"What is this place?" I questioned in wonder, following after Elias.
Feeling perturbed after the fight with Heather, I'd asked Elias to take me somewhereâanywhere. After driving for a few minutes, it appeared that he had brought me to a small clearing of sorts, hidden away by thick trees and overgrown vines.
"It's nothing special," he replied, while grabbing my hand to prevent me from tripping over a branch. "I come here sometimes when I need to think."
In the center of the clearing, there was a waterfall. It was a breathtaking sight, the water cascading from high above and crashing against the rocks below. My eyes widened as I took it all in.
"It's beautiful, Ellie," my voice was hushed in awe.
"I know," Elias whispered, voice deep.
I glanced back at him, although I was surprised to find that he was already looking at me, a strange emotion on his face. Just as we made eye contact, he abruptly cleared his throat and looked away.
"How did you find this place?" I asked as we sat down on the soft grass.
"It was an accident. When I ran away from homeâ"
"You ran away?" I interrupted, alarmed.
He looked surprised for a moment, before chuckling. "I forget we've only known each other a few months. Anyways, yeah, back when my father first found out my mom was sick, he..."
Elias clenched his sharp jaw, as though he was struggling to find the right words. I placed my soft hand over his much larger one, a silent act of comfort.
"He left herâleft all of us after she got diagnosed," Elias blankly said, "actually, that's not right. First he cheated on her. Then he left."
I didn't know what to say, feeling sadness for him and his family. "That's not right," I whispered. "Your mom deserved better than that. You deserved better than that."
"It's really not a big deal," Elias casually brushed it off. "Anyways, on the day he announced he was going to divorce my mom, I ran away from home and stumbled across this place."
I spent a brief moment staring at the enigma in front of me. It was weird. Although we felt as though we'd know each other forever, there was still so much I didn't know about Elias. And yet, the more I learned, the more I became attachedâa feat which scared me.
"Don't feel sorry for me," he suddenly scowled.
"I didn't say I feel sorry for you."
"You don't have to. It's written all over your face," Elias said. "Don't worry about me, D. It's good riddance. That asshole can pretend he's enjoying his new life with his new family, but deep down, he knows he fucked up."
"You're speaking in present tense," I cocked my head to the side.
Elias froze. "What?"
"You're speaking in present tense," I repeated, "even though your father passed away."
For the first time, he appeared at a loss for words.
"I slip up too sometimes," I confessed, a gentle smile on my lips. "Not sure why we do that. Maybe it's because we're just used to having them aroundâour fathers, that is. But, don't worry. As long as we accept the fact that they've passed away, I think we'll be fine."
Elias looked as though he desperately wanted to say something, but alas, he closed his mouth and nodded, an unsettling look on his face. I didn't quite know why, but he almost appeared... guilty.
The topic eventually got changed, and the two of us chattered about everything and nothing, to the point that we ended up losing track of time. The sun had now set, and the sky was painted with hues of orange and pink.
"I'm a bit scared for what's to come tomorrow," I admitted, head resting on Elias' broad shoulder. "Who knows what Heather's told the principal by now. I've probably got detention for the rest of my life."
"A, that's impossible, considering we graduate in two months," Elias snorted, "B, there's nothing to be scared for. You did nothing wrong, Daisy."
Elias peered at me as if I was the most innocent person he'd ever laid eyes on. If only he knew what I was capable of.
"I beat up another student," I deadpanned.
"No, you defended yourself from a person that's been oppressing you for years," he firmly said.
"Same thing."
"Is not."
"Is."
"Is not."
"Is."
"Is nâfuck, stop it. We are not doing this," Elias growled in frustration, causing me to giggle in amusement before sobering up.
"Thanks for this," I sighed.
"For what?" he glanced down at me.
"Just... bringing me here. Distracting me. I needed this."
His chiseled features, only illuminated by the gentle glow of the sunset, gazed at me with pure sincerity.
"No, Daisy. Thank you," Elias said.
I lifted my head from his shoulder in confusion. Before I could question why he was thanking me, he captured my lips into a soft, gentle kiss. I smiled at the warm and fuzzy feeling that had now encompassed my entire body. For a second, I wished that I could freeze time and never leave this moment. I wished that it would always be like this. Daisy and Elias against the world.
Alas, wishes do not always come true.
