Bully Secret (Bullies of Ember High Book 1) Read online

  I snatched my phone, lifted my chin, smiled for the camera, and snapped a photo. This time when I looked at it, I decided to post it.

  Fuck you, bullies and trolls. I almost got dragged into your darkness and negativity.

  Never again.

  Okay, I was probably going to feel off about my body when my mood changed again, but I could deal with that.

  At least I hoped I could.

  Maybe I was never going to date someone like Aaron, but why would I even want to date that shallow jerk or any of his friends?

  I’d find a man who would love me for me and who would fully accept me, not some silly boy who would try to shame me for how I looked.

  And yeah, I’d definitely need a guy who could handle my mood swings. Someone who could lift me up when I was down and who wouldn’t try to bring me down when I was up.

  Oh, and pigs were beautiful creatures too.

  Cute, actually.

  Once Aaron, Zack, Ethan, and Rhys realized that they couldn’t hurt me, even if it was all just my pretense, they were going to leave me alone and move on to someone else.

  My phone made a sound, and I realized I already had a few likes on the photo that I’d posted. Samantha had commented that I looked amazing.

  A smile spread across my lips.

  Then I went to find an adorable photo of a pig, and I posted that too.

  Suck it, assholes.

  Chapter 4

  PEOPLE WERE STILL GIGGLING and pointing at me when I got to school, but it looked like their interest had died down, and now it was only a few of them. The rest didn’t seem to care anymore, which was good.

  Hopefully, everyone was going to forget about that stupid website and everything that had happened, especially if they believed that I was unaffected.

  But just when I reached the end of the hallway, my heart leaped into my throat.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Aaron’s hazel eyes were narrowed at me, his short brown hair messy as if he’d just gotten out of bed. The smile that spread across his lips was scaring me.

  I ignored his question and tried to get past him, but Rhys blocked my path. He was smiling at me too, his blue eyes dancing with amusement.

  Someone caught the strap of my bag from behind me, yanking it off my shoulder.

  “Hey!” I said as Zack grabbed my bag and proceeded to open it. “Stop it! Give it back!”

  His dark brown eyes lifted to me from under a mop of dark brown hair and he only laughed.

  I started toward him, trying to get my bag back, but a pair of arms wrapped around me, tugging me back.

  “Oh fuck! She’s heavy. I need help,” Ethan said, but it sounded more like a joke because his strong muscles seemed to be enough to contain me and keep me away from Zack, who was now rummaging through my bag.

  “Let go of me!” I raised my voice, hoping someone would hear me and come to my aid.

  But no one dared to do anything, and I didn’t see any teachers around.

  Oh shit.

  Ethan shoved me toward Aaron, who caught the hem of my shirt. I tried to get away from him, but Ethan got hold of my arms.

  And then Aaron lifted my shirt.

  “I knew there was something different about you.” He traced his finger over the waistband of my stomach shaping underwear. “Are you trying to hide how fat you are? That’s so sad. But even wrapping yourself up like a mummy wouldn’t help. You know that, right?” He pinched my skin so hard that it hurt, and I let out a small yelp.

  “Let me go!” I yelled, and I finally managed to push them away.

  “What do we have here?” Zack said, and I turned toward him.

  My bag was lying on the floor at his feet, and he was going through my wallet. He grabbed all the cash I had and shoved it into the pocket of his jeans.

  “You don’t need it anyway,” he said to me. “Try diet.” He winked at me as he tossed my wallet to the floor.

  “Let’s go,” Ethan said, and then they strolled away as if nothing had happened.

  I quickly gathered my things as the other students in the hallway gawked at me. After shooting them all a glare, I rushed away from there, my heart still thudding loudly in my chest.

  “Melody, what happened?” Samantha asked as soon as she saw me. “Are you okay? You look kind of pale.”

  “They—” My voice cracked a little as I tugged my shirt down, even though there was no need for that, but I still felt strangely exposed. “It was Aaron, Zack, Ethan, and Rhys. Zack stole my money.”

  Sam’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh no. Are you sure you’re okay?”

  I gave her a small nod. “What if they don’t leave me alone? Like ever?”

  I knew that Zack had a whole list of people that he tormented and stole from every day.

  Money, food, snacks... He’d take whatever the hell he wanted from them.

  Of course, since his friends were always with him, it was hard to fight back.

  “They will. If they don’t, we’ll go to the principal.”

  “When has that ever helped?” I was sure all four had been reported to the principal and to the counselor multiple times, but no one ever did anything, or the boys got away with minor consequences.

  “We’ll think about something. Don’t bring anything they might want to steal with you tomorrow. Once they see there’s nothing for them, they’ll go for someone else. You can just give everything you need to me and I’ll keep it safe for you. They’re not going to mess with me. They don’t know I exist.”

  “But what if they pick you as their next target because of me?” I didn’t want that to happen.

  “Let’s hope they won’t. Figuring out I’m your friend would take some serious mental activity. I think that’s a bit too much for them.” The corners of her lips quirked up.

