Rikki had blown off the rest of school that day. She was too messed up to do anything- much less schoolwork. All she felt that morning was an overdone hangover. After she had stumbled on home, she'd collasped on the couch. When she woke up, she had this piercing headache.
Sitting up, Rikki glanced at the time.
She remembered waking up a little before and telling her dad that she was staying home today. He was concerned, but he allowed it. She could somehow still smell the stanky odor on her. Or maybe it was her imagination.
The exhausted blonde was too tired to think about it any longer. She fell back onto her bed and slept the rest of the day away.
Rikki was surprised to see that she had slept until the next day. She sat up, her hangover subsided.
"Feeling better?" Her dad had asked.
She simply nodded and said it was probably just a shortlived cold. But it was all her fault. She wouldn't have suffered if it wasn't for her own doing.
Rikki figured it was just the effects of the hangover, but she discovered she was angry with herself. Angry that she had given in to those boys so easily. Angry that she gave up her drug free life, even if it wasn't addiction. She had done it for her own pleasure. Had she felt pleasure? Maybe. The blonde remembered taking a whiff of everything. The smell made her nose tingle. For a moment, after taking a puff of a cigarette, she actually felt delighted for the first time in a while. It was all happy thoughts in her head at the time. She felt good, and the feeling would last for a while. She was incredibly wrong.
Rikki sat at her desk, fists tight, mouth twisted, eyes closed. How could she give into peer pressure so easy? She was taught better than that.
Way after the final bell rang, the not so perky blonde stepped into the halls. She had had to make up a test she missed because of her you know what.
As she began working towards the nearest exit, she heard high pitched voices. Paused.
"You're amazing in the water, Em!" One blonde said to the other as they turned the corner, seeing Rikki a mere twenty feet away.
Emma had a towel draped over one shoulder. A over-sized jacket was on her fine frame, which Rikki assumed wasn't hers. The jacket dangled over her lower abdomen. She hadn't bothered to cover up; she was still wearing her bathing suit underneath.
"Well, considering I just won another swimming tournament, I've already figured that out." Emma tilted her head as she saw Rikki, anger striking in her eyes.
"Hey, look, it's the Mikki the Druggie," Miriam laughed.
"I think it's Rikki," Emma said, flipping her still wet hair.
"Like it matters."
Rikki tried to make her way past them quickly, but Emma blocked her way.
"Aren't you going to congratulate me?" Emma gestured to the nice medal she was wearing.
Rikki rolled her puddle blue eyes. "Why would I do that?"
"Because she said," Miriam stepped in. "Unless you're too fucked up to do that too."
Rikki didn't want to know how they knew. She knew those boys weren't all right. She knew from the beginning. Tears began to come to the young blonde's eyes, praying that the two girls standing infront of her wouldn't notice.
"Man, what's with all the water works these days?" Emma threw her shoulders back and gazed past Rikki like she was too good for eye contact.
"Why don't you cover up, slut?" Rikki said icily. She somehow managed to hold the tears back.
"Oh, big mistake," Emma threw the damp towel on the ground.
Surprisingly, Miriam held the swimmer back. "We'll get her." she said into her ear.
Emma glared at Rikki for a while before picking up her towel and walking away, bumping Rikki's shoulder violently.
Rikki had to mentally talk herself out of turning around and shoving that medal down her throat.
Over the next few days Rikki had been getting teased a lot more. People were calling her out and calling her easy peasy Rikki. And a lot of others. Can't forget druggie. Apparently, after you try a few drugs, you've lost your virginity too.
She tried her best to pay no mind to them, but it was just impossible. Rikki angrily went out back, after being called Rikki the Druggie (her new title) for the millionth time. She hit the dumpster with one hand, a sticky substance sticking to her hand. She grimaced and wiped it on the brick wall of the building.
"I know you're out here!" Rikki said harshly. She was in a horrible mood.
Finally, they all revealed themselves, looking as nebulous as ever.
Rikki immediately recognized the smell and backed up. The sad thing was, Rikki had spent the rest of the day with those boys and hadn't remembered one of their names'.
"Ohh hey," One wheezed.
"Did you tell the whole school?" Rikki gritted her teeth.
She received nothing but puzzled looks. She should've known it was a mistake to talk to them. They were as drugged up as ever. She could smell it.
"I dunno, what you're talking about.." Another said, not knowing where to begin and end his sentences.
"You guys told Miriam about what we did the other day," Rikki chose her words carefully. "It was just a one time thing."
"We do it every day," The one with the most sense at the time put in. "cute, though."
"I only did it once though," Rikki persisted. "People are treating me as if I'm an addict."
"That's what you wanted to be wasn't it, when you came around us?" A smart mouth started, mouth foaming with smoke.
"Either way, we can't help you." The different scents filled the blonde's nose, activating her memories from the other day.
The wise guy snorted, somewhat painfully. "Rikki the Druggie."
