Chapter 9: Chris confronts Sue

(Meanwhile…)

Sue was with her friends while they talked about the dance. Mostly about how the party was going to be disorganized. Next to them were Heather, Nicki & Lizzy, who helped with the design and organization, respectively. The Snerds, especially Sue, found them very nice. So much show they rather enjoyed their company and their opinions.

Heather was there too, mostly to help carry some of the heavy things around. While she was not the typical girl interested in girly activities (Like a school dance), she was most concerned about Chris. According to these girls, she tried to rile them against the gym teacher even at the risk of missing their prom, but they turned their backs on her. Who knows what she would do to them for not supporting her confrontation with Desjardin & Morton? If there's one thing Trevor knew about bullies, especially this one girl, she and her friends would have to be extra careful.

Of course, Sue was not wrong. All of a sudden, she and the Snerds heard something falling. They turned around and saw an angry Chris, who just entered the gym.

"So, I'm officially out of the prom." Chris spoke, approaching the group. "I thought cock-sucker Morton would lose his job though. My dad suing him."

Nicki and Lizzy didn't say anything, but they frowned as they sensed they couldn't expect anything good from Chris. Sue, for her part, put the box she was carrying on the floor and approached the group, standing at the foot of the stairs.

"Jesus Sue, why didn't you stand up for me?" Chris argued. "We could have them by the balls."

Before Chris could answer back, Sue spoke up.

"We deserved it, for what we did to Carrie White. I thought I deserved it." Sue replied.

Nicki and Lizzy looked proudly toward Sue, upon hearing those words. Chris, however, sighed in frustration.

"Desjardin was right." Sue continued. "We did a shitty thing for no reason..."

"BULLSHIT!" Chris interrupted furious.

That comment came as a nasty surprise to Sue and the other Snerds. But not only to them; the students seated at the table behind them turned over the swear word.

"That Carrie goes around saying that everyone but her and her mother are going to Hell, and you stand up to her? Come on!" Chris replied.

"You're such a pig sometimes, Chris. What did Carrie White ever do to you?" Sue asked, standing up.

"She's been begging for it since the sixth grade, Sue." Chris justified herself.

"I got to go." Sue replied.

Sue grabbed their things and made for the exit. Chris, however, was not about to let it end this way. Not without her having the last word.

"I seem to remember you were in the throwing with the rest of us. What is it that she was calling her? Freak?" Chris asked.

Sue stopped right in her tracks. She had patience, but she also had limits. As Sue also stood still and turned toward Chris angrily.

"I stopped." Sue told Chris.

"Oh, you stopped?" Chris scoffed.

"Yeah." Sue replied.

"Why did you keep running? Hmm?" Chris asked in concern, approaching Sue.

Sue walked away again, but Chris grabbed her by the other arm. The force nearly made her drop all her things.

"Why did you keep running, Sue?" Chris repeated.

"Stop it, Chris!" Sue begged.

But Chris blocked their way, relentlessly teasing Sue.

"You kept running, Sue, little Suze, and because you've been dreaming about senior year and the perfect boyfriend and the perfect pro your whole god-damnit life." Chris said.

Now Sue was more than willing to strike Chris in the face, but she held her back. Chris either didn't seem to notice or merely ignored it. Either way, she made it her mission to make Sue as miserable as possible.

"You've already booked the hotel, already practiced zones you're gonna make when you and Tommy make love. That's why you had this bullshit change of heart. You don't give a shit about Carrie White, and everybody knows it." Chris explained.

Nicki & Lizzy left with Sue. While Sue was shocked those girls dared to say those things to her face, the moment she saw them leave she assumed she won the fight.

"Okay. I'll see you around, Sue." Chris smirked.

However, turning forward again, Chris was surprised to see Sue, Tommy in front of her. The cyan teenager was not going to leave without a thing to say to that bully.

"You may be the dumbest teenager in all of Ewen High School but understand this: Never go near Carrie White again. That's the last warning I'll give you." Sue replied.

