My Nemesis

Valentina’s P.O.V

  I could still feel the heat around my cheeks, just some seconds ago, Travis was holding me so close to himself and he looked like he wanted to say something as well. I brushed my hair backward with my fingers, and I couldn’t help but wonder what he wanted to say.

If only Ethan wasn’t Travis's best friend, I think I could be bold enough to get close to him, since he is the only person in this whole school who doesn’t bully me.

 “Valentina!” I heard that very familiar but annoying voice from behind me and I barely controlled the urge to roll my eyes. Reaching my sides, Lucille draped her arm on my shoulder, and almost immediately, I found myself surrounded by her gang, she grimaced at me. “Oh God, you stink.”

“You always stink, do you even wash your hair?” Amanda asked curiously, pulling on some strands of my hair, and she covered her nose with her palms.

“Even if she does, I doubt her cheap perfumes and shampoo could wash away the stench of poverty.” Lucille joked pulling me even closer, they walked me towards the washroom. “Do you know why we are here?”

How the fuck was I supposed to know what they want from me?

“I don’t know,” I answered a small irritation building up in my throat, they can’t do more than hit me or probably shove my head down the toilet and since that’s all they ever do I am so used to them already.

“Sheryl saw you talking to Travis in the hallway, she noticed you seemed close with him,” Lucille explained as she gripped my hair and forced me to my knees once we entered one of the bathroom stalls. “What were you discussing so emotionally that Travis held you?”

“If you are so curious, why don’t you ask him instead?” I suggested.

Lucille snickered before she forced my head into the toilet, I shut my eyes tightly and held my breath, but that didn’t stop the flushing water from entering my nostrils. 

Pulling my head out I gasped for air, coughing seriously as I tried to get the water out of my system.

“Stay away from Travis, you little tramp and if you don’t, I will tell Ethan about it” She snarled in my face, there was an evil glint in her eyes, she noticed the fear that was in my eyes and she smirked wickedly. “I wonder what he would say when he finds out you have been flirting with Travis, I wonder what will happen to you, poor you.”

She chuckled lightly and my heart hammered in my chest, if she hadn’t threatened me before, she was doing it now.

 Ethan Lords, my nemesis…

 Reporting me to Ethan is equal to a death sentence.

 “You don’t want Ethan to know you have been snooping around with his best friend, do you?”

“I wasn’t snooping around with him,” I defended my voice shaking fearfully. “He simply helped me because I missed a footing and I was about to fall.”

A satisfied smirk spread across her lips, and she released my hair.

“Right,” She giggled. “I knew there was nothing to discuss between you both, Travis wouldn’t be interested in talking to someone like you, and however, I would appreciate it if he had just let you fall and be the embarrassment that you are.”

“Yeah.” I couldn’t help but agree with her, I am an embarrassment being so afraid of my classmate, but who am I kidding? Ethan could buy my life if he wanted to, who was I to go against someone like that, when he had promised to destroy me right from the beginning?

But I was at least grateful that Lucille didn’t do much, she just left as soon as she was able to confirm that I wasn’t talking to Travis. I gathered my pathetic self from the floor and exited the bathroom, I sent Melissa a text, and I told her I needed her help after school today.

    Melissa was the only friend I had in the world, we attended middle school together, and we also took the scholarship exam together but unfortunately, she didn’t pass.

We work together in the same restaurant and her elder sister, Rachael is a college student, so I was wondering if I could get some help from her for my interview tomorrow.  

I was staring hard at the screen of my phone in anticipation, I waited for Mel’s reply, and I was getting impatient because I didn’t want to miss this opportunity for anything in the world, even if it meant forging my own identity.

I need that, Job! 

Just as I was about to round the corner, I bumped into something, or rather someone, a very solid figure that almost sent me flying across the floor.

   I was already feeling light-headed before this and now it just got worse, my phone slipped and fell from my hands as well. I winced in pain, bringing my hands to my head to stop the ringing.

  I heard a light chuckle and I felt my body stiffen almost immediately even the small ring that was in my head disappeared, I tried to reach for my phone, so I could get the fuck out of there, but it was stepped on by the heavy shoes that came into my field of vision.

My fingers stopped just millimeters away shoes, I dared not touch him if I loved my life that is, and I shouldn’t dare to touch him.

I heard the cracking and the shattering of glass that probably seemed to be my phone screen, only then did I remove my eyes from his well-polished black shoes, and slowly meet the forest green eyes that stared down at me in disdain.

Ethan Lords towered powerfully over me, with his hands in the pockets of his coat, he tilted his head to one side to eye me suspiciously, and I just stayed there frozen in the moment and paralyzed with fear.

Shit! This wasn’t looking good for me, especially now that my phone was underneath his shoes, I couldn’t just abandon it and run away.