, but he didn’t count.

“Well, look at this. I see my two best friends flirting with a pretty lady without me.”

I turned around to see another person walking towards us. I knew this guy. He was in my English class. His name was Jace. He had dark brown, curly hair that he liked to play with when he’s bored. He sat right in front of me, but I doubted he knew who I was.

“How rude,” he pouted just as he got closer to us.

He looked at me and gave me a dazzling smile. I thought he was going to shake my hand just like Cameron did, but instead he pulled me into a hug. I struggled to get out of his grasp. He was crushing my lungs, not letting any oxygen in or out of them.

“Oh, oops, sorry,” Jace said, releasing me from his extremely tight embrace.

“It’s okay. It’s, uhm, nice to meet you.” I smiled, while still trying to regain my breath.

“You too, cutie pie,” he smiled a little, and then winked at me. “The name’s Jace.”

“Lyn,” I said, feeling my cheeks heat up again.

I was sort of confused. Why were these people talking to me? They didn’t seem to know that I wasn’t one of them. They were the popular people at the school, and I was just a nerd. I was one of the outcast people and yet, they talked to me like I was almost a friend of them.

“So, are you going to the party, Lyn?” Cameron asked, his eyes glinting with excitement.

“Uhm, I don’t know yet. But, with Taylor blackmailing me and all, I might have to.” I said, hinting at them that I was being blackmailed.

“Great, then I guess we’ll see you there?” Cameron clapped his hands together happily.

I frowned when he seemed completely oblivious to the fact that I said blackmail. They must be used to Taylor’s pawns being blackmailed. I thought they were going to help me, but I guess not.

“So, what does the queen bee have against you?” David inquired, looking curious.

When he asked that, the other two boys looked at me curiously too. I would not tell them what she had against me. If I did, I’d probably die of embarrassment. If three guys found out, and that embarrassed me, what would I do if the entire school found out?

“Uhm, it’s nothing,” I lied. It was definitely something.

“I doubt that. When Taylor has something against someone, it’s always something big,” David said, running his hand through his dark hair.

That’s for sure.

“Well Lyn, I hope we see you at the beach party tonight,” Cameron smiled before giving me a quick hug.

“Sure,” I mumbled into his shirt, not exactly thrilled about the idea.

“I’ll see ya later,” the redhead said to me before rounding a corner, his red head disappearing from sight.

“Well, I better get going too. My class is on the other side of the school.” Jace pointed behind him.

I nodded and watched him walk the opposite direction from us.

“Well that was fun, huh?”

It honestly wasn’t that bad. They were friendly at the very least, and they treated me just like a friend…almost.

“It was okay.” I answered truthfully.

Maybe going to the beach party won’t be as bad as long as I had people like them to talk to. Just maybe.