The next day, when Nathalie walked into the school building, everyone was looking at her weirdly as though she was some maniac. Some didn't even bother to hide their stares.
She was the type of person that hated being put in the spotlight, and this was the first time she was being noticed for something and not just anything something as huge as a fight.
She quietly walked over to her locker, dropped her stuff, and then went to meet Lisa.
Nathalie, Lisa, and Danny were in the same class since they were all the same age, so they had a lot in common.
"What's up?" Lisa asked as she saw Nathalie approach her seat.
"Everyone is staring at me right now," she said as she cautiously looked over her shoulder — and sure enough, about six people were looking in her direction.
"That's because of what happened yesterday. They'll get bored in no time. But for the meantime, you're the only source of entertainment they have in their dumb lives."
"It sucks."
"Of course it does," Lisa replied as she put a hand on her shoulder. She was a dance influencer, so she knew what it felt like to be the center of attention sometimes. Some people even walked up to her to ask for pictures.
But she couldn't imagine what it felt like to be the center of negative attention.
"Where's Danny?" Lisa asked, looking around for him. Danny always met up with her every morning before class began, so it was a surprise that he didn't come to her today.
"He couldn't make it to school today," Nathalie said. "He looks like a wreck."
Lisa smiled sadly. "All because of that dumb idiot."
"Let's forget about him already," Nathalie said as she rolled her eyes.
"No, can you imagine his guts? After leaving you for Dina, he comes around to play the love card?"
Some of the students were listening closely to get the tea on what they were saying. The girls noticed and lowered their voices.
"He's a jerk," Lisa said, still annoyed.
"I agree." Nathalie nodded.
She made it through the day without much of a fuss. No one approached her to ask any foolish questions. Even Dina had just glared at her when their eyes met during recess. Val didn't make it to school either which was probably the second-best thing since sliced bread.
Her dad came to pick her up, since Daniel had a black eye from the fight and probably couldn't drive properly. They chatted away on their way home, and since he knew her favorite music artists, he just played them and karaoke'd along with her.
Sometimes he sneakily snuck a peek at her. She had grown thin over the past few days, and her face had lots of acne now probably due to stress. They had talked about her earlier today while she was at school, and everyone had collectively agreed to make her life easier since she was going through her first breakup and wasn't in a good state.
"Let's go get some ice cream," he offered when they got close to a McDonald's. "Do you want some?"
"Thanks, Dad, but I'm good," she said, still vibing along with the song. She didn't realize the look of worry in his eyes.
"Why now? You always love to eat ice cream."
"Not anymore," she said. "I'm trying to cut down on sugar, but thanks anyway."
"Let's just get one for Danny," he replied, trying not to let his sadness show.
"That would be nice," she smiled.
"Hi, Mom," Nathalie greeted as she walked into the kitchen alongside her dad.
"How was your day today, sweetheart?" her mom asked, glancing up from her phone just long enough to receive a kiss from her daughter and husband.
"Great," Nathalie replied simply, then looked around. "Where's Danny?"
"He's in his room," her mother said, shifting her attention back to the phone. "He just had some of his pain meds. They make him drowsy."
"What's for lunch?" Nathalie asked as she began rummaging through the fridge and slamming drawers in her usual dramatic fashion.
"There's some food on the stove."