is a close friend, and he doesn’t need you spreading your lies around. So shut the frick up before I’m forced to shut you up,” the shorter one snapped.
She wasn’t stupid. She knew how to pick a fight and she knew this was one she wasn’t going to win, so she said, “Fine, whatever.” She got a few steps away before she added, “But you should get your story straight and ask him. He’ll tell you the same thing.” She made for the door, because she knew this wasn’t going to end well.
Cally turned back just as she made it out the door, and Mr. Damarion dismissed them. She wasn’t stupid, and she headed off to class as fast as she could manage. The rest of the day was spent with her avoiding anyone that hung out with that group. But there was something she missed in all the avoidance—the rumor that she had admitted she lied about being married.
By the end of the week, she had heard that there were a few people gunning for her. It seemed that she had ticked off people that she probably shouldn’t have and it was the people that should have had her back if they were truly Dakota’s friends.
Friday at lunch, they had decided that it wasn’t enough to just threaten her. She was heading back to class when someone nearly crushed her arm with their grip and spun her around under the stairs. She was facing the two guys from the other day, two more and three girls all looked ready to kill her. She just waited until they decided to do something.
A black haired girl stepped forward. “Tramp, you need to shut your damn mouth before I shut it for you.”
The tall guy from the other day shot, “I warned you to keep your mouth shut.”
She just shrugged. “I haven’t said anything,” which was true; she hadn’t needed to say anything. People seemed to say everything for her.
Another girl snapped, “Just because your sister dresses you up and takes you to a party don’t mean you have the right to make crap up about people you don’t even know. You’re just a little piece of trash.”
She shook her head. “I don’t care what you say or think. And you’re no friend of Dakota’s if you don’t know he got married. Don’t believe me? Ask his sister, she’s sitting right inside those doors.”
“That’s how much you know. He doesn’t talk to his sister,” one of the other guys threw in her face.
The black haired girl threw in, “Pathetic little whore is just trying to get attention. Go crawl back to that trashy ex-boyfriend and leave honest people alone.”
She saw Mr. Damarion standing behind them and just took a step back, and the black haired girl took a step forward and shoved her into the underside of the steps. She heard the loud crack of thunder that ran through her head just before the pain was so intense that she thought she was going to throw up. She wanted to cry, but she knew it wouldn’t do any good to show weakness in front of them. It took everything in her to hold it together, but somehow she did.
Mr. Damarion’s deep rumbling voice stopped the other girl as she came at her a second time. “Miss Michaels, Ms. Hunter, my office now! The rest of you get to class before I give you detention!”
She leaned back against the cold brick wall, trying to fight the pain as the group in front of her started breaking up. Her head was spinning with the pain, and there was no way she was moving from this wall for a while. She held her breath, trying to gain her balance, when she heard Mr. Damarion say, “Miss Chaise, take Ms. Hunter to the nurse.” He looked at her and said, “And then I want you in my office.”
Janna put an arm around her and whispered, “You’re in for it now.”
“I noticed,” Cally replied weakly as they walked.
“Why don’t you just admit you made it all up so they will leave you alone?” her friend asked, trying to help her out of this mess.
It was taking everything she had to just keep walking. “Because I married Dakota and I accept that, and if those jackbutts want to beat the crap out of me for loving him, then screw them.”
“At least ask your sister for help. She can at least get them to back off,” Janna offered, trying to help her see reason.
But it really didn’t matter. She wasn’t lying and hadn’t done anything wrong, so she had no reason to bow down under their threats. “No, I’ll deal with this on my own.”
She opened the door to the nurse’s office and nearly fell in the chair nearest to the door. Janna explained, “She was pushed into the stairs and hit her head. Mr. Damarion asked me to bring her down.” Janna turned to her. “Good luck.”
Yeah, good luck not getting suspended or beaten up after school, she thought to herself.
Ms. Rime asked, “Where did you hit your head?”
She leaned forward and pointed to the back of her head and said, “It’s not that bad.” She didn’t need the school nurse calling Dakota at work. She would be fine if she could make it home; heck, she was even willing to admit defeat and ask Savannah to drive her home as long as she didn’t call Dakota.
When she started poking and moving her hair, it took everything she had not to wince with the pain. When the older woman walked to the refrigerator and took out an icepack, she huffed, “Put this on it while I call your mother.”
Cally made her best plea as she put the ice on her head. “I’m fine, you don’t need to call. It doesn’t hurt that bad, and I can go back to class.”
But the woman looked at her questioningly, then pulled out a penlight from her desk. “Let me see.” Ms. Rime started flashing it in her eyes and then said, “No concussion, but I have to call home. It’s policy with head injuries.”
She sat back and moaned as she watched the nurse pull her pink card and then looked at her. “Is this right?”
“Yes, and he’s going to be furious,” she snarled.
Ms. Rime made a disapproving face as she sat down and called. “I need to speak with Private Dakota Hunter.” A pause. “Yes, his wife’s been in an accident.” A shorter pause. “Yes, I’ll hold.”
She looked at Cally. “This is why you’re hurt, isn’t it?”
“Yep.”
“Your mom should never have let you do this. She should have known better.” Then the woman turned to the paper, and her tone changed. “Yes, I’m calling about Cally. She had an accident and hit her head.” Ms. Rime gave her an evil side glance. “Yes, she seems fine, and she wants to stay in school.” There was another pause while he said something to the nurse, and then she held out the phone to her.
“It’s not my fault,” was the only thing she could think to say.
He didn’t sound angry but worried. “Are you all right? What happened?”
“I’ll be fine. It’s just a bump on the head. Can we talk about this later? Like in five minutes after Mr. Damarion suspends me?” she offered.
“You got in a fight?” he accused, shocked.
Out of habit, she shook her head which caused her to wince. “No, but it didn’t look good, and I’m thinking it’s not going to end well either.”
“I told you to deal with this and not to run from it. Now look where it’s gotten you. Cally, I can’t come down there every time you decide to let people walk all over you. Face this mess and deal with it, don’t let them push you around.” He wasn’t yelling, but it didn’t seem to matter. It still felt that way.
“I’m fine. I’ll deal with it.” And she handed the phone back.
“Mr. Hunter?” Ms. Rime asked. “All right, thank you,” Ms. Rime said before she hung up.
The angry nurse turned on her. “He said to send you back to class.”
She