By the time Sarah went to bed, she had blocked and reported more people she could count. She had repeated the task with robotic monotonousness and had almost blocked a few of her friends because she was so used to getting rid of all comments she saw. Her friend list had dwindled down to eight people. While she had always acknowledged that she didn’t know most of the people in her friends list, and definitely wasn’t their friend, it saddened Sarah how many actually didn’t care about her. They had talked about her and shared the pictures of her. Think that she would probably never get rid of the picture was suffocating. There would always be one saved somewhere in the depths of the internet. Sarah hoped Mercedes understood what she had done. Maybe mum was right. Maybe Sarah should do her best so Mercedes would get caught. She didn’t want a big punishment. She wanted Mercedes to understand she couldn’t keep acting this way. They weren’t kids anymore.
The weather in the morning reflected Sarah’s mood. Dark cloud covered the sky and the wind rattled trees, pulling the last leaves from their branches. Mum had suggested to Sarah that she should stay at home, but she was adamant in going to school. She’d have to go at some point anyway. She couldn’t spend the rest of the year at home although she sometimes was tempted to. She wanted to show she wasn’t easily shaken, even if the truth was different. If she appeared weak, it’d be easy to pick on her more. On top of that, the university and college event would happen today, and she needed it desperately. She still had little idea of what she wanted to study after high school. She couldn’t afford to stay home on such important day.
Her enthusiasm didn’t quite match her determination. The anxiety grew higher the closer she got to school. Seeing other students made her heart leap, and she pulled her scarf to cover more of her face. If someone recognized her, at least they didn’t say anything, but Sarah was sure people wouldn’t forget in a day. But maybe the event would distract people.
Sarah noticed Castiel walking ahead of her with Leon, and her stomach pinched. When Castiel turned to look at Leon, he also noticed Sarah from the corner of his eye. For a moment his eyes lingered at him and he smiled, but then he focused on his friend again. Sarah sighed. She started to regret her decision. But maybe it was a good sign, and this experience would make her see her feelings better, like she had hoped.
The school yard bustled with people carrying equipment in and out of the gym building. People from the colleges were busy building their stands for the third years. The first lesson was scheduled as normal but after it the event would start. They would be allowed to visit the stands at their own pace and several groups would visit the local college through the day. Sarah still considered going, just in case, even though the initial check on the courses they offered hadn’t sparked her interest.
Sarah hanged up her coat when she heard her name being called. She turned around and saw Arthur hurrying towards her, his brow in deep furrow. When he got close enough, he grabbed Sarah in a hug. She gasped in surprise.
“Are you alright? It’s terrible what happened to you. I’m so angry at whoever did this,” he said.
“Y-yes I’m alright,” Sarah replied, patting Arthur’s back in the hope that he’d release her soon. The students nearby looked at them curiously. Mercedes peered at them from the edge of the crowd before marching upstairs, a smile on her lips.
Finally, Sarah pushed herself free. Arthur looked at her like a sad puppy.
“Are you sure you’re alright? Everyone’s talking about you.”
“That makes me feel so much better,” Sarah muttered.
“Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. And if it helps at all, I don’t think anything bad about you! I didn’t see the pictures of you. And it’s not something weird, everyone wears underwear. It would’ve been worse if you hadn’t had any…”
“Arthur.”
“…but you had! And it’s basically the same as wearing a bikini. Would people had been like this if you had been at a swimming pool? I don’t think so, and—
“Arthur.”
“Yes?”
“I’m happy to hear you support me, and I really appreciate it. But I need to go to class.”
“Oh right. Me too actually. Let’s go together. We have the same direction, right?”
Sarah sighed and smiled.
“Sure.”
The tips of Arthur’s ears were red when they walked up the stairs. Sarah tried not to pay attention to anyone. A group of her classmates had gathered near their classroom. Sarah recognized Mercedes’s blonde curls from the crowd. She hesitated in walking closer, but Mercedes was talking with Castiel, and she wanted to know what they talked about.
“I’m just saying she didn’t waste time,” Mercedes snickered at Castiel, who stood in front of her with arms crossed. His face was scrunched when he stared down at the girl brimming with confidence. “Like, I just saw her hugging the curl-head downstairs. I guess that’s why she wanted to take a break from you.”
“How about you shut your mouth for a second? I don’t want to hear your yapping,” Castiel grunted. How had Mercedes heard about the situation with Sarah already? “You don’t even have any proof. Did you forget to take pictures this time?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Mercedes smirked. From the corner of her eyes she noticed Sarah, who was now close enough to hear what they talked about, and her face brightened. “Well, wouldn’t you look at there,” she chuckled, “No proof? What do you say about that?”
She nodded her head towards Sarah, and Castiel turned to look. His eyes bounced from Sarah to Arthur and back to Sarah.
“We just ran into each other,” Sarah hurried to say.
“More like, he ran to you. And I saw them hug each other,” Mercedes chimed in.
“Because we’re friends, and he wanted to show his support because some people tried to ruin my reputation.”
