Hating Miss Popular, Kenzhie A. [books for 20 year olds txt] 📗

so hard that he groaned in pain. I went to Lucy's side afterward and had a chat with her while we walked to a nearby hair salon just around Madison Avenue.

 

“Do you like him?” Lucy fired the question right away as usual for some juicy gossip like a dedicated reporter of some gossip magazine.

 

“Are you kidding me? Stop bugging me with your stupid question, Lucy.” I hissed and gave her a warning look.

 

“Fine. Just asking, you know. It's not like you killed someone by liking a guy or something.” Lucy grumbled, but shut her mouth when she saw my paled face. “Hey, are you OK, Syd?” I just nodded in response. I noticed that I'm being over sensitive these days and it's not good.

 

====####====

 

The anxiety I felt vanished into thin air after I saw my new hairstyle. I went for a golden brown to cool blonde ombre shoulder length with natural wave curls. I just love it. The other girls are also done with their awesome new look. I turned around when I heard Cole whistled from behind me and was stunned to see his new look. Carol and Patty convinced or the right term, forced him and his sister to do some makeover too. I've never thought that he could get even more handsome. His dark long layers were cut into medium shag with razor, and side-swept bangs and dyed into ash-brown. I blinked when the girls clapped in chorus.

 

“Damn! You look so hot with that hairstyle, Harrison.” Audrey squeaked and the others agreed, gleefully.

 

“Jeez, I thought I was already hot.” Cole joked and laughed when the girls rolled their eyes in unison. “Don't you think so, Sydney?” He turned his gaze back to me with a smirk.

 

“No.” I uttered, and turned around to hide my burning cheeks.

 

“Holy cow! Look guys, Sydney is blushing!” The evil bitch, Lisa blurted out and the girls giggled altogether.

 

“Shut the hell up, Lisa!” I said furiously as my heart beats continuously loud and fast. The stupid Cole came beside me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

 

“Don't we look good girlfriends?” Cole asked in an animated face.

 

“Thumbs up.” Lucy and Carol raised their thumbs up in agreement and the others just smiled. I don't know why, but my heart is racing crazily. I elbowed him and told the girls to go home. When we are in Cole's car, I was surprised to see Sarah. I just noticed she dyed her hair into a darker shade of chocolate brown.

 

“Do you like my new hair color?” She asked excitedly when she caught me staring. She's on the backseat while I sat on the passenger side as Cole insisted. The girls didn't seem too surprised when I told them I'll be riding with Cole. It's like they've accepted that Cole is already part of the group or something.

 

“Yeah. Looks good on you.” I said with a shrug. I don't normally praise other people, but she does look good as a brunette than a blonde. Sarah is a very sweet and bubbly girl. She talks a lot during the drive to my house and I found out that she goes to Manhattan High as well and is on eleventh grade. I wasn't surprised that I didn't notice her at school since I don't know most of the students in school.

 

“I love your new hair...” Cole whispered and twirled his fingers through my curls when his car stopped in front of my house. My face flushed uncontrollably again and before Cole can see it, I jumped out of his car already.

 

“Nice to meet you, Sydney!” Sarah waved her hand at me. I just nod and went in the house. I'm a snob after all, nothing can change that. I've just closed the door of my room when my phone buzzed. I dropped my shopping bags on the floor and took my phone out of my blue Prada tote bag. It's another email from that psycho!

 

From: Someone hating Miss Popular

Subject: DIE!!!

T0: Sydney Wood

DID YOU HAVE FUN WITH

YOUR BOYFRIEND, SLUT?

ENJOY IT WHILE IT LASTS!!!

 

I threw my phone on the carpeted floor and slumped onto my bed. I'm so exhausted to be bothered by that nonsense email. Maybe next time, I'll go to a computer expert and let the emails be traced. Another email came. I lazily picked it up from the floor and thinking it's from that same psycho again, I tried to click “delete” but the subject caught my attention and shakily opened the email.

 

From: Someone hating Miss Popular

Subject: No conscience!

T0: Sydney Wood

I KNOW YOUR SHADY LITTLE

SECRET, MISS POPULAR...

 

=====####=====

 

 

“Oh my God! Wake up!” It's raining heavily and the rain is washing away the blood on the road as I nervously touched the girl's neck and I was glad that she still has a pulse. I grabbed my phone from my car, but it was drained empty. “Shit!” I panicked and looked around. There's no car approaching. I went back to the girl. “I'll be back, please don't die on me. I'll go get some help.” The scene changed and I am now at the dark empty graveyard. I stared at the tombstone when two bloody hands broke through the ground and gripped my legs. I fell down on the ground, screaming while I was being pulled under the ground, then a bone chilling voice whispered in my ear.

 

“Why did you leave me...?”

 

I woke up sweating and heaving uncontrollably. I glanced at the digital clock on my side table and it says five o'clock in the morning.

