Chapter 9 I BELONG THERE
I recognised all of them.
Portia, the tall, dark haired girl who had been in love with Alexander since sophomore year and made no secret of it.
Renee and Simone who were both on the cheer squad, both being Jake's devoted admirers, both currently looking at me like I was something stuck to the bottom of their shoes.
And Diana Caitlyn's closest friend, the kind of girl who did not have her own special type of cruelty but borrowed Caitlyn's.
Five of them, one corridor, one exit and one human. Me.
"I got your note," I said.
Caitlyn smiled. "Good. Then this will not come as a surprise."
She pushed off the lockers and walked toward me slowly. Her heels were quiet on the floor.
"You have been busy," she said. "Sitting at their table every day. Riding in Alexander's car. Giggling in the back seat with Jake like you belong there."
"I do belong there," I said.
She stopped.
The girls behind her went still.
I had surprised myself. The words had come out steady and clear without any of the trembling that usually accompanied anything I said to Caitlyn Clark.
She tilted her head, eyes slitting. "Excuse me?"
"I said I belong there," I repeated. "Jake invited me. Alexander agreed. I am not doing anything wrong."
Her smile did not move but something in her eyes changed.
"You are a human," she said softly. "You do not belong at that table. You do not belong in that car. You do not belong anywhere near either of them." She took another step. "You got into this school on grades alone. You eat cold pasta out of a plastic box. You walk home because you cannot afford a bus pass." Her voice was almost gentle. "You are not their friend Lily. You are a charity case they got bored of ignoring."
It landed heavily. I will not pretend it did not land but something had changed in me this week too. Something stubborn that had been sitting quietly under all the years of keeping my head down and apologising for existing among vampires.
"At least I am there because they want me," I said. "Not because I am desperate for them to want me back."
The corridor went completely silent. Caitlyn's smile disappeared.
"What did you just say to me?" she roared.
"You heard me," I snapped....
She moved fast like lightning.
I did not see the first hit coming. Her palm connected with the side of my face so hard my glasses flew off and my lunchbox hit the floor.
Before I could even process what was happening, Portia had grabbed my bag off my shoulder and shoved me hard into the lockers.
The metal edge hit my shoulder blade and pain shot up my back. I screamed in burning agony.
"Who do you think you are?" Portia hissed.
I tried to push back. I actually tried. I grabbed her wrist and twisted away and for about three seconds I was doing something that almost resembled fighting back.
Then Renee grabbed my hair. And that was the end of my fighting back.
I went down hard. My knees hit the floor and Renee still had my hair and the pain was sharp and blinding and I heard myself make a sound I had never made before. Something raw and desperate.
"Let go!" I screamed. "Let go of me!"
"Or what?" Simone snapped from somewhere above me.
"Alexander will kill you!" I yelled, strangely feeling so sure of myself.
Caitlyn scoffed and crouched down in front of me. Her face was very close to mine that I could feel the shaky breath of her laughter on my face.
"I know you're mad and very delusional but.... I wasn't expecting something worse coming from you. Well, I told you," she said quietly. "I told you to stay away."
"Fuck you—"
"This is your fault," she said. "You should have listened."
She stood.
And then Dana and Portia kicked me.
It was not a small kick. It caught me in the sides and I folded over completely and the floor seemed to come up to meet my cheek as I collapsed. Everything went bright white for a moment.
I heard them saying things above me. The words blurred together. I was focused on breathing. The floor was cold against my aching face.
"This will continue the more you go near Alexander and Jake. Or anyone at all. Do you understand?!"
Then I heard newly approaching footsteps. It sounded heavier and faster.
"What the...?"
Jake's voice.
"Hey!" His voice cracked through the corridor like a whip. "What are you doing? Get away from her!"
There were more footsteps.
Then Alexander's voice, lower and quieter and somehow more frightening than Jake's shouting.
"All of you!" he yelled. "Move."
The hands that were still on me disappeared immediately.
I heard Caitlyn say his name.
He did not respond to her. The footsteps around me scattered. Then someone was crouching beside me.
"Lily." Jake's voice. He was closer now. "Lily look at me."
I turned my head. His brown eyes were wide and tight with something that looked like genuine fear. He reached out and touched my face carefully. His fingers were warm.
"Jake," I said.
"I am here," He said. "I am right here."
"Jake...." My voice cracked on his name.
"Do not try to sit up," he said. "Just breathe."
I felt Alexander before I saw him. His arms went under me, one behind my knees and one across my back and he lifted me off the floor in one clean movement like I weighed nothing at all.
"Alexander, I can...." Jake started.
"I'll take her. Get her bag, man." Alexander said quietly. "And her glasses."
"Okay, man. Hurry off."
Then there was the sound of Jake picking things up off the floor.
Alexander carried me down the corridor.
I pressed my face against his chest because it hurt to hold my head up and because the world was still slightly tilted and rotating.
I did not have the energy to care about anything except the fact that the pain in my side was making it hard to breathe properly.
"Jake," I murmured.
Alexander said nothing.
"Jake," I said again.