Sarah trusted Castiel to understand, but still a lump of uncertainty tried to form in her stomach.
Castiel knew Sarah told the truth. She wasn’t the type of person Mercedes tried to paint her as. He trusted her, but it still annoyed Castiel how Arthur stood next to Sarah and not him. Arthur had hugged her and not him. Castiel gritted his teeth.
“You know, I think she’s lying.”
“How about you shut up?” Castiel gnarled, turning his attention to Mercedes. “I don’t know what you’re trying to achieve, but if you think this somehow makes me more interested in you, you’re stupid. I know what you did even if you deny it. And with it you lost the last sliver of respect I may still have had towards you. Leave me alone and leave Sarah alone if you know what’s good for you.”
Now the whole hallway’s attention was on Castiel. Mercedes stared at him with her mouth open, trying to grasp what Castiel had said.
“What? But I…”
It was so satisfying to see Mercedes at a loss of words. By the range of emotions on her face it seemed like Castiel’s message started to sink in. She opened her mouth to speak but closed it again. Sarah enjoyed the scene. Maybe it was mean to feel that way, but Mercedes deserved this.
Mercedes took a deep breath to calm herself. Colour rose to her cheeks and when she opened her eyes again, they were full of annoyance.
“Do you have any idea how far I was ready to go for you?” she shouted at Castiel. “All these years, I’ve been driving off pathetic girls who think they have a chance with you. They didn’t deserve to look at your direction. I know we would be an amazing couple. You know it too but won’t admit it. I’ve known you for years! How long have you known Sarah? Three weeks? She thinks she’s something special but she’s not. A little push and she already crumbled and is ready to leave you. You don’t need a girlfriend like her. You need someone who stands proud! I made you a favour with this. You should thank me.”
“Merce, have you lost your mind?”
Sarah turned to look at Justin who had pushed himself through the crowd. He stared at her sister in disbelief.
“Did you seriously do the thing to Sarah?”
“I did! And I would do it again if it helps Castiel to realize who he deserves.”
“You’re an idiot.”
“You’re the one to talk... What does it matter if I did it?”
“Perhaps because it is a crime? Dad’s not gonna be happy.”
“And how will he know? I’m not gonna tell him,” Mercedes grinned.
“But I will. Miss Campbell would you please follow me to the principal’s office.”
Mercedes spun around and stood face to face with Mrs Milton, their biology teacher. All the colour in Mercedes’s face drained.
“What. I haven’t done anything.”
“Perhaps you should have kept your voice down if you wanted to keep your deeds secret. Everyone else go to class. I will return shortly.”
All students stood in awe and silence, trying to process what had happened. Sarah’s stomach prickled, and her heart beat loudly in her chest. She glanced at Castiel who returned the look and smiled. Sarah smiled to him but lowered her eyes quickly.
Arthur placed his hand on Sarah’s shoulder with a smile.
“Looks like things are getting solved,” he said. “I’m happy for you. But I need to go. I think I’m late from Mrs Styrne’s class now...”
Sarah chuckled. “Go quickly or she’ll use you in some experiment.”
Arthur swallowed and pushed himself through the crowd, dashing up the stairs two steps at a time.
No one made a motion to move to class. Everyone chattered to themselves about the situation. Only Justin headed to the classroom, rubbing his temples and mumbling to himself. Sarah felt bad for him. He was always so serious and responsible. It must’ve been a pain to have a sister like Mercedes.
Castiel glanced at Sarah, who looked lost and alone only a short distance away from him. He wanted to go talk to her but hesitated. Would it be intruding? Maybe she didn’t want to be seen with him. Although thanks to Mercedes, everyone knew they were dating, and that they had troubles in their fresh relationship, so talking to Sarah wouldn’t risk their secret. But perhaps that was even more of a reason to keep distance. Maybe Sarah would be embarrassed. But Castiel was dying to ask how Sarah was and to comfort her.
“I’ll talk to her,” Amanda said quietly to him and smiled.
“Thank you. Did you message her yesterday?”
“I did. And don’t worry. She still likes you,” Amanda said with a wink and walked to Sarah. Castiel didn’t hear what they talked about, but Amanda guided Sarah to the classroom while they chatted with each other. Seeing Sarah’s smile calmed down Castiel’s worries slightly. Now that Mercedes was caught, things would hopefully start fixing themselves.
“Why are you still standing here? I told you to get to class! We’re already short on time. Hurry up now!”
Mrs Milton ushered the class inside.
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INK SUPPORT INFO
THE GOAL HAS BEEN REACHED! Thanks to your support, we have reached 12,000 ink during this Tapas event. Thank you so much for your support. As promised, here is the link to the poll where you can vote for the special episode topic. The link will also be in the author notes below the episode
https://www.strawpoll.me/19976632
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I'm just gonna post a quick reminder that thanks to your ink support, we'll have a special chapter of BILY coming up. If you want a chance to vote on the topic, I have set another goal to be reached. If we can reach 6k before the 15th of May, I'll share a poll with all the story options, including a mature option.
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