Sue made for the exit when Chris stepped in front of her and blocked her path. Chris may have lost the match against Rita, but she refused to let some 'rookie' talk down to her like that. She was the superior, and she was going to make that perfectly clear to her.

"Nice warning, stupid. Now I'll tell you mine..." Chris replied.

Chris grabbed Sue by the collar of her shirt. Tommy was shocked, maybe slightly intimidated, by the sudden action. But before she could react, Chris spoke to her with a threatening voice.

"Newbies like you must know their place. I'm the alpha wolf here, and all the students will do whatever I say. If I want to annoy Carrie, the yellow one or anyone I feel like, you and your friends better turn the other way. Do-" Tommy replied.

But Chris couldn't finish. For suddenly she felt a searing pain. She looked up and, to her surprise, Sue grabbed the arm holding her and squeezed with all her might. As much as Tommy promised not to, she wouldn't tolerate Chris threatening any of her friends... especially Little Carrie. Chris thought she was intimidating, but she soon realized she only angered this girl further.

"I don't think you get it." Tommy spoke, her anger growing. "If you get close to Sue, Carrie, or 'any' of my friends... being kicked out of prom will be a sweet relief compared to what I'll do to you."

Sue released her and again made for the exit. But before she left, she turned toward the now sore Chris.

"Oh, all that talk of you being the alpha... and everyone following you. You made it clear that no one 'supports' you. I've met my share of bullies like you... you don't deserve any friends." Chris replied.

Sue soon departed from the gym as Chris watched her. The bully glared with intense rage. Because of Carrie, not only was she not going to prom, but even her own friend Sue had abandoned her. And now some new girls, who weren't even locals in this town, suddenly challenge her own authority? She was going to get her revenge; whatever it took, Carrie was going to pay.

(After school: 3:00pm)

At last, the day was over, and all the students, after sorting out their things at their lockers, began leaving the school and heading on back home or where they wanted to go in town before they headed on home, though some stayed behind at school to take part in the after-school activities there. After sorting out the things he needed at his locker, Trevor walked out the door when he suddenly noticed Carrie, who was walking by a few feet away from him.

"Hey, Carrie." Trevor said, as Carrie suddenly stiffened on her name being called by an unknown accent. She turned and saw the familiar sight of Trevor stepping towards her, and she sighed in relief when she saw who it was.

"Oh…hey Trevor." Carrie said, in some relief, as Trevor stopped beside her.

"Look, I said 'Awesome.' I just thought what Carrie read was awesome. I'm sorry." Trevor said.

"It's okay. " Carrie said.

School had ended, as Carrie made their way out the front doors. Trevor was in the midst of explaining to Carrie everything had done to them thus far. Being dragged from their motel room in the middle of the night, taken out into the middle of nowhere, and nearly drowned in a creek all for some sick, twisted 'cleansing'. Carrie listened intently, as they explained in great detail all the horrid things they were describing. With the condition she now had in her head though, the automatic response was to disbelieve.

"Are you all 'certain' you weren't just dreaming?" Carrie asked Trevor.

"Carrie, I know what a 'dream' is like, and this most certainly was no dream." Trevor responded. "I remember very vividly fighting for my very life, as all of us did. I can never forget being held under the water, how they nearly tore the roots off my head, and how drenched my night clothes were that night."

"But if what you're saying is true, why didn't they just kill you as you said they wanted to?" Carrie asked in concern.

"My grandfather said he was 'ordered' to have a heart attack, but believed we were worthy of being saved." Trevor explained. "For some reason he just let us go, and I believe it's because they have something else in mind. We just don't know what that is. What we do know is waking up back at the motel. We raced right over her to warn you of all this. That there's a chance you're being targeted too." Trevor replied.

But Carrie just shook her head in response, not really believing what she was being told.

"I just can't believe that's true. I've been attending my grandfather's farmhouse for years and I've never seen anything so sinful or even heard about it. You seriously believe those religious nutcases over your friends?" Trevor asked, in disbelief.

