Micah
Icrank the steering wheel hard to the left, skidding to a stop in a parking space early Wednesday morning. My phone is fucking lighting up like a firework display with all these text messages coming in. I wonder what the fuck is going on.
Hesitantly, I scan through some of the messages. Fucking Alora. I hadn’t realized I’d missed a couple from her yesterday. She hadn’t been in school, but I’ll be damned if she wasn’t watching my every move—or having someone watching for her. Could be either. She doesn’t like her hands dirty.
Alora:Micah, I know you were with her Monday night.
Alora:Didn’t look like much tutoring was getting done.
Ignoring that one, I see I have texts from both Xander and Scarlett … and even Max, who I’m not sure has texted me in all the years we’ve known each other.
Xander:Fuck, bro you need to get to school.
Scarlett:Micah, Daph needs you.
Scarlett:Hurry.
Max:I swear to God, if you don’t put a stop to Alora harassing Daph …
Max: She said you were taking care of things.
Max:It sure doesn’t seem like it.
Oh, fuck.I don’t bother with my bag. Throwing the door open, I exit and slam the door in haste, hauling ass into the academy at top speed.
My mind races as fast as my legs do. What the hell is happening? The texts give me no clue. All I know is Daphne needs me and, somehow, Alora is involved.
Flying around the corner to the senior corridor where all of our lockers are located, I notice there’s a pretty good hum of activity all the way at the end, down near both of our lockers.
I get a sick feeling in my stomach as I dash in that direction. Dodging past other students throughout the crowded hallway. I can make out Max, Beau, and Xander huddled around Daphne’s locker. Max keeps spraying something at it as Beau and Xander put their muscles behind scrubbing it down. When I come to a stop, out of breath, I blink slowly one time, hoping that I’m imagining what’s written on her locker. But no. In huge letters, in what looks like permanent marker, Daphne’s locker has been graffitied. S-L-U-T is written out vertically from top to bottom.
I close my eyes for a second, my head dropping back on my shoulders. After taking a few breaths, I open them again, and look around at the crowd of students hanging around. My voice thunders out, “Who the fuck did this?” I glance from one startled face to another. Most of them shake their heads and hold up their hands. A few begin to back away.
Beau stands up from squatting. His lips are a thin white line across his face as he points toward an empty classroom. “She’s in there with Scarlett.”
I begin to head in that direction when Beau catches my elbow.
“Dude. Calm down first. I can see the rage coming off of you in waves.”
My jaw is clamped tight as I scan the people still standing around, gawking. I walk over to the locker. “Back up for a sec.”
Max and Xander eye me and don’t waste time. They get out of the way as I throw my fist into the locker.
“Oh, shit.”
“Damn.”
“What the heck was that?”
I almost laugh. It’s like they’ve never seen someone upset before.
“Holy shit, he’s a maniac.”
I strike the locker three more times before I stop. My chest heaves up and down from the exertion, and I stand stock-still for a minute staring at the offensive word on my girl’s locker. I grit my teeth and spin on my heel, jogging over to the classroom. I try the knob but it’s locked.
I pound on it twice. Wait. Another time.
The door flies open. Scarlett’s face relaxes when she sees it’s me and waves me into the classroom. “I’ll give you some time.” She tugs me down to whisper, “She hasn’t said a word since we got in here, despite all of my reassurances that it’ll get cleaned up and repainted.”