FOREVER US

Chapter One

"Watch where you're going. Are you blind?" I snapped.

I looked at the boy who crashed into me as I stood in the middle of the cafeteria with my clothes soaked in orange juice and the soup that was meant for me to eat my rice with.

He looked down at his shirt before fixing his gaze on me.

"Oh, Jesus. I'm so, so sorry." He reached out his hand to help but pulled it back. "Are you okay?"

Jesus Christ, imagine this dummy asking me if I was okay after pouring my lunch on my body. My jeans were soaked and my hoodie wasn't left out. Now everyone in the cafeteria had stopped what they were doing and was now looking at us. Some even brought out their phones to record.

"You walked into me and you're asking a stupid question if I was okay," I said.

"I know it's my fault. I wasn't watching where I was going." He grabbed napkins from the nearest table and held them out. "Here. Let me…"

"If you dare touch me with that thing, I'd slap you." I wasn't watching where I was going, I mimicked. When you're blind.

He stopped and looked at me with a surprised gaze.

Just then, someone behind him laughed.

"Dude, calm down. She's probably new here. I guess she didn't know who you are."

I turned to look at the owner of the voice. It was a tall boy with curly hair.

"I don't bloody care who he is," I said. "And mind your business."

The guy looked at me as the smug grin on his face disappeared.

"Whoa. Okay."

"Caleb," the one who crashed into me said. "Shut up."

Caleb raised his hands to protest. "I'm just saying…"

"I said shut up."

I looked back at him. He was still holding the napkin.

I bent down to pack what was left of my lunch. The orange juice carton was now empty. My rice was on the floor and the fork had disappeared to God knows where.

"Just move out of my way," I said.

And wait, wait… before you judge me, I'm not usually like this. My lower stomach had been cramping, my head wouldn't stop throbbing and everything kept getting on my nerves. I was already on my last nerve when he crashed into me. I knew I had overreacted but unfortunately he had to be the scapegoat for pouring out my frustration.

He stepped aside.

I walked past him and his friend and stomped out of the cafeteria angrily. I didn't even bother looking back.

When I got to the bathroom, it was so cold.

I stood beside the sink and scrubbed the stain on my hoodie with wet tissue paper I took from the sink counter. I knew that wasn't going to help but at least that was better than not doing anything.

I looked at myself in the mirror. My hair was ruined and my face was red.

I closed my eyes and took a breath as I chanted my scripture affirmation: “Lord Jesus Christ, give me your peace.”

That was just day three of being in this school and I was already causing trouble.

The door opened behind me. I didn't bother checking who it was. I just focused on getting the stain off my clothes.

Then I heard the sound of a bag dropping on the sink beside me. I glanced sideways. It was a short girl who had dropped the pink backpack. She pulled out a lip gloss from her pocket, looking into the mirror. She glanced briefly at me and the stain on my hoodie.

She winced. "That's not going to come off."

"I know."

She uncapped it and applied her gloss.

"I was in the cafeteria when it happened and I saw everything from where I was sitting."

I didn't respond.

"If you ask me, I'd say it's not entirely his fault." She closed her lip gloss and dropped it in her pocket. "He wasn't looking at where he was going."

"I didn't ask for your opinion," I muttered.

"I know that."

She then opened her backpack and pulled out a hoodie, stretching it out to me.

"Here, you can borrow this."

I stopped scrubbing my hoodie, then turned to look at her and the hoodie.

"I don't…."

"You can have it. I usually keep an extra hoodie just in case."

I stared at her before collecting the hoodie.

"My name is Ivy by the way."

"I'm Daleyza."

She smiled. "Now I see why you look familiar. I actually saw you in calculus class today."

I didn't respond. I just put on the hoodie. It was kinda big but I had no choice.

"People here are kind of difficult," Ivy said. "And about what happened in the cafeteria, don't worry. Everyone would have forgotten it by tomorrow."

I zipped up the hoodie and grabbed my bag.

"I need to get to class and thanks for the hoodie."

"Yeah, me too and you don't need to thank me." She stepped away from the sink. "Also, if you need anything, just find me."

I nodded as she took her leave.

I didn't leave immediately. I just stood in front of the bathroom mirror and stared back at my reflection.

Three days in this school and I'd already made an enemy.