*****
"Isn't it a little weird? I should've heard something by nowâgotten called down to the office or something," I nervously rambled, playing with the tips of my curly hair.
"Calm down, D," Elias advised, appearing a bit too relaxed for my liking.
"Don't tell me to calm down."
"Or what?" he challenged.
"Or I'll kill you," I glared daggers.
Unlike what I'd intended for, Elias was not at all intimidated by my threat. Now that I thought about it, I shouldn't have expected him to be, considering he was nearly a foot taller than me and could probably push me over with his pinky finger.
"Please, Daisy, you can't even hurt a fly," Elias guffawed, wiping at tears of amusement that had formed at the corners of his eyes.
"Don't be too sure about that," Chelsea murmured with a knowing glint in her eye. The two of us exchanged discreet looks, as we were the only ones here who knew of my secret.
We were all sitting in the cafeteria; Elias, Malcolm, Andre, Chelsea and me. Despite the fact that the entire school, both students and staff (and even the principal herself) had seen the fight between Heather and me yesterday, I'd faced no consequences so far. Throughout the day, I'd received many balking looks, and a few people had even come up to me in the halls to congratulate me, but otherwise, there seemed to be no repercussions.
A small part of me was hoping that nothing was going to happen. However, as if he could read my mind, Elias spoke up.
"Don't be fooled. They've probably spent the day gathering informationâinterviewing witnesses, reviewing security cameras, and all that other bull," he knowingly said. "But just you wait. They'll get to you by the end of the day."
"Why do you sound used to this?" I skepticized.
"Because he is," Malcolm snorted, "you think he's bad now? At our old school, Elias got into fights almost weekly. And I'm not talking petty little fights in the hallway. I mean full-blown, blood-ridden, juvie-landing fights."
"Jesus Christ," I gasped.
"Mhm, kid had anger issues," Malcolm shook his head in distaste, as if Elias wasn't sitting right next to him.
"Whatever, I'm not like that anymore. Things have changed," Elias said, eyes subconsciously flickering towards me.
"It's weird," Chelsea mused, "I forget you guys only moved to Oakland High this year."
"I do too," I said. "Y'know, you still haven't told me why you guys got expelled from your old school."
Malcolm nervously giggled. Andre loudly coughed. Elias' eyes darkened.
"That's a story for another time," Elias ominously said.
Andre swiftly directed the conversation back to its original topic. "Of course the one day I miss school, Daisy gets in a fist fight," he gloomily said.
"Apologies for the inconvenience," I quirked a brow. "Next time, I'll be sure to pick a better day."
"Thanks," he replied, unable to detect my sarcasm.
"Don't worry, Andre, I'll show you the video," Malcolm quickly whipped his phone out.
"Malcolm! You took a video?"
"Of course I did."
Everyone at the table laughed at his lack of care.
"Not funny, that could get you in serious trouble ifâwoah, I look badass in that part. Send me that!"
"Sure," Malcolm obliged, "but for the record, you look badass all the time."
We exchanged matching smirks and tingled our fingers before continuing to watch the video, all of us wincing when it got to the part where Heather had landed her firstâand onlyâhit on my face.
*****
Later on, I'd been sitting in my last period Calculus class when an announcement blared throughout the PA system.
"Daisy Johnson, to the principal's office, Daisy Johnson," voiced one of the secretaries.
I wasn't at all surprised by this. In fact, I'd been expecting it. With a knowing look, the teacher nodded at me, gesturing me to go.
"Good luck," Chelsea whispered.
I gave her a tight lipped smile before exiting the classroom, looks and whispers from other students following after me.
When I made it to the office, the secretary took one look at me before she immediately pointed in the direction of the principal's office. As if she knew exactly who I was, her upper lip curled up in distaste. Just great. She'd probably gotten whiff of Heather's version of things and thought I was some horrid bully. I tentatively knocked on Principal Weathers' door, before lightly pushing it open. She was expectantly sitting at her desk, and upon my arrival, she appeared almost... relieved? I quickly realized why when I took note of who was sitting across from her: Heather, who was loudly wailing into a tissue.
"There she is," Heather pointed an accusatory finger of me, "that-that bully!"
I laughed at the irony of things. I laughed even harder when Heather moved the tissue, revealing a black eye.
