She grimaces. “Worse, actually.”
My eyes sting. Worse? How mean are people? “Then no, I don’t want to see them.”
I close my locker and hitch my backpack higher on my shoulder.Everyonepukes; this shouldn’t be that big of a deal. But this looks like it’s the biggest scandal of the year, and the rumors aren’t helping.
I can’t take the pointing and staring and laughing anymore. I need to get out of here. I take a step toward the door but freeze mid-step and turn back to Emi. “Why is everyone saying I’m paying for dates? That wasn’t even in the video? And what about Arthur?”
Emi grabs my arm and moves me over to the side of the hall, back beside my locker. “I don’t know. Everyone’s saying that you’ve been paying people to date you and that you’re desperate for a prom date. The memes and video comments don’t help either. I interrogated Wyatt myself, and he assured me he never said anything about anything to anyone, and I believe him. Plus, he couldn’t have taken the video. But Arthur’s been going around trying to use this to get himself in the spotlight, and since there’s already talk about you, people will believe anything to add to the drama.”
Arthur’s spreading rumors about me? Why would he do that? I get that he’s upset that we didn’t work out, but to add fuel to a fire that’s already an inferno? That’s low.
As if speaking his name summoned him, Arthur walks by with a group of kids, and I catch the end of what he’s saying. “. . . so obviously, when I found out what a loser she was, I broke up with her. I’m just grateful I didn’t get puked on. Can’t say the same for the other guys her friends paid to date her.”
“That little . . .” Emi starts and attempts to round on Arthur, but I pull her back before he or anyone he’s with notices. They continue walking by, laughing and having a grand old time making fun of me. I wonder if they would even pretend to not be talking about me if they knew I was here. So far, no one’s cared if I heard them talking about me or not. Most even go out of their way to let me know they are.
That’s not what happened with Arthur, and he knows it. I should say something and set everything straight. My friends never paid anyone to date me! The only person Kalani tried to bribe was Jay, and he never got the concert tickets . . . unless he told people . . .
It’s getting harder for me to breathe. The walls of the hallway are closing in on me. The laughing is just getting louder and louder in my head.
Without saying anything to Emi, I release her arm and rush through the hall to the exit. I bump into people and get jostled a bit as I run, but I don’t care. I just want to get out of here.
“Carina!” Emi calls, but I keep running. I pass Kalani, who’s walking through the halls now, but I don’t stop for her either. I run all the way out the front entrance of the school and to my car.
When I stop to catch my breath, I hear two sets of shoes hitting the pavement behind me.
“Carina!” Emi calls again, stopping when she’s in front of me. “Goddamn, I need to work on my cardio. Just . . . don’t move for a second.” She rests her hands on her knees and catches her breath as Kalani joins us.
“Where are you going?” Kalani asks.
“I don’t know. The library. Home. Somewhere that’s not here.”
“What? Why?” Kalani asks.
I glance at Emi. Did she not tell Kalani about what’s happening? “Don’t you know what’s going on? The rumors? The memes? The video?”
Kalani’s eyebrows draw together. “This is about the Pukey McBarfface thing?”
“That’s what they’re calling me?” I exclaim, sending an accusing look at Emi for not telling me that part, and she grimaces.
“What’s the big deal?” Kalani asks. “You’re overreacting. It’s not that bad.”
My backpack slides off my arm, and I catch it, holding it by the strap in my hand. “Not that bad? I’m the laughingstock of the entire school!”
Kalani’s jaw pops. “You’re being dramatic.”
“Am I? Okay, would you like to be known as Pukey McBarfface, the girl who’s so pathetic her friends need to pay people to date her? Is that what you want people from high school to remember you as? Would you like to know everyone you thought were your friends are having a good laugh at your expense while watching a video taken when you were at your lowest?”
Kalani’s lips press together in annoyance. “Everything else in your life is perfect. This doesn’t matter.”
“How can you say that? This isn’t okay. I didn’t want to go on those dates in the first place, and this is literally the worst-case scenario of what could’ve happened.”
Emi steps forward. “What? Carina . . . I thought you wanted to go on the dates. You know . . . get out of your comfort zone, put yourself out there, and all that? You just needed a push . . .”
I clench my hand on my backpack strap. “No. I only agreed because Kalani had such a huge problem with me fifth wheeling you guys and not having a prom date, throwing off the numbers and making her look bad as prom queen or whatever. But it doesn’t help that youwantedme to fail.” I turn to Kalani, the betrayal clear on my face. “Kalani, I know you’ve purposely been picking guys you know it wouldn’t work out with or coaching them on how to make the date horrible! How could you? You forced me on dates then purposely made them suck.”
Kalani says nothing. She stares at me as I stare at her.
“Wait, what?” Emi asks, stepping between us. “What does she mean, Kalani?”