Chapter 3: A Chain Reaction Part 2

Freya’s P.O.V

I didn’t get these people. If they didn’t like me, why couldn’t they just ignore me? Why did they have to make stupid comments that made me question my very existence every single day. I was sick and tired of them, to the point where I had thought about quitting school several times. But if I had to keep feeding myself and Julian, I needed a job and a job with a decent salary would require a high school degree at the very least.

Heading over to the lunch lady, I looked over at the magnificent spread of food that most students always complained about. If I got to eat something like this every day, I would never even think about complaining. But I didn’t have the luxury to enjoy this meal. I was a half-scholarship student, owning to the fact that I hadn’t always been a total failure. But in order to eat lunch at school, I needed to provide money, money that I didn’t have. So I had opted out of school lunches.

Now, I dug around inside my wallet for the changes that I had seen this morning. With a total of one dollar, I handed it to the lunch lady, who gave me a disdainful look before counting every last penny. And then she roughly handed me a slice of sweet bread.

But just as I was about to leave with the bread, I bumped into someone standing right behind me and the bread fell to the floor at my feet. Scrambling to the floor, I picked up the bread and dusted off the outside so it was still edible. Five second rule, right?

“Watch it!” A hiss sounded from above and I stood up to come face to face with Cindy, one of the cheerleaders in Cameron’s group.

Silently, I moved out of her way, not wanting to fight with her for no reason, but it seemed like Cindy was dying for a fight.

“Hey! Stupid bitch!” She yanked me back with a grip on my hoodie. “What’s with that attitude, huh? Apologize to me this instant!”

Before I was forced to do something that wasn’t my fault, a voice stopped her from behind.

“Cindy.”

Cindy looked over instantly, letting go of me as she followed after Alex, the person who had called out to her. Was it just me or had it sounded like there was a warning in his voice. However, I didn’t dwell on the tiny act of kindness and made a dash for the door, so I could go to the courtyard and have my lunch in peace. It was sunny outside, with not many shady trees in sight, which is why I opted to eat outdoors, because I would be left alone here.

And the reason for me deciding to eat alone was also Cameron MacGyver.

I would never forget the first day of high school and my first encounter with the boy who I found incredibly attractive. It had been lunch hour and I had been looking for a seat, but before I could take a seat, someone had tripped me by holding out their leg, making me fall on the ground. That hadn’t been the end of it. While getting knocked down, I had tripped into two other students and the entire contents of their lunch had fallen onto my head the next instant, making me a laughing stock for the entire cafeteria.

It was then that I had seen Cameron and Derek high-five each other as they had laughed their asses off. Since then, I never eat inside the cafeteria.

But that incident had just been the start of my misery. He and his group liked to make fun of those who were weak and defenceless and then their ‘followers’ would do the same just to please them. In fact, I think even the team had no idea how devastating one single, careless gesture from them could do to ruin someone’s life.

Cameron didn’t even know I existed, but since he insulted me a couple times, in the hallway or in a class that I shared with him, his wannabe buddies kept that taunt alive even months after the incident happened. A single even had started a never- ending chain reaction.

Sometimes I wonder if I was in my right mind. How could I find Cameron attractive after all the humiliation he put me through? And I wish I knew the answer to that.

But this stupid heart kept wishing that one day; I might get a fairy tale of my own, even though I had realized a long time ago that fairy tales don’t always have a happy ending.