As for me? I gloated. Not because Dax had given Janice’s ego a big “fuck you,” but because I’d been left to fend for myself all these years with no one but Mandy—who was rarely around for the attacks—on my side. Having someone get my back felt…frigging wonderful. Add Dax to that equation and frigging wonderful turned into frigging awesome.
My victory buzz was short-lived, however, because Mr. M gave us our assignment: a writing exercise. “You will write about three things you did this spring break and then read it to the class.”
A communal groan erupted.
“This should be easy for you, Dakota,” Janice said. “Since you just hung out with a bunch of dirty dogs. Was it fun picking up shit? How do you get it out from under your nails—oh! Wait. That’s what that smell is…”
I heard a few small “ewws” from the drama junkies listening in.
That’s when it happened. I snapped.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Everyone gets mad, especially when they’ve been picked on as relentlessly as I had, but this was different compared to all those other times Janice had belittled the things I loved. This time she was trying to steal more than my pride; she was trying to steal my hope. I’d really had it.
Rage filled my mind along with images of ripping out her hair. Yes, I would jump on her head and pluck out her golden feathers! Let’s see how she likes it!
But that’s not what happened.
What I chose to do instead would be far worse. The biggest mistake of my life. I lied. Yes. Lied. A big, hairy, Whopper with cheese of a lie. It was one of those moments that as the words poured from my mouth, I caught myself thinking, Why the hell am I saying this? Not even I would believe such a festering pile of crap! But once I started, I could not stop.
Why? Why? Why?
My lie would become my life, my prison, my punishment for everything I’d ever done wrong.
CHAPTER FOUR
“You?” Janice laughed. “You have a boyfriend? And you spent spring break with him, going to parties in the Hamptons?” she laughed so hard that tears popped from her eyes like fleas jumping off a dog in a bathtub. “Oh! Oh! That’s frigging hysterical.”
“Ms. Jensen, care to share what’s so funny?” Mr. M peered over the top of his glasses, giving her an annoyed look.
“Yes!” She chuckled. “Dakota says that—wait.” She looked at me. “Why don’t you tell everyone what you did during break?”
I slouched in my chair and tried to ignore Dax rolling his eyes as if I were the lamest creature on the planet. The rest of the class simply stared with the sort of interest one might have when passing by a car accident.
“Ms. Jensen,” Mr. M said, “I’ll see you in detention.” He made a little circular motion with his hand, indicating she should turn herself around and get to work.
“What?” Janice barked. “Bu…bu…but I have practice after school.”
Mr. M shrugged. “Correction. You had practice. Would you like to miss tomorrow as well?”
Dax chuckled under his breath, and Janice shot him a nasty look before turning her toxic gaze to me. “Let’s get to writing, shall we, Dakota?”
Crap. What would I do now? I had to write an essay about what I’d done over break, and if I didn’t retell the outrageous lie I’d just told, then Janice would have a field day. On the other hand, if I did write those lies and read them to the class, everyone would know I’d made them up. It was completely implausible for me to have a boyfriend.
Ugh. Where had those lies come from? What had possessed me to make up that garbage? I mean…really! Idiot. You’re an idiot, Dakota.
Doing everything in my power not to look at Dax or anyone else, I got up and left.
~ ~ ~
After driving around for an hour and ignoring ten text messages from Mandy, asking what had happened, I finally landed at Starbucks in the next burb over. I couldn’t stand to face anyone I knew. What a moron! Wait. No. That was too good for me. Freak of nature. Yes, that fit. Again, I couldn’t understand what had come over me. I’d been possessed by the demon of obnoxious lies.
Now what would I do? Deny I’d said those things? After, like, ten people overheard me? I pulled out my notebook with the handmade leather jacket—the one my dad had sent me on my sixteenth birthday—and scribbled way. Sometimes writing down my thoughts helped me sort things out.
Options:
Jump off bridge? No. Not my style.
Run away to an exotic island? No passport.
Witness protection program? Ugh. Would have to find a horrible crime to witness—not so easy.
I sighed. Maybe my parents would let me change schools? That would work, right? Except that the other schools in the district were still in Janice territory since she and her cheer-demons belonged to the same cheer-demon club and practiced together. And there was no way my parents would let me change with only eight weeks to go.