"I choose you over anybody else. When you're not around, it's just bad for my health."

Chapter Theme Song: 'I Choose You' by Kiana Lede.

🌼💋🌸❤💞**💕

Chelsy

"Hey, you okay?" I asked Vicky as we walked to my locker.

She nodded. "Yeah, I guess. I just don't know how to face Max, like ever again."

I sighed. "It's okay; at least he knows now."

"I didn't want him to find out like that," she responded, a sad look engulfing her face. "That was so embarrassing."

"It's not, it's okay. I wanted to talk to him about it last night, but when I got home, he wasn't there."

"It's okay, I don't even want to talk about it." She gave me a small wave of dismissal, signaling that the conversation was adjourned, and I gave her a small smile for encouragement as I came to a stop in front of my locker, where the words: SCHOOL SLUT were sprayed in bold red letters.

I sighed, rolling my eyes.

"Who on earth would do that?" Vicky mumbled.

I heard giggles behind me, and when I turned around, Shelly was standing there and Amanda beside her. Somehow, they happened to have become good friends even though it was Shelly's second day here.

You know how they say birds of a feather flock together? Well yeah, Shelly had found her match.

"School slut? Wow, not such a good nickname, is it?" Shelly chuckled as she walked away with Amanda. I shook my head and returned my gaze to my locker, pulling it open.

"Ignore them." Vicky sighed.

"I just need three weeks to blow off," I mumbled.

"Chesly."

A familiar voice spoke, prompting me to turn my gaze to see Brad.

He had a band-aid on his cheek, and the corner of his lips was slightly bleeding.

I guess he still hadn't recovered.

Nathan did give him a fine-ass beating.

"What do you want, Brad?" I asked, my arms folded. "You just made me look like a slut to the whole school, so what more do you want from me?"

He sighed and tucked his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. "Look. I told everyone it was fake. I took the picture down off every site, and I released a video of myself saying it was fake this morning, okay?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Why did you? Were you not enjoying your little revenge on me?"

He sighed. "Sharles and your brother threatened me, and I decided I didn't want to have anything to do with them anymore."

I folded my arms and raised a brow. "Really? As I thought, you're a scaredy-cat."

He rolled his eyes. "Look at my fucking face, and my car is crashed. I don't want to have anything to do with those gangsters anymore."

I pulled my English textbook out and slammed my locker shut. "Well, karma is a bitch, isn't it, Vicky?"

"It certainly is," she added as we turned away from him and walked down the hall.

I smiled to myself. It felt good having a protective brother and boyfriend. I wouldn't trade them for the world.

Whatever they did to make Brad clear my image must have been pretty awful; the fear in his eyes proved it.