Don't Kiss the Bride

“Yeah, if you’re into pedophiles.”

A round of laughter ensues as I slowly chew my peanut butter and jelly sandwich. My blood is boiling with anger, my heart pounding with rage.

“They’re just jealous bitches.” Megan glares at the table of idiots behind me.

I continue to chew, but I can’t get myself to swallow. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are one of my food choices to eat again as part of my therapy, to get over a traumatizing event attached to it. I loved PB&J as a little girl. Especially with grape jelly on super-soft white bread. When I was around six or seven, I was eating it for lunch and Daddy was saying goodbye. For some reason, I felt scared and started to cry. Mommy kept screaming at me to just shut up and eat, and I swallowed too much. It lodged in my throat, and I gagged and cried hysterically until Daddy smacked me on the back and I coughed it up. Mommy made me eat it again, and I threw up and got sent to my room.

I’m surprised I’m still alive with all the things I've had stuck in my throat.

“Skylar, don’t listen to their stupid shit,” Megan says. “They’re just spoiled assholes with no lives.”

Nodding, I grab my napkin and discretely spit my food into it. I fold it up and put it on the corner of my tray.

“Are you okay?” she asks. “I’m getting worried about you.”

“Yeah. I just don’t feel too great.”

She cocks her head at me. “You’ve been doing so good, Sky. Please don’t let them get to you. This will all blow over soon when they find a new target.”

Paige rambles on at the next table, making sure she talks loud enough for me to hear. “Guys, did you know his little sister is that girl who went missing years ago? She went to school here.”

“I heard he was the last one to see her alive. He was a suspect. Since he’s into kids I bet he did something to her. Like, raped and killed her.”

“Her body is probably hidden somewhere right in this town.”

“Ew. Hopefully he’ll kill Skylar next and put her out of her pathetic existence,” Paige says.

I pick up my lunch tray, dumping my drink and sandwich onto the table. Standing, I turn and face the table of five girls who are giggling wildly.

My jaw clenches as I pin my stare on Paige. “What did you just say?”

She looks up at me with her snarky smile. “I said I hope your pedo husband puts you out of your misery.”

“You don’t know anything about him. Or me. Why don’t you just leave me alone?”

She rolls her eyes at me. “What fun would that be? Run along, Mrs. Lucketti. Maybe ask your husband to buy you some new clothes.”

They all go into a fit of hysterics again.

Gripping the blue plastic tray in both hands, I haul back and slam it into Paige’s face.

Everything that happens after that is a blur. There’s horrified screaming and scrambling. Chairs are upturned on to the floor. And blood. I definitely saw blood pouring down Paige’s face, staining the front of her white sweater. I stand rooted there, watching it all happen but feeling absolutely nothing, until I’m grabbed from behind and dragged out of the cafeteria.

“Suspended?” Jude repeats, pacing the sunroom with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. My recap of the drama at school has him all worked up, because he never smokes in the house.

“It’s only for three days,” I reply. I don’t consider it a punishment to miss three days of school. It’ll be a relief to get away from all the whispers, rumors, and hate.

“I already talked to Rebecca,” I add. “I’m going to work for those three days. I won’t be sitting around the house.”

He shoves his hand through his hair and blows smoke up at the ceiling. “Still, Skylar. You can’t go around breaking people’s noses.”

“She deserved it,” I protest. “It’s not even her real nose.”

I place the lottery ticket he gave me earlier on top of a book and start scratching it with a penny.

He tries to stifle a laugh and fails miserably. “Look, no more violent outbursts, okay? Her parents might try to go after you for assault.”

“Jennifer Dilly has the whole thing on video, and she showed the principal. It clearly shows how everyone was teasing me and saying horrible things. She also has a video of when Paige pushed me down the stairs the other day. I could’ve broken my neck. It was basically self-defense.”

I’m not even really friends with Jennifer. She’s just one of those girls who’s always taking selfies and making videos of everything going on around her like she’s in her own reality show.

Jude abruptly stops pacing the room and levels a tense gaze at me. “That little bitch pushed you?”