Chapter Three

DAKODA

The following day, I'm incredibly irritable because I've only had four hours of sleep for two consecutive days. And to make matters worse, it's all thanks to three individuals I can't stand. How is that even remotely fair? I head downstairs to grab a quick bite before heading off to school. It seems like my parents have already left for the day because they don't respond when I bid them goodbye.

Upon arriving at school, I park my car in the first available spot I see. Suddenly, a jeep comes speeding up behind me, and a deep voice shouts at me to move my damn car.

"Screw you. I don't see your name on that parking spot anywhere," I retort without even bothering to look at him, as I already know who the jerk is. I don't see what happens next. He forcefully grabs me by the waist, pulling me back into his body, and whispers in my ear, "Move your damn car, Dakoda, or we'll do to you right here, right now, what we did to you in the classroom yesterday. You don't want to be labeled as the slut, do you?"

I manage to break free from his grip and walk around to the driver's side, getting into my car. As I start the engine, the passenger side door swings open, and a tall figure hops in.

"Get out," I screech.

"No," Kasey responds with a smug smile.

"Why can't you guys just ignore me like everyone else?"

"Now, where's the fun in that, haole?"

"I have a name, you know."

"I'm aware."

"So, use it, you asshole."

"Just move the car," he says flatly.

"I can do that perfectly fine without you in here," I retort.

"Sure, but I'm not getting out, so you might as well drive. I'll show you where to park from now on."

"Oh great, this should be a blast," I deadpan. I pull out of the parking space, and Korey swiftly takes my spot. "Where am I going?" I ask Kasey.

He simply smirks at me. "Back outside the gate and onto the street where you belong."

"Screw that," I mutter. I find another parking spot, pull in, turn off the engine, and remove the key from the ignition before stepping out. I walk away from my car and towards the building.

"You think that'll stop us, haole?" Kasey taunts from behind me.

Damn it. What do they have planned now? This is going to be a never-ending year.

"Hey, are you alright? That was brutal out there," McKenzie asks as she catches up to walk with me.

"Yeah, they're just trying to intimidate me because I'm new."

"No, babe, that's just who they are - a bunch of assholes."

"Ugh, I wish they would just move on to someone else already," I groaned. The morning classes always fly by too quickly, and now it's already lunchtime. The thought of walking into the cafeteria fills me with dread. Thankfully, my new friend McKenzie is by my side as we enter. Today, I've decided that if they're in there and looking at me, I'll eat outside. Luckily, our school has picnic tables for students to use when the weather is nice. I try to avoid looking up, hoping they won't notice me, but of course, luck is not on my side.

"They're staring at you," McKenzie informs me.

"Can we eat outside today?" I ask her.

"Of course," McKenzie replies with a giggle.

We grab our food and head outside. However, when we find a vacant picnic table, three jerks beat us to it.

"What the heck?" I whisper.

"This is so weird," McKenzie adds.

"No kidding," I respond.

McKenzie giggles. "I think they like you."

"They have a strange way of showing it," I say, turning towards a spot under a tree. They let us sit there, probably because they think they're too good for the ground. My peace is short-lived when Kasey, Korey, and Gage all sit down behind us.

"Hey Mac," Korey says sweetly. "Do you mind giving us a minute alone with Dakoda?"

Oh no, he knows my name! I give McKenzie pleading eyes, but she betrays me, shrugging and getting up so they can move closer. She walks away backwards, mouthing, "you got this."

"So, did you really think you could just come out here and avoid us, haole?" Korey taunts.

"Isn't that what you want? For me to stay as far away from you as possible," I retort.

"Don't put words in our mouth, princess," Kasey says, running his finger down my neck, causing me to shiver.

I regain my senses and slap his hand away. "Don't touch me," I hiss.

"Hm, or what?" Korey says, running his hand up my left thigh.

"Please don't do that," I whisper, cursing myself for feeling weak when they touch me.

Gage laughs. "Baby, we can do as we please, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Okay, this changes everything. "I thought you guys hated me, so why are you always touching me and getting turned on by me?"

"Oh, princess, don't flatter yourself. The boner isn't for you. We picture a model on that face of yours."

Enough is enough. I get up to walk away, but Korey grabs me, shoving me against the tree we were sitting under. This time, he traps me in.

"We decide when it's enough, D, and I'm not done feeling you up just yet," he says, leaning in and kissing my neck, causing me to shiver all over.

Mac comes back at that moment. "Okay, boys, show's over. Dakoda needs to get to her next class."

"It's okay, hot stuff. She can be late with us," Kasey tells Mac.

"No, she cannot," she says, yanking me away from Korey's grasp.

"Thank you," I whisper.

"Just keep walking," she whispers back.

The next couple of hours are pure hell. I have my next four classes with those jerks, and they do everything they can to torment me. From pinching my ass when I sit down to pulling the chair out from under me. Once the day is finally over, I go out to my car, my safe haven, only to find it's no longer where I parked it.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" I yell in frustration.

"Language, young lady," a passing teacher scolds. I give them my famous go-to-hell look. I hate those jerks so much. It's payback time, and it's going to be brutal.

McKenzie comes up beside me. "Come on, I'm pretty sure I know where they hid it."

Sure enough, it's right where she takes me, on top of an old, abandoned building with four flat tires.

"How on earth did they get my car up there?" I ask her.

"There's a little makeshift bridge that only really brave or really stupid people drive on. However you want to look at it," McKenzie explains.

"I'm going to go with stupid," I retort. She giggles. "I have a portable air compressor in my car. My dad makes me carry it around just in case, so we can inflate your tires and get you down from there if you'd like. Or we can tell your dad and have him handle it."

"I'd rather my parents not know the hell I'm going through at school. They have enough on their plates."

"Alright, let's get this done then," I said.

