Thrust Into His Arms

Chapter 57: Chapter 57

"Well... I wouldn’t say that."

"Is that a rejection? Why?" He blurts. "I really do like you. I am not a dickhead like my annoying sister said."

"Hey, I never said you were a dickhead! I only ever said you were a dick." Sharpay defensively argues.

"Same difference!" He yells to her.

"It isn’t because of that Kennedy. You are a nice guy. If I wanted to date you, I would despite what your sister says. I like to experience for myself for most things. The reason I’m rejecting you is because I don’t like to date younger guys." I answer.

"How old are you?"

"Yes, exactly. How old are you?" They all shift their attention to me to hear my answer. "It wouldn’t be fun if I just told you guys, so guess." They started taking wild guesses. Placing money bets on whoever gets it right. One said twenty. Sharpay said twenty-two. Kennedy says thirty. He is indeed a dickhead. His sister told him off before I could. None of them gets it. "All of you guessed wrong. I am twenty-six."

Sharpay gasps. "Twenty-six? I never could have guessed right. You look so young!" They are all wasted. So I cannot take that as a true compliment. "You are not that older than me. We are just five years apart." Kennedy says.

"Wait. So you’re in college?"

"Not yet. Still in senior year." He responds in a melancholic tone.

"Why is that?"

Sharpay takes the liberty of explaining to me why. "He got into a lot of fights and trouble at school. Instead of him to be outrightly expelled, he was made to repeat grades twice. Our Dad agreed to it."

"Dad and principal Jodie are both assholes. I have never hated them so much for that untill this moment." Kennedy fumes.

"I do agree with you that they are. But we can’t rule out that what you did was also wrong and deserving of the punishment."

This made me so curious to know what he did. I wish I hadn’t. "There was this schoolmate of ours he used to bully because she rejected him."

He warns his sisters. "Stop it Sharpay. You all know as well as I that what I did do not count as bullying. All I ever wanted was for her to see me—at least. But she rejected me every single time and even had the cold nerve to say it to my face that she would never like me!"

"You can only measure it by your standards. Which to you, isn’t hurtful. But she wouldn’t have attempted suicide if it didn’t hurt her."

"She attempted suicide?" My brain quickly picked that out. "Yes. She jumped off a cliff on our school trip two days after her request to transfer schools was declined. She was in a coma for two months. Could not remember anything for a while when she woke up."

"Oh my god." I softly exclaim. Hearing that made me revisit my past self. Seventeen years old me on a rooftop. Gazing down at the buildings and trees and people that were seemingly so small from that height. I had picked the highest point at my school to jump off from because I did not want any trial and error. I even wrote a suicide note of over a thousand words consistently naming one person as the reason for what I would then do. I felt like I should at least leave behind an explanation for everyone who thought what I was facing wasn’t so bad. Everything was ready.

All that was left was for me to jump off—which I just could not gather courage enough for before I was held.

I wanted my life to successfully end right there. Death seemed like the only way out of what I was facing then. I was extremely angry at the people who came to prevent me from jumping off. If I succeeded in jumping off, I wouldn’t be alive. I wouldn’t be here right now—I wouldn’t have met Annie. I wouldn’t have been having fun in this place.

"You cannot say it wasn’t bad when it resulted in her wanting to take her life." I scold. "If it is too fun to torture someone, then torture yourself or try and imagine if it was you or someone you cared about being bullied like that."

"Yeah I have done that. It wasn’t that terrible. She just had a weak mentality." He retorts. "Are you her sister or something? Why are you taking her side?" That blew the lid off my irritability. I could totally relate. Back then, the reason for my suicide attempt did not even care to apologize. He said I was overreacting and make it sound like i was deeply at fault.

"I am taking her side because I have been there. It is easy for assholes like you to hurt others all because of your over-inflated ego. But look here, everything that goes around comes around. freewebnovel.cσ๓

So play it sidelined and cool like this when your future kids face the same thing!" I said angrily and walked away from the bar. Sharpay and the other girls follow after me. "That was so cool. No one in our family can talk sense into him like that."

"Yeah. Looking at his expression, you would know it totally landed."

"Yeah exactly! Girl you put the bull’s in bull’s-eye." Another girl named Praveena adds tipsily. Why did they even follow me?

It soon hit me that this is a club. And that I had walked away from the bar on traumatic impulse without having somewhere in mind. The dance floor was there. Full on party rock theme. "Shit! We haven’t hit the dance floor. Come let’s go!"

"Wait for me, or go ahead. I would be right back." I tell them. I return to the bar to tell Sam about wanting to hit the dance floor. U notice Kennedy and his guy friends were no longer there. Sam did not quite agree at first, saying there are a lot of sleazeball men who would come at me. "I’m a grown woman. I can handle myself." I protest. "Maybe. But I am not taking any chances. Not with you again." He signals over a huge bouncer. "Stick close to her. Do not let her leave your sight. Get someone to replace you if you’re pressed. Don’t leave her alone." He sternly instructs. "Yes sir." Replied the bouncer sharply.

I watched stunned. This did not sit well with me. "Switching babysitters? I just told you I can handle myself. Stop acting like you are my Dad."

"Then stay right here where I can keep an eye on you. No need to go dance. If you must, Tony would accompany you. It’s the best safety precaution. Take it or leave it."

"Fine." I gruff and make my way back to the girls. Just then Nadia Ali’s Rapture came on. It is impossible for me to not move my body when I hear this song. I danced with all my energy like never before. I couldn’t stop because the DJ knowing his job kept putting on jams upon jams. I later saw myself on the stage-like podium with people cheering below. I had no clear idea how I got there. Oh, but it is fine. Who cares? I am feeling like a celebrity! Nothing else matters except me right now.

But suddenly, someone comes and lifts me off the ground, throwing me over his shoulder. "Stop! Who are you! Let me go!"

"Stay still. Or I will spank you." Came his gruff response in an oddly familiar voice.