Fuck her, fuck everybody.
I spend the rest of the night avoiding Maverick. He’s crying out for help, and it’s obvious that I can’t help him. Of course, he won homecoming king, and Victoria was crowned his queen. My feet are a little sore as I drive home because I spent practically the whole night on the dance floor getting my groove on. No guys would dance with me except for Jamal. Lucy, Kate, and I danced together, too.
I’m the black sheep of this school. Jamal told me that he experienced a few racial slurs here and there, but nowhere near the amount that was hurled at me by Maverick and his crew. Something tells me that there’s a deeper issue going on here. As I park my car, I can’t help but wonder about the enigma that is Maverick.
The Jaguars had their ass handed to them by the Wildcats. I saw Jake at a distance but decided against approaching him. Maverick, Dee, and Nix played flawlessly. Dee plays center and Nix tight end. Watching them on the field is like consuming an aphrodisiac. They may be assholes, but they look good as hell. Maverick scored several touchdowns.
After the game, Lucy asks Maverick to pose for a picture with his father. Maverick refused and kept walking. That was weird. Their interactions with each other seem as cold as Antarctica. Could Maverick’s father be the reason why he’s so fucked up? It’s not my business, so I refuse to go down that route.
After the game, I warn Jake to stay away from Cocoa again. I don’t want him to call, text, email, or be friends with her on social media.I don’t want any form of communication between them. He doesn’t talk back, he’s on my turf now, and he’s far from dumb. The field is not the only place where I can whip his ass, and he knows it.
When I arrive home, John is waiting on my bed for me.
“Get the fuck out of my room, John.”
“Maverick, what did I tell you about our public interactions?” John’s voice is steadily rising. “You refused to take a picture with me, and people noticed. That makes me look bad.”
“I don’t care about your reputation in this town, John. If you don’t get the fuck out, I’ll throw you out.”
“I’m still your father, and I deserve respect!”
“Too bad, because that’s one thing you’ll never get from me.”
“It’s not too late to repair our relationship, Maverick.”
My laugh doesn’t hold any humor. “When I leave here to go to college, you’ll never hear from me again, John. To me, you’re already dead. Don’t make me forcibly remove you.”
John has a stricken look on his face but leaves my room. That face would’ve worked on someone who didn’t know any better, but I know the demon behind the mask. Make no mistake—John is a fucking demon, if not the devil himself. I strip my bed and throw the linen in the trash. I will not sleep on something John had his body on.
When I cover my bed with fresh linen, I lie in the center with Cocoa on my mind, which has been happening every night since I saw her at that damn restaurant. I wish she had never come here. I grab my phone and open the Facebook app. I type in Cocoa’s name in the search bar. I click on her picture and I’m led to her page. Her Facebook page is public, so I’m able to go through her timeline. She has pictures with mostly the same three people tagged in them—Saint, Micah, and Lolita. She stands closest to this Saint in every picture. Maybe he’s an ex-boyfriend. I feel a surge of jealousy. Cocoa was a cheerleader at her old school. The uniform clings to her curves like a glove. If I don’t back off from whatever this thing is between Cocoa and me, it won’t end well.
It’s Wednesday, and again, Maverick is back to pretending that I don’t exist. This is getting old really quickly. At least the week is going by in a blur. Two more days of this hellhole before the weekend. By the time lunch rolls around, I’ve had it with today.
“Cocoa, I’m experiencing writer’s block. Can you help with an article I’m working on?” asks Kate as she pops a fry in her mouth.
“Absolutely, we can brainstorm together.”
“Thanks, Cocoa.”
Jamal’s phone dings from where it lies on the table. The chatter in the cafeteria suddenly increases.
“What the hell is going on?” I ask, looking around.
Jamal picks up his cell phone to check his notification.
“I just received an email from my student account. It must be something big,” says Jamal, clicking on the new email.
I left my cell phone on my bed this morning by mistake.
“What’s the email about?”
“Oh my God,” says Lucy, looking from her cell phone to me.
I snatch Lucy’s cell phone from her hand. It’s a video of me in the locker room, taking a shower after gym class. Someone edited the video to include the sounds of a pig, cow, and monkey. Rebecca did this. The other day I noticed she kept watching me and acting weird. Now I know why, she’d been recording me.
Bitch.
As I scan the cafeteria, students are pointing and laughing at me. I rise from my chair and walk to the table where Rebecca is sitting. I’m a hunter after my prey. She’s sitting with her back to me. I twist my hand in her hair, pulling her backwards. The chair topples over as she hits the floor, screaming. I sit on her chest and begin punching her in the face.
