We found Mel near her locker. She talked to a group of freshmen, carrying a stack of pamphlets with her, which was nothing unusual for her these days.
“Trying to snatch more followers?” I asked her with humor in my voice when she approached us, but her face remained serious. She looked like she was ready to kick some butt.
“I’m seriously losing my mind here. If I offered them free tickets to a Justin Bieber concert or the latest iPhone, they would be all over me. But nooo. Who cares about students’ wellbeing? Who cares about making this place better? Who cares about countless silent victims of bullying when they live their lives so blissfully ignorant, caring only about gossip and latest trends? Fricking morons.”
Kevin and I glanced at each other, wearing equal smiles. She was definitely born to be an activist.
We were all surprised when Mel announced she wanted to join student council and try to make a difference before the end of the year. The council’s previous vice president was in the hospital and would be out of school for quite a long time, and Mel managed to get the position.
Since then, she was all about promoting her anti-bullying campaign, asking students to join it to improve the school. It went without saying that principal Anders and Mel were at each other’s throats. She called him her arch nemesis aka “The Uneducated Swine And Pain In The Ass.”
“Take it easy, Miss Vice President,” I told her and patted her shoulder. “That’s nothing new.”
“Yeah, that’s nothing new, but if we keep turning a blind eye to what’s happening in our school and how corrupt our administration is, the bullying is going to continue, and I’m tired of dealing with all of those sick bullies on my own.”
“Melissa, the savior!” a guy passing next to us shouted. A few students standing close by snickered.
Mel grabbed a pamphlet from the stack she held, crushed it into a ball, and threw it at his head. “Do us a solid and cut off your tongue!”
The students around us burst out laughing, enjoying the drama a little too much. Melissa was something else, all right.
“Don’t worry, Mel. I’m sure your campaign will be a s-s-success,” Kevin supported her.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “By the time you’re done, the principal will have to quit.”
“He better,” she said. “Because I won’t stop dragging the media into this until that swine breaks and moves his fat, hairy ass out of that position.”
We’d just rounded the corner on our way to the cafeteria when Jessica came from another hallway. My lips moved to form a smile, but they stopped when I noticed her ashen face.
“Jess?” Kevin asked her, reaching her. “What’s wrong?”
“I just got detention.” Oh? She pinched the bridge of her nose. “The ‘best’ part? I have it with Blake.”
I raised my eyebrows. “What? How?”
Her eyes downcast, she fiddled with the ends of her hair. “I threw Blake’s phone on the ground and broke its screen in U.S. history because he kept harassing me while I was trying to talk to Marcus Robinson. You know Marcus? The guy who asked me out last week?” We all nodded. “So now Ms. Gentry wants to punish us both.”
Mel looked at her like she couldn’t believe her own ears. “You threw his phone? Damn, girl, that’s savage.” She whistled. “I mean, that’s something I’d do for sure, but you? Are you sure you’re the same old Jess and not some evil spirit that possessed you?” She waved her arm at her, acting like an exorcist. “Begone, evil spirit! Begone!”
My snort turned into a chuckle, but it didn’t last. “I thought Blake stopped bullying you. He’s been ignoring you ever since the New Year’s party, so what’s this about?”
She pursed her lips together. “Probably because he’s a jealous jerk.” At that, her whole face turned red. “Well, he’s definitely acting like one. He sits right behind me in U.S. history! Today, he didn’t stop picking on me and taking embarrassing photos of me, and it was degrading, especially in front of Marcus. So I don’t know how, but I just snapped. The next thing I knew, his iPhone was on the floor with a broken screen.”
“He is s-so awful!” Kevin exclaimed. “Why can’t he just s-stop?”
“Because he’s a sick moron, and I wish I could smash his head against... Against... Actually, any hard surface will do,” Mel said. “Hopefully, this school will finally install cameras and make harsher punishments for bullies like him after my campaign.”
“At least you fought back,” I told Jess. It was amazing that she’d won against the fear that had confined her and fought for herself. “That’s got to count for something.”
She didn’t share the sentiment. Based on the frown lines on her face, I didn’t need to ask her to know she was afraid of Blake’s reaction.
“If you want, Hayden can talk to him and—”
“No,” she interrupted me, her eyes widening. “Don’t.” She placed her hand on my shoulder and sent me a pleading gaze. “Please.”
I nodded. I didn’t like this in the least, but I’d respect her wishes.
My phone chimed when we reached the lunchroom, and the corners of my lips kicked up when I saw Hayden’s name on the screen.
“Come to the cafeteria patio. I have a surprise for you.”
My smile widened, and my heart beat faster in rising excitement when we entered the cafeteria. Hayden loved to surprise me with various gestures and gifts once in a while, but today was special, as he’d said, so he wanted to make sure it was unforgettable for me. This morning, I woke up in his bed to a red rose and chocolate pancakes, which he made for the first time, and I still couldn’t get over how sweet that was.
I noticed students flocking together outside the cafeteria, and some of them pointed at something. My legs carried me out faster. The cold air wrapped around me, leaving me short of breath, and I was thankful for the sun that warmed at least a bit of my body.
I faced the wall everyone was staring at and gasped at the huge black spray-painted letters, which were written for the whole world to see:
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SARAH DECKER.
I <3 YOU.
HAYDEN BLACK.”
“This is amazing,” I breathed.
“He’s something else, all right,” Mel said next to me. “He just has to break a few rules and vandalize a building, right?”
I couldn’t reply, struggling to find the right words to express how elated I was. People turned to look at me, pushing me into the spotlight once more, but this time there was no shame or nervousness knocking on my door. This day was getting better and better.
“Happy birthday, Decker!” a guy from across the patio shouted, grinning at me.
“Happy birthday!” a girl close to me said.
As if on cue, all the students wished me happy birthday one by one, and all I could do was stand awkwardly and gape at them. It was like I’d entered a completely different reality, and I tried to grasp the fact that I was the center of attention, but not for the wrong reasons. For once, it was a good reason, and my chest felt so warm.
“He’s so romantic,” Jess said.
Arms enclosed me from behind, and warm lips touched my cheek. “Happy birthday, gorgeous,” Hayden said seductively into my ear before I turned my head to look at him.