  I let out a small laugh. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

  “Also, we should go together. Everywhere. And maybe Stella and Tina can come with us too. Actually, I’m going to talk to them. We can form a small group. Those four idiots won’t dare to come anywhere near us when we can fight back. And I’m pretty sure Tina has a black belt in martial arts or something like that.”

  “But we don’t always go to the same classes. It’ll be difficult to arrange that.”

  “Then just during lunch or whenever we can. It’s better than nothing. Or you can tell your parents about it and they’ll raise hell at school.”

  Yeah, I didn’t really want that kind of attention.

  It would only make things worse.

  I was sure of it.

  The last thing I wanted was for Ethan, Zack, Aaron, and Rhys to make fun of me because I ran to my parents for everything.

  “I’ll make sure I’m not alone. They’ll forget about me eventually.” Or at least that was what I hoped.

  If I became one of their regular targets, I didn’t know what I was going to do or how I was going to handle that.

  Chapter 5

  MY AND SAM’S PLAN WAS working.

  Kinda.

  I’d managed to avoid Zack and his group for a few days, but he’d still jumped me once on my way to school and had stolen from me again.

  So this time, I planned to bring more food and money with me and hide it well. He couldn’t steal all of it, could he?

  And he probably wouldn’t expect I’d have more.

  “Hey, honey,” my mom said, just as I was stuffing my sandwiches in my bag. “Isn’t that a bit too much food? Maybe we should prepare something healthier for you. All those ca—”

  “Mom.” I lifted my hand before she could continue. “I’m not going to eat them all. I just have some friends who don’t have their own meal and—”

  “Oh. Okay.” My mom’s eyes were narrowed at me as if she didn’t quite believe me, but she didn’t say anything else.

  Although, I wondered what Zack would do if I brought a salad with me instead of a sandwich. I didn’t think he’d enjoy it either, and it probably wouldn’t taste all tha
t good after being carried around in my bag.

  And yeah, while I liked salad too, I just couldn’t see myself eating it at school and not getting sick or feeling shaky after it. Besides, my sandwiches were the most delicious thing ever.

  Maybe I should plant something in them to make sure Zack and his friends wouldn’t want to taste any of my sandwiches ever again, but I had no idea what he was even doing with them.

  Did he throw them away or did he actually eat them? His family was rich, so I supposed he stole money and food for fun.

  Just because he could.

  Or maybe he was using the money he stole for something else.

  Cigarettes. Weed. Alcohol.

  Who knew?

  “Is everything all right at school?” my mom asked.

  “Yeah. Why?” It was a lie, but my parents had enough worries and stress with their jobs, and I didn’t want to add to that.

  Besides, I could handle Aaron, Zack, Ethan, and Rhys on my own, or at least I hoped I could. I’d been hoping their interest in me would disappear by now, but maybe I just had to be patient for a couple more weeks.

  My mom shrugged. “You don’t smile as much and you look worried. Is something troubling you? You know you can tell me and your dad everything, right?”

  “Yeah, Mom, I know. But it’s just school. There’s a lot to study, and I have a lot of projects that I need to do, so I’m tired. That’s all.”

  “If you need help with anything, let me know.”

  “Sure.” I gave her a small smile. “Um, Mom. I actually have a question. I’m supposed to write a paper on bullying. Do you know anything that a person could do to stop their bullies?”

  “Bullying, huh.” My mom crossed her arms. “Fight them back, I guess. When I was in school, there were some kids who were making fun of me because of my nose. They said it was crooked. So I found their flaws and made fun of them too. They backed off after that.” A smile that had formed on her lips faded. “Wait, don’t write any of that. I don’t know if bullying someone back is a good idea. I was a kid then too, so it made sense to me. But bullies usually have problems and insecurities of their own, so that’s why they do what they do. It makes them feel better. Powerful. Take that away, and they have nothing. If anyone ever bullies you, tell me or your dad, and we’ll handle it with the school. You shouldn’t have to go down to their level.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Except going down to their level didn’t sound like a terrible idea at all.

  Why should I be nice to them when they weren’t nice to me?

  But did my bullies even have any flaws? Everyone believed they were perfect, and if there was anything that might be considered a flaw, I was sure they wouldn’t see it that way.

  Bad grades? Getting into trouble? Drinking? Smoking?

  Yeah, they would high-five one another rather than be upset over getting called out for that.

  Hell, I’d get bullied for having a boring life and being a good girl.

  “Is there anything else you need help with?” my mom asked. “I should be getting ready for work.”

  “No. I’m fine. You can go.” I flashed her another smile.

  “Good.” She headed for the door, and I just stood there, wondering what I could do about the four boys who seemed to have it all.

  I highly doubted there was anything they were insecure about, but maybe I was wrong about that. It wasn’t like I really knew them.

  But then again, some bullies were bullies just because they were mean, or because they were bored and had nothing better to do.

  I didn’t want to be their entertainment. But how was I going to free myself of them?

  And why the hell had they picked me? Just because I’d bumped into Aaron that day and spilled my food over his shirt?

  As if he’d even cared about the stains.

  I groaned.

  There had to be something that I could do.

