Yellow Thorns (Thorns Duet 0.50)

I’m about to pull Lucy away so we can go home and binge watch the latest true crime show on Netflix when Reina calls to her.

Lucy turns around, her cheeks red. “Y-yes?”

I sigh. I’ve been teaching her to grow into her confidence, but it seems that’s going to be a very long process. Once shy, always shy, I guess.

“Stay,” Reina says ever so casually.

My lips part at the same time as Lucy’s. Reina didn’t just invite her to join her cult, right?

My friend grins, her skin reddening with apparent excitement as she awkwardly makes her way to the captain’s circle. Other members of the squad whisper, probably in both envy and hatred, as I try to make sense of the situation.

This…there’s something going on. But what?

Or maybe there isn’t and I’m just being paranoid?

But it doesn’t make sense for Lucy to be part of Reina’s close circle. She’s shy and is mostly backup in the squad, just like me. We’re the invisible ones, the ones who people like looking at when we’re with the others but find boring individually.

All of Reina’s other subjects are either as beautiful or accomplished—or damn rich—as she is.

Lucy is average on all of the above. Though, in my eyes, she’s the prettiest.

I stride toward them, my steps wide.

Brianna slides in front of me, crossing her arms. “You weren’t invited.”

“As if I want to belong in your secret sociopathic witch coven.” I extend my palm toward Reina. “My headphones.”

She reaches into her bag and retrieves them but keeps them out of reach. “You were passable today, Naomi.”

I snatch them out of her hand. “I’ll call when I need your opinion of me.”

“That will be soon, bitch.” Brianna breaks out in laughter and the others follow, except for Lucy, and also Reina, who doesn’t laugh or smile unless it’s on her terms. She’s a leader, not a follower, and makes that apparent in each of her moves.

“What is that supposed to mean, bitch?” I ask Brianna.

“Let’s just say your holier-than-thou attitude will be gone once—”

“Bree,” Reina cuts her off with a stern look before she directs me, “Off you go.”

I narrow my eyes on her, then meet Lucy’s gaze, but she gives me an apologetic smile. One that says she’s staying with this band of assholes.

But then again, that’s not a surprise. Luce has always loved Reina and her followers. If anything, this is like a dream come true for her.

Releasing a long sigh, I plug in my headphones and leave while listening to In the Dark by Bring Me The Horizon. Ordinarily, I’d wait until I was off of the field, but I’m more desperate than usual to block their whispers today. Especially since I don’t have Luce with me to lessen the blow.

Does this mean I’m losing her to the queen bee? She has everything and everyone she wants, why does she have to take my only friend as well?

Sharp tangs of loneliness flood the base of my stomach and leave a bitter aftertaste at the back of my throat. And it scares me. The fact that I have no one and am all alone terrifies the shit out of me.

But no more so than the idea of actually reaching out to people and being vulnerable just so they can hurt me. Both are horrifying monsters I think of every day.

Ever since the day I trusted someone and they violated my innocence.

I’m so engrossed in my thoughts and the loud rock music that I’m completely blinded to my surroundings.

That’s when it happens.

I see the ball traveling my way at supersonic speed.