POV: Dillion Smiley

“You have to go to school, come on.” Trina shakes me.

“No, leave me alone. I don’t feel good.” I pull the blankets over my head.

“Mom’s not going to like this.” She sighs.

“Well like I give two fucks.” I snap.

“Dillion, I know you're faking. You never get sick. Come on, tell me what happened.” She shakes me.

“Nothing. I hate this fucking town, I hate all the people here! They all suck!” I declare.

She chuckles.

“I’m serious!” I pout.

“Come on, you need to get up.” She pulls the blankets away.

“No! I’m not going.” Tears come into my eyes.

“Did… Did you get taken down?” She whispers.

“Ha, yeah right.” I turn over.

She sighs in relief.

“Then what? Why don’t you want to go?”

“I said I’m not feeling good, now leave me alone.”

“Fine, but when mom gets home and sees you still here, that’s on you, not me.” she gets up and leaves.

Fuck. Fucking mom. I swear she’s crazy. Damn it.

I slowly peel myself off my bed.

Maybe I’ll run away…

Fuck school, fuck mom. Fuck this whole fucking town. I hate this place.

With a sigh, I pull out an outfit and get dressed. No use is fucking around, it’s either mom or school. I just have to deal with it. If only I wasn’t so stupid. I should have never let Rebel get to me. I knew it, I knew it was too good to be true. Fuck her. I will end her. No one messes with my emotions and gets away with it.

I grab my purse off the floor and make my way downstairs.

“Wise choice!” Trina calls after me as she eats her breakfast.

I roll my eyes and grab my car keys.

Fuck I so don’t feel like dealing with any of this shit. Can today just be canceled? Not to mention Clover and her bullshit too. Fuck. With another sigh, I park my car in its usual spot and get out.

The sky is dark, looks like it will rain again. Shit, I forgot an umbrella or a jacket. Fuck me. can the day get any worse? I quickly walk inside and stride over to my usual table. I pause. The table is occupied by Clover, Flynn, Cricket, Tomas, and, Ram. Even Alaska is sitting across from Ram. What the hell is this?

“Sorry, no room.” Cricket kicks up his legs on the only available seat.

I lock eyes with Clover.

I really don’t feel like dealing with her shit.

“Okay.” I force a smile and walk off.

I pull out the G.R.O.S.S. app and scroll to Clover’s name. I guess it’s time to put this bitch in her place once and for all. My finger hovers over the challenge button. Damn it. Stupid Rebel. Fuck her, I can do whatever the hell I want. She played me, she called me a monster then pretended to be my friend probably laughed about me behind my back. Well, screw it! Like I care!

I hit the challenge button.

I make the reason for the challenge as boyfriend snatching, not that I care she has Flynn now. It just gives me an excuse to take her down. I walk the halls of the school as I scroll through the many videos on my phone.

I post one of Clover bragging about how dumb her stepmom is, to her stepmom's facebook page under an anonymous account. Then I send several videos to the police with evidence of her crimes. Typing out some sob story of how I feel guilty and that I want to turn my friend in, but I don’t want people to know it’s me. Blah, blah, blah.

Now we wait.

I walk past Rebel’s locker, it’s mostly clean now with only faint black sharpie writing on it. I dig into my purse for my pink sharpie and write on the grey locker. Liar and Monster. It makes me feel a little better.

Someone clears their throat behind me.

I turn and see Rebel there with her friends. I narrow my eyes at her.

“Dillion, please, let me explain.”

“Don’t talk to me, freak.” I snap at her. Then as I push past her and I shove the pink sharpie in her hands.

That is the last time I trust anyone.

If I have to deal with this bullshit then I am going to deal with it my way. No one messes with Dillion Smiley and gets away with it. I will deal with these bitches one at a time and end them all. Fuck them. Fuck all of them.

I walk back to the cafeteria and stand by the doorway with a smug smirk. Clover eyes me just before her phone rings.

“Hello?” she answers it.

Ahh, sweet victory. This will never get old.

“Dad, wait! Hold on. Stop yelling. Dad! I’m sorry.” She stammers.

She quickly gets up to talk to him in a more private area.

“Bu-bye.” I wave at her before taking her seat.

“This seat is free isn’t it?” I smile at them.

They all eye me.

“Was that you?” Alaska asks, indicating to Clover’s exit.

“Sure was, do you want to be next?” I cock my head to the side.

“No thank you,” she mutters under her breath.

That’s what I thought.

“Geez, cold as ever Smiley.” Flynn comments.

“Mess with the best—”

“End up like the rest.” The whole table says.

I smile.

“That’s right, glad we are all on the same page.”

The first bell rings for class. Finally, this day can get a move on. Clover’s dad comes to pick her up in the middle of the first period.

“Don’t forget to send me a postcard from prison.” I tease Clover on her way out.

She glares at me before leaving.

The win is already registered to me and the points add to my score.

To be fair I warned her not to fuck with me, she didn’t listen. So who’s fault is it really? I wouldn’t be able to take her down if she wasn’t a thieving little skank. So technically she took herself down.

By lunch, everyone has already heard that Clover was taken into police custody. There is even a news story on it that people keep sharing around. That will teach them. That’s right, I did that. Now no one will mess with me. Now everyone knows who they are fucking with.

Whispers and murmurs follow me around. People cower in my presence. As they should.

“Wow, you really took things too far.” Miranda shakes her head at me.

“What do you want pickle sucker?” I glare at her.

