It is truth universally known that a scared little girl must be in need of a valiant father. That is precisely why I'm holding my father's hands tightly in mine as we near the ominous building standing at the end of the corner.

            I've been attending George Orwell high school for two years now but I have never felt so afraid about going in there before. As my dad parks the car in the busy parking lot, my grip tightens around his palm.

            He pulls me to him, resting his chin on my head while rubbing my back. "It's going to be okay."

            I sniff back my tears and hold him tighter. "I hope so."

            I untangle myself from the embrace and glance out the window. Teenagers pass by in groups, talking and laughing with their friends. Teachers walk fast into the building, ready to get this day over with.

            There were days when this building was a source of life for me. It provided me with a mean to project my pain and suffering in order to keep on living. However, now that the secrets are all out there, I'm scared of what it will become.

            "Are you sure you don't want me to change school?" I ask my dad. I've been begging him for the past days to let me change school but he remains consistent with his decision. "This school is pretty expensive, especially with your salary. I'll be fine at a public high school."

            "Rachel, I'm not that poor. I may not be as rich as Steven but I have enough to be able to afford a good education for you."

            I cross my arms over my chest. "You can afford to pay hundreds of dollars for something I can get for free elsewhere but you can't buy me a car? Which part of this is a smart idea?"

            "All of it, I'm not negotiating your education. The car can wait especially since I don't think it's safe for you to be behind the wheels while still recovering."

            I slump back in the chair. "I'm getting better."

            "I know," he says while brushing my hair back with his hands, "but we still have a long way to go so I think it will be better if you stay in familiar territory with your friends."

            "I don't have any friends," I groan.

            I turn my head at the sound of a knock on my window. Cassie stands beside the car with a backpack strap on her shoulder and a huge grin on her slightly tan face.

            "She has excellent timing," my dad laughs.

            I wave him goodbye as I get off the police car. Cassie immediately pulls me into a hug.

            "I've been waiting for you for so long." She drags me along with her towards the large blue doors. With her tight blue jeans and white T-shirt, she looks so odd. I think that's the first time I've seen her not in a miniskirt.

"I already have your schedule and everything. Although we only have one class together..."

            My ears block her out as they pick up the endless whispers flying by me.

            "Can you believe she did that?"

            "I always knew she was crazy."

            "I bet she's just doing it for the attention."

            I'm not even inside the school yet and I already feel like turning around to go hide in a dark corner away from everyone.

            I make the notion to pull at my sleeves as I have done so many times in the past when I felt like someone was getting too close for comfort. Unfortunately, I had opted for a sleeveless shirt today – as a way to show that I'm embracing my new life as an open book and I'm ready to let people see the real me.

            I wish I hadn't done because now I'm just a spectacle for everyone to point at in amusement. I wish I could shake the stares that are being thrown my way as they look at my scars.

            With my senses focus only on the gossipers, I forget what I was doing until I trip on my own two feet and fall face first on the cold pavement.

            "Oh my God, Rachel," Cassie shouts.

            Streams of laughter infuse the small parking lot. I yelp when the heel of a boot squash my hand on the ground.

            Great, just keep kicking me while I'm down!

            Cassie helps me up. "Don't worry about them, they're just jealous they can't be as brave as you."

            "If this is brave," I say as I wipe dirt off of my white Capri pants, "I think I'd rather go back to being a coward."

            "Don't say that, everything will be okay." She loops her arm on mine and pull me forward.

            My senses stay hyperaware of everything happening around. The pointing has double by the time we push open the heavy blue doors.

            I freeze as soon as I'm inside. Everyone's eyes are on me. I take a step back but Cassie pulls me to her.

            With small, uncertain steps, I venture further inside the school. My throat becomes uncomfortably dry as I pass groups of former 'friends'. 

            "Hi Rachel," Nina Rowland greets me when I reach the school library. "How was your sejour at the crazy house?"

            She smirks maliciously as she inspects me from head to toe. My heart skips a beat when her eyes settle back on mine. Her blue iris contains nothing else than undeniable evil.

            She and I used to have somewhat of a frenemy relationship with more enemy than friend in the mix. Competition is what drove us on but now I don't think I'm much of a competition to anyone.

            With my unknown tags on my back, how can I ever be able to measure up to someone dressed like her? Teal crop top under an orange blazer and black mid-thigh skirt, accessorized by a large black Prada bag, a five carat diamond Cartier bracelet, and orange wedge sandal.

            It doesn't help that almost everyone else in the hallway is dressed of similar brands. I never realized until today how much of my world relied on Steven's wealth to stay stable.

            "It was just a temporary thing." I try to shrug it off and not show her how scared I am.

            "I'm so contente for you," she beams with her usual fail attempt at a French accent.

She's convince she can speak French because her mother's grandparents were French. I've tried to tell her to stop embarrassing herself but she thought I was being jealous of her heritage.

"Thanks," I sidestep her to go on with my day but she wasn't done.

