“Hey,” he greeted, stopping at my side. “All ready for another boring school day?”

I laughed humourlessly and shrugged. I was already wishing today was over with. “I guess.”

“Everything okay?” he inquired.

Thankfully Alex had obviously had his fill of checking my locker so he turned and pushed the door to. “All fine here, Maze-Daze. I’m gonna leave you with Zach, and I’ll catch you later. You have your cell, right?” Alex asked, patting his pocket, checking that he had his with him. I nodded, knowing that it was in my pocket from this morning when I called the vet’s. “Okay good. If you need me today then call me. Luke’s eating with you at lunch time, and then you’re with Zach this afternoon. I’ll meet you here at the end of school and we’ll go visit Chester.” His arm looped around my shoulder, giving me a quick, reassuring squeeze before he turned and walked up to his friends.

“What was that about?” Zach asked, stepping closer to me and leaning against the locker next to mine as I pulled out the books I would need for my morning classes.

I sighed, wondering how much I should tell him. Probably everything. Alex was obviously entrusting my safety to him too today so he’d need to know why. I opened my mouth to answer, but a flash of brilliant blonde hair caught my attention seconds before a tinkering little laugh filled the air. My breath caught in my throat as I turned in that direction. Sandy was sashaying her way towards me, flanked by two of her little cheerleader minions.

The anger tasted vile in my mouth as I watched her and the way she moved so fluidly, the way each step was like she was gliding in her four inch high heels. I hated every single thing about her. I bit the inside of my cheek, hoping beyond hope that she wouldn’t stop near me. My restraint was fading fast. All I wanted to do was scream at her that she was a psychotic bitch and that the police were going to be busting down her door for what she did.

Unfortunately for me, or maybe unfortunately for her, I wasn’t quite sure yet, she stopped in front of me. A smug, sarcastic smile stretched across her perfectly painted pink lips. As if expecting a confrontation, the people around us seemed to hush and turn in our direction, eager to watch another showdown. Anger heated my face as she twisted a perfectly straightened lock of her hair around one expertly manicured fingernail.

“Well you look like shit today. Bad night?” she asked, chuckling to herself quietly as her eyes raked over my body with obvious distaste.

“You know I did,” I spat. My voice barely even sounded like mine where I was so angry. I tried desperately to hold on to the thought that I wasn’t allowed to start a fight and that the police had told me to stay away from her while they investigated everything. But it was hard. My hand was itching to smack the satisfied grin off of her face.

She smiled sweetly. “What’s up, princess, didn’t sleep too well or something?”

She was taunting me, trying to get me to crack. I knew her game plan, but I couldn’t help but go along with it. The words burst from my mouth before I could stop them. “Why did you do that? You’re sick in the head, Sandy! Who does that to an innocent dog?” The tears were building, making my vision swim as I struggled to maintain my composure.

Her mouth snapped shut as she frowned at me, seeming taken aback by what I’d said. “What dog?” she asked. Her confusion was clear across her face as she said it, and for a second my conviction wavered. Maybe she really didn’t do it like the boys were saying, and I have it wrong…

But then I remembered seeing her in the school play a couple of months ago. She was a damn good actor. “Don’t play stupid, I know it was you!” I hissed, righting myself to my full height as I glared at her confidently.

She took a half step back, shaking her head, her eyes questioning as she looked at me. “What are you talking about?”

“You snuck into my house last night and poisoned my dog.” I pointed at her accusingly, jabbing my finger into her chest for emphasis. The spectators gasped, looking between the two of us with wide eyes. I saw Zach stiffen and stand up straighter next to me.

Sandy laughed incredulously, batting my hand away as her eyes turned hard. “I’ve never even been to your house. Get a grip of yourself.” She sneered at me hatefully, looking down her nose at me as if I was something nasty she’d just stepped in.

“It was you! The police will be able to prove it’s you somehow. Your fingerprints will be on the meat wrapper or something,” I said confidently, lifting my chin confidently.

“Someone gave your dog poisoned meat?” she questioned. Some sort of emotion flicked across her eyes, but it was gone before I could work out what it was. She shook her head incredulously. “You seriously think it was me? You’re crazy. Crazy-Maisie,” she mocked in a sing song voice, smugly looking around at the people that were gathered to watch. When some of them gave a little half chuckle, obviously appreciating her stupid rhyme of my name, I ground my teeth from anger. “I think that should be your new name. Crazy-Maisie. It fits you even more perfectly than Can’t-keep-a-boyfriend-Maisie,” she teased, pursing her lips as she folded her arms across her chest.