“You took things too far. Rumors and being bullied is one thing, but jail time? really? For what? For Flynn?”

“Please, I couldn’t care less about Flynn.” I snort.

“Then why?” She pushes.

“Because she had it coming.” I glower.

“You are letting this game get to you, you are making it personal. That makes you G.R.O.S.S.” Miranda says.

My eyes go wide as I watch her challenge me to my face.

What the hell?

Seriously?

Pickle sucker?

“What she said.” another girl stands with her and also challenges me.

Soon a lot of girls are challenging me. How come there is no challenge limit? You think that would have been fixed in the app a long time ago. Even members of my own smiley alliance challenge me.

My grossest offense. Letting my emotions get to me.

Even Alaska challenges me.

Over a third of the girls in this school have challenged me.

I feel like the walls are closing in on me. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Clover got what she deserved. Why are these bitches messing with me? I don’t get it, why do they even care? It’s not like they are the ones going to jail.

If this is what they want, then fine. I’ll deal with every single last one of them. Starting with the big fish. The more big fish I scare away the more girls will forfeit. So looks like I am having baked Alaska tonight.

As if I don’t know she rigged the election to win student council president, not to mention when she cheated on her ap test last year. What a fraud.

“Watch your back, Dillion,” Miranda says as she and many girls walk off.

I smile.

“Oh Miranda, you should watch yours.” I walk off first.

I skip the rest of my classes and go to the public library. In three hours I have taken down at least 20 girls.

I sent the footage of Alaska doctoring her test scores to the principal, anonymously of course. I also explained that I had good reason to believe she rigged her election. Of course, the video of Miranda being a pickle sucker behind the bleachers got sent to her parents. Easy peasy. It was like a free for all. One girl cheated on her boyfriend, I posted pictures online. One girl smokes weed in the bathroom, I tipped off the janitor. One girl ratted out her friend to a teacher about how her friend cheated on a test. I posted the video and took them both down a two for one.

I was racking up points left and right. Soon many girls started forfeiting. By the end of the school day, no one was left to challenge me. I beat them all. My new score. 224. I sigh and relax in the lounge chair. My phone buzzes from a new text.

‘I thought you changed, but I was wrong. You’ve caused so much chaos and ruined so many lives today. For what? What did you get out of it? Does it make you feel better? I still don’t understand. Just forget it. I was wrong about you. You don’t have to worry about hearing from me again.’

My eye twitches at the text from Rebel. I didn’t get around to changing the contact name so it still says from a friend.

I lock my phone and lay my head down on the armchair.

Fuck her.

What the hell does she know about it?

Eventually, I drag myself home. I go to my room and plop on my bed. I feel icky. Even worse than I felt this morning. I go onto to my social media accounts and I have so much hate comments and messages.

‘Go kill yourself.’

‘Come to school tomorrow and I’ll kill you’

‘Dumb Bitch’

‘Go fuck yourself.’

‘Sociopath.’

‘no one likes you’

‘psychotic freak.’

I close out the apps on my phone and close my eyes. What’s the big deal? There was a problem so I dealt with it, in the Dillion way. What did they think would happen if they all ganged up on me? That I would just go quietly? Yeah fucking right. Bitches, if I’m going down, you sure as hell better believe you are all going down with me.

Assholes.

My bedroom door opens and I open my eyes.

I sit up and eye mom. She looks pissed. Oh great, just what I needed to top off this shitty day. One big serving of crazy-ass bitch.

“Clover Baker was arrested today for stealing at the mall, I know you hang out with her. Have you been stealing too?” she demands.

“What? No, mom who do you think turned her in? hello, I’m not that dumb.” I roll my eyes.

“You turned her in?” she eyes me in shock.

“Duh. I knew it was the right Christian thing to do. I can’t let her keep getting away with it.” ha, does she actually buy this bullshit?

She sighs in relief and I watch her cold accusing look turn warm and loving. Okay, what the fuck? She walks over to me and embraces me into a hug. A yelp gets caught in my throat. She squeezes my head deeper into her chest.

“I’m so proud of you. I am glad you did the right thing. I worry that you will go down the path of evil. But God has protected you.” she rubs my back.

I can’t keep the tears from rising.

My arms slowly wrap around her and hold her tightly. I can’t remember when she last held me like this. It feels… nice. I close my eyes and silently cry into her.

“There, there. you did the right thing. I am so proud of you. You don’t need to be hanging out with bad company like that.” She kisses the top of my head.

“I thought she was my friend, but she wasn’t she just wanted what I have. None of them are my real friends. They are all awful.”

“Yes, you don’t need them. You don’t need to be a part of their sinful lives.” She rubs my back.

“I don’t need them,” I repeat.

“That’s right, the only thing you will ever need is us. Your family. I am always going to be here for you. You can trust me. God has brought you here for a reason and that reason is to be my beautiful amazing daughter. I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” I whisper into her.

She pulls back with a teary-eyed smile.

“Come on, let me take you shopping, my treat.” She says.

I smile too.

“Okay, I’d like that.”

“Get dressed I am going to go see if your sister wants to come.” She pats my shoulder before walking out.

I take a shaky calming breath. That wasn’t so bad. Maybe she isn’t so bad. Maybe she still loves me, even if she doesn’t know the truth about me. I don’t need them, I don’t need anyone. She’s right. I can do this all by myself. Deal with it in the Dillion way. After all, mother knows best.