The Love of My Bully

“Leave me alone.”

“I know you’re pissed at me. You can’t keep on walking away from me.”

She was aware of people watching her but she had to get away. How could she spend the day walking around school with Drake there?

Girls would be all over him and after being with him, she couldn’t see that. She wanted to hate him more than anything. To go back to the way she once felt about him. “I’m not staying in school. I’m not going to classes today.”

“You can’t just quit school.”

“Watch me.”

“Pru, come on. Don’t be like this.”

“Why don’t you go and tell my parents I’m not sticking around? Isn’t that what you like to do? Go and tell someone I’m not being a good girl. I’m not being exactly how you want me to be?” She stopped to glare at him.

“That’s not fair.”

“No, you know what isn’t fair? Your best friend going out of his way to hurt you. That’s not fair, which is exactly what you’ve done. Why didn’t you come to me? Why did you have to go to them?” she asked. Tears filled her eyes, she was so angry at him.

He didn’t say anything.

She shook her head. “You know what, I don’t want to talk to you. We’ve got nothing to say to each other.”

“Don’t walk away.” He grabbed her arm and she pushed him away.

“No, you don’t get to pretend anymore. I know who you really are, Sean, and guess what, I don’t like him.” She turned on her heel and walked away.

There was no reason for her to stick around. What was the point? Seeing Drake every single day would kill her. Especially if he started to date other girls and she didn’t know if she could handle him being with anyone else. She swiped away her tears, wishing this day could have gone better but knowing there was nothing she could do to change it.

Sean had messed it up and Drake wasn’t willing to fight for them. She wasn’t going to waste her time when no one else wanted to. She had to move on. Only, she didn’t know what to do next. Nothing was keeping her in town.

Sure, she had to graduate, but she could do that in a different town. Pru’s mind was made up. There was no way she was going to allow Drake’s parents to control her. Without looking back at the school, she walked the short distance home. It wasn’t too far, not when she needed to clear her mind.

Entering her home, she held onto the door handle and looked into the room. Nothing had changed since the morning, but she felt different now. Drake had ended things, and she accepted it.

“Who is it?” her mother said, shouting from downstairs.

Rather than answering, Pru closed the door and headed for her room, only to stop when she saw her mother sitting on her bed.

“Mom?”

“Pru, it’s you.” Her mother sniffled. “I was just making your bed. You know, making sure everything is fine.”

“Were you snooping?”

“No. I wasn’t. I know this looks bad. I wanted to come and make sure everything was fine. You know, do the motherly thing.”

Pru snorted. “Yeah, sure you did. I’m sure you’d have no problem snooping in my things if Drake’s parents asked you to. You let them talk to me like I was trash. Why not make me feel like it as well?”

She didn’t know what she expected but her mother broke down in tears. She dropped down to the bed and covered her face with her hands. Pru paused, not knowing what to do. She couldn’t recall a time her mother was like this. It seemed a little surreal to see her broken, sad.

“Mom?”

“Don’t, okay? It’s fine. Honestly. I shouldn’t be surprised.” Her mother sniffled. “I hate this.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You know, when I had you, I was the happiest woman in the world. I had this little baby and she was the most precious thing to me.”

“Was?”

“You still are, Pru. Your father and I, we didn’t have a lot. We’ve never had a lot but here, we have to fight for everything. We live paycheck to paycheck and we can’t give you the life that boy has. His parents can come and go. No one controls them.” Her mother growled. “I hate them so much. I hated every second of when I stood in that room. My little girl was in love, but his parents, they’re monsters.”

Tears filled Pru’s eyes. She didn’t know what to say, not as her mother groaned. “You must think I’m a coward for letting them do what they did.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I know. I can’t say I blame you. Who’d want to talk to her parents who meekly stood by while they called their daughter a slut and a whore?” Her mother groaned again. “I can’t believe I did nothing. I just stood there like it meant nothing. I’m so sorry, Pru. So, so sorry.”