 

“Just a nightmare...” I muttered and shakily ran my fingers through my sweaty hair. I haven't had a nightmare for almost two years now, not after that email. I shook my head and got out of my bed. It's time for my routine run. It may help me calm myself. I hurriedly changed into my sweatpants and hoodie then went down. I inhaled the cold morning air into my lungs as I started running in a slow pace. The dark lanes are kinda creepy since there are no people in the area that I'm running at the moment but I don't mind. My mind is occupied with the nightmare and that email... Who is this person sending me those emails? It seems like whoever is sending me those emails knew about my past and somewhat holds a grudge on me. I'm now at Central Park when I bumped into someone. I glanced at whoever that is and saw a tall man with a black hood covering his face, stopped on his track for a moment, then continued on running without glancing back at me. Oddly, he seems familiar, but I can't point out who. I shrugged my shoulders and continued on running for about 3 miles before I decided to go back. On my way, I saw the same guy with the black hoodie just across the street of 5th Avenue glancing in my direction.

 

“Hey!” I called out, but the weird guy turned around to run but before that, I was able to catch a glimpse of the side of his face. “Cole...?” I whispered, but why would Cole be here at this time and why would he run away from me? That's pretty weird... I went back and took a shower as soon as I got in my room, still thinking about the weird guy, not minding how hard it is to take a shower with a cast around my wrist.

 

======####=====

 

 

“Sydney, are you alright, darling?” Jacque gave me a worried look when she noticed that I was just toying with my green salad.

 

“I had that nightmare again, mom...” I whispered quietly, not sure if she heard it, but when she gasped, I knew she did.

“Sydney, I thought we'd agreed not to talk about it anymore? It's a past and you didn't do it on purpose.” Jacque said, gravely.

 

“But nobody knew it was me!” I hissed.

 

“Lower your voice.” She warned and dismissed the maid that was about to bring her green tea. “Would you rather like it if the people knew and get your name tainted?” I didn't answer. Would it really make a difference if I had made it known? Would it erase my guilty conscience? I'm really not sure... My tears slowly pelted down my cheeks. I thought two years could erase that awful memory, but with one email... That email... Everything flashes back like it was just yesterday.

 

“Sydney, ma chére, don't be so hard on yourself and try to forget about it, OK?” She smiled when I nodded. “I love your new hairstyle by the way.” She commented and called back the maid to bring her tea. I wonder if my mom was just concerned about my welfare that's why she and my dad hid what happened two years ago or both of them just don't want to taint their own name because of me.

 

I walked like a zombie down the front porch steps when I heard someone calling my name from behind me.

 

“Sydney! Hey! Are you ignoring me again?” Cole grabbed my shoulders to stop me.

 

“Huh?” I stared at him, blankly.

 

“Hey. You look so pale... Are you sick?” He raised his hand to touch my forehead and his brow furrowed. “Dammit, you're burning, Syd.” He pulled my hand to guide me back up the porch steps again. I felt so weak and cold, so I didn't complain and just followed him. Cole suggested to use the elevator instead of using the staircase. On our way to there, Cole ordered Nora, one of the maids, to bring some medicine for the fever and some ice bag. I didn't complain either when he carried me up to my room when the elevator door opened. He probably noticed my knees were quivering and took pity on me. When we got in my room, he carefully laid me down on my bed and took the medicine from Nora, who came in afterward to bring what Cole asked for and helped me up to drink it.

 

“Where's, Ms. Babineaux?” He asked Nora right after I took the medicine.

 

“She went out just a minute ago, Sir. She'll be on a business trip to France for a week. Do you want me to call for the family doctor?” Nora asked when she saw me shaking hardly, almost convulsing.

 

“Yeah. And please inform her mom as well.” Cole ordered and went back to me, putting a blanket up on my shoulders. He then dialed something on his phone and talked to someone, informing about our absence for today. I didn't understand what else did he talk about on the other line since I'm beginning to doze off. I heard my door open and close many times and heard some people murmuring softly, then I just felt something cold and wet brushing against my skin. I groaned to complain when I felt a cold cloth on my face, down my neck, arms, and so on. Then I felt a cold bag on my forehead before I lost my consciousness.

 

====####====

 

 

“Why did you leave me?” The girl cried while her face and her hands are full of blood.

“Stay away from me!” I screamed as the chilling voice of a girl is chasing me in the graveyard. I tried to run, but tripped on a protruded root of a tree which suddenly appeared out of nowhere, then I felt the cold fingers clasped around my ankles and pulled me my down the wet ground.

 

I woke up screaming and sweating after having another nightmare. The same nightmare that's been bugging me for a long time, which I thought was over, but I guess I thought wrong and it sucks.

 

“What's wrong?” Cole sat up straight on the chair just beside the bed and looked at me, confused. He seemed to have just woken up from the way his hair looks, more messy than his usual tousled hairdo, and he has a sleep mark on his face. It's kinda funny actually seeing some red lines and wrinkles on his left cheek and forehead. A smile crept