Chapter 7

It's mid November, and I still have to walk to school, I'm have study for a driving license or I'm going to freeze to death. As I go out the door, the cold air hits me. I have a jacket, a scarf and a shitload of heavy clothes. Why is California so cold, wasn't it supposed to be the land of the Sun or something? Anyway, when I get to school, my body numb. I walk up the stairs, people still giving me the stink eye as I pass them, other don't care. I see the three guys who blocked me after class so I change direction, getting a longer route to my locker. When I turn into the corridor where it's located I bump into Savannah. Like literally, I almost knock her over.

"What the fuck?" She screams.

"I'm sorry."

"What the hell, watch where you're going."

"I said I'm sorry." There's an awkward silence. I feel like stepping up for myself, I've had enough of this shit.

"What do you want?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you're standing there like an idiot. What do you want from me?" She says. Her arrogant voice is really making her face punchable. What I want right now is to tell her friends what we both know. But I can't. I don't want her to feel bad, God knows why, and I don't want to be hated by her more than what I already am. I look at her in the eye and laugh.

"I really got bored of this. You treat me like I'm a piece of garbage. What I want is to dare you to ask me to the school dance. And when I say yes, you will actually bring me and spend the whole night with me." I say before I can stop myself. I have no idea where that came from, I really don't want to spend the night with her and it's just going to make the rumors worse. Plus, what happened to not wanting her to hate me more? I mean, it would be kinda fun if I got on her nerves for once.

"No way, I'm already going with Jane Margotts. She doesn't have a creepy crush like you do."

"I don't have a creepy crush. Or a crush in general." That took me by surprise. Even if I know she hates me it still stings a bit. But I need to be smart with this. "Ok, so if you're not bringing me I guess I'll tell everyone what you and I both know you don't want anyone knowing."

"Are you seriously blackmailing me?"

"Yup." I know it's a bad thing but I really am upset about my situation and if I can show the old me to Savannah I'll get at least in a better position. Maybe I can get somewhere with this. It hasn't even been a year and I'm already going crazy with this social scale stuff. Maybe I can get out the old me a few times, just until I stop getting this much shit. I should work on my confidence a bit. God, I'm already feeling like the old me, I used to fucking love myself. If I were another person looking at the person I was with people. I just wasn't me. I guess I faked for so long it kinda became part of me because it's really showing right now.

"You wouldn't have the guts. Come on, seriously. You would never do something like that to a person like me, just look at you."

"Alright miss confident asshole, I said I don't like you and I never did, neither then." When I say that for a second she has an unreadable expression, but it's just a very short moment, then it shifts as if she doesn't believe me. I know she has no idea, she's just trying to get out of it, I'm a good liar. "So yeah, I would do something like that. And a lot of people would fucking thank me too. I guess it would be funny watching the roles exchange."

"You wouldn't"

I turn to her friends and start saying "You know that Savannah lived in Italy until a year ago, right? Well what she was th-"

"Ok," she cuts me off loudly "I'll do it. But know that I'm really hating you right now."

I smile and I say "Aw, what an honor. Go on." I'm so freaking happy I could scream. I know it's just a little thing but after what happened in the last months for me it's a milestone.

"Rose, will you go to the school dance with me?" She roles her eyes and says it in an irritated voice.

"Yep. Meet me at my house fifteen minutes before the start?"

"Fine, whatever."

I walk towards my locker, smiling like an idiot. Although I think I did something bad. I think I exposed her. Her friends are definitely going to ask questions. I feel like I could rule the world. I got Savannah Petroli, italian TikTok star, to ask me to the school dance. Blackmailing her, but I still did it. Now I'll show her what she was missing out on. I should stop having there thoughts, I definitely do not want her to want me that way.

As class finishes, I quickly dash to the toilets. The teacher wouldn't let me go during lesson. In Italy they always make you go, unless you're doing a test. When I go to wash my hands, some of Savannah's friends come in and walk towards me.

"What do you know?" Ava asks me.

"What do you mean?"

"When you were blackmailing Sav, you were going to tell us something."

"I was going to tell you a thing about her, but now that she invited me to the school dance, I won't. And she won't have to be afraid that I'll tell you."

"Oh, she won't. But you'll have to try not to tell."

"What do you mean?" They've cornered me.

"I mean that you will tell us or you'll have a shit time."

"I already have a shit time, if I didn't I wouldn't have dared her to ask me to the dance. Now, I'm late for class, I really need to go. Bye."

I run out of the toilet and into my next lesson while Ava screams "This is not over." behind me. What's their problem?