I’m Spunk

Val’s P.O.V

I turned the corner, disappearing around the corner towards the lockers. Here, the backtalk took a more insidious form. The silence in their little bubble was louder than an insult. We were in a computer lab, a combined class across my grade. And so we had no options but to join the class. Even Brielle’s intentions to see Xavier were ruined. We just settled in for the teacher to start teaching.

The girls who had sat around us were students who’d taken the course with us for months. One of them met my eyes for a split second before looking down, a faint quirky blush tucked her lips. It seemed evil.

Another one of them turned her back, focusing intensely on her locker combination. From their expressions and weird gestures, the message was vivid: You’re toxic, you’re trouble. We saw you coming from the principal’s office.

I muttered under my breath, “Judgmental Jerks.”