Eggstra Issues

I’m relieved that the halls are empty. After getting my late pass from the secretary in the front office, I make my way to my locker. I slow when I see the red spray paint. Stopping in front of it, I glare at the word written across the space of my locker. 

Merderer.

I’ve never killed anyone. The only crime I’ve made related to taking someone's life was against mosquitoes, flies, and spiders. But just by association, by being his daughter, I’m unfairly marked. His crime becomes mine. 

“At least fucking spell it right,” I grumble under my breath as I try to wipe the first ‘E’ away. Part of it smudges, but the letter remains. “Damn idiots.” I push away the urge to cry. No more tears, not today. I’ve done enough of that this morning.

I remember Stone staring at my egged figure and cringe. I’ll never be able to look at him again. Never be able to make eye contact. Never be able to be in the same room. 

I twist the number lock and open my locker up. I pull out the text book for my class, any worry of being late is long gone. It's not even noon and I'm emotionally drained. I want to go home and hide under my blanket.

Students flood out of the classrooms, and flinch, dropping my notebook.in I was hoping to avoid this. I squat down and pick up the book when a note flutters out. Great, as if the word murderer spray painted on my locker wasn’t enough. And really, a bully note is just soft. Why go from drenching me in paint and eggs to a harmless note. I crumble the paper in my hand and throw it back into my locker. I’d rather not read it. 

As I gather the stuff for my next class, I can feel the stares burning into the back of my head. Just ignore me… please ignore me. I close my locker, and when I turn around to walk to class, I stop where I'm standing. Melanie stands in front of me with her new friend May standing on her right and another girl I can’t remember the name of on her left. Melanie frowns at me, as if my very presence unnerves her. 

“I’m surprised you came today,” she says. “Especially looking like that.” She flips her hair over her shoulder. I frown back at her.

“I'm surprised you’re talking to me,” I reply back, “You wouldn’t want to associate with, you know, a psycho.” I shrug my shoulders, acting like I’m not affected by her, by any of them. 

Dad was good at acting.

She sneers at me, lips pulling back with a glare, because how dare I say something like that. 

“I don’t,” she hisses back at me. “I’m just saying that you look pathetic. If I were you, I would've just dropped out.”

“Are you a masochist? Do you like all this attention on you?” One of her new friends asks, and I gape at her. Is she really upset that I have attention? Not positive, but negative? Is even the slightest recognition from Lucas and Henry enough to set her off? I glare back at her.

“Yes,” my voice drips with sarcasm, “I’m just beaming at all this recognition.”

Before she can reply back, Kensey walks towards us. “Oh no, what happened to all that egg you were dressed in earlier?” she smirks. Melanie glances at her, then at me and smiles. Except this isn't the one I'm used to. This one is full of malice.

“I don’t know what you're talking about,” I say, voice stiff. 

“Really?” Kensey asks with a chuckle, she glances at someone behind me, and her smile grows even bigger. The sharp curve of her lips promises that there’s more to come. 

“It's a good thing I have more than one witness. Hey, Stone,” she practically purrs. I pale, back straitening, and muscles tensing. Please no, please don’t be behind me. I frown when I see that not only is he standing behind me, but he also isn’t alone. At his side Kingston stands, sparkling emerald eyes taking in my red tinted face. Loose strands of his brown hair frame his chiseled face. 

Great.

Why does he have to look so good?

“Don’t you think Ari looks better with eggs in her hair?” Kensey pulls out her phone and turns it to him. On it is a picture of me, body slouching and arms held out as egg drips down my clothes and hair. I spare a look at him, teeth nipping at my bottom lip. I'm sure my face is red, and not just with the tint from the paint.

“God damn.” Kingston chuckles at the sight, and I quickly tear my gaze away from them. I stare at my shoes, scuffing them on the floor. It would be great if a sinkhole popped up and swallowed me. 

“You should perfect your aim. An egg hit my mom's rose bush,” Stone says. His deep voice sharp and clear. Like steele. It isn't as gravely as it was when he banged on my door and yelled at me to shut up. 

I miss it.

Kensey shrugs and laughs. “You can blame Lupe for that.” 

I glance up, and cringe when I find Stone glaring down at me. Staring into his dark eyes, I shiver with how intense his gaze is. Just him in general is intense. His long sleeve shirt covers his tattoos, and I suddenly hate the school's dress code, with it's requirement to have all tattoos covered by clothing or bandages. 

“She got anymore eggs on her?” he asks, and I flinch. Now he wants to egg me, great. 

Kensey smiles brightly. “She does actually. I’ll give them to you at lunch.” 

“H-hey Kingston,” Melanie pipes up from in front of me. I glance at her, completely forgetting that she was there. Her and her friends went silent as soon as Kensey entered the conversation.