Chapter 1 One month into sophomore year and I find out everyone's calling me " The Leech . "[] It turned out that the nickname came from Madison Cooper - my childhood best friend Dylan's new desk buddy . ] it probably because of I was always " clinging " to Dylan Carter : eating his breakfast , borrowing his lunch money . living near his house . ] When I asked Dylan why he didn't let them shut it down , he just shrugged . ] ] " It's just a nickname . Madison's being dumb - ignore her . " [ ] " But you do kinda follow me everywhere . She's not wrong . " ] I stood there like he'd just stabbed me in the chest . [ ] So eighteen years of friendship and I'm just … a leech to him ? ! [ ] I didn't argue . Just went home , deleted every pic of us from my phone . Every single one . ] ] Then I dropped out of school . ] Now he went crazy . [ ] " Avery ! Where are you going ?! " ] " Somewhere you'll NEVER find me . : " 0 -0 I first heard the nickname while waiting in the lunch line . ]] Just another boring Wednesday . I'm standing there with my tray , stuck in the usual crowd . ] Two girls in front of me are whispering - not quiet enough , apparently . [ ] " Look , there's The Leech . " ] " Always following Dylan around . So embarrassing . " I At first I thought they meant someone else . [ ] Then one of them turns around , locks eyes with me for a few seconds , and smiles . That kind of smile that says " oh honey , you have NO idea . " [ ] I know that look . The " this is gonna be good " look . The " wait till you hear this " look . [ ] My grip tightens on the tray until the edges dig into my palms . [ ] The Leech ? They're talking about ME ? ! [ ] I look around and suddenly everyone's staring . People whispering behind their hands , pointing in my direction when they think I'm not looking . are straight - up laughing at me . Others just stare like I'm some weird science experiment . [ ] My face went nuclear . Ears burning , neck on fire , couldn't even breathe properly . [ ] I grabbed my food and basically ran from the lunch counter , finding the most hidden corner I could . ] But I barely took two bites before the table next to me started up . [ ] " Avery's so gross . Always all over Dylan . " [ ] The girl wasn't even trying to be quiet . Like I wasn't sitting RIGHT THERE . [] " I heard her family's broke . The Carters basically pay for everything . " Another voice jumps in . [ ] " No wonder Madison calls her The Leech . It's perfect . " [ ] " Right ? So pathetic . " ] ] My hands started shaking . [ ] My fork hit the table with a loud CLACK ] Those girls looked over when they heard the noise . When they saw it was me , they didn't shut up - they got LOUDER ] ] " Oops , looks like The Leech is mad . " ] " What's she gonna do ? We're not lying . " I clenched my jaw , trying to keep it together . ] But my hands wouldn't stop shaking . Couldn't even hold my fork anymore . ] The food tasted like cardboard . Every bite made me want to throw up . [ ] Screw this . I grabbed my barely touched tray and speed - walked out of there . [ ] Their laughter followed me like a wave , drowning me completely . [ ] I went straight to Dylan . [ ] He was at the basketball court , totally drenched in sweat . ] ] Chapter 1 Madison was sitting in the bleachers wearing this white sundress , holding a water bottle , cheering him on every few minutes . ] When she saw me coming , her smile got HUGE . ] Like a cat that just spotted a mouse . [ ] " Avery ! Come sit ! " She patted the spot next to her , all fake sweet . [ ] I ignored her . My eyes were locked on Dylan shooting hoops . ] ] He just nailed a three - pointer and his teammates were high - fiving like crazy . [ ] " Dylan . I need to talk to you . " [ ] Not loud , but loud enough for him to hear . He turned around , saw it was me , and his face just … dropped . [ ] He wiped the sweat off his forehead , clearly annoyed . " What now ? Can't it wait till I'm done ? " ] " No. Right now . " ] I'd never used that tone with him before . Even I was surprised . [ ] Dylan just stared at me , probably shocked that his usually quiet little sidekick was actually standing up to him . [ ] He looked at me for a few seconds , then waved to his teammates and slowly walked over . [ ] " What's up ? You look pissed . " ] ] Still acting like nothing was wrong . Like this was no big deal . [ ] I took a deep breath , trying to keep my voice steady . " The whole school's calling me The Leech . Did you know that ? " ] ] He scratched his head , looking awkward . " Oh , that . Yeah , I heard . " ]] He HEARD ? That's IT ? ] ] I stared at him in complete disbelief . ] Waiting for him to say more . Waiting for an explanation . Waiting for him to be angry FOR me . ] But nothing . He just stood there like he couldn't care less . " You heard about it and didn't do anything ? " ] 275 From Chingy Orphan to Untethered Queen The Rock Hittin to My Best Revenge Chapter 1 My voice started shaking . " Do what ? " He shrugged like I was being ridiculous . " It's just a nickname . Everyone at school has one . " [ ] " This guy in my class gets called Pig Face . You don't see him crying about it . " ] ] He actually LAUGHED . Like this was some stupid joke . ] " But this nickname is meant to hurt me ! " ] ] I was practically yelling . ] " You're overthinking it . " Dylan patted my shoulder - the most fake , dismissive pat ever . " Madison's just messing around . She doesn't mean anything by it . " [ ] Doesn't mean anything ? ] I looked over at Madison . [ ] She was watching us with this huge smile , looking SO pleased with herself . [ ] " Dylan , you really think calling me The Leech is just a joke ? " ] My voice came out barely a whisper . Like I was asking myself more than him . [ ] He rolled his eyes . " God , stop being so dramatic . Besides , you DO follow me around everywhere , so it's kinda … " ] He didn't finish . But I knew exactly what he was gonna say . [ ] Kinda true . ] ] Something inside me just … broke . [ ] Completely shattered . And I knew it could never be fixed . ( 1 ) Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!