Chapter 51：Memory

After Fir had left to go back to Dylan, Sherry sank into deep thought. She thought back over what she had briefly discussed with the little bird and silently reflected over the relationship she had with her parents. She remembered snippets of her childhood, memories that were burnt into her memory.

"I like you. I've liked you ever since primary school." A close friend of Sherry's suddenly confessed to her. This was back in high school, when Sherry was only 16. She had yet to experience her first love and also never dated anyone before.

"What? Sorry, what did you say?" Sherry stupidly asked.

"I said I like you. Please be my girlfriend." He repeated.

Sherry stood there, at a lost. She's never thought of him that way and honestly never will. "Uh, um, sorry. I only see you as a friend. Can we just stay friends? I don't want our relationship to change." Sherry felt a surge of irrational guilt rise in her heart. Why did she feel the need to apologise when there wasn't anything to apologise for?

"What? But you've never dated anyone. I know because I've always been watching you. How can you be so sure that I'm not the one for you? I'm nice and funny, can't you just give me a chance?" He persisted. "You're always playing hard to get but I know you like me too. So, stop playing these games and just be my girlfriend."

"What? No, I genuinely just think of you as a friend." Sherry refuted. That's when thing went downhill.

"So this is how it is? 5 years of friendship gone just like this? I've always been by your side protecting you, keeping you company and being nice to you and this is how you treat me? This is why they say nice guys never get the girl. It's because they're all sluts like you!" He raged. "I bet you fucked all the boys in our class, you're just pretending to be all innocent when in reality you're just a thirsty whore!"

"How can you say that?!" Sherry yelled, tears in her eyes. She wasn't quite sure how she felt, it was a mixture of hurt, betrayed and confusion. "What's wrong with you?"

"Whatever slut! I shouldn't have wasted my time on someone dirty like you, you disgust me." He spat, leaving before she could say anything in return.

The next few days, the whispers began. People giggled, people pointed and people stared. Sherry felt all eyes on her as she walked through the school gates.

"Hey, that's her."

"How can she show herself like this? If it was me, I wouldn't have been able to leave the house."

"She's so shameless. I wish she kills herself."

Sherry heard them whisper and turned to identify who they were talking about. Each time she turned, there was someone else behind her. Only when there was no one, did it finally sink in that she was the topic of their conversation. She quickened her pace, feeling anxious and self-conscious.

"Hey, morning Luna, Kate." She greeted her friends. Janine and Charlotte went to a different school so she had different friends.

They turned to face her, looking at her weird. There was a sense of distance and isolation that previously didn't exist.

"What's wrong?"

"I-it's nothing." Luna stuttered.

"T-the bells going to ring soon. I'm going to go get my stuff." Kate said.

"Me too!" Luna chimed, scurrying off to her locker.

Sherry stood there in a daze, feeling that something was strange today. Everyone was behaving so weirdly.

"Ahahaha, the slut got ditched by her friends."

"That's what she deserved. No one likes a hoe."

The laughter grew louder, they followed her everywhere she went and never went away. When she went to class, people stared and pretended like she didn't exist. They actively avoided her as if she got the 'cheese touch' and detested to even sit near her.

The feeling of apprehension grew in Sherry's chest. She anxiously went to find her friends when recess came but she just couldn't find them, as if they were also avoiding her.

Sherry went to find her male friend, hurt and wanting someone to talk to.

"Hey, XXX." She greeted with a wonky smile when she spotted him. He was walking with his other friends, all boys from popular groups. They looked at her weird, with interest, with disgust and with lust.

XXX smirked and spoke with a scoff. "What do you want, slut?"

"What?"

"I said what do you want, slut? Have the STI's infected your ears as well?" He repeated with a condescending tone of voice.

"What are you talking about? Why are you being so mean?" Sherry asked, shocked.

"What? I've never even been to your house! And you are the one who confessed to me! I said that I just wanted to be friends, why are you being like this?" Finally realising what was going on, Sherry burst with indignity.

"Wow, what are you trying to do? A filthy slut like you is saying that XXX likes you? What a joke." XXX's friend laughed, brushing off her claims.

"Back off lady, he already said he doesn't like you. Go away before you give the rest of us aids." They cackled. "But if you have sex with me, I'll consider letting you be my side chick."

"Stop spreading lies! How can you do something like this?" Sherry shouted to defend herself.

XXX shrugged and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "If you date me, I'll tell everyone that it was just a prank, but if you don't, you know what'll happen."

Sherry pushed him away. "I'll never date you! Not now and not in a thousand years!" She angrily stomped away. Behind her, her 'friend' glared with murderous intent and a strong possessive desire.

At lunch, Sherry ambushed her friends at the lockers. "Luna, Kate!" She cried. "Please don't avoid me, the rumours are false. XXX is spreading lies because I rejected him."

They paused. Luna gulped and confronted Sherry. She's had a crush on XXX since she knew him and Sherry's always known. "You know I liked him, how could you climb onto his bed like that? You slut!"

People began to whisper, they called her a homewrecker, a bad friend and a whore.

Kate stood beside Luna. "I don't want to be friends with someone like you who betrays her friends. Goodbye."

They walked past her, not sparing a single glance back at her.