"With all due respect, I've known them longer than I have known all of you." Carrie responded. "I thank you for being my new friend, but I believe I know what I'm doing!"

"Yeah. Are you feeling all right after earlier on?" Trevor asked with some concern.

"Y-yes I'm…I'm fine. Thanks for helping me earlier. No one's ever done that for me before." Carrie said, as a small smile appeared on her shy face.

"It's no problem, I was more than happy to help you. After all, I hate bullies. Anyway…I was just wondering if we could sit together at lunch tomorrow." Trevor said, as a smile came on his face. Carrie's shy eyes opened a little bit wider on hearing this; she obviously hadn't been expecting this student, one she'd never seen before to want to sit with her at the table she'd been sitting alone at for as long as she could remember. But after a few moments of thinking, she gave her answer.

"Yes, you can sit with me at lunch tomorrow." Carrie said after a moment, much to Trevor's relief.

"Thanks Carrie, I'll see you tomorrow. Take care." Trevor said, as he turned and went into the parking lot while Carrie headed on home, her heart beating a mile a minute and a small smile on her face, but it was a smile mixed with strange emotions she'd never experienced before in her life up to now. As she headed on home, she couldn't help but think that things were going to start changing in school for the better; yet what she didn't know was just how accurate those thoughts were.

The familiar sounds of her mother's car drove up to the school and made Carrie look back. She saw her mother sitting in the car, waiting for her. She looked back toward Trevor with a seldom look.

"I have to go; I'm expected at the compound." Carrie told Trevor. "I'll see you all in school tomorrow."

"Carrie, wait!" Trevor called after her.

Carrie just continued walking and got in the car with her mother. The moment she stepped inside, Margaret glared toward the boy, then Trevor (Who waved feebly), and then toward Carrie.

"I thought I told you specifically to stay away from that boy, Carrie." Margaret scolded. "They are wicked and vile just as all sinners."

"They were just saying goodbye Momma." Carrie assured.

Margaret squinted her beady eyes toward her daughter before turning back around and placed her hands upon the steering wheel.

"We're going home then." Margaret said flatly.

"Actually Momma, do you think it might be alright if I go to the compound for a while." Carrie replied.

Margaret turned back toward her daughter again, with a quirked eyebrow.

"Why?" Margaret asked in concern.

"I was hoping to connect further with the one member of the boy." Carrie responded. "What better way to worship God and spread his good will than working side-by-side with others that too share his grace?"

Margaret squinted her eyes again toward her daughter, as if trying to determine if there was any sense of falseness hiding behind her eyes. After a moment, she let up and even offered a tiny smile in the corner of her mouth.

"I suppose that'll be alright." Margaret said.

With that being said, Margaret drove the two down the road and onward toward her home compound. Trevor watched them drive off, knowing right then and there that they couldn't just let her go alone.

"Carrie. There's no way we are going to let her wander into that viper's nest all by herself." Trevor spoke determinedly. "But how would I possibly follow her? Without the future, I can't make ourselves invisible or anything else for that matter. There's still my original idea. I even have Chris's costume..."

(In the school parking lot)

With another day finally completed, and feeling a little tired from all the different exercises she had guided her different classes through today, Rita was walking towards her minivan where Trevor would be waiting for her. As she came closer, she noticed Trevor, leaning against the passenger side, had a somewhat serious look on his face. Thinking something may have happened during the day, she picked up her pace and arrived by the side of her vehicle as quickly as her feet would carry her.

"Hey Trevor…is everything all right? You seem to be a bit concerned about something." Rita asked, as she stepped up.

"Yes Ms. Desjardin, something did happen today, but not to me; do you happen to know a student named Carrie White?" Trevor asked. And as soon as he said that name, Rita's posture suddenly stiffened, and a hard look entered her eyes.

"What happened?" Rita asked, as she spoke with a tone that felt, and certainly sounded, like it could.

Trevor rubbed the side of his face and paused before taking a deep breath as he began to explain; "Well, I was in the cafeteria earlier on this morning…" He began.

To Be Continued…