I try to shake out of his grip, yelling, “Stop it!”
He lets go, but starts kicking A while he’s down. I scream some more. I don’t care who hears, if it will make Justin stop.
“This your new boyfriend?” Justin’s shouting. “You love him?”
“I don’t love him!” I shout back. “But I don’t love you, either.”
There.
Justin goes to kick A again, but this time A catches his leg and pulls him down. I try to reach A and get him back up, but I’m not quick enough, and Justin lands a kick right against his chin.
The door from outside opens, and the girls from softball start coming into the gym. They see me at A’s side. They see the blood on the floor. Both A and Justin are bleeding.
Immediately, there’s shock and gossip. Stephanie runs over and asks me if I’m okay. Justin stands up and tries to knock A down again. But he misses, and A gets up.
“What’s going on?” Stephanie’s asking. “Who is that?”
A stumbles over to me, and Stephanie tries to block him. I realize this makes sense. Justin is my boyfriend. A is an outsider. I could lie now. I could pretend I’m on Justin’s side. Only Justin would know the truth, and his pride might go along with the lie.
But I can’t. I can’t.
“I have to go,” A is telling me. “Meet me at the Starbucks where we first met. When you can.”
“A!” I call out. Because Justin is right behind him, is reaching for his shoulder. The hand lands, but instead of being pulled around, A frees himself and bolts.
There are tears in my eyes. I don’t know how I’m finding the strength to stand. Our gym teacher is coming over. Stephanie is steadying me.
“You fucking bitch!” Justin yells. Everyone hears him. “I am through with you. Do you understand? Totally through. So you can go fuck any guy you want. You won’t even have to do it behind my back. You think you’re so great, but you’re not. You’re not.”
I’m crying harder now.
“Justin, back off,” Stephanie says.
“Don’t try to defend her!” he yells at her. “She’s the one who did this!”
The teacher’s on us now, seeing my tears, seeing the blood. She has questions. Stephanie has questions. Lindsay, off to the side, gloats. A male teacher comes in and tries to take Justin to the nurse. Justin tells the teacher to fuck off, and pushes out of the gym. All eyes turn to me.
“It was nothing” is all I can manage to say.
Nobody believes me. And that makes sense, because nobody should.
Chapter Twenty-Five
I have to make some decisions, and fast. I have to figure out what my side of the story is so there can be a chance of people taking my side.
Even though I’m not hurt—at least, not physically—they take me to the nurse. She sees the state I’m in and makes me lie down. Stephanie asks permission to stay with me, but the nurse tells her to go to class. When the next class break comes, she returns with Rebecca and Preston, and I sit up in bed to see them.
“Rhiannon,” Rebecca says. “Tell us what’s going on.”
“I messed up,” I tell her, tell all of them. “It’s over with Justin. I met someone else.”
Rebecca tries to contain her surprise so I won’t see it. Preston, however, lets out a “Hooooooo-eeeee!” Stephanie slaps his shoulder, but it can’t be taken back.
“Who is it?” Preston asks. “Tell us tell us tell us.”
Rebecca and Stephanie may act like he’s out of bounds for asking so directly, but they’re both hanging on my answer, too.
“I can’t tell you,” I say. “It’s complic