10 Breaking the First Bully

Chapter 10

The world around Sarah was crumbling, but no one else could see it. No one else could hear the whispers, the slow, dragging breaths behind her, or feel the invisible eyes watching her every move. No one else saw Amelia standing in the shadows, never moving, never speaking—just staring. Always staring.

Sarah hadn't slept in days. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Amelia's bruised face, her empty gaze, the ghostly smirk that never left her lips. It wasn't possible. It wasn't real. Amelia was supposed to be the weak one, the pathetic girl who cowered in the corner while they laughed. But now, Sarah couldn't laugh. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't think without hearing Amelia's voice in her head.

"You watched," the voice whispered. "You laughed."

Sarah spun around, her heart hammering against her ribs. The school hallway was empty. Just her and the fluorescent lights flickering above. But she swore she heard it. Swore she felt the breath of something cold against the back of her neck.

She rushed to her locker, fingers fumbling with the lock. Her hands were shaking so badly she couldn't turn the dial. Then she saw it—the writing on the metal.

I see you.

Sarah stumbled backward, her breath caught in her throat. Her wide, bloodshot eyes darted around, searching for someone, anyone. But the hallway remained empty. She swallowed hard, forcing down the bile rising in her throat. No, no, no. This was a joke. It had to be a joke. Someone was messing with her. Victoria. Or maybe Brielle.

She grabbed the sleeve of a passing student. "Did you see who wrote this?" she demanded, pointing at the words. Her voice cracked, raw and desperate.

The boy looked at her, confused. "See what?"

Sarah's blood ran cold. She turned back to the locker. The words were gone.

Her paranoia worsened. At night, her dorm room felt suffocating. She lay in bed, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling, too afraid to move, to blink, to breathe too loudly. The room felt different. As if someone else was there with her. Watching.

Then, the tapping began.

Soft at first. A gentle knock against the window.

She squeezed her eyes shut. It's the wind. Just the wind.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Her heart pounded so loudly she thought it would burst from her chest. She turned her head slowly, her throat dry, her fingers digging into the sheets. The curtains were drawn, but the shadow behind them—tall, unmoving—made her stomach churn.

With a trembling hand, she reached for her phone and turned on the flashlight. The light hit the window.

Nothing was there.

A sob bubbled up in her throat. She was losing her mind. She was seeing things that weren't real. But it felt real. It felt so real.

A notification lit up her screen. Her heart stopped.

Unknown Number: Check your closet.

She threw the phone across the room, her breathing erratic. No. No. No. She curled into herself, her nails digging into her scalp. It wasn't real. It wasn't real. It wasn't—

Creeeaaak.

The closet door groaned open.

She screamed.

Sarah stopped going to classes. She stopped eating. She stopped talking to her friends. She couldn't risk it. They would laugh, call her crazy. Maybe she was crazy. But she knew what she saw.

The other girls started noticing. Victoria narrowed her eyes whenever Sarah flinched at nothing. Brielle whispered about how she had become a ghost herself, pale and hollow-eyed.

And Amelia watched.

Sarah saw her in the cafeteria, standing in the farthest corner, staring. Saw her in the bathroom mirror, standing behind her, unmoving. Saw her reflection in the glass windows, smiling when no one else was. But when Sarah turned around, Amelia was never there.

One evening, after days of torment, Sarah snapped. She ran. Out of her dorm, out of the school, into the dark, freezing night. The cold air bit into her skin, but she didn't care. She had to get away. Had to escape before she drowned in her own fear.

She reached the main gate, shaking the bars desperately. Locked. Of course, it was locked. But she couldn't go back inside. She wouldn't.

A soft giggle echoed behind her.

Sarah's body stiffened. Slowly, she turned her head, dread curdling in her stomach.

Amelia stood there. Inches away.

Her eyes—black voids, endless and hungry—pierced into Sarah's soul.

"Leaving so soon?" Amelia whispered.

Sarah choked on a scream and stumbled back. Her foot caught on the pavement, and she fell, her hands scraping against the rough ground. Pain shot up her arms, but she barely felt it over the terror flooding her veins.

Amelia crouched down, tilting her head. "Are you scared?" she asked softly.

Sarah sobbed. "Please," she whimpered. "I—I didn't—"

"You didn't stop them," Amelia said. Her voice was calm, but her eyes burned with something cruel. "You laughed."

Sarah's vision blurred with tears. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think.

Amelia leaned closer, her lips brushing against Sarah's ear. "Run."

Sarah bolted, her legs moving before her mind could catch up. She didn't know where she was going. She just ran. Away from Amelia. Away from the school. Away from the nightmare consuming her.

Branches tore at her clothes as she crashed through the forest behind the campus. The trees whispered her name. The wind howled her sins. She ran until her legs gave out, until her lungs burned, until she collapsed into the dirt.

And then, silence.

Sarah curled into herself, rocking back and forth, her body wracked with sobs. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry."

A hand touched her shoulder.

She screamed, but no sound came out.

Darkness swallowed her whole.

The next morning, the school was buzzing with news.

Sarah was gone.

Her dorm was empty, her belongings untouched. No one knew where she went. No one saw her leave. It was as if she had vanished into thin air.

Victoria frowned. "She's probably faking it for attention."

Brielle bit her lip. "She was acting…weird. What if something really happened?"

Victoria scoffed but didn't say anything. The unease settled in her stomach like a stone.

And then she saw her locker.

Scratched into the metal, deep and jagged, were three words:

You're next.