4: An Elaborate Prank

BELLA

I ran.

I ran as fast as I could, ran as I fell as I could. My vision was so blurry from so much tears that even my wolf’s eyes couldn't save me from stumbling and falling but still, I ran. 

I needed to get away, from school, from Mara, from the taunts, from everything. From Trevor.

Oh, Trevor.

My already broken heart shattered completely at the thought of him. I couldn't believe it, couldn't believe this nightmare, couldn't believe what had happened, what was happening. 

It had all been a cruel joke and as usual, I was at the receiving end of it. It was an elaborate prank, one that was orchestrated by Mara and Trevor had gone right ahead to play along, to play me, to make me feel like I was loved and valued. 

He had treated me like I was a Queen, like I was worthy and deserving but it had all been a lie. 

Was he hiding his disgust when he saw my body?

When he called me Sunflower? 

When he told me he knew even the mundane things about me? 

Thinking about it now, I was sure it was Mara that fed him all those things, just to make their prank more believable and I couldn't believe I had fallen for it. 

I was such a fool to think that someone like Trevor would be sincere about someone like me.

Flashes of derisive laughter and jeers came unbidden to me, the voices so loud in my head that they blocked out every other thing. I tried to scream as I ran but even that wasn't enough to block out how I was mocked and taunted. 

It kept playing in my head like a broken record.

And as if that wasn't enough, the images started flashing unbridled in my head; Trevor’s disgust; Mara’s sadistic glee; the hundreds of faces that had surrounded me in the hallway, mocking me, taunting me. 

I couldn't get them out of my head no matter this hard I tried.

All this time I had been the subject of a joke I had thought was reality. My cheeks grew hotter as I imagined how Mara and her clique must have been laughing at my smitten nature. Maybe they had even taken videos that they would share with the entire school in the wake of my humiliation. 

I knew there would be consequences but I wanted to damn everything and just let out all my frustration, hurt, and anger by beating her into a stupor.

My limbs weakened and fatigue finally took over as I slumped onto the nearest surface and it was only after I looked around that I realized that I was in a park, Bayview Park, a park that was at least 3 miles from school. 

I had been running for that long and I had no idea. 

It was a week day so the park was completely deserted. There’ll be no one to gape at me crying or take more pictures or point and laugh. I could do whatever I wanted here.

I curled into myself on the bench, my breaths coming out raggedly, my heart beating wildly, tears falling in torrents from my eyes, and my nose running. 

I couldn't stop crying no matter how hard I tried to. 

Will it ever stop? The pain, the torment. It was just a few hours and it already felt so unbearable. I imagined this torment stretching over days, weeks, and months. Maybe I should run away and not go back forever. I don't think I'd be able to handle going back, to handle seeing Trevor and Mara as mates, to handle being at the receiving end of the taunts and mockeries. 

The more I think about everything, how Trevor whom I thought was my knight in shining armor, who I had fallen in love with had only been playing me, the more my heart splintered, the more it felt like someone had taken an ax to my heart and was axing at it. 

God! It hurt so much. I had no idea an emotional pain could hurt like this, that it could hurt so much that I wished I could rip out my heart just to rid myself of the pain. 

I was a fucking fool to have believed Trevor could be mine and the more I thought about it, the more tears fell from my eyes and I had no idea how long I sat there, bawling my eyes out until I looked up and I realized it was dusk. 

The sun had set and I had to go to that place I dread going.

Home.

My guts twisted and writhed as my home came into view. I would have to inevitably face Mara after what had happened in school, and I wasn’t looking forward to it. I was lucky, I should be able to slip into the house without anyone noticing. 

But I should have known that I wasn't good with luck because the minute I made my way inside and started to sneak upstairs, a voice cleared below me.

My muscles stiffened because I knew who it was and what it meant for me. 

“Where the hell have you been?” my stepmother—Mara’s mother —asked.

I turned around. She was at the foot of the stairs, hands on her hips, a nasty expression, full of disdain on her face.

I pressed my lips tightly together. I hadn’t even anticipated her, which I should have. Mara was a baby compared to her harpy of a mother.

“Goo... Good evening, Ma,” I stammered, one of the many effects of being in her presence.

“Hold your greetings!” she snapped angrily, a time I was long used to by now, “Do you know how late it is? You were supposed to be home hours earlier. Why do you always insist on being a nuisance to everyone?.”

I bit my tongue to keep the words I so wanted to say back in. She had no idea the day I had had and now she had the nerve to complain to me about, of all things, lateness? Mara came and went as she pleased and at any time she wanted yet she never said a mean word to her. Yet, I came back a few minutes after dark and suddenly I was irresponsible.

I realized I was unconsciously shaking my left leg and stopped it. I wasn’t going to take any more of this. Not after everything.

I started to turn away from her when she exclaimed, “Hold it right there you little bitch!”

Her face was reddened and pinched with rage. “Who said I was done with you? You don’t dare walk away from me, you fucking whore. That’s what you’re doing now, right? Sleeping around with boys. Lowlifes, I’m sure, since no boy with enough decency could ever find you attractive enough to even sleep with you.”

I swallowed, the tears coming back to my eyes. She was right after all. No boy with enough decency could ever love someone like me. Today had painfully proved that more than anything else.