"Ms. Johnson, please get ahold of yourself, this is no laughing matter," the principal sternly said to me. "Now take a seat. We have much to discuss."
"What's there to discuss?" Heather screeched. "This psychopath attacked me for no reason. Expel her!"
"I didn't attack you for no reason, you delusional freak," I snapped back, blood boiling. "You deserved that after what you said to me."
Heather rolled her eyes. "You're just sensitive. It's only a matter of time before Elias realizes you're useless and comes running straight to mâ"
"That's enough!" Principal Weathers banged her hands on her desk, causing us to huff and face forward. "You girls should be ashamed of yourselves. You're seniors, and on top of that, you're cheerleaders. You should be setting an example for the rest of the student body, not rolling around like a pair of pigs in front of the entire school."
I had the decency to look a little ashamed, while Heather was merely inspecting her nails, appearing completely tuned out.
"Now, regardless of who started the fight, this school has a zero tolerance policy for fighting. You both are responsible for your actions, and I can't ignore what happened."
A feeling of dread settled in the pit of my stomach, as I feared where the principal was going with this.
"Meaning what?" I slowly asked.
"Meaning you're both expelled. Effective immediately."
My blood ran cold. The room fell so silent, I could hear a pin drop. Expelled?
"What?" Heather screeched. "N-No, I won't be able to go to college without my diploma!"
"You should've thought about that before you decided to fight in front of the entire school," Principal Weathers coldly replied.
"This isn't fair! My father will be hearing about this," she stomped, face flushed in fury. "He'll take it to the board if he has to."
"I'm sure he will," the principal blankly said, before turning to face me. "Daisy, is there anything you'd like to say for yourself?"
For a moment, I debated accepting my punishment with grace, and allowing my last four years of hard work and struggle to merely go down the drain. However, if Heather's black eye had taught me anything, it was that sometimes, there was good in fighting back.
"No."
"No?" she was taken aback my response. Heather appeared fairly surprised as well.
"No," I steadily confirmed, "but I'd like to show you something."
Reaching into my pocket, I handed the principal a crumpled piece of paper. Perplexed, she unfolded it and cleared her throat.
"Your a loser who doesn't deserve to be on the team, so quit now and save yourself the embarrassment of being kicked off later," the principal slowly read the note aloud. "What is this?"
"One of the many notes that Heather has slipped into my locker," I calmly answered, before fetching a few other notes out of my pockets. "There's more."
"Wait, no!" Heather exclaimed, appearing afraid. She attempted to brush off her fear with a chuckle. "Please, Principal Weathers, I was only teasing her."
Fortunately, the principal paid no mind to Heather's batting eyelashes, and read more of the notes in interest. They ranged from harmless teasing, like no one likes Crazy Daisy, to alarming statements, like do us all a favor and die. I wasn't quite sure why, but I'd been saving all of these notes for years. At least they were actually being put to use for once.
"Principal Weathers, you can listen to Heather paint me as the villain here, or you can see the truth for what it is," I bluntly said. "These notes are only a fraction of what Heather has done to me. Turning friends against me, calling me horrible nicknames, pouring drinks onto me, tripping me in the cafeteria, even stalking me for a bit of timeâjust a few of the ways she's made the last four years of my life a living hell. Do you know why I fought her yesterday?"
Speechless, the principal shook her head.
"It's because she brought up my dead father," I stormily continued. "Maybe you're rightâmaybe I shouldn't have thrown the first punch. But, if I'm being honest, I would do it again if I had to. If the school can't protect its students from bullies like Heather, then I definitely will."
The principal appeared flabbergasted, and took a moment to form words. "Wow, Daisy, that's-that's quite a statement you've made... it appears I may have been too rash with my punishment. You've always been an exceptionally bright student. Deep down, I knew there was a reason you got in that fight yesterday." She paused, appearing to think for a moment. "I apologize for the verbal torment you've clearly had to endure in this school. I believe it's clear what I have to do."
I held my breath as I awaited her next words.
"Your expulsion is revoked," she said, poorly suppressing a smile. I stood up, joy overtaking my features. "Now now, don't be so quick to celebrate. You'll have to attend detention every day next week after school."
I nodded in understanding, as I knew I wasn't going to be let off completely scot-free.
Principal Weathers' expression softened. "But, please, Ms. Johnson, never feel like you have to shoulder the burden of being bullied by yourself. You're not alone."
