By next morning, everybody heard about what happened to Autumn, so even though I came to school 10 minutes early, almost all the students were already there. Some were talking between them, some were laughing at Autumn, some were even throwing stuff at her - particularly the jocks. I even saw a couple of dancers taking selfies with Autumn in the trash can.
I was surprised that she obediently spent the night in the dumpster, but I guess Mia`s blackmail got into Autumn`s head. I was also shocked at how mean people could be, nobody giving her a hand. One of her artist friends gave her some water, which Autumn desperately lapped up like a dog, but didn`t dare to help her out of the trash can. But then again, I started this whole thing, so who was really the bad guy?
Mia came in right before school time, having surely planned not to be early. I could see Payton in the car at the gate, but she drove forward. Mia presumably sent her shopping or somewhere to avoid Payton interfering with her plans. Mia quickly went to the dumpster in which Autumn spent the night, and swong her mother`s necklace in front of her.
"Ok, Autumn, you were a good girl for spending the night here as instructed. I will allow you out now, but only if you answer a question".
"Uhmm..", Autumn mumbled, sad and distraught, not sure what to say to avoid further humiliation. "I ... I did what you said ... c-can you please give my mom`s necklace back ... ?", she cried.
"Autumn Brooks, what race are you?", Mia asked.
Autumn was surprised. "What?"
"What is your race, dummy? It`s simple", Mia insisted. "Answer, and you will get your stupid necklace back".
For a moment Autumn seemed to forget about her situation, and proudly stated: "I ... I am a Navajo Native American!". You could even see a smile on her face.
"Wrong!", Mia stated. "Your race is a stupid loser", she laughed. "Say it!".
"No, I am a Navajo Native American!", Autumn frowned, almost showing a sign of rebellion.
SLAP! Mia slapped Autumn`s big head, and started swinging her mother`s necklace over a sewage hole.
"N..no, please, wait ...", Autumn cried. "You are right. My race is a stupid loser.", Autumn sobbed, broken, as the last sense of pride was taken from her.
"Ok, loser. You can get out now", Mia said, as she kept lowering Autumn mother`s necklace into the sewage hole.
"Thank you ... No ...Nooo, please ...", Autumn shouted desperately, as she was trying to climb out from the garbage. Just as she got herself free, Mia dropped the necklace into the sewage.
"Ooops", Mia chuckled. As she left, she threw a remark over her shoulder: "By the way, Autumn, you stink, more than you usually do".
Autumn did no reply. She rushed desperately to save the necklace, but it was long lost.
"In the dumpster over the night, in the sewage during the day", a Musician guy said, prompting loud laughter throughout the campus, as Autumn had her head buried in the sewage hole, looking for the long gone necklace.
"Should we kick her in?" a slacker girl asked.
"Nah, she`s not worth it, we might get suspended", a dancer girl replied, laughing out loud together with most of the campus.
Autumn just sat there, crying. She sat there for the good part of an hour, until professor Edwin pulled her up and forced her into class.
I noticed Autumn walking like a ghost during break, people laughing and making fun of her. Her wet eyes sparked for a second, spotting her boyfriend, Julian, enter the school.
"Julian ... why did you leave yesterday ... sweetie ... your friends were so mean to me", the garbage girl cried, barely able to muster the words through her tears. But as she was rushing towards Julian, he walked right past her, as if she wasn`t there.
"J..Julian ... why aren`t you answering ... I love you", a heartbroken Autumn wept. There was no response.
Turning her head after a moment, Autumn saw Julian talk with a new girl called Kallie, who was making flirty eyes at him.
Autumn dropped to her knees sobbing, and then erupting in the most intense silent cry I have ever witnessed, tears literally cascading out of her eyes. As she saw me, she looked up and asked "M...m..mike ... sniff .. sniff. p..please talk ... to me? Everybody ha ... hates me. M ... My mom's necklace is gone ... sniff ... sniff .. Can you p-please help me?", heavily struggling to talk.
I was the reason for all her humiliation and yet there she was, this kind and innocent girl, looking up at me with her large, teary eyes, asking for help. She never did anything wrong to anybody. I felt like a monster, but at the same time I felt power.
"Nobody cares about you, Autumn, just get out of the way. And go take a shower", I said. "I called you Autumn, but you don`t even deserve a name. You are nothing", I added.
As I looked behind my shoulder, I saw her curling into a corner near a locker, crying and broken, pieces of food and paper in her hair. I was thinking about the monster I had become, and how we have just destroyed Autumn`s kind and caring soul. This was Autumn`s end, there was no way she could ever recover from this as a person.
Just as I entered the classroom, I heard her sobbing, as if these were her last words: "Wes ... please ... save me ..."
- The end -