The Wrong Voice In The Girls' Bathroom

Selena's POV

“You have to tell me the truth, Lena, or I'll gouge your eyes out,” Sarah was saying, jumping off and on my bed like an irritated five-year-old.

I rolled my eyes and snuggled closely on the bed.

I wanted to find a little peace.

To remember how wonderful I had felt when his lips had brushed mine… no, I needed to forget actually.

But I would not be doing either of those.

Sarah yanked my arm and I hissed as my body turned to face her.

“Ah… tell me! I'm your best friend, for crying out loud. Are you really going out with Caleb?” she pouted. “Huh, pretty please.”

I groaned.

“But I told you no like a gazillion times. What is it you want from me?!”

“The truth.” She half-yelled.

I exhaled and fell back on the bed.

“You have a poor understanding of what the truth is, then,” I told her.

“There are pictures of you and him. Plus, I've seen you walk down the hallway with him,” she said.

“Pictures that are photoshopped… most of them are. I agreed to go to a café with him just once, and then there's a picture of us in a pool… how elevating.”

My answer seemed to calm her down a little because she perched on the bed.

“But…”

“But nothing, Sarah. Besides, I don't even like his stupid, arrogant face,” I said, and she nodded as if in agreement.

“I know. Dominic is way better.”

Oh hell no. That was another one with a stupid, arrogant face.

“They are all the same,” I said, but my mind was already going over the near-kiss—or whisper of a kiss, whatever it was.

“Hey, Sarah…”

“Please go back to calling me Sara. I told you I changed it.”

I rolled my eyes.

“If a guy kisses you, what does that mean…” I was saying when I saw her wide eyes.

“...no, not like kiss—I don't know, like a brush of lips—and tells you that you drive him crazy…”

“Oh my God, Lena! Who did that? Caleb? Dominic?”

“Don't get ahead of yourself,” I said and sighed, because Sarah was my best friend and the only person I could actually tell.

“It was Dominic,” I said, and her jaw dropped.

I groaned, using the pillow to cover my face.

Just kill me already.

“Dominic is hot for you? Tell me your secret, girl. You go from being invisible to landing two hot guys?”

I pulled the pillow off my face and stared at her.

“Is that what it means? He's hot for me?”

“Yes. Which is strange because, well… I'm pretty sure Cherry is popping THE cherry for him, alright.”

I felt my stomach churn just at the thought of it. Just at the thought that…

But why did I care?

It wasn't as though I would submit to whatever stupid prank Dominic has in store for me this time.

“So he doesn't like me. He just wants to get under my skirt?” I asked her.

She shook her head.

“As much as I want to tell you otherwise, I can say that his prior behavior doesn't really show any sign of affection towards you.”

What a great way to put it, Sarah. Great.

Just great.

Tomorrow was student rep elections, and I wouldn't do anything that would snatch the opportunity away.

The next morning came even faster than I wanted. Even as I walked down the hallway, I could feel the tension off the walls.

Each step I took brought me closer to uncertainty. I rubbed my hands together to keep them from shaking.

“I will do all I can and not…” the words had barely left my lips when I was yanked by a firm hand toward the toilet.

“Hey…” I started, as Cherry pushed me into the toilet. I turned to face her, glaring.

She kept my eyes with that wicked sneer on her face.

“Withdraw from the election now!” she hissed, and I frowned.

“What makes you think you have the right to tell me that?” I asked, and in the blink of an eye, she pushed me.

The force vibrating off my body, I lost balance and jammed my ribs to the wash hand bowl.

Crack!

I closed my eyes, wincing as an unbearable pain shot through me. My legs wobbled, and I fell to the ground with a loud thud.

I winced. I had cracked another bone.

“Weak and pathetic.” I could hear her stupid, pastry voice.

I fought the tears as the pain washed over me. I would never give her the satisfaction of seeing me cry. She already thought I was pathetic.

“I have a video of you and Dominic… you slut, after throwing yourself all over Caleb. If you don't withdraw, I will post it on the GC,” she said and stormed off.

The tears finally fell when she left. The bell for the first period rang, but I didn't think I would be getting up anytime soon.

I covered my face as tears slipped down my eyes.

Stupid me. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

Why did I just take it all in and do nothing?

Why did I let myself get bullied by a cheap wench?

The sound of the door opening brought me out from my dilemma. Someone else was going to find me and then tag me as pathetic.

“Selena?” The voice was wrong.

What was a male voice doing in a female toilet?

Not just any male voice.

I looked up to see Dominic—icy grey eyes staring down at me. He had a frown on his face.

I tried to stand up immediately, taken by surprise, but that was a wrong move. The pain threw me off balance.

I stumbled, but he caught my waist, and I fell into his arms instead.

“Are you hurt?” There was an edge to his voice that I hadn't heard before, and it made me look up. As I did, a single tear that had already gathered slipped down my cheeks.

“Fucking crazy. She did hurt you,” he said as he reached out and wiped my face.

I tried to move away, but his hold was firm.

“Let me see,” he said, and without waiting, he pulled my sweater up, exposing my skin. I recoiled from his touch and he looked down at me.

“I just want to take a look,” he said, and I didn't know why, but I let him. He pulled the sweater up till it was just below my bra.

His fingers touched the area that was already an ugly red color. I tensed as I felt the warmth of his hand.

He was silent for a while, then his eyes met mine again. For a moment, despite the pain, all I could think of was how close we were—that he could easily go for a kiss if he wanted.

“You'll be okay before the elections. You can go for it,” he said, sounding so sure.

I shook my head.

I wouldn't risk a video of me with Dominic.

“I can't…”

“If it's about the pain, I promise it'll be okay.”

“No… Cherry…”

“What about her?”

I fidgeted, not knowing how to say it, but I decided to do it anyway.

“Yesterday, when you… she has a video of us together.”

“And..?”

“She said she would post it on the group chat if I don't withdraw.”

Dominic looked startled.

“Why would anyone feel threatened because of a kiss?”

I shook my head.

“It's 'cause of Caleb. People will think I'm a pick-me kind of girl.”

I looked up just in time to see a hint of heat—jealousy?—in his eyes.

“Are you dating Caleb?” he asked.

“No… we haven't even exchanged more than a few words alone.”

He looked pleased by my answer—or the pain was making me delusional.

“So what if you're branded as a pick-me?”

Did he seriously want that video exposed?

“Well, then I'll be ending up in the toilet very often,” I said.

“We can't have that then,” he said, and his lips curled up.

Beautiful.

“Trust me and go for the election. For the most part, I think Cherry is bluffing, but if she has the video, then I'd have to blackmail her too—a very interesting video of her sucking on someone's—”

“Huh?” I cut in.

My eyes widened and he laughed.

“Let's get to classes, Sweetheart.”