  I just didn’t know what it was yet. Waiting for them to leave me alone somehow didn’t seem enough.

  Chapter 6

  ONCE THE GIRLS’ LOCKER room was empty, I quickly started to undress so I could get ready for my PE class.

  There was nothing I hated more than to change my clothes in front of other people, but luckily, my PE teacher didn’t mind if I showed up a bit later than everyone else.

  Still, I had to be quick.

  Something thudded, as if someone had opened the door, but who could it be?

  No one was supposed to be in here. Maybe one of the girls had forgotten something, or maybe someone had come in late.

  I pressed my shirt to my chest, waiting.

  Someone was definitely coming, but who? If I wanted to see who it was, I’d have to take a look around the lockers that were blocking the view.

  But then a startled yelp escaped my throat.

  Aaron, Zack, Ethan, and Rhys were grinning at me.

  No.

  This couldn’t be happening.

  Except it was.

  “Get the fuck out of here!” I yelled, wishing I had something to completely cover myself.

  But I was just standing there, my shirt clutched to my chest, in my underwear.

  Oh shit.

  “Look who we have here.” Aaron smacked his lips together as the boys surrounded me. “Why are you still here, Fat Ass? Taking a snack before class?”

  “You can’t be in here!” What the hell should I do? Scream? I couldn’t run past them, and I was in my underwear anyway. “What the fuck do you want?”

  “Not much.” Rhys grinned at me as he pulled out his phone and lifted it toward me.

  “No!” I raised my hand to block the camera. “If you do this, I’ll go to the principal.”

  They all burst into laughter.

  “And what are you going to say, huh?” Zack stepped toward me, reaching out for me, but I backed away, my legs colliding with the bench.

  There was nowhere for me to go.

  Trapped.

  I was trapped.

  Panic squeezed my throat and wouldn’t let go.

  “Go ahead,” Rhys said. “Tell whoever you want and see where that gets you.”

  “Don’t be shy,” Aaron said, getting hold of my shirt.

  “Let go!” I tugged at the shirt that he was trying to rip away from me.

  It looked like I was winning, but then Zack and Ethan started toward me.

  Hands grabbed me. Their grip on me was so rough that I was sure I was going to have bruises.

  The shirt was wrenched away from me. I screamed and thrashed, but it did me no good. They somehow shoved me against the locker, spreading my arms wide and pinning them.

  “Smile,” Rhys said, his phone camera pointed at me.

  “Stop!” I yelled as I tried to free myself. “Fuck you! You’re all pathetic and sad!”

  “Don’t worry, Fatty,” Rhys said with a wide smile on his face as he stepped forward, patting me on the cheek as if he were petting a dog. “You should be thanking us. Maybe someone will finally notice you.”

  I glared at him, tears stinging the corners of my eyes, but I managed to push them back. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of seeing me cry.

  When I kicked my leg out toward Rhys, he jumped back.

  “She’s like a wild boar,” he said.

  “A very big one,” Aaron said.

  Rhys and Aaron strolled away while Ethan and Zack still held me pinned against the lockers.

  I managed to rip my hand out of Zack’s grip. Ethan let go of me too, and then they were all just going for the door.

  I stared at the red marks on my skin, my arms throbbing.

  What could I do? I couldn’t exactly run after them.

  There were four of them and they were too strong. I’d never manage to grab Rhys’ phone and delete whatever photos or videos of me that he had taken.

  “Melody? Are you there? You need to hurry.” I heard the teacher’s voice.

  “Coming,” I managed to choke out.

  I should
tell someone about this.

  I should.

  But were they going to do anything about it? Or would my four tormentors claim that they had nothing to do with it and that I was lying?

  I could already picture everyone thinking that I was only doing it for attention, or because boys like them were never going to be interested in a girl like me, so I’d made up the whole thing to punish them for rejecting me.

  Once I finished getting dressed, I hurried out.

  During the whole class, I did everything that I was supposed to, but I was like a zombie. My mind couldn’t stop replaying what had happened.

  I should have done more. I should’ve...

  What?

  Become a ninja and punch them all in their throats?

  I wished.

  But when they were around me, it was like my brain wasn’t working properly.

  And no wonder. Who knew what they were capable of?

  When the class was over, the first thing I did was searched for my phone. Once I had it, I immediately went to the Ember High Journal.

  I had no idea what I’d been expecting, but when I saw the images of myself, I wanted to cry and scream.

  And of course, my incredibly fucking brave bullies had hidden their faces or anything that might be used to identify them.

  It was just me there, looking as if I was fighting invisible forces or doing some silly dance.

  Oh fuck.

  And people were already commenting on my photos.

  Now what? Not even the locker behind me was visible so the school wouldn’t get dragged into it.

  Even if I reported the video to the principal, I doubted there’d a huge investigation. The school would never want to get involved unless they really had to.

  If only I wasn’t so fucking huge, then maybe...

  No. I couldn’t think like that.

  I groaned. School was going to become even more hellish for me than it already was, wasn’t it?

  Were my bullies ever going to stop or were they only going to get worse?

  Chapter 7

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