Chapter 18

Warning, this story contains dark scenes with graphic detail that some readers may find distressing.

The school bell rang for lunch. Taylor and I made our way to the cafeteria, I could tell that Taylor was on edge. Something was on her mind. I just figured it was the whole ghost hunting we were about to embark on later that day.
We settled on the table, that Kingsley the first time we had met insisted was his. I scanned the whole expanse of the cafeteria, gazing at the students who seemed to be focused on doing their own things. At this point I was paranoid beyond measure. Everything seemed normal. I couldn’t help but feel paranoid, I had heard the whispers throughout the day. “Freak, Murder, loser.” The names had gone on. I had no doubt in my mind that Victoria had started the rumors.
“Do you want me to go ahead and get lunch? I’ll get some for you, so you don’t have to leave the table.” Taylor offered. She then shrugged, “Eh, no one’s going to sit here anyway.” I knew what she was doing. Saving me from having to stand closer than necessary to the rest of the students and hear more of their vile words. I was grateful for that. More than she could ever know.
I smiled. “You can go ahead. I’ll have what you’re having.” I wasn’t really hungry; my stomach was twisting into knots.
“Okay!”
Taylor left the table and made her way to the lunch line. Just as my racing mind was calming down from the thoughts of Victoria, my heart dropped to my stomach at the sight of her walking towards me angrily.
“You!” She exclaimed.
“Oh boy,” I whispered to myself.
“The nerve you have showing your face in this school!” She exclaimed. Her loud voice had brought attention to a few students nearby.
“Please, Victoria, we can just talk this out formally—” I told her softly, but she cut me off.
“No! You ran away, went to live with your new friend, probably talking shit about me and my family and then you sent four boys to sabotage our home!” She exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at me. “We did nothing but care for you even what after you did!”
By this time, everyone was already looking at us. What was she talking about? I hadn’t sent anyone to her home. Then it hit me. The errand the boys had to run yesterday. How could I have been so stupid. All they had done was cause more problems for me.
“Victoria, there’s no need to make a scene.” I warned her, wishing a black hole would open and swallow me up.
“I don’t care! Everyone should know who you are and what they have brought into this school!” She exclaimed. She then looked around, her wild eyes clearly enjoying the attention.
“Do you all want to know who this girl is??” She asked the crowd. Everyone has already stopped talking, looking at us, while some stopped walking and stood to look at us.
“This girl is a murderer! She killed her own parents, the police found her with their blood in her hands, and she has just gotten out of the psych ward! My parents only took her in because she had no one else, unfortunately she is family and now she’s got the guts to leave home and talk shit about my family! She hurt my father, the sheriff—” I had done nothing of the sort.
“Hey, hey, hey!” Taylor quickly cut her babbling, the crowd making way for Taylor as she made her way towards us. She now stood in front of Victoria who was now breathing heavily. My eyes stung from tears I refused to shed. I didn’t want to give Victoria the satisfaction.
“Talk shit about Lilly again and you will be eating from a straw for the rest of your sad miserable life.” Taylor told her quietly, pushing Victoria back with only her pointer finger.
“Taylor don’t be brainwashed by this bitch. One wrong move living with this girl, and she’ll probably have your blood on her hands too! Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Victoria told her loudly, clearly wanting everyone else to hear her.
A hard slap against skin could be heard across the cafeteria which made everyone gasp. From where I sat, Victoria had her hand up on her cheek, and I could see Taylor’s hand turning red and stinging from the hard impact.
“What did you just do…?” Victoria asked quietly as she slowly tilted her head back to meet Taylor.
“You deserved that. For talking shit about my best friend and causing an unnecessary scene.” Taylor replied loudly. “You call yourself the daughter of our town’s sheriff? Well, you don’t look like one. You’re behaving like a child with no disciplinary upbringing.”
“How dare you!”
I watched as Victoria raised her hand and was about to hit Taylor and my legs instinctively pushed myself up from my seat to stop her. As if in perfect timing, I was able to hold her wrist from nearing Taylor’s face.
“Don’t you even dare!” I warned her.
She could only smirk. “And what are you going to do? Kill me? You can’t just kill anyone who doesn’t give you what you want, Lilith.”
“That’s enough!”
A loud, deep voice boomed inside the cafeteria that made everyone stop. It only took a few seconds for the crowd to move to make way for the Fab Four.
The air around them was quickly filled with authority as I watched students around them gaze at them with wide eyes filled with amazement and terror. Even Victoria and Taylor stopped to look at them, and now only did I realize that I was still gripping Victoria’s arm. I harshly yanked her wrist away from me and she winced.
Bryce was leading the group, nearing Victoria and as much as she tried to look fierce and unafraid, I could see the terror wavering in her eyes and her bottom lip slightly trembling.
“I’m going to ask you to leave, Miss Victoria. And I am only going to say it once.” Bryce told her. “You already caused enough ruckus in this cafeteria. Don’t think that this won’t be reported to the school administration, as well as to your parents.”
Victoria sneered at him. “Just because you losers are known to be the Fab Four doesn’t give you the right to storm our house and hurt my father. What have you boys ever brought into this town? More missing bodies?”
I was afraid for Victoria’s life after she said that. There was no way that she would handle been left alone in the woods. She was way too pampered. Instead, Bryce only smirked as he looked down, took in a deep breath, before looking back up at Victoria again. Even with a calm demeanor, it was clear in Bryce’s eyes that he still held full authority that everyone else in the room should fear him.
“Sweetheart, you haven’t lived in this town long enough to see what me and these three boys behind me have done.” Bryce told her with a chuckle. “If you aren’t careful with your words next time, you’ll find yourself in flyers posted on the streets and alleys, with the words MISSING on every page. And if ever that happens, don’t expect us to come and find you.”
“In other words,” Kingsley piped in with a smirk as he stood next to Bryce. “You better watch your back. Because we’re sure as hell won’t be looking out for you and your father.”
“This town isn’t what you think it is.” Taylor whispered and a chill ran down my spine.
“You’re right. You guys think your something. Let me tell you. You’re not. Just because your Daddy Kingsley is rich and no one else in this sad pathetic little town dare not say a thing to you. That doesn’t mean I am goanna be licking your butt and jumping when you say so.” Victoria flung her long blonde hair over her shoulders and walked past the boys with her head held high. I had to admit I was impressed with her bravery.
“That girl is one penny short of a pound.” Carter muttered.
“Hay Victoria?” Carter called just as she reached the door.
“People like you are the reason we were born with middle fingers.” He added putting his middle finger up at her. The whole room burst into fits of giggles.