Rikki snatched him by the collar and shoved him up against the sticky dumpster. "Don't call me that." She seethed.
"Whoa, whoa.." One of his friends puffed. "Get off'em."
Rikki knew it was a mistake letting those guys talk her into something. She wished she could take it all back. To not know what it was like drinking that alcohol. Not know how that cigar tasted on her lips. Not exhaling so much smoke.
Fearing they would pick up a beer bottle and slug her, knowing they weren't in the right minds, she let him go. She started walking back inside. She knew all along they'd said something. And it spread. Just like they'd told her before. News spreads fast.
As if they were waiting on her, the eminent Emma and Miriam stood beside the lockers.
"Look who it is," They cocked their heads as if they were programmed to do so. "Getting high already?"
"Little early, isn't it?' Miriam laughed hysterically.
Rikki ignored them and walked on.
"You've been getting lots of extra attention lately, haven't you, sweetie?" Emma smiled and looked at Rikki with anticipating eyes. She hadn't forgotten what Rikki had called her.
"Get out of my way," Rikki ordered quietly. She knew it wouldn't do any good.
"Don't you think you can tell us what to do," Miriam crossed her arms.
Rikki felt like some bullied girl in a movie. In almost all the movies, the person ended up being scarred or dead. The bullies always ended up regretting what they'd done, but Rikki was almost positive that if Miriam and Emma killed her on the spot, neither would feel guilty.
Rikki didn't feel there was anything she could do, so she just glared at them.
Emma was unsatisfied. She deserved more than what she was getting. They'd already turned the whole school against her. What else could be done?
Rikki just figured it would all pass soon. Emma and Miriam would leave her alone, she could beg her dad to switch schools again, and she'd never see them ever again.
"I don't know what you want from me," Now Rikki really felt like a girl in a movie.
Emma snarled. She felt like spitting on her. "You're just a slob, aren't you?"
"You mean trashy." Miriam corrected matter-of-factly.
Rikki closed her eyes tight for a second, so sick of hearing their voices, wishing they'd disappear, but when she opened them she saw a guy standing beside them. He was pretty handsome. He had brown hair- Rikki didn't care to look at his eyes. She'd seen him around. His name was Zane.
"Hey babe," Emma said, wrapping herself in his arms.
Rikki swore she saw Miriam roll her eyes.
"Hey," Zane said coolly, looking over at Rikki after saying so. He had heard things about her, but as he'd found out, some fortunate and some unfortunate, rumors usually weren't true.
Rikki looked away. From what she'd heard in bits and pieces of conversations, Zane had broken up with Miriam for Emma. She had heard things ranging to better kisser to better... you know. But she knew no one would actually ask about it. In conclusion, Emma was prettier.
Taking this as an opportunity to slip away, Rikki tried to pass them unnoticeably.
"Hey," The brunette surprisingly called out. "Your name's Rikki?'
What was she supposed to do? Ignore him?
"Yeah."
Emma scowled. "Don't talk to her, Zane."
Zane ignored Emma instead. "All those things about you aren't true are they?" He didn't know Emma and Miriam had spread it around school after immediately finding out.
Rikki slowly shook her head. Some of it was true, like trying those drugs. But it was only once. They had made it sound like she did it every day. She felt like calling it a fluke.
Emma cut in. "Yeah right. Don't believe her, babe." She took Zane's hand. "Let's go down to the beach. I'm wearing my bikini under this." Emma almost always stayed in her swimsuit. It was a lot easier than to change in and out of it before and after constant practice. The way she impressed almost everybody was with her swimming skills.
Zane took the invitation without hesitation. He'd never miss out on seeing his girlfriend in a bikini.
"She's a waste of time anyway," Emma added invidiously.
Rikki waited until they were gone before she moved. Their words replayed over and over in her head. She started trying to make herself feel better. She could take their harsh words, maybe even actions. She could defend herself. Rikki had never been known as a choleric person, but she wasn't too nice either. What you see is what you get.
Soon lost in her thoughts, Rikki was surprised when she heard someone yell out, Trailer Trash!
She immediately turned to see who it was.
A boy and a girl stood before her, looking smug. They looked surprised Rikki had turned around.
"You actually respond to that," The girl said, sounding sorrowful. "How sad."
Rikki half stared half glared at them. She was never graceful with words. Besides, it was pointless arguing with them.
The boy spoke next, "Anyway, we thought we could do you a little favor."
The girl took something out of her jacket pocket. "Take it. It might help you out." She laughed a bit and slid it across the floor to the blonde. Before she knew it, they were gone.
Rikki looked down. It was a razor. She waited for tears to come, but they didn't. It looked like they were postponing their arrival till later. She stared the sharp object down. No one was watching.
Rikki suddenly bent over and picked it up carefully, as if waiting for someone to stop her. She stuck the razor in her pocket and swiftly turned to leave. She spent the rest of the day by herself.