"Hey McKenzie, will you help me get some payback?" I asked.

"Absolutely, they need to be taken down a notch," McKenzie replied.

We cautiously drove over the makeshift bridge, my heart pounding with fear. One wrong move and we could go over the edge. Finally, we reached my car and saw that my tires had been slashed. "I'll need to get new tires," I sighed.

"What's your plan, sister?" McKenzie asked.

"I have some money saved up from my job in Washington. I'll use that to buy the tires and hopefully find someone to fix them today. Then, I'll start looking for a new job," I explained.

"Why don't you just tell your dad?" McKenzie suggested.

"Because," I replied.

"Okay," she said, raising her hands in surrender.

"I know a guy. Let me call him real quick and see what he can do," McKenzie offered.

"Thank you, I appreciate it," I said gratefully.

McKenzie's guy came through for us. When he arrived, I couldn't help but be amazed by his appearance. He was incredibly muscular, like a bodybuilder, and his glistening dark skin caught the sunlight. McKenzie wiped the drool from my mouth and teased me. I playfully flipped her off and we both laughed.

"Alright, beautiful, your tires are fixed," he said.

"Oh, thank you. How much do I owe you?" I asked.

"You don't owe me anything today, but both you and my sister here will help me in the shop to pay off your debt," he replied.

"That's very kind of you, but I'd really like to pay you," I insisted.

"Don't worry, you will. Starting this weekend, I have a big shipment of tires coming in. You two," he said, pointing between McKenzie and me, "will unload them and put them in their proper places."

"Why do I have a feeling I'm going to hate you before this is over?" I asked, to which he simply winked.

On Friday afternoon, McKenzie's brother fulfilled his promise. By the time I got home that night, I was so exhausted that I didn't even dream about the three assholes.

The following morning, I wake up feeling rejuvenated. After having breakfast, I decide to call my new friend Mackenzie and see if she's up for some much-needed revenge.

"Hey Mackenzie, are you ready to help me get back at them?" I ask eagerly.

"You bet, girlfriend. Come pick me up. I know where those jerks hang out on weekends. They're obsessed with surfing," Mackenzie replies with a mischievous tone in her voice, and I can't help but feel excited about her plan.

I hop into my car and drive to the address Mackenzie gave me. As soon as I pull up to her driveway, she rushes out of her house, and we speed off. "So, Mac, where are we headed?" I inquire.

Mackenzie guides me to the spot where the boys usually gather, and true to her word, they are there, completely unaware of our presence. Without hesitation, Mackenzie and I sneak over to where they've left their surfboards leaning against a wall and swiftly snatch them. We bring the boards back to my car, apply super glue to the seats, and return them to their original spot. Then, we retreat to my car and wait for the boys to come and retrieve their boards. The moment they try to grab them, their hands get stuck, and when they attempt to use their feet to free themselves, their feet get stuck too. Mackenzie and I can't contain our laughter as we watch the hilarious scene unfold. However, we don't want to risk being caught, so we quickly drive away and head to an ice cream shop to celebrate our victory.

"That was the most fun I've had in ages," I exclaim to Mackenzie.

"It's been tough for you lately, hasn't it?" Mackenzie sympathetically asks, and I simply nod in agreement.

"Anyway, let's not let anything ruin our good mood," I declare, determined to focus on the positive. We approach the counter to order our ice cream. I choose mint chocolate, while Mackenzie opts for Rocky Road. With our frozen treats in hand, we find a table in the corner and savor our victory, enjoying every bite of our ice cream.

As we sit there, relishing the sweet taste of our ice cream, Mackenzie suddenly looks at me with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "You know, this revenge thing was pretty fun. Maybe we should make it a regular thing," she suggests.

I raise an eyebrow, intrigued by her proposition. "What do you have in mind?" I ask, my curiosity piqued.

Mackenzie draws nearer, her voice barely audible. "We stumble upon little things and torment those guys relentlessly. And now, they'll retaliate with even greater force because that's just Korey, Kasey, and Gage - they don't cut anyone any slack. But it would be incredibly enjoyable to humble those jerks, don't you agree?"

I beam at her and reply, "Absolutely, I think it's a fantastic idea."

Mackenzie's eyes light up with excitement as she hears my agreement. "Great! We'll need to come up with a plan to really show them who they've been messing with. We can't let them get away with their bullying anymore."

I nod in agreement, my mind already racing with ideas. "We need to find their weak spots and exploit them. We can gather evidence of their wrongdoings and expose them to the whole school. That way, everyone will see their true colors."

Mackenzie grins mischievously. "And we can also give them a taste of their own medicine. We'll make sure they experience what it feels like to be on the receiving end of their torment."

I chuckle, feeling a surge of determination. "They won't know what hit them.

After leaving the ice cream shop, I take Mac back to her house. "See you tomorrow at school," I say before making my way home. Upon arriving, I find my parents already asleep, so I head straight to my room to prepare for bed. As I lay in bed, I can't help but think about how disapproving Stella would be of my behavior with these guys. She would advise me to ignore them, believing they would eventually leave me alone. However, I believe she would be mistaken this time. With a smile on my face, I close my eyes and allow my dreams to take over.

In my dreams, I envision the torment I can inflict on those assholes. I wake up with a smile on my face, only to realize it's already midnight. I remind myself that I need to get some sleep, as tomorrow at school is bound to be a bitch if I don't.

Once more, I shut my eyes, attempting to redirect my thoughts towards the joyful moments shared with my sister Stella. I reminisce about her infectious laughter and the playful side she revealed only to me. It bewilders me how she constantly shielded herself from the world, making it even more incomprehensible why someone would inflict such harm upon her. Damn it, now I find myself in tears over Stella once more. I feel utterly broken and lost.

I eventually fall asleep.