Page 37 of Pretty Poison

This was getting too weird, so I decided to go back to the game and sit down with the rest of my team.

Walking past the bleachers, I saw Martin with other guys from the swim team laughing about something. My boyfriend was even more handsome when he seemed distracted. I smiled at him, even though he couldn't see me. Unfortunately, my smile didn't last long because someone bumped into me, almost knocking me to the ground.

“Hey!” I complained before meeting Kendra Winfrey's blue eyes. I snorted. “Of course, it's you…”

“Don't stop halfway, or you will be run over by someone.” Replied the blonde in a completely irritated way.

“Oh, for God's sake, leave me alone, Kendra!” I complained.

“I've been trying to do this all evening, while you, unlike me, can't stop looking at me like you’re sick in the head.”

I crossed my arms, annoyed. And her nostrils flared a little when she whispered , as pissed off as I was.

“As if I would ever waste time staring at you.”

“You were staring and you know it, I don't need to prove anything!” She replied, shrugging her shoulders, all convinced like the spoiled and arrogant rich girl that she was.

“Yeah, maybe I was looking at how bitter and pathetic you are...” I offered, because if there was one thing I noticed, it was that she didn't smile once that night. She was frowning the whole game. But my realization did not bring anything beneficial to me. What I got, in fact, was a punch.

Yeah, a damn punch in the face.

I had to force my foot on the ground to keep from falling.

“You crazy skank!” I shouted.

And I didn't let myself be shaken, because my next move was to go after her, scratching her bare arms and kneeing her in the stomach. Kendra fought back, and the next thing I knew, we were on the floor, rolling around, hitting, biting, and pulling each other's hair.

I felt her being taken off me and someone holding me in place so I wouldn't lunge at her.

“What the fuck is this?” My school’s principal appeared in the crowd, shocked.

I spat blood under Kendra's shiny white sneakers, as she flipped me off with her short nails perfectly painted blue.

I spent the whole day wondering why I had invited Veronica to a party. Pity was not the reason. Maybe it was more hatred towards her boyfriend than anything else, no one deserved to be humiliated like that. I knew what it felt like, even though it had never been as public as what Veronica was experiencing.

I looked in the mirror on my dressing table and noticed the reflection staring back at me.

Easy smile. Lying eyes.

That was me. A big scam.

However, I would continue to live my life in the same way until I finished college. Maybe after all that, and after proving all I had to prove to others, I could finally be truly happy. No more lies.

I stared at the curling iron's curls falling apart.

“Why does it never last?” I complained, but I had also given up. I wasn't going to redo the curls. Soft knocks sounded in the cubicle where I lived. “Come in!”

“Ready?” It was Sidney. Her body was wrapped by a blue crop top and low-waisted jeans that only she could wear. Her navel piercing shined and her straight hair swayed freely.

“I'm just going to put on lipstick.”

I grabbed the packaging that saidseduction red.

“Red?!” She asked rhetorically. “You're not planning on making out tonight, then.”

“No, I'm not going to kiss anyone.” I declared, determined. Especially because I wouldn't kiss anyone in front of my colleagues. “I'm just going to drink with my girls, can’t I?”

Sid laughed. “You must!”