Scarred and Loved

Rebel Girl

Scarlett

     Monday was here and it was time for me to go back to school. I was dreading getting out of bed and facing the fact that I won’t be able to hide anymore. 

     After debating whether to get up or not, I opted for the first choice, not like I had any. Looking at myself in the body length golden mirror I noticed that the innocent girl, who everyone loved and who’s happiness would brighten a room, had a different look in her eyes.

    I kept staring at myself and my hideous face while a big sob escaped my mouth. Tears wouldn’t stop falling until I just couldn’t cry anymore. 

    There was anger and resentment in my eyes. I opened my drawers and looked for an outfit that would match my current mood.

      There was a pair of ripped black jeans and a white tank top, perfect for a hot day like this. I found a leather jacket hidden all the way in the back of the closet and paired it with black combat boots.

     My red hair was down and some eyeliner and dark lip gloss were adorning my face, making me look perfect. I took my backpack and went to the garage where my new motorcycle was waiting for me. 

      The cover was on so I pulled it off and slowly passed my hand on it, admiring the strength and beauty of it. 

      I was pretty excited and couldn’t wait to ride it any longer. On my way to school, I noticed a blue mustang driving behind me. I smirked, knowing it was Samuel and sped up to get away from him.

      It didn’t take long before I arrived at school and just a few seconds later, Samuel was parking his car next to my motorcycle.

     “You have skills out there. You must be new here,” he said, approaching me. My helmet was still on, and with an outfit like this, it was hard for him to recognize me. Sweet, innocent Scarlett was not so sweet anymore. 

      I took the helmet off, but didn’t turn around. 

     “Hi, I’m Samuel,” he said, extending his hand for me to shake. 

     “Do you always approach girls like that? What would your girlfriend say?” I asked, curiously. At the sound of my voice, his eyes opened wide in shock. He realized it was me and to be honest, he should have known, but my motorcycle looked different from the old one he saw at my house. 

      I could hear a nervous laugh coming from him and I turned to face him. My scar was very visible and he just looked at it in shock. 

     “What? Does it look that bad? Oh my! What am I gonna do?” I fake gasped, something he didn’t like because I could notice a frown on his face. 

      As I was heading inside, he gently grabbed me by the wrist. I felt sparks on the spot he was touching me, but quickly came to my senses and snatched my arm away and I tried to leave but he followed me. 

     “Scarlett, wait please,” he shouted, but I ignored him and kept walking. 

****

     Everyone was seated in the classroom, waiting for the teacher to arrive. When I walked in, they all stared at me.

     I ignored them and kept walking to my seat, while listening to the whispers. 

    “Is that Scarlett?” Vicky, one of the students said. 

    “That’s an ugly scar, and big. I wonder if she will be able to cope with it,” Julie, another student mentioned.

      “She looks badass in that outfit, not like a nerd anymore,” I could hear all of them talking about me, but I didn’t care. All I did was sit there, and wait for the class to start. 

      Samuel and his friends walked into the class, of course Heather was holding him by the arms, and as soon as she saw me, she froze.

     The expression quickly went away as she smirked and walked to her seat. 

       I was glad I didn’t have the next couple of classes with them, it would have been t*****e. It was lunch time and I walked to the cafeteria to meet Vivian. Everyone kept staring at me and whispering to each other.

      “Why don’t you all take a picture? It’ll last longer,” I snapped. Everyone just turned around and went on to their business. I sat down with Vivian and we ate lunch together while she looked at me with curious eyes.  

      “I missed you a lot. It has been boring without you here and look at you, all badass with that outfit and makeup,” she complimented me.

     I smiled at her and it was  my first genuine smile in a while.

******

Samuel

      I was looking at Scarlett from the other side of the cafeteria. She looked beautiful.

     “Boys, I’ll be back. I have to do something.”

     They looked at me as I was walking over to where she was. When I sat next to her, Vivian rolled her eyes and got up to leave. As soon as Scarlett was about to get up, I gently grabbed her arm and pulled her down again. 

      “Scarlett please, you can’t keep ignoring me. I’m sorry for everything, I truly am. There was a way to stop Heather, and I didn’t. I should have realized she would act that way, I-” I tried to explain but she cut me off. 

       “Don’t even bother, Hudson. What’s done is done, and I would appreciate it if you would stop bothering me,” she said, getting up and walking away. 

      Jackson and Devon approached me.

     “Damn dude. Did she just plain reject your apology? What are you going to do now?” Jackson asked, earning a hard stare from me.

      “I’ll keep going until she forgives me,” I replied. 

      They were against it since they didn’t want me to be associated with nerds. Not that I saw anything wrong with it, but it was all about reputation with them. 

      “Forget about her, man. She’s not worth it. Now she might look all hot and sexy, but she’s still the same nerd she’s always been,”Jackson said. 

     I stood up and grabbed him by the shirt.

     “Don’t you dare talk about her like that. She is still my friend and I will always defend her,” I said, not giving a crap anymore about what they had to say. It was better to lose them as friends, than to lose Scarlett. 

     We headed to the gym lockers to get ready for football practice and not a single word was mentioned the whole way there. Jackson and Devon knew better than to say anything when I was upset. 

      Football practice was in motion and the guys were running laps while I was practicing my throws. I couldn’t stop looking at Scarlett, who was at the benches looking like a rebellious Goddess.

    ‘Why am I thinking about her like that? She was supposed to be my best friend, and I can’t even get her to be friends again after I messed up’ I thought. 

     I heard the coach blow the whistle, signaling the end of practice. We all went to the locker room to shower and leave home for the day. 

****

    I arrived at home and I headed to the dining room to do my homework. Right in the middle of it, I got distracted with Scarlett on my mind. My parents arrived home and came to say hi to me before they went to bed. They must be pretty exhausted.

     “Have a good night. I love you!” I yelled. 

      “We love you too, sweetheart!” Mom yelled back before I heard their door close. 

      After I was done, I went out to the backyard to get some fresh air. Scarlett was outside looking at the sky. I could tell she was lost in thoughts. 

      “Beautiful night, isn’t it?” I said, trying to break the ice and start a conversation. She kept looking at the sky and ignored me by going back inside and turning the porch lights off. 

      I just stared at the house for a minute. There was no way I would give up, that’s for sure. I would have my best friend back no matter what it took.