He shrugs. “No idea who she is.”
“But why would she say that? What do they mean?” Ellen persists.
“Fuck me,” I whisper.
Isla snorts. “He already did.”
I send her a look. At least she has the decency to look sheepish. “Sorry.”
I nod but look back to the spectacle Ellen’s creating.
“Oh, this is awesome,” Audrey chortles.
“This is not awesome. This is a nightmare!” I tell her. “Why? Why does this kind of thing always happen to me?”
“Leo? Why does she think you’re someone named Jack?” she asks him.
He sneers in our direction. “She must have mistaken me for someone else.”
Star quarterback—who has a girlfriend. Mr. Attitude who looks down his nose at the three of us—especially me.
“He’s right. He’s not who I thought he was,” I reply with bite.
Jack’s nostrils flare and Ellen gives me a skeptical look.
“For real. He is definitelynotJack,” I reassure her, turning on my heel and walking away. Isla and Audrey scramble to catch up.
Audrey laughs. “Well, that was unexpected.”
My heart is beating a million miles an hour, I’m sweating, and I’m so angry and disappointed I’m fighting back tears. I refuse to give in to them. Not here. Not where he can see. I consider finding a janitor’s closet later and having a good cry, but I’m an extremely ugly crier with redness and blotchiness, puffy eyes—the whole shebang.
Finally. We find our classroom and we take seats in the far back corner.
I hold my cold hands to my heated cheeks. My entire body is shaking when Jack, Ellen, and some other jock come into the classroom, taking seats on the opposite side.
“Fuck my life. What next? This isnothow I thought today would go,” I whisper to them, still shaking and avoiding looking over to where he’s sitting. “This is so not good.”
Isla cringes. “We should have totally looked at the yearbook.”
“Yeah, we should have,” is all I can think to say. To think I was better off not knowing… I’ve never been so wrong.
“Knock it off,” Audrey orders. “It could be worse.”
I look at her as if she’s lost her mind. I lean in to whisper, “The most popular girl in school who, most likely, wields tons of power is the girlfriend of the guy I slept with and gave my V-card to. How can things get worse?”
Now she winces. “You shouldn’t have asked. When you ask, it always gets worse.”
I nod and laugh a hysterical laugh. If I don’t laugh, I’m going to cry, so laughing it is.
I get it, Karma. You need to deliver retribution. I didn’t know I was doing anything wrong, but I’m all for it. I accept my fate, but can you please let this humiliation be enough?
“I’ve been through worse. Bring it on,” I mutter, waving my hands at myself.
Isla gives Audrey a look and Audrey looks at me.
“What don’t I know?” I ask.
“Ellen’s mom is the Headmaster of SBA,” Isla informs me.
