After the sound of footsteps faded, I climbed onto the toilet and scrambled over the top of the stall.
In my rush to jump down, I twisted my ankle.
Miserably, I hauled my waterlogged body out of the restroom, looking like a drowned rat.
"Look, isn't that Joy? What happened to her?"
"I heard she was supposed to represent the school at the city's dance competition today. The officials are all looking for her."
"Poor girl. We better keep our distance from her. She must've crossed someone. We don't want to get involved."
My ankle throbbed with sharp pain. Alone, I limped toward the administrative office.
As soon as I stepped inside, a book was thrown at me.
"Where have you been? Do you know how important today's competition is?"
Everyone in the office turned to look at me with cold, indifferent eyes. Their gaze sent a chill through me.
"Annika locked me in the restroom and poured water on me. She's the reason I couldn't compete," I tried to explain.
"Stop lying. You're the one with the problem, and now you're trying to blame Annika. Annika's father is a well-known businessman in this city. Why would she bother bullying someone like you?
"Even if what you're saying is true, the problem must still be with you. Why else would she pick on you and not anyone else?"
The teacher's sharp words felt like another bucket of cold water, chilling me to the bone.
"Go home and write a ten-thousand-word self-reflection. Tomorrow, we'll announce your punishment publicly, and you'll receive a major demerit."
I clenched my fists tightly, full of grievances, wanting to cry but too scared to.
Suddenly, a sharp pain radiated from my lower abdomen, and a warm liquid started to run down my leg.
Everyone stared at me with disdain.
"What are you still standing here for? Get out! Just looking at you makes me sick. Look at the mess you've made."
I looked down and saw that my period had started early.
Mortified, I quickly fled the office. As I left, people avoided me as if I were the plague, some even pinching their noses and waving their hands through the air.
"What's that smell? It's disgusting."
"Look at her pants. They're covered in blood. She's filthy. She carries that stench of poverty from the countryside."
"What a disgrace. I don't even want to admit I know her. Just going to the same school as her is embarrassing."