"But I'm afraid I'm going to have to call them back," she says when I turn my back to her.

"Keep walking," Cassie whispers but I ignore her and turn back to Nina.

"We can't have a crazy person walking around on school propriété," she explains, her voice rising an octave to gain the innocence required for her to show she's doing a good thing. "That endangers me and everybody else around here. I'm sure you understand."

She touches my shoulder slightly before quickly retracting it.

"Oh my God, I think I just contracted the virus," she screams hysterically in the hallway. "Somebody get me a doctor. I think I can hear voices already."

"Stop it Nina," Cassie snaps, plunking herself between us.

Nina and I both take a step back at her sudden outburst. Cassie is not an angry person, she's always cheerful and will take the highroad to avoid a conflict. Plunging into one head first is not her style at all.

"Would you look at that?" Nina laughs when she regains her composure. "Little miss I-sleep-with-everyone's-boyfriend-but-hide-behind-my-bestie-so-nobody-can-touch-me is finally talking."

            "Leave the girl alone, she's already going through a hard time without you putting your own two cents in it."

            "Oh you mean like she left us alone when we were going through hard stuffs?"

            My eyelids swell with tears as everyone start to nod their head in agreement with her. What did I expect? Of course nobody would take my side, I never made friends with any of them. I was happy lying and taking away every happy thought from them.

            "If you ask me, she got exactly what she deserves."

            "Yeah!" the student body shouts in unison.

            "I don't even think her step-father did it for real. I mean, you would want to get with that," she looks at me with a disgusted air. "She probably drugged him or something. She always wants what she can't have."

            "That's enough Nina," Cassie whispers to her.

            "Did you enjoy sleeping with your mom's husband, little slut?" she continues louder as they all cheer her one.

She pushes Cassie with her elbow, sending her slamming to the wall, then walks straight up to me. Her face is much scarier up close. I've never been afraid of her before but now it takes all of me to not run away as fast as I can.

I swallow to dissipate the dryness in my throat but it just grows worse than before. "I didn't sleep with him," I say, my tongue darting out to lick my hard lips. Instead of tasting dried-out skin, a salty water sip inside my mouth.

"Oh the poor baby is crying," she pouts mockingly, drawing laughter from her supporters. "Do you need someone to change your diapers too?"

My head falls down as my shoulder lowers. I feel like an ant about to get smash by a giant. There's no way I can outrun her or ever win the fight so I just stand there, waiting to for the imminent blow.

She harshly grabs my arms. "Would you look at that? I think I just found out the reason behind your annoying long-sleeve trend. I bet everyone whoever believed it was a legit fashion style are dying of shame right now."

I yank my arms away without lifting my head up.

She uses a long index finger as leverage to make me meet her dilated blue eyes. They shine brighter than the eyes of a young mother holding her baby for the first time. It's as if this is the best moment of her life ever.

"I can't believe I envied you," she giggles. "I must have been out of my mind because you're no one, you're nothing. I have everything. Even your own mother doesn't want you."

The hallway echoes with the ohhs going around. It's like the entire school is standing here to watch the show go on.

"She came to our house yesterday since you know, my dad is the one who's going to represent Steven in court, the one who's going to crush you in pieces. Anyway, she had a few words choices she used for you."

I haven't heard from my mother in a while. Pretty much ever since the day in the hospital where she showed me her true colors. I can't believe I ever thought of that woman as a weak and gullible. I spent so many years thinking that she was under Steven's spell when in fact it was the other way around. She knew everything Steven did, I know she does. She just doesn't care as long as she gets to be a trophy wife.

"What did she say?" I regret asking as soon as the question is out.

Why should I care? She certainly doesn't care about me, she made sure I know that. Now, I only have my father and Jenny as parents.

"Yeah, I don't think school is the appropriate place to use such language. Let's just say, she must really be into her thesaurus to be able to know so many synonyms for the word...whore in a matter of seconds."

"Mom knows what's up," someone behind me shouts but I don't bother turning around. It doesn't matter who said it, they're all thinking it.

"If even your own mother doesn't believe you, why should we?" she asks.

"Let's leave," Cassie clasps my hands in hers. "You don't have to hear this."

"But she does," Nina says. "She has to know that nobody here is going to fall for her little game." She faces the student body with a finger pointing at me accusingly.  "We all know what she's capable of. We won't let her get out with this one. She's not going to send a respectable man in jail because he didn't want to give her what she wanted. It doesn't matter how many times she pleads crazy. We want justice."

"Yeah!" they all yell loud enough to make my eardrums shake. "We want justice! We want justice!"

I sprint for the nearest bathroom, pushing people away from me as they continue to chant at the top of their lungs. Some teachers are trying to make them calm down but many others are sitting on the sidelines. They're waiting for me to be eating alive, for them to finally get rid of me.

By the time I lock myself inside a stall, tears had already drench my shirt. I sit down on the toilet and cry my eyes out in my hands.

"What a welcome party!" Someone giggles in my head.

Oh great, just what I needed.