A smile made its way onto my face as my mind began to wander over to thoughts of all the friends I'd made this year, who had truly changed my life. "I know."
Just then, the door was slammed open.
"Stop!"
My head snapped up in shock. Standing at the door was the entire cheerleading team, and in the very front of them all was Ruby.
The secretary quickly emerged behind them, appearing helpless as she panted. "I'm so sorry, Principal Weathers. I tried to stop them."
"Ladies, what is the meaning of this?" the principal demanded in alarm.
"We won't let you expel Daisy for defending herself!" Ruby said, her voice unusually fierce. My mouth was completely agape. "We all witnessed exactly what happened yesterday. Heather kept on persisting after Daisy, even when she tried to walk away. Daisy's been nothing but nice to the rest of us, and she-she doesn't deserve any of this. So, if she's expelled, then so are the rest of us. And Daisy, you were right the other day. We've all been nothing but a bunch of bystanders this entire time, when really we should've helped you. None of us even like Heather! Also, I never thought you were crazy! And screw you, HeatherâI like being a ginger!"
Ruby's cheeks were flushed by the end of her passionate rampage, and a few of the other girls shouted out words of agreement, much to the anger of Heather, who was at a loss for words. She had never expected to be treated with such disobedience, especially from the other cheerleaders, who had served as her minions for the last four years.
I, too, could hardly believe my ears, and my heart was swelling in pride. These girls, who barely even knew me, were willing to stand up for me? I felt oddly... appreciated.
"I admire your efforts, girls, but Daisy is not being expelled," the principal said in exasperation.
For a moment, the girls appeared dumbfounded. "Oh," Ruby blushed.
"Yeah," the principal said, impatiently gesturing towards the door. "Now, would you pleaseâ"
"Yes yes, sorry!"
They immediately left and closed the door. For a moment, I stood in a daze, a happy smile on my face.
The moment was quickly ruined when Heather's high-pitched voice loudly snarled, "what about me?"
Just then, the bell rang, signifying the end of the school day.
"Daisy, you're free to go," the principal said, before facing Heather with an unimpressed look. "As for you, Heather, your punishment remains the same. You can notify the board if you'd like, although I'm sure..."
I tuned out the rest and got up from the chair, walking out of the office with a heavy weight lifted off my shoulders.
"There she is!" Malcolm's familiar voice exclaimed.
Along with Elias, Chelsea, and Andre, Malcolm had been waiting for me at my locker. Upon my appearance, they immediately began to swarm me.
"What's the verdict?" Chelsea tentatively asked.
"Pretty obvious, isn't it?" Elias lazily smirked. "Heather's been expelled, and Daisy's got off scot-free."
"You're no fun," I poked his side, "but, yes."
A large, dimpled smile appeared on my face as they immediately began to cheer and celebrate.
"Not completely scot-free," I said, "I've still got detention for a week, butâ"
"But nothing! This is great!" Andre beamed, looking more happy about this than I expected.
Elias' grin slightly faltered as he stared at Andre. Before I could over analyze it, Malcolm placed his hands on my shoulders and began to guide me in the direction of the parking lot.
"This is perfect," Malcolm beamed. "One of the jocks is having a party tonight in honour of yesterday's football game. Now, thanks to you, I have an excuse to get absolutely plastered!"
"Party? Didn't we lose?" I quirked a brow.
"Exactly, this'll be just the thing to get everyone's mood up."
"Oh, well, hope you guys have fun," I smiled.
"Nice try," Chelsea snorted, diving in between us, "you deserve to let loose tonight, Daisy."
"I don't know," I grimaced, "I've got work tonight, andâ"
"Great, I'll see you after your shift," Malcolm left no room for debate, ruffling my hair and scurrying away.
"What did I tell you?" I shouted after him.
"I know, I know, never touch a black girl's hair," he hollered back from the other side of the parking lot. I nodded in approval, and he blew me a kiss. The others chuckled at our antics, before we all departed and went our separate ways.
*****
QOTD: how many pillows are on your bed?
AOTD: four
Sorry this chapter was really long, I may have gotten a bit carried away!
Hope you guys liked, please leave a vote or comment if you did. Anyways stay tuned, drama incoming.
Love, Emmanuela
05/12/2023