She stared at the blonde-haired bully, wondering what she’d done to warrant being treated like this. The moonlight that trickled in through the doorway caught on a rhinestone-covered barrette the girl had in her hair, and Reaina stared as it sparkled. It was so dainty and pretty, and didn’t seem to fit the angry red-faced girl who was wearing it.
“Truth or DARE?” the bully yelled again.
Reaina hugged her knees to her chest and buried her head in her lap. The floor of the abandoned house was filthy; so filthy she could feel the dust beneath her. The rocks and debris poked her skin through her clothes. She didn’t care, and she supposed she deserved it as she sat there cradling herself like a coward. Not once in all these years had she ever had the nerve to face her tormenters. She heard one of the girls giggle at her humiliation, and cradled herself tighter.
Her hot breath filled the small space enclosed by her arms and legs, and she felt her face start to sweat from the heat. The heat was suffocating but she didn’t have the courage to see what was happening. Maybe if she just stayed this way everyone would leave her alone, she thought. The crunch of a leaf next to her forced her head up, and she recoiled seeing the blonde bully standing over her.
“Where did she go?” one of the girls asked.
“I dunno, it’s fuckin weird. She was right here,” the blonde said.
Reaina was struck dumb. Could they not see her? Were they playing some sort of game?
“LACEY!” The call of a boy outside seemed to get all of their attention.
“Oh my God, is that Greyson?” one of the girls asked, peering through the broken window at a group of boys gathered under a dim street lamp.
“LACEY!” he yelled again, his voice filled with the dumb confidence of a decent-looking teenage boy.
Reaina smirked as all the girls gushed. Finally, the bully rolled her eyes, trying to play off that she wasn’t impressed. “I guess I’ll go see what he wants,” she said, flipping her hair and trying to hold back a smile.
“Of course he likes the meanest one,” Reaina thought.
“But what about the weird girl?” One of them asked as they all started to leave.
