I was standing right outside room 204 when Chloe decided to humiliate me in front of half the grade.
The hallway of Westbridge High was completely packed with students rushing to grab their books before third period.
The air always smelled like floor wax, cheap body spray, and stale cafeteria pizza during the morning rush.
I had my clear plastic pencil case tucked tightly under my arm like a defensive shield.
For weeks leading up to that Tuesday, the social dynamic between Chloe and me had been steadily deteriorating.
It started with small things like her rolling her eyes whenever I spoke during our group project.
Then it escalated to her whispering to her friends whenever I walked past their lunch table.
I tried to convince myself that she was just having a stressful semester with track season and AP chemistry.
I thought if I kept my head down and stayed quiet, the subtle hostility would eventually burn out.
I was completely wrong about how cruel teenagers could be when they were bored.
Chloe walked up behind me with that fake, overly sweet smile she always wore when she was about to do something cruel.
She didn't say a word before she reached out and violently snatched the case right out of my grip.
The plastic snap echoed loudly against the cinderblock walls.
All the metallic contents scattered across the freshly waxed linoleum floor with a sharp, echoing clatter.
Pencils rolled in every direction toward the passing sneakers of kids who instantly stopped walking.
I dropped to my knees immediately to grab my things before anyone else could step on them.
My face burned hot enough to melt glass as a dozen pairs of eyes locked onto me.
Chloe slowly leaned down until her face was inches away from my ear.
She whispered something so vile it made my stomach instantly turn inside out.
She told me nobody would ever want to borrow anything from a loser like me anyway.
Laughter rippled through the small crowd that had formed in a tight circle around us.
Sarah, who I had sat next to in English class for two years, just turned her head away and pretended to check her phone.
Mr. Harrison stepped out of classroom 206 with a stack of graded papers in his hand.
He looked directly down at me kneeling on the floor surrounded by my scattered belongings.
He didn't say a single word to Chloe about what she had just done.
He just sighed loudly and told everyone to clear the hallway and get to class.
I stayed frozen on the cold floor with my hands hovering over a broken pink eraser.
The bell rang with a piercing sound that felt like it was drilling straight through my skull.
People started stepping over my scattered pens without even bothering to look down.
A heavy boot kicked my favorite mechanical pencil right under the radiator grate.
My chest felt so tight I couldn't pull a single breath of air into my lungs.
Tears prickled at the corners of my eyes but I forced myself not to blink.
Chloe gave me one final smug look over her shoulder before she strutted down the hall with her friends.
