Walking out of the classroom, I made my way down the hall in a daze. The whole day had been wasted, I had no idea what happened during the time I wasn't…there. I was nervous to find out. I blinked, noticing Jade walking down the hall. She wasn't using her crutches anymore, but she kept her ankle wrapped. Her walk wasn't exactly back to normal yet. Jade looked up, and locked eyes with me. She didn't look as cold as before, but she still didn't look happy to see me. I hesitated, and lightly jogged to catch up with her. "Jade…" She didn't respond, keeping her gaze down the hall as she walked. I sighed, glancing away. "I know you're upset, but"- "Upset?" she stopped walking, turning to face me. "I'm beyond upset. You were supposed to be my friend. Friends don't break their friend's ankles and leave them on the curb!" "I can explain that…" "How could you possibly explain?" she folded her arms, looking at me. "Mr. Hall"- "Mr. Hall. You're blaming something you did, on him? Do you expect me to believe that he somehow had something to do"- "Jade. Listen to me!" I snapped, interrupting her. Jade looked surprised, but soon regained her composure. "Fine." "Have you not noticed I've changed?" I asked. "Yeah. A lot. So what?" "I started changing after Mr. Hall started teaching here." "You're saying that his presence changed you?" I nodded, and Jade looked at me incredulously before throwing her hands in the air. "You're absolutely crazy! But…" she sighed, giving me a look. "No matter how crazy you are, you're still my friend. Just don't hurt me again." I quickly squeezed Jade in a hug, and I squealed in relief. "Thank you, Jade! I promise never to"- "Yeah, yeah." she rolled her eyes. "Don't you have a date to get ready for?" she asked. A look of utter confusion hit my features. "A date? With who?" "Who else?" she smirked down the hall, and I followed her eyes to see David approaching us, a smile on his face. "Hey Persephone." "David?" I stumbled. "I'll see you tonight." he grinned as he passed me, and one of his friends gave him a high-five. What the hell was he talking about?! I looked to Jade for help, and she arched an eyebrow. "I have a date with him?!" "Uh, yeah. He invited you to one of his 'famous' parties tonight." "B-but I didn't say"- "Ah, you agreed to go. A bunch of people were there when he asked… including me." she smiled sheepishly. "I was curious what you would say." "I don't want to go on a date with him! I don't like him! He's so persistent!" "How will you tell him no? Don't you know what the female school population would do to you?" "Rejoice and throw me a party?" "No… ironically, they'd all hate you. You'd be known as 'the girl who broke David's heart'" she theatrically gasped, pretending to faint. "And if David isn't happy, the girls will make the source of unhappiness miserable." I grumbled, pinching the bridge of my nose and squeezing my eyes shut. Jade was right. Either go on a date with a guy I absolutely did not like, or be ripped to shreds by his fangirls. Honestly, the second option was more appealing. --------------------------------------------------- Uh oh… I dunno if Mr. Hall will approve of this!
I couldn't believe what I was doing. I sighed, looking down at my outfit. A black miniskirt, and a blue off-the-shoulder top. It felt disgusting. But Jade told me that's what the girls usually wore to David's parties. …I decided I wasn't a usual girl. If David didn't like it (and I desperately hoped he didn't), then he would have to deal with it. Replacing the skirt with a pair of shorts, I felt a bit more comfortable, and inspected myself in the mirror, twirling around. Suddenly, I caught sight of something on my wrist, and I peered down, wiping at it with my thumb. No matter how hard I tried, the mark wouldn't go away. I gasped, taken aback. It was another symbol… where the hell did it come from? Shaking my head, I walked out of my house, and stood on the curb. If I had stayed inside, I would freak out over…whatever that was… An Explorer pulled up to my house, the streetlights overhead further accentuating how glossy the black paint was. The driver window pulled down, revealing David's face. "Hey beautiful!" he grinned, nodding me over. I bit back a spiteful response and walked to the passenger side of the car, sliding into the seat. Mr. Hall never would've treated me like this. I blinked in surprise as I buckled my seatbelt. Mr. Hall somehow made it into my thoughts… and a feeling of guilt pierced my stomach. I shouldn't feel guilty… I wasn't with Mr. Hall, we only kissed. It didn't mean anything. David looked over at me, driving off from my house. "I'm glad you decided to come. Couldn't stay away from me, huh?" he laughed. I gritted my teeth, looking away. "I had no choice…" I muttered. David bobbed his head to the music that floated through the car, and he drove further into the richer part of the neighborhood, the houses