Page 35 of Hateful
Rafael slips inside and shuts the door behind him. He eyes me suspiciously for a moment before heading toward his own bed.
“What’s up with you?” he asks, setting his phone on his nightstand.
I take a deep breath. “I’m going to have to start binding again.”
“You’re not doing lacrosse anymore,” Rafael points out. “All you have to worry about is the showers … but if you’re not doing sports, then …” He glances at me over his shoulder. “Why do you think you need to start binding again all of a sudden?”
I hesitate for a moment, then gently pull the T-shirt away from my chest.
Rafael’s eyes go straight to my breasts. He stares at them impassively for a moment before matching the sighs that have been coming out of my mouth all too often lately.
“Ah. You’re getting some knockers.”
“Rafael!” I hiss, tugging my T-shirt back on over my head.
He shrugs. “What do you want me to say? I see your point. You’ll need to hide those puppies.”
“I haven’t done it since my stairs … incident.”
He shrugs. “You’ve got sports bras, right? Any leftover bandages?”
I sigh and sink down onto my bed. “Yeah.” I bite my lip. This semester has already been rough on me. Binding was more than uncomfortable and now I have actual breasts to flatten out.
Funny how just a few weeks ago now I was complaining about how I wished everything would go back to normal. Well, now it has.
Because here at Bleakwood, normal just meansdifficult.
* * *
The Competition Committeehas requested the help of the freshman to set up the auditorium for the big debate in exchange for some extra credit points, so I sign up for a morning shift this weekend since I’m too afraid to look at my latest test scores. It means having to push back my morning run, but The Brotherhood has signed up for the afternoon … and I’m not about to put myself in the same room with Beck willingly.
Rafael groggily walks with me to the dining hall for breakfast before we start.
“Why did you make me wake up early?” he grunts as we plop down into chairs beside each other.
I set a muffin in front of him and peel my banana. “I promised Neville you’d be here,” I tease.
Rafael gives me a dark look, but he unwraps his muffin without protesting further. I grin at him. I feel surprisingly cheerful. I’ll be getting some extra credit, and I’ll be avoiding The Brotherhood. Headmistress Robin won’t even be here until tomorrow, when I won’t be helping, so I’ll get to avoid her, too.
For the first time in a while, I’m feeling hopeful.
It’s going to be a good weekend.
Neville joins us right as we’re finishing breakfast and starts gushing on about the nerdiest shit I’ve ever heard.
“They’re debating eco-friendly policies regarding our schools,” he tells us excitedly, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “I can’t wait to see what arguments they come up with.”
“I hear they’re also debating adding new classes,” Rafael says, standing up.
Neville nods furiously. “They’ll have several topics. It’s going to be a big deal.” He grins brightly. “I hope they’ve prepared!”
And I thoughtIwas a nerd when I applied here.
I don’t know if I’ve seen The Brotherhood preparing at all, and they’re supposed to be representing the whole school against the girls’ debate team. Apart from bullying me, hitting on me, and running with me, I haven’t seen much of the boys outside of class lately.
I don’t even know where they hang out during their free time these days.
I should be grateful for it, but it’s left me wondering.
