Total pages in book: 157
Estimated words: 150968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 150968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 755(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)
We will always survive.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Riley — 16 years old (Junior year)
I scrub my uniform, trying to clean the stain as much as I can. Except I know I can’t hide this big blob of Bolognese sauce that was purposely spilled on me. My clean, unwrinkled uniform is now sullied and I don’t even have a change of clothes in my locker.
Damn it, the teachers are going to get on my case and probably give me detention. For being “unclean” and not looking like the school’s best standard. Berkshire Academy is unrivaled and well-known for being the private school for the rich. We have a certain standard here, and it needs to be kept at all times. Anyone who breaks those fundamental and unspoken rules becomes an outcast — both by teachers and students.
Our uniforms are new and pristine.
Our shoes are polished, without a stain on them.
Our hair is perfectly-styled, without a single strand out of place.
Our sports teams are unrivaled.
Our students have the best grades in the whole damn country.
Berkshire Academy breeds the next generation of famous CEOs, surgeons, lawyers, scientists, and politicians. Anyone who walks out of here after graduation is unstoppable.
But a lot of times, it’s without merit, and more so because of family name. Nepotism is a harsh reality of Berkshire Academy and its students’ futures.
Once I’m done scrubbing, I drop the toilet paper into the trash. My uniform now has a big wet stain, right in the middle. There’s no way I can hide it, and it’ll take forever to dry. I can’t skip my next class either, since we have a test.
Goddamn it.
Mrs. Solvana, my Pre-Calculus teacher, is a bitch. She’ll probably give me an earful about my “dirty” uniform right in front of the class, to humiliate me further, and then send me to the office. She hates me. And knowing her, she’ll find any reason to stop me from taking my test.
How quickly I’ve fallen…
I went from being the Cheer Captain, one of the most popular girls at Berkshire that everyone respected and looked up to — teachers and students alike. And now look at me.
Someone that doesn’t belong here anymore.
I’m fighting to survive in this shithole. Only because my father won’t allow me to leave and go to another school. He says I either continue at Berkshire or I dropout. But he won’t accept a dropout as a daughter, so here I am.
He says a Johnson never cowers, never runs away, and never fails.
But this Johnson is.
Riley Johnson is everything but respected now.
I still remember the day when I told my father about Jasper’s betrayal.
“He deleted the photos and videos, and that’s it? No consequences?” I question incredulously. “He shared them publicly without my consent. He took them without consent. He should be facing some kind of repercussions. This is not okay!”
My father’s eyes darken. “You want me to file a case against the Chief of Police’s son? You’re more delusional than I thought, Riley. Do you realize how much power Jasper and his father have? I refuse to become an enemy of Matthew Baker because of you. I’ve spoken with him and Jakob both. Matthew promised his son will delete the photos and videos he took of you. And it’s done. There’s no need for us to keep going back and forth with them.”
“But my reputation—
“Wouldn’t have been tarnished if you hadn’t whored yourself out in the first place!” my father roars.
I flinch, taken aback by his unmasked fury. Why is he angry at me?
I didn’t…do anything. My heart thumps in my chest, and pain grips my stomach, revolting, and I strain against it.
“I didn’t whore myself out,” I whisper, both hurt and confused. “You told me to please Jasper, to keep him happy and interested in me.”
Please Jasper, to please my father.
Keep him happy, to keep my father happy.
My father gets right into my face and I lean back against the chair, trying to put some space between us. But he doesn’t allow me that reprieve. His hand holds my face, his fingers digging into my cheeks, so painfully, I have to blink back tears. The backs of my eyes burn, and my flesh, where his nails are digging into, stings heavily.
“Are you suggesting that I forced you to become a slut for Jasper?” he hisses menacingly, his spittle landing on my face. “You did this to yourself, Riley. You irresponsible, little bitch. You tarnished your own reputation, and with it, you tainted mine too. Jasper doesn’t have to bear the consequences of this. You have. And you will.”
He releases my face roughly, and my head snaps back. Sniffling, I look down at my lap.
Is this what my father thinks of me?
A whore…?
Someone this unworthy?
Defeated, I close my eyes as the sound of his footsteps drift away and I am left alone, sitting in this dark, cold house.