CHAPTER 8
POVS SPENCER
The first three classes pass without much trouble, although I was eager to talk to the others about a topic. I quickly approach the table where they are.
''Hello girls, how was your day?'' I ask first before telling them about the topic. We catch up a little. For now, A has been a little less active, but I doubt that will last long.
''Hey, I wanted to tell you something. I know that I have been quite distrustful of Elizabeth and I very much regret how I have treated her, but I have discovered things about her that have made me change my mind. I judged her without even giving her a chance.'' I continue telling them everything I have discovered, what the history teacher told me, what happened at Elizabeth's house and what my father had told me this morning. All this while they looked at me attentively. I could see they were feeling a little guilty too.
That's why I would like us to try to get her to join our group more, to try to make her feel comfortable with us. We must all be united against A,'' I say with determination.
''Of course, it seems perfect to me that she joins us. The truth is that I had been wanting her to join us for a long time, but I was waiting for your anger to go away a little,'' Aria says, somewhat relieved. I had definitely closed myself off a lot by distrusting Elizabeth.
''The same thing I say, I will be delighted to include Elizabeth. This way I will have someone else to vote for me as prom queen," Hanna says with humor. Emily smiles and says she's fine with it too.
''Thank you, girls, I'm sorry I'm so stubborn sometimes,'' I say, laughing.
''We have to try to make her feel comfortable and help her when she has some difficulties. If she doesn't understand a joke, we explain it to her, we don't laugh, okay? '' I say this last thing, looking at Hanna, who nods at me quickly.
Once we finish eating, there is still a while to rest before returning to classes. We decided to go tell Elizabeth. She hadn't appeared in the dining room, so we went towards the hallway. There we find her in the middle of a fight with Stephanie, the school bully.
'Look, rat, I've already told you many times that when I talk to you, look at me. I want it to be clear to you that no one cares about you. You are insignificant. Do you think you are special? Well, you are the opposite,'' Stephanie says angrily.
'Let… Let me, please,'' Elizabeth says trembling. It was breaking my heart.
"Shut up, rat," she yells at her just before trying to punch her, but before she does, we run to stop her.
''Hey! Don't you dare touch her!'' I say as I get in front of Elizabeth and push Stephanie away.
"What are you doing meddling in my business, Hastings?!" Get away!'' She says, trying to get closer to Elizabeth, but at that moment Hanna starts talking. ''The one who is going to shut up now is you! You are going to leave here right now and you are not going to look at Elizabeth again. If you do it I will turn everyone against you and you know I will, bitch!'' Hanna yells at her. I had never seen her in this high school queen mode before. She made me proud.
At that moment, Stephanie swallows while she thinks about it and ends up running away.
Emily and Aria, who were next to Elizabeth, trying to keep Stephanie from approaching her, look at her trying to see if she is okay, but Elizabeth runs to the bathroom distraught.
POVS ELIZABETH
About 15 minutes before….
I had just finished math class. I stayed a few more minutes, while everyone left, finishing some exercises that the teacher had sent home. So I wouldn't have to do it this afternoon.
I wanted to spend the whole afternoon quiet and take the opportunity to catch up on some series and comics. Trying to forget everything that had happened with my grandmother the night before. It was difficult, because even though I had covered the bruise with makeup, it still hurt a lot.
When I go out into the hallway it seems that no one is there anymore, but unfortunately, I find Stephanie leaning on the lockers while she looks at me with an angry look. She had been in my math class and when the teacher handed out the notes for the other day's exam she sent me a slightly threatening look. Apparently she had gotten a 2 and the teacher had congratulated me for having improved this course and getting an A.
"Hello, Elizabeth, what are you doing here alone? Oh, of course, it's true that you don't have anyone," she says, laughing and enjoying the fact that I was getting nervous. I can't stand the fact that I only find people who hate me everywhere, I haven't done anything to deserve it. Everything was becoming more and more unbearable.
I don't even look at her and try to leave quickly before she tries to do anything else. I didn't like being alone with her at all. Instead, she cuts me off, stepping in front of me.
'Look, rat, I've already told you many times that when I talk to you, look at me. I want it to be clear to you that no one cares about you. You are insignificant. Do you think you are special? Well, you are the complete opposite,' she says in the most painful way possible. Stephanie had always treated me badly, but today she seemed to be crossing the line.
