All for Nothing

Kitty’s worried voice snapped me out of my daze.

Instinctively, I reached up and touched my head— Sure enough, my palm came away smeared with bright, crimson blood.

The sight of it stunned me.

“There’s so much blood! You should go to the school clinic!”

Kitty grabbed my arm and led me to the school clinic.

Ahead of us, Leo and Betty turned at the commotion.

The left side of my head was soaked in red.

Betty glanced at me, a glint of amusement in her eyes and a mocking smirk tugging at her lips.

Leo stayed silent, refusing to meet my eyes.

After getting disinfectant and bandages wrapped around my head, I stepped out and almost collided with Leo.

He pressed his lips together, hesitating before finally muttering, “Are you okay? I didn’t mean to do that…”

Had I not heard what he’d said to Betty earlier, I might have believed him.

But now, staring at that false expression on his face, a wave of revulsion washed over me.

The thought of how I had wasted three full years retaking the SATs for someone like him…

I couldn’t hold back the fury any longer.

“Oh, I bet you didn't,” I said coldly.

His eyes widened for a second, then his expression twisted in anger.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean? You think I did it on purpose?” he demanded.

Suddenly, I had no desire to keep arguing.

Maybe I deserved this. Maybe I needed the lesson.

I turned to leave, but Leo wouldn’t let me go so easily.

He grabbed my arm roughly. “I’m talking to you—are you even listening?”

His grip was so tight that bruises bloomed across my skin within seconds.

I struggled to break free.

“Let me go.”

Leo, still grinning viciously, remained unmoved.

“Weren’t you acting all tough just now? I already apologized—and you’re still not going to accept it?”

If the school nurse hadn’t come out after hearing the shouting, I don’t know how long he would’ve kept going.

By the time he finally let go, my wrist had gone numb from the pain.

He shot me a furious glare before storming off.

I returned to the infirmary to apply some ointment for the bruises, then slowly made my way back to class.

The next period was PE.

On the way to the field, I crossed paths with Leo and Betty again.

They were playing basketball.

I frowned and turned to head back to the classroom, but Betty immediately pointed at the white gauze wrapped around my head and burst into laughter.

“Look at her—Naomi’s going bald! Even with that white bandage, she can’t hide it! Hey Bald Eagle!”

Leo laughed even louder at that, clearly wanting the whole world to hear it.

“You’re a genius, Betty! ‘Bald Eagle’—what a great nickname. That’s what we’ll call her from now on—Naomi the Bald Eagle!”

Snickers erupted around us, sharp and humiliating.

I bit down hard, splitting the skin on my tongue, the taste of blood spreading in my mouth.

Then I kept my head low and quickened my pace.

But even that wasn’t enough for Leo and Betty.

They refused to stop.

Even when I sat quietly in class with a book, they found ways to humiliate me.

They’d whisper behind my back, then point at the bandage on my head and chuckle—loud enough for others to hear.

“Look, it’s the Bald Eagle again,” they’d say.

More and more students turned to look at me, smirking with a mixture of amusement and pity.

I clenched my fists so tightly my knuckles turned white.

Even when I covered my ears, their words seemed to seep straight into my skull.

Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore.

I slammed my palms against the desk and stood up.

“Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? You hurt me, and now you act like a coward, mocking me behind my back!

“You’re a grown man, for God’s sake!”