“No dinner for you this night. Yes, that’s your punishment. And there are a lot of dirty dishes in the sink waiting for you. Attend to them now before you even think of going upstairs. Get the hell out of my sight, you fat cunt!”

I stared at the face of my stepmother, so much like Mara’s. Fantasies of how that cruel expression would twist into fear and hate as I stabbed her in her bed flooded my mind. I smiled, because if I didn’t I would cry. Then I walked past her to the kitchen.

While I was doing the dishes, Mara walked into the kitchen. My breath hitched at the sight of her, my heart racing faster, my insides flip-flopping so much I felt like throwing up. The plate in my trembling hands cracked into two and I hastily dropped it into the sink. Mara didn’t seem to notice it. She was focused solely on me.

At that moment, she looked like a fox delighted at the sight of new prey.

“You poor thing,” she began. “Have you been crying? I wonder where you’ve been all day.  With your fellow elephants?” Then she took a moment to laugh at her very lame joke. “You were a fool to think you could ever have Trevor as disgusting and ugly as you are. I’m glad you finally know your place. You see what happens when you cross me now, don’t you?”

She gave me that increasingly infuriating smile and then turned her back to me. At that moment, my claws popped out. She had her back turned, she was vulnerable. One single slash and I could end all my problems. It wasn’t hard, I hated her and she deserved it and worse.

So why couldn’t I bring myself to do it?

But I had no time to ponder that. Mara turned back to me and the moment passed. I hid my clawed hand behind my back.

“Also, you’re trending in school,” she said sweetly, “Your ugly pics are the talk of the school. If I were you, I’d just kill myself this night. You’ll be eaten alive if you ever step into that school again.”

Now I wished I had done it while I had the chance, fuck the consequences. I cursed myself inwardly. I just kept fucking things up as usual. 

I had a lot I wanted to say to her, but my throat was clogged with hate and fear. I let another opportunity pass and Mara went upstairs to her room, leaving me alone with the dishes and my emotions. 

And again, I cried. 

I cried at the fact that I was so miserable and ugly and unloveable.

I was forced to go to school the next day. I sobbed and pleaded and begged Mara’s mother not to let me go back, but she was adamant, threatening to kick me out of the house and tell my dad I had run away if I didn’t comply. 

Mara stood by and watched all this with glee. Once I had conceded tearfully to her mother, she came to me and whispered into my ear: “I told you should have killed yourself.”

Mara was right. The kids at the school were not kind to me in any way. All eyes were on me, smirks and laughter and insults and jeers thrown my way.

Ooh look, the elephant is back.

I applaud her bravery, I would have killed myself.

She’s disgusting. To think she ever thought Trevor was genuinely interested in her. What a fucking loser.

Pictures were being taken of me and circulated around. They were turned into disgusting and degrading memes for everyone else’s amusement and Mara was kind enough to send them all to my DM, making me see just how ridiculous they had made me into. 

I blocked her.

The word ‘PIG’ was graffitied on my locker, and when I opened it several smelly pork chops came tumbling out, falling on my clothes and shoes. People shoved me hard as they walked past slamming me into lockers, the sink, and the wall. 

Someone tore my hoodie and sweatpants with a pair of scissors shouting, “Show us your disgusting rolls, bitch!”, trying to strip me naked in the middle of the hallway.

I cried and tried to shove him and his minions away but they were more powerful than I was. In the middle of it all, Trevor walked past and I locked eyes with him and for a minute, I thought he'd come and help me but his eyes remained blank as if I did not matter to him, as if I was irrelevant.

Then he made his way to Mara, threw his hands around her, and kissed her deeply.

My heart shattered into pieces. I fell to my knees right there as random people kicked at me. I didn’t feel it. The pain of Trevor turning away from me was greater than anything anybody else could do to me.

My eyes were glued on him kissing Mara. Then she turned to me and smirked triumphantly before taking his arm and walking away.

I was a loser, a complete one.

I held out for a month and yet the bullying didn’t let up even a bit.

Then I decided that I couldn’t do it anymore. I was going to drop out, run away, and end all of this misery. There was nothing in this town left for me besides hate and sorrow. I needed to get out before they completely broke me.

But the day I began to pack my bags, my father called. It was so unexpected I was stunned for a minute. He was usually very busy and traveled all over, not even able to pick up calls when I called. And now he was calling me.

I snapped out of my fuzz and answered. “Hello, dad.”

“Hello, my sweet girl. My Bella. Oh, how I have missed you so much. I have been wanting to call you but I just never really had the chance.”

My eyes watered. “It’s alright Dad. I understand.”

“I really am sorry. I can’t talk much because I have another call in the next... seven minutes. But I just wanted to let you know that I love you. And you’re an angel, and you are treasured. You are unique and nothing can change that.”

I burst into tears. The conversation went on for five more minutes. Dad had always known about my struggles and insecurities and I just marveled at how he had coincidentally known it was the right time for him to call. 

Once the call had ended, I felt a strength in me that I hadn’t felt in a very long time. I was my father’s daughter, and I wasn’t running away from my problems. I would solve them and get my life back to normal. I was not going anywhere.

I lay back on my bed and smiled for the first time in a very long time, feeling a weight lift off of me. And it was then that I remembered that I hadn’t seen my period in over a month.

Shit! Shit!! Shit!!!