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My arms cross around my chest as I look down at the man. “An answer about what?”

Jackson opens and closes his mouth a few times before taking a deep breath. “Well, the interest in your auto body class has far surpassed any expectations we had on the school board. I’ve sat in a few of your classes by now, and I must say, I’m surprised. The children seem to really be understanding the material, and you are a natural teacher –”

I raise my hand to stop the rambling and level him with a look. “Say what you want to say, Jackson.”

He gives me a brief smile and nods, “Yes, of course. The board would like to extend to you a permanent position at Maple Lane Falls High. Of course, your salary would increase, and you would receive benefits, and the school would invest a little more into the program than they have at this point. Of course, you would also need to complete the necessary certifications…”

I raise my eyebrow, “You mean we would have more than some old school trucks to work on?”

“Yes.” Jackson looks me over and nods his head again. “I’ll send you the details.” He begins to walk away but turns back after only a few feet. “Think about it?”

“Of course.” I sit back down at the table and look around.

A permanent position at the school would mean less time at the shop, but I’m sure Otto wouldn’t mind. It would be more stable, and I would have more time with Sonnet. Plus, despite my original reservations, I’ve enjoyed my time at the school. All the students I have are eager to learn, and it’s actually…fun. It’s been one of the only enjoyable things in my life, besides Sonnet, of course.

Speaking of Sonnet, she still isn’t back from the bathroom.

My eyes travel over the crowd. It’s smaller than it was when we first got here, since it’s getting late, but there are still more people than I would like. Even still, I would be able to see Sonnet.

I get up from the table and throw away my trash before heading towards the restrooms. I hear her voice before I see her, but it’s the wavering in her words that has me speeding up and rounding the corner.

“Just stop, Mercedes. I haven’t ever done anything to you, and now you’re just being a bitch. Seriously? Grow up. We’re not in high school anymore.”

Sonnet stands with her arms at her sides, hands clenched into fists as she stares down the woman who made her life a living hell. Mercedes is one of the only ones I remember, and that’s solely due to the fact that she used me in her worst trick yet. She made Sonnet question me, our friendship. And it looks like she’s doing it again.

Mercedes throws her head back and laughs, crossing her arms over her chest as she glares at Sonnet. Petra, the woman from the cafeteria, stands at Mercedes’ side. Looks like neither one of them has changed since high school.

“Oh, sweetie, I wasn’t trying to be mean. I was being nice. Clearly no one else has told you how ridiculous that costume is. A devil?” Mercedes laughs, smiling wider when Petra joins in. “I’ve never seen a devil with a stomach pouch.”

I see the shaking in Sonnet’s hands as Mercedes continues, “Maybe you should’ve come as something a little more fitting to your body type. Like a cow.” Mercedes looks over at Petra and nods her head, “Yeah, you’d be perfect as a cow.”

Sonnet gives her a hollow laugh and crosses her own arms, “At least I didn’t peak in high school.”

Mercedes moves at the same time as I do, but she reaches Sonnet first. She gets right in her face and gives her a sneer, whispering, “At least I peaked.”

Sonnet screams and lunges for her, hands outstretched and only inches away from tearing into her face before I grab her and pull her back. Thunder clashes in the sky as I wrap her in my arms, pulling her away from the laughter. “Don’t fall for it, Sonnet. They want a rise out of you.”

Sonnet thrashes around in my arms, “Put me down! Put me down, now!”

I do as she says and place her down on the ground, facing away from the still laughing blondes. She reaches up and pats her hair down before looking up at me with tear-filled eyes. “Did you hear all that?”

“Yes, but –”

I don’t get to finish my sentence before she’s letting out a choked sob and running away, leaving me standing alone in the drizzling rain with the laughter of the women who hurt her.

CHAPTER 10

For the second time recently, I find myself running home in the rain. This time it isn’t because I found out a truth that equally broke me apart and put me back together – it’s because once again, I let someone get in my head.

Many children deal with bullies while growing up, but some of us never get rid of them. An unlucky few of us still have to look at the ones who made our lives a living hell. We still have to deal with the words of someone so miserable that they have to knock others down. At least with Petra, Mercedes’ side-bitch, I can hold my own, but not with Mercedes herself.

I’ve been lucky enough not to run into her often, but when I do, I always leave the interaction with tears in my eyes. Somehow, all these years later, she still knows how to pull out my deepest insecurities and lay them on the ground to get stomped on.

Most of the time, I’m able to leave and ignore Mercedes’ harsh words, but not tonight.

Tonight was supposed to be the beginning of something. I had pushed myself out of my comfort zone, and I was opening my heart up to Miles. Then she comes in and makes me see myself in a different light. Right in front of him.

All of a sudden, my thighs weren’t thick; they were fat. My hair wasn’t pretty and quirky; it was trashy. The stomach pouch in my leather costume didn’t enhance my beauty; it harmed it.