''Let… let me, please,'' I couldn't take it anymore. Her words were very painful for me because she was hitting me where it hurt the most, and she was getting closer and closer in a more violent way.
"Shut up, rat," she yells at me just before raising her fist to try to punch me, but, fortunately, someone comes running and stops her. Once I relax a little, since I had closed my eyes when I saw that she was trying to hit me, I see that it is Spencer.
''Hey! Don't you dare touch her!'' Spencer yells, getting in front of me and pushing Stephanie. The others, Hanna, Aria, and Emily, also stood by me to protect me. I couldn't believe this was happening.
"What are you doing meddling in my business, Hastings?!" Get away!'' Stephanie says, trying to get closer to me, but just then Hanna starts talking.
''The one who is going to shut up now is you! You are going to leave here right now and you are not going to look at Elizabeth again. If you do it I will turn everyone against you and you know I will, bitch!'' Hanna yells at her with great anger. Never in my life would I have imagined that Hanna, now the most popular one in school, would defend me.
It seems Stephanie takes Hanna's words to heart and runs out of the hallway.
The others turn to see how I am, but, at that moment, I take in everything that Stephanie had told me and I get distressed, I need to escape from there or I will start crying in front of everyone, which I wouldn't like at all. I'm overwhelmed by having so many emotions right now, so I end up escaping to the bathroom.
Once I get to the bathroom, I quickly enter one of the stalls, and I start crying. I couldn't stand being treated like this anymore, simply for not being equal to others, I had to put up with all this, it was very unfair.
Plus, it just made me remember how alone I was. Without being able to go in any case to seek the comfort of my mother, because she is no longer here. I can't relax while my brother sang me one of his songs, because, despite being a few years older, he had the wisdom of a lifetime. He had a wonderful heart.
As I got closer and closer to a panic attack, I heard the girls enter the bathroom. It seems that they have followed me. I can't believe they stood up for me at the end of Stephanie, I never could have imagined it.
"Elizabeth? Where are you? Are you okay?" Spencer says delicately when she enters the bathroom.
"Yes, I'm fine, it's okay, go," I say with a trembling voice. It may not have seemed very convincing.
''Elizabeth, you can talk to us, I know we haven't been very kind, especially me, but we want to remedy that and for you to start being part of our group. No one will treat you badly again, if we know, okay? We will help you.'' I can't believe what Spencer is saying.
"But… do you all agree with that?" I say doubtfully. I couldn't believe they wanted to spend time with me after all.
"Of course, we feel bad for having taken you away from us and left you in the dark. We are not like that. You were part of our group, and we should not have left you aside. We will help you together so that you don't feel so alone, and we will support each other against A,'' Aria says softly. Hanna and Emily also confirm it.
After what she had said, I had already relaxed a little and decided to give them a chance. I quickly wiped away my tears and went out to where they were. They were looking expectantly and worried.
''So... are you joining us or what? I swear we're not evil,'' Hanna says in a funny tone, trying to make her feel comfortable.
''If you don't have any problems...'' I say nervously.
''Don't worry, from now on there will be no one who will kick you out of this group, we are all together. You're one of us, we've just been a little stubborn and haven't seen it. Now come on, let's go quickly to the cafeteria so you can eat something that I'm sure you haven't been able to yet,'' Spencer says with a smile, leading us towards the cafeteria. I'm excited to be able to start being part of a group. I hope everything goes better from now on, at least in high school.
While we are going to the cafeteria, Spencer, who is walking next to me, looks at me and says, ''Hey, I have to ask you something, if you don't want to, nothing happens. My parents told me to ask you if you wanted to have dinner with us at my house tonight. My father has found out who your mother was, and they knew each other quite well, and he wants to meet you''. This catches me off guard, I wouldn't have thought that her father knew my mother, although it is true that my grandmother once told me that she knew Mr. Hastings since he was a baby.
"Okay, yes, tonight I'm going to have dinner with your family," I say, a little doubtful, but wanting to know a little more about how much Mr. Hastings knew my mother. I was intrigued.
I hope they like me and that they don't get a bad impression of me.
Everything seemed to be changing today.
Thank you everyone who continues reading this story.
The next chapter Elizabeth will have dinner with the Hastings, and we will see how she gets along with them and how she gets along with her grandmother.
By the way, about Elizabeth's facial claim, for me it would be I think Jenna Ortega, but more like she dresses in Scream, not like in Wednesday, hahahaha
All the best :)