Elaine had dropped her off at school, not an ounce of sympathy in her eyes as she shooed Chloe out of the car so that she would not be late for work. There wasn’t a point in pleading not to walk in those front doors with her. She preferred the jungle of Legacy Prep High over being in the car with her, anyway.

As Chloe walked to the front doors of the school, it was a lot for a fourteen-year-old to handle, especially considering what she had gone through since the last time she had walked through those doors. The last time she had passed that doorframe, she not only had looked like a different person, but she had been a different person. The person she was now was unrecognizable.

Maybe it won’t be so bad.

Swallowing hard and finally mustering up the courage to open the door, she passed through the entrance. She hoped her new markings would just gain some sort of sympathy, enough to just be left alone. That was all she asked for.

Pulling the sleeves down on her black sweater to cover the tops of her hands, she started walking down the hall. Her heart stopped instantaneously as a wave of silence slowly traveled down the hall. What was once a noisy, shuffling of feet and smashing lockers accompanied by loud gossip and chatter had now become so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

She had known she would be stared at. Let them get it out of their system. Then it will all be over.

She had to remind herself to put one step in front of the other and focus on reaching the classroom door as the whispering started in another wave down the hall. Regardless, Chloe couldn’t make out anything that was said … until she heard it—the one word that would follow her forever: “freak.”

Chloe hung her head to the ground, letting her long, black, silky hair sweep across her face to cover her scars and shame.

The chuckling from the loudly voiced word began to travel down the hall. She knew who had said it. The certain blonde had just signed Chloe’s death sentence. It was a joke for her to think it would all be over soon, the remains of the once very naive little girl.

It felt like an eternity before she reached her classroom where she carefully took a seat in the back. She held her head down as the students filed in, whispering the moment they saw her. Chloe even continued to hold her head down as class started. It wasn’t until she heard the classroom door squeak open and complete silence fill the room that she looked up.

Instantly, her heart stopped as she watched a short-haired, strawberry-blonde girl come through the room, taking her seat at the front.

“Did you have a good vacation, Ms. Buchanan?” The teacher raised her brow as she looked down at the tardy girl.

There was some snide giggling among the room before the girl replied, “Sure.”

Chloe had to look away from the girl, glancing down at her lap to see that she had been wringing her hands. She had forgotten what had happened the last day she had come to school. She had forgotten what had happened to that poor girl.

What they did to her …

Applying more pressure to her hands as she wrung them, she began to hate herself for forgetting. Even after all she had been through, she should have at least thought about her once.

Thought about what I did to her …

Staring at her white desk, the memory began to play in front of her …

Chloe stared in shock as the group all took turns beating the helpless girl on the ground. She didn’t have a clue of what to do as the ring leaders, who happened to be twins, Sebastian and Cassandra, were already doubting her intentions. They were constantly clocking her, seeing how she was reacting and if she was going to run. She had told herself to run for help the moment they had started dragging the girl down the hallway to the outside of the school, but one of them had caught on and grabbed her arm, making her follow along.

If she ran now, there was no doubt they would catch her and give her the same fate as the girl on the ground. Right now, the only chance she had to help her was to watch and wait until they left, and she could get her some help. Otherwise, no one would have a clue she was behind the school, lying there, left helpless.

Looking down at the now bloody girl, bile started travelling up her throat. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could watch without giving herself away.

Relief flooded her when they all had taken their turns and went to head back. She wanted to get her help as fast as possible.

“Wait.”

However, Sebastian’s voice stopped them all in their tracks.

“You didn’t get your turn, Chloe.”

Swallowing hard, she thought as fast as she could. “That’s okay; we’re missing lunch, and I’m hun—”

Sebastian shoved her closer to the body on the ground. “Kick her, then, and we can go.”

Looking down at her, Chloe’s heart started to break.

“She looks like she’s had enough.”

“You better fucking kick her.”

Sebastian and the rest of them all stepped closer to her, making the threat clear.

Taking a few steps closer, she wanted to break down and cry for the girl, cry and scream until someone came to rescue her. There was no way she could kick her.

“Kick me. It doesn’t hurt anymore,” The bloody girl mouthed quietly for only her to witness.

Feeling the others closing in on her, Chloe closed her eyes and reared her foot back, kicking her in the ribs with enough force to keep them happy, though not hard enough to inflict much more pain on the girl.

“Let’s get out of here. The bitch got the message. Good job, Chloe.”

They all started to head back once again, but Chloe couldn’t move. She had been so disgusted with herself the moment she had done it, but she couldn’t figure out another way to get the girl some help in the end.

Staring down at her, she saw the girl staring back with pleading eyes. Chloe could see her begging for her to leave with them, to not continue to arise suspicion. She didn’t understand why the girl cared if she got beaten up or not. She shouldn’t care, not after what the group she hung around had done to her, and this hadn’t even been the first offence.

The strong-willed girl kept pleading, and with the group watching her every move, she turned to leave with them.

She looked down at the ground as she walked away, wanting to cry. I’m so sorry, Elle …

Chloe quickly wiped the tear that had fallen down on her fresh scar.

I deserved what he did to me.