A sob was fighting to break out of my throat but I swallowed it down, not letting it escape. “You just stay the hell away from me and my family, you hear me? Or… or…” I gritted my teeth, still trying to maintain some degree of control over myself.

She raised one perfectly shaped eyebrow as a smile twitched at the corners of her mouth. “Or what?”

I growled in frustration. I’d never wanted to hurt anyone in my life, but for her I was willing to make an exception. Chester’s face came to mind as my eyes burned with tears. I knew I should walk away. I knew I shouldn’t have even said anything in the first place, and that I should have just left it to the police, but my feet seemed to be rooted to the floor as the last of my restraint slipped. I couldn’t stop myself. It was like someone else was controlling my limbs. That smug smile of hers was my undoing. My hand collided with the middle of her chest, hard. She stumbled backwards a couple of steps, gasping from shock, before righting herself and looking up at me with disbelief clear across her face.

“You little slut!” she hissed as she launched herself at me.

One of her hands went straight to the back of my head as she gripped my ponytail, pulling roughly. Rage boiled in the pit of my stomach as every single bad thing that had happened in the last couple of weeks seemed to taunt me. I pushed forward against her, using my bodyweight as leverage. We both slammed into the lockers beside us making a resounding crash that seemed to echo in the hallway. Gasps erupted around us immediately, just like last time as everyone watched with excited eyes. Her hand connected with the side of my head making me grit my teeth so I didn’t squeal from the pain of it. My hand shot to the back of my head, gripping her hand that held my hair. My scalp was starting to burn where she was pulling so hard, so I dug my nails into the back of her hand as hard as I could, feeling her blood wet my fingertips as she gasped and jerked her hand away. Taking advantage of her momentary shock, I lifted my hand and slapped her as hard as I could across the face making her head whip to the side.

The name calling started then as she threw herself at me again, wrapping her arms around my waist and tackling me to the floor. Pain coursed up my back as she landed on top of me, straddling me quickly and slapping and scratching at my shoulders as face as I struggled to grip her wrists and fight her off.

The fight probably lasted just over a minute before hands came down and lifted Sandy off of me, just like last time. I sat up quickly, preparing myself to go after her again. I wasn’t exactly doing well, but I wasn’t ready to give up yet. Unfortunately, a pair of hands grabbed me too and lifted me to my feet.

“Let go of me!” Sandy screeched, struggling and wriggling, trying to get out of the arms of the person holding her. In the back of my mind I vaguely recognised that it was Zach that had pulled her off of me and now had her in a vice like grip opposite me.

“Calm down, Maisie,” a voice I recognised as Alex, hissed in my ear as the hands tightened on my waist.

“I hope your stupid dog died!” Sandy screamed, still thrashing wildly.

Rage built again inside me. “I’ll kill you! You stay away from me or I swear you’ll regret it!” I shouted, swinging wildly, hoping that one of my blows would come into contact with her face. Unfortunately, she was too far away from me, also swinging blindly in an attempt to reach me. “You spiteful little bitch! I’ll kill you!”

“Maisie, stop it!” Alex growled, pulling me back a step or two just as Sandy’s foot came up about to hit me in the stomach. “Get her out of here, Zach,” Alex ordered.

Zach nodded; turning a red faced Sandy away from me and giving her a little shove up the hallway. “Just go to class,” he instructed, stepping to the left so that he blocked her path to me in case she attempted to make a dive for me again. He gripped her upper arm, nodding up the hallway, motioning for her to walk.

The shock of what had just happened and the pain of her blows were only now starting to register. My scalp burned, and my shoulder and back hurt where I had hit the floor.

Sandy then seemed to turn her frustration on Zach. “Get your filthy hands off of me! I don’t want your scumbag hands on me!” She twisted, slamming the palms of her hands on his chest. Her voice was full of acid as she sneered at him, her eyes hard and calculating. “I know all about you. My cousin goes to the school you used to go to. He told me all about you and what you used to get up to at school. I know all sorts of things that you probably don’t want common knowledge here. Now get the hell off of me!” Sandy spat, shoving on his chest again.

Zach’s eyes widened as he let go of her this time. “You shut your mouth,” he growled through his teeth as his hands balled into fists.

“Why? You gonna make me? I’d heard that about you. Fists first, brain second,” Sandy taunted, raising one eyebrow in invitation.