beginning to get larger as he drove. Soon, he stopped in front of a mansion, a large line of cars trailing down the huge driveway. As soon as I opened the car door, louder music hit my ear drums, and I winced. The party had over a thousand guests present, I was sure. David motioned for me to follow him, and he led me up the driveway, through the gates into a backyard. There was a DJ set up in the back, while people took up the majority of the space there. The bar was overflowing with red plastic cups and assorted drinks, while the pool was filled with people. I automatically strayed away from the water. I didn't bring a bathing suit, I wasn't planning on swimming, let alone staying for more than half an hour. One of David's friends handed him a drink, and he went off to talk. "Huh. Way to treat a date…" I mumbled, leaning against the bar. At least I wasn't being bothered by him anymore. Maybe now would be a good time to leave. "…Persephone?" Leah walked over to me, two of her friends flanking her. She smirked, her usual haughty expression displayed. "I think we've established that Persephone's my name." I said irritatedly, folding my arms. "What do you want? Another black eye?" Leah kept a straight face, but I noticed her take a nervous step back. "No, I just wanted to ask, if you wanted to join us? We're playing truth or dare inside." "Truth or dare? Isn't that a little juvenile? Even for you?" I smirked as Leah blushed in frustration. "Look, are you playing or not? You're not scared, are you?" she taunted. "Hm. You're on." I retorted, turning away and walking inside a huge recreation room. David was already sitting down on the couch, his friends next to him. Some other guests were sitting on the couches, the girls had giddy expressions on, and quietly squealed whenever a guy glanced their way. I sighed, and sat next to David. Leah's friends say on the other side of me, while Leah herself sat on the floor, cross legged. "Well, David, who do you want to go first?" she asked, fluttering her eyelashes. David glanced over at me, laughing. "Persephone." Leah laughed shortly, giving me a strained smile. "Of course… truth or dare?" she asked through gritted teeth. "Truth." I said amusedly. "Is it true… that…" Leah paused, thinking of a question, before she grinned at me. "Is it true that you like… Mr. Hall?" I froze, blinking surprisedly. The question caught me off guard. Did I like him? I didn't even know. I noticed everyone was looking at me expectantly, waiting for my answer. I decided to feign sarcastic innocence. "Yeah, of course I do." I said dryly, rolling my eyes. Everyone laughed, and the game continued. I felt so out of place. I never hung out with David's friends before, I just didn't fit in. "Persephone!" "What?!" I snapped, looking up. Leah looked caught off guard by the sharpness in my response, and the others uncomfortably shifted around. "Truth or dare?" "Whatever… dare." I huffed. Leah's eyes brightened, and she innocently tapped a finger to her chin. "I dare you to kiss David." she said, giggling. I arched an eyebrow at her, keeping my expression blank. "Why? We all know you'd much rather kiss him." A bunch of snickers sounded in the room, and Leah turned bright red. "B-because, that's the dare!" she stumbled. "Then I'll pass." I said simply, standing up as they all gaped at me. Leah angrily stormed out of the room, and her friends followed, making some of the others leave. Soon, David and I were the only ones in the room. "You said you'd pass?" he asked in awe. "Did I stutter?" I responded. "Besides, don't you think we're past a stupid game to get people to kiss? If I wanted to kiss you, I would." "Then what's taking you so long?" he said, and before I could respond, he kissed me. I widened my eyes, and broke away. Suddenly I had David on the floor, my foot against his throat. He gasped, and struggled for air, but I kept my foot where it was. "Don't. Ever. Try something like that again." I growled, putting more weight on his neck. David nodded quickly, and I stepped back. He frantically inhaled, his face going from red to pink. I walked out of the room, continued on outside, ignoring everyone who stared at me. I felt a tap on my shoulder, and looked over at an angry-looking Leah. "Hey! You think you're so funny making everyone laugh?" she shouted. I stood there, letting her tell at me, and noticed a crowd gather around us. "…and that's exactly what I think of you!" she finished. "Unfortunately, I don't give a shít." I responded, and I grabbed Leah's arm, twisting it around her back. I smirked as she screamed in pain, and I pushed her over, shoving her head into the pool. "Shut up." I stood up, and everyone got out of my way, clearing a path for me as I walked out of the party. Normally, I would've been shocked at my own behavior, but… I enjoyed it. --------------------------------------------------- Persephone: Official badass