34. Highschool célébrité 2.

[Emily]

Jenny was very sporty so she was on the swimming team and they invited her to sit at their table but she'd always turned them down because she didn't want me sitting alone.

"Why look, we've got company." Jenny chuckled as we approached our table.

"Hey guys, what's up?" I gave them a tight smile, looking at them in confusion.

"Emily." Their high pitched voices rang out as they smiled cheerfully at me. "We wanted to have lunch at your table, we hope that's okay."

"N—" I was about to object before Jenny interrupted me.

"Sure, sure, that's cool, let's have lunch." Jenny said, took a seat and pulled me down to sit when I still stood awkwardly too stunned to sit.

Finally I sat and began to munch on my lunch, I'd gotten a burger, some fries and a juice box.

"Emily, can you tell us how you became so close with Vicky Owens." One of the girls asked me and I nearly chocked on my juice.

"What?"

"Yeah, we all saw the photos, the two of you looked so close, I'm jelly." Another girl replied and I looked at her like she had a screw loose.

"What in the world are you talking about?" Jenny asked.

"Instagram of course, the Queen Vicky updated her Instagram story this morning after a few weeks of darkness." The girl paused and placed her hand on her chest dramatically.

"Yeah, those days were hellish." Another girl added.

"And?" I asked her impatiently.

"Yes, the Queen updated her Instagram with your pictures, Emily, we never knew you were so cool, Vicky Owens knows who you are." She shrieked.

"And that's not even the best part." The other girl said.

"She asked about you this morning in the hallway." The three girls said at once.

"What?" I asked them, my head still reeling from the information I just got.

Why would Vicky Owens post me on her social media and why was she looking for me.

"Oh my God, she's here, she's walking over here." The girls said and began to hyperventilate.

What is wrong with these people?

I looked back and was shocked to see Vicky Owens walking towards my table.

"I just looked it up, it's true." Jenny chuckled as she showed me Vicky's Instagram story.

"Hey Emily, what's up, you got some time to spare." Vicky said.

"Um…"

"Yes, she does." Jenny answered for me and kicked me under the table.

Ouch.

"Okay, can you meet me outside now." She said and turned to leave, she took two steps and then turned back. "Say hi to your mother for me, Jen."

"What is going on?" I asked no one in particular.

"Queen Vicky wants to see you, she—"

"Can you please stop, God."

"You're famous now." Jenny laughed.

"Yeah, what about you? What was that about?"

"Oh I don't know, it's not about me it's about you and she wants to see you, up you go." Jenny said and pulled me to my feet.

I followed Vicky Owens as she left the cafeteria, all eyes were on us as we walked out and I'm sure the lot of them were wondering why Vicky was talking to me, a junior, an unpopular junior.

"Did you enjoy that? Vicky asked me when we got to an empty classroom.

"Um, it's new." I said.

"Hmmm." She hummed. "It suits you, it's good for you to have a new status now especially since you've been hanging around Ace."

Of course, I should have known this had something to do with Ace.

"I get it now." I muttered. "If this is about Ace I'm sorry but you have to take it up with him, I didn't ask him to—"

"I don't care about Ace." She replied quickly and I looked at her in shock.

"What?"

"Not like that, I mean I do care but not the way everyone thinks." She sighed. "Sometimes I envy you, you know." She said and my mouth dropped open.

Are you fucking kidding me?

Sorry God, I cursed again, please forgive me and cleanse my mouth.

"Yeah, it's shocking I know, everyone wants to be Vicky Owens, Vicky with the perfect life." She scoffed. "I didn't even want to be cheer captain and I don't even care about the prom votes, all of this are my mother's interests, this is me living her dream and being the daughter of her dreams."

"Um, I don't understand why you're telling me this?"

I'm sorry but I had to ask, at this moment I had no idea what I'd gotten myself into.

"I envied the fact that you were invisible, you could do whatever you wanted, dress however you wanted without pressure, you always did what you wanted." She said ignoring my question.

"And where did that get me, I'm an outcast, I'm a bully's meat." I scoffed.

"But you have real friendships and they only bully you because you never stand up for yourself."

"And how do you know all of this?" I asked her.

"It doesn't matter. If it's fame you want I'll get it for you and I'll make sure you are untouchable."

"Why would you do that for me?" I asked already smelling a rat.

"I know you saw me yesterday." She said and I froze as I recalled the events of the past night.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I looked away from her, feigning ignorance.

"I hoped you would say that." She chuckled and tapped me by the shoulder then she leaned in very close and whispered into my ear. "You do know the damage you would cause if anyone else got to know."

"I don't know anything, how would anyone else know." I said and she smiled.

"Yeah, enjoy your new found fame and if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." She said and turned to walk away.

"What are you going to do?" I asked her, suddenly feeling very sorry for her.

She was right, it word got out it would ruin her and her family.

"My mother would take care of it." She said and I nodded.

"But what would you have done?"

"Nothing, don't you know, my life is not my own." She laughed sadly and turned to leave, after a few steps she stopped and turned to me. "You shouldn't get involved with Ace, he's not good for you and you know it."

I sighed and covered my face with my palms as she left the classroom.

How many times had I told myself the very words she spoke.

"Stay away from Ace, he's not good for you." I couldn't count how many times I'd said the exact words to myself but the more I kept hearing those words, the less convinced I was.

As if the cosmos were involved somehow, I got a call and it was from Ace.

I hadn't even realized that I'd brought my phone with me, the device vibrated in my pocket bringing me out of my thoughts.

I picked up on the third ring.

"Hello." I spoke shyly.

"Em." He said my name and then took a deep breath.

"Ace." I said and did the same.

"I heard about your mother, I wanted to see how you were doing."

"I'm at school." I said and he chuckled.

"Typical, do you have any off days?" He asked.

"How a-are you d-doing?" I asked him and he chuckled.

"I'm at home." He replied.

"I heard about the fight." I told him, my tone serious.

"And I suppose you don't approve." He responded dryly.

"Why would you involve yourself in something that would get you hurt?" I asked him, my tone laced with concern.

"I'm fine, Em, you don't have to worry about me." He said and I nodded like he could see me.

I didn't know what else to say so I just kept quiet.

"Em, aren't you got to say anything else?" He asked after a moment of silence.

"Will you be in school tomorrow?" I finally asked.

"Do you want me to?" He asked.

"It would mean you're not too hurt." I said and he chuckled.

"Even if I was crippled, I would crawl to school if I knew for a fact that you wanted me there." He said and I frowned.

"I don't want you to hurt yourself, if you're still hurting then stay at home." I said.

"Okay, fine, will you come and see me?" He asked and for some strange reason my heart began beating very fast and I kept quiet too stunned to speak.

"Em, are you still there?" He asked after a while.

"I've got to go, I have class." I said and ended the call hurriedly.

I looked around with the phone pressed to my beating chest and then I scolded myself for feeling this way.

It was just an ordinary phone call.

I walked out of the classroom and back to the cafeteria to find Jen, I was surprised she hadn't already come to find me.

I didn't find her at the cafeteria and it was already time for class so I decided to head there thinking she might be already there waiting for me.

As I walked down the hallway, I saw a disheveled looking Jen hurry out of the janitors closet.

I quickly hid behind a locker before she saw me and I watched as she adjusted her uniform and arranged her hair before walking away.

I waited for sometime and then I gasped out of shock as the second person walked out of the closet a few minutes after she did.