I make my way to English class and, I hate to admit this, I'm pretty nervous. I shake away my nerves and head inside the room and take my seat. Unlike my first period class, Stacy sits on the other side of the classroom. Finally, the bell rings and the class begins. The teacher gets straight to the point and asks for volunteers to read the monologue they wrote. One person raises their hand and reads their monologue. The teacher asks who's next and no one raises their hand. I decide to just rip the bandage off and I raise my hand.

I stand up and read from my paper, "You love the unloved because you believe you're one of them. You aren't, by the way. You are so very different from the unloved. Yes, you have people who hate you but that also means there's people who adore you. Everyone knows your name and knows your face, while nobody knows theirs. That's why you love them, though. They aren't trying to be cool and popular. They aren't trying to impress anyone, and no one loves them. You love the unloved because they are not like you. You love them because they don't know what it feels like to be loved. They're sweet and don't laugh when you fall. They listen to your silly little boy problems because they know what it feels like to love someone who doesn't love them back. You envy the unloved because they are nobodies. Nothing is ever expected from them. Nobody watches their every move. No one even knows they exist and you think that's wonderful. You love the unloved because you are selfish. You love them because you'll be the only one who loves them and they'll worship you even when you treat them poorly. You use up every good aspect of them until they become unlovable. Then you leave. You make the unloved loved then you make them unlovable. People like you are the reason they're unloveable. You made me unloveable. So, I returned the favor."

I feel Stacy's eyes glare at me. I sit back down and take deep breaths to calm my racing heart. Everyone but Stacy claps and the teacher compliments my monologue I wrote in the car ride to school today. Suddenly, I feel my pocket buzz and I sneakingly take out my phone.

It's a text from Stacy that reads, "go to the bathroom. Now."

I look up at Stacy and she's still staring at me. I raise my hand and anxiously walk to the bathroom. I stand there awkwardly for a minute or two until Stacy barges in. She comes straight to me and shoves me against the tile wall. I grunt in pain as my back smacks against the hard surface behind me. She pins me with one arm and with the other she takes out her phone.

"I ruined you, huh?" Stacy jeers.

I try to shove her off of me and beg her to stop but her adrenaline overpowers me.

"Now I'm going to ruin you for good," she growls.

Stacy pulls up nude pictures of me that she took while we were together on her phone. She then mass texts them to a ton of people in school through a random instagram account.

I hit, kick, and scream but Stacy keeps me pinned showing me the responses and the spread of my pictures until someone walks in. I turn my head to see who it is and it's some freshman and her friend. I scream for help and one yanks Stacy off of me as the other one goes to find a teacher. I can barely see through my tears and everything is a blur until Peyton finds me being escorted through the hallway by a teacher.

"Avery?' Peyton questions worryingly.

Peyton sits with me as I wait outside the principal's office. I feel nothing. I can't manage to utter a sound. I don't feel like I'm in my own body. My mind feels like static as I sit there staring forward at nothing. The door opens and Peyton takes my hand and leads me into the room. I don't hear anything. I can tell the principal's asking me questions but my mouth won't open to speak. Instead, Peyton starts talking to her. It's hard to explain, but it was like I was watching this all happen from an outsider's perspective. I watch their expressions and saddened glances towards me.

I don't know how long this lasted but when the meeting with the principal ended, Peyton took me out to her car and drove me home. I just stand there in the kitchen with Peyton.

"Can I hug you?" Peyton asks quietly.

That's the only thing I've heard in hours and I nod. Peyton walks up to me and wraps her arms around me. I continue to just stand there. We stay there for a while and I start to cry. I let out helpless sobs that are muffled when I hide my face on Peyton's shoulder. I then wrap my arms around the girl and she holds me tightly against her. I feel claustrophobic in my own skin. I want to run away from myself, but I can't so I continue bawling my eyes out.

"Where do you want to sit?" Peyton asks quietly after what feels like decades.

I hesitate as I name the place I feel the safest in, "the closet."

She doesn't laugh at my request and that makes me feel better. Peyton leads me to my bedroom and I sit in the closet. She asks me if I want anything to eat and I shake my head. I have no appetite whatsoever. Peyton walks off to the kitchen anyways and comes back with a box of cheez-its and a cup of water with a straw. She sets the box with a bowl and the water down on a large plate. My crying subsides and Peyton sits across from me against my bed.

All of a sudden, my phone starts going off. It's Stacy. My face gets pale and I can't breathe. Peyton snatches my phone from me. She storms off to the hallway and shuts my door.

"What the fuck do you want, Stacy?" Peyton yells.

"Oh! Hello, Peyton," Stacy says, slightly surprised, "I just wanted to tell Avery that she better keep her mouth shut."

"No, you're not scaring them out of speaking out against you," Peyton booms.

"Hah, like you're going to stop me. Well, if she does, then I'm going to be expelled and if that happens, I'll do worse than what's already been done," Stacy threatens.

"You mean you're not already expelled?" Peyton asks, confused.

"Nope! Since little Avery doesn't have any evidence that I shared those pictures, I'm still roaming free," Stacy laughs.

Peyton hangs up and walks back into my room. She crouches down to be at eye level with me.

"Would you be okay with me going to school for a couple hours tomorrow?" Peyton questions me.

I nod and slide backwards so I'm leaning against the wall. Peyton crawls into the closet and sits beside me. She wraps an arm around my shoulder and kisses my head. My breathing quickens as I begin to freak out again.

"Everyone's seen my nudes," I state.

"I know this is me doing the bare minimum, but if it helps at all, I haven't seen the pics," Peyton tries to comfort me.

I laugh exhaustively and Peyton pulls me into a hug. I turn my head up and kiss her. At least I have Peyton.

"Thank you," I breathe.

Peyton looks softly at me and I feel a teensy bit better.