Chapter 44

I was completely saturated when I arrived home. I slipped off my waterlogged shoes and left them out on the front porch before heading on inside.

My dad was sleeping on the couch when I entered.

Earlier today he had texted me telling me that mom decided to stay at the hospital while she was undergoing chemotherapy. Something about being too tired to walk up and down the stairs, and having to go back and forth to the hospital.

I sneak in, quietly closing the door behind me before walking upstairs to have a nice warm shower and change.

After showering and dressing up in my most comfortable and warm pjs, I head back downstairs with a towel to dry up the water marks that I had left behind.

I don’t want to be responsible for someone slipping in the middle of the night.

When I head upstairs to get ready for bed, a dozen texts come through on my phone.

Bonehead:
Dal, I’m sorry.

It was a dumb mistake.

Just, Please answer me.

Cody:
Where’d you go?

I got you a soda.

They didn’t have any raspberry soda, so I just got you a orange one.

Dude?

Hannah:
Are you okay?

What happened?

Lucy:
Omg!!!!!!

Where did u go? I have serious tea to spill.

You will not believe it!

Meet me in the living room.

Phillip:
If you see Lucy, can u ask her to bring me some Cheeto puffs?

Nvm I found her.

I laughed at Phillip’s texts. Dude is obviously stoned out of his brains.

Me to Phillip:
Omg.

Me to Cody:
Sorry, wasn’t feeling good so I went home.

Me to Hannah:
I’m okay, just didn’t feel well so I went home.

Me to Lucy:
I went home.

But spill the beans????

Lucy is the first to respond.

Lucy:
You will not believe what I saw.

Omg.

Okay.

Promise this stays between us.

Me:
Promise!

What is it?

Lucy:
Jake and Hannah hooked up!!!! 🤯

Oh my…

Me:
No way.

I can’t believe this….

Are they together or??

Lucy:
Idk, but they’re totally so cute together.

Hold up, there is more..

So we were playing spin the bottle, right, and you’ll never guess what happened.

🤭🤭

Me:
What happened????

Lucy:
You have to guess. 🙄

Me:
The bottle disappeared into thin air?

No, wait.

Someone picked up the bottle and smashed it over someone else’s head?

Lucy:
Omg?

You suck at guessing.

Okay, anyways…..

Cody and Phillip totally made out with each other!!!!!!!

👨🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏼😱🤯🤯

My eyes widened as I read over that text.

Cody and Phillip?

Oh my god. I did not expect that.

Me:
Really?

I-

I am speechless 😳

Lucy:
You should have stayed!

No, I should never have went. I should’ve just came straight home after the game.

I was about to respond to her when an incoming phone call takes over my screen.

Bonehead is calling you….

I was hesitant to decline the call, so I just let it ring out.

When his contact name disappeared, I went to respond to Lucy again, but he called me again.

And again.

I pick up and groan into the phone. “I don’t want to talk.”

“You don’t have to. Just listen to me, please?” He says through the phone.

“Grayson, just go back to your party! I’m tired and I am going to bed.”

“Wait, Please.”

“Goodbye!” I hang up the phone.

I turn my phone off and set it on my bedside table before falling back and staring up at the ceiling.

I am so tired.

Like, I have never felt so tired before.

And I was still shivering from walking home in the pouring rain.

I feel like I should be more upset by the fact that I caught Grayson making out with someone who wasn’t me, but I wasn’t, not really.

If anything, I kind of felt relieved.

I knew one way or another he would end up hurting me. It’s better earlier than later on.

The Monday morning that followed, I felt like shit.

I think it was because I walked home in the rain. It definitely wasn’t heartbreak because of a certain fuckboy who cheated on me.

God I hope I’m not sick.

I hate being sick.

Last night I did have a little cough, but I didn’t feel feverish.

It was still raining, so I got a lift to school with Mitchell.

Grayson is waiting by my locker, which only infuriates me. My resting casual face turned into a full on burning-red scowl.

“Go away.” I tell him, rolling my eyes as I open up my locker.

“Can we talk?”

“Sure, how was your night?” I asked, digging in my locker for my books for the first two classes.

“I don’t wanna talk about the party. I want to talk about us.” He whispers.

“Grayson, can you please just leave me alone?” I retrieve my books and close my locker shut before walking away.

“Nope.” He says, following behind me.

“Grayson, I swear to god I will punch you in the stomach.” I groaned.

“Dal, please.”

“Just back off.” I turn around and give him an annoyed glare.

He sighed. “Fine.”

I watch as he walks away before turning back around and heading to where my friends and I hang out.

“Dal!” Lucy squealed, announcing my presence to the entire corridor.

I smile and wave.

She approaches me quickly and whispers to me. “Please don’t say anything about the tea I spilled on Friday.”

I imitated zipping my lips shut. “Don’t worry, I won’t say anything.” I tell her.

We walk over to the rest of the group.

“Hey man.” Jake greeted me.

“Hey.” I say, taking a seat beside him.

“What’s happening?” I wonder.

“Not much.” Says Hannah.

“I still feel hungover from Friday.” Says Cody, out of the blue.

“Same.” Jake agreed. “Then again, I did drink like, six different kinds of alcohol.”

Six different types of alcohol?

Sounds like he had a blast.

“The bell is about to ring, we should head to class.” Hannah suggested.

“Okay, see you guys later.” Jake walked off the opposite way that the rest of us were headed.

Lucy, Hannah, Cody and I had first period together, so we walked to the classroom together.

“Argghhh, I hate school.” Cody groaned.

“Same.” I agreed.

“Come on, guys. School is like, so easy.” Says Hannah.

“We can’t all be smart like you.” Lucy says.

We turn a corner and walk down a corridor towards our first class. Everyone seemed to be murmuring as we walked by. Some people were even staring at us.

Why are they staring at us?

“Why are people staring at us?” Cody wondered the exact same thing that I was wondering.

“Woaaaah.” I heard Hannah say.

She came to a halt in the middle of the corridor and she was looking down at her phone with her eyes widened and her jaw agape.

“What?” Lucy wondered. “Please don’t tell me Kim K had another kid!”

“Uh, Dal?”

I got a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach.

“Huh?” I raised my eyebrows.

“Have you seen the anonymous forum today?” Hannah wondered.

Lucy and Cody stand on either side of her and look down at her phone.

“Oh my god.” Lucy says.

“What is it?” I wondered, moving closer to get a look at whatever was on her phone

My heart palpitated inside of my chest and my palms were sweating.

Oh my god.

This cannot be happening!

Someone had posted a picture of Grayson and I kissing in the Photo Booth from our day at the theme park in the city, and everyone can see it!

You have got to be fucking kidding me!