The Quiet Girl Read online

  The Quiet Girl

  Nichole Heydenburg

  Poisoned Ink Press LLC

  Copyright © 2022 Nichole Heydenburg

  The Quiet Girl

  Poisoned Ink Press LLC

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Contact Information: www.nicholeheydenburg.com

  [email protected]

  Cover Design: Stone Ridge Books

  Editor: Get It Write Editing Co.

  ISBN 978-1-7349015-6-6 (eBook)

  ISBN 978-1-7349015-7-3 (paperback)

  This book is a work of fiction. All characters, incidents, names, and places are utilized fictitiously or are the product of the author’s imagination. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, events, or businesses is completely coincidental.

  Dedicated to every teenager being bullied

  Prologue

  Violet reached the final door, which she assumed led to Mallory’s bedroom. Violet tentatively opened the door and stepped inside. At first glance, the room appeared empty. The light was off, so Violet flicked it on, illuminating a queen-sized bed with a wrinkled blue quilt.

  Someone had been sitting on it recently.

  “Hello? Is anyone in here?” She stepped further into the room.

  “Help…” a weak voice answered.

  Violet raced into the ensuite bathroom. “Kayla? Is that you?”

  “Oh my God. Kayla!” Violet rushed over to her friend and knelt on the cool tile floor in front of the tub.

  Kayla was slumped over in the bathtub, holding both hands over her abdomen. Her emerald green dress was torn and blood dripped down the bottom of the bathtub, staining the pristine white surface red.

  Chapter 1: Before Jess

  September 16, 2019

  Violet Hale’s long, light brown hair fell around her like a curtain, protecting her from the probing stares of her classmates. A book lay open on the table in front of her and she read as she ate lunch by herself, just like every day since her parents had forced her to move to North Carolina. If she was honest, she was miserable. She wanted what most fifteen-year-old girls wanted—to have friends, to fit in, and to be accepted. Moving away from Michigan hadn’t been easy on her. She might as well have moved to another country. She missed her old life and her best friend, Abby. Moving right before her sophomore year of high school started was her mom’s fault. She worked as a marketing manager and was offered a promotion and a substantial raise if she agreed to move. Her dad was a dentist, and he had no trouble finding a job in their new town.

  Violent glanced at her phone; she had only a few minutes left for lunch. She stood, placed her book in her backpack, then slung her bag over her shoulder. Almost immediately after standing, Mallory came toward her, like a lioness stalking her prey. They were in the same grade and Mallory loved to torment her. She flicked her jet-black hair over her shoulder and stared at Violet with icy blue eyes.

  Violet gulped and hurried to the trash can, tossing her garbage and silently praying that Mallory would ignore her this time. She avoided making eye contact with her again and tightened her grip on her backpack. How could someone who was easily several inches shorter than her make her feel so small? It was unfortunate that she and Mallory shared the same lunch period. It made it that much harder to avoid her tormentor.

  Violet tried to head toward the cafeteria doors, but Mallory blocked her exit. Violet’s pulse quickened, and she froze; she couldn’t make herself move, couldn’t shove Mallory out of the way or try to walk around her. It was hopeless. She only prayed it wouldn’t be as bad this time. She wondered how many people were already watching the scenario play out.

  “Violet,” Mallory said in a condescending tone.

  Violet finally looked up and tried her best to hide her shaking hands. “Yeah?” she said with more courage than she felt.

  Mallory crossed her arms over her designer sweater and seemed to change tactics. “What were you reading?”

  Violet paused. What? Was this a trap?

  “Well? Are you going to answer me or keep standing there like a stupid bitch?”

  Violet’s cheeks heated as a few people giggled at the table nearby. “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder,” she mumbled.

  “What did you say? You talk so quietly no one can hear you. No wonder no one pays attention to you,” Mallory retorted with a smirk.

  “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder,” Violet said more audibly.

  Mallory’s smirk vanished, and she wrinkled her tiny nose. “What the hell? Ew, that’s so creepy. Why would you want to read something like that?”

  Violet couldn’t help herself and snickered at Mallory’s reaction. It was nice watching her squirm for a change.

  Mallory frowned and uncrossed her arms from her chest. “Did you just laugh at me? Do you really think that was a smart idea?”

  At that moment, Mallory’s posse joined in and stood protectively at her side, all five of them glaring at Violet. Violet had learned that Mallory was the one in charge. Then there was Jack, Mallory’s twin brother, a talented musician with a long black ponytail. Next, there was Savannah, who had red hair down to her butt and had been Mallory’s best friend since preschool. Rose had light brown skin and thick, dark brown hair to her shoulders. The last member was Isabelle, who went by Izzy and towered over the other girls in their school.

  Where are the teachers when I need them? Violet glanced around to see if any of them were in the cafeteria. There should be at least two there during each lunch period to monitor the students.

  The Fierce Five, as Violet referred to them, all moved in her direction, closing in on her. Oh my God, what are they going to do to me? Why won’t someone help me?

  Violet trembled and contemplated running, but they were blocking the only exit. If she turned around, she would be stuck in the cafeteria, and the lunch period was almost over. She panicked as she thought about being late for class. She was never late for anything.

  Izzy spoke. “Why do you read that creepy shit? You’re such a freak.” She stepped forward and shoved Violet.

  Violet stumbled, but caught herself before she fell. She turned around, deciding she didn’t want to deal with them and would rather be late for class than have something worse happen. Violet noticed Savannah try to grab Izzy to stop her, but Izzy escaped her clutches. Izzy pushed Violet from behind, causing her to trip and fall forward, landing on her hands and knees on the sticky cafeteria floor. Her backpack fell from her shoulder and she scrambled to grab it before Mallory could try to take it. Snickers echoed from all around the room.

  Violet’s face burned as she stood, and her legs trembled. She could barely find the strength to get to her feet. A sophomore boy she had noticed around school walked over to them. His brown hair curled adorably around his ears and his green eyes seemed to see into her soul. He held out his hand, and she stared, not knowing what to do.

  “I’m Jess,” he said with a hesitant smile.

  “Violet,” she replied, shaking his hand limply.

  “Don’t let them get to you. They’re all bitches,” he said loudly, as a grin spread across his face.

  Izzy rolled her eyes and Mallory scoffed as she glared at them.

  “Oh, how the mighty have fallen,” Mallory called out to Jess. Then she turned to address Violet. “Don’t fool yourself. You could never get a guy like Jess.”

  The bell rang, and lunch was over. The group dispersed through the doorway.

  “I’ll walk you to class?” Jess offered.

  All Violet could do was nod in response and smile shyly. She didn’t even care about Mallory’s rude remark. All she could think about was how cute Jess’s curly brown hair was and how she hoped she didn’t screw this up. Whatever it was.

  Oh my God! Why is he talking to me? What am I supposed to say?

  “You’re new here, right?” Jess asked as they walked side-by-side to her English classroom.

  Violet nodded and avoided eye contact.

  “How do you like Asheville so far?”

  At this, she sighed, unable to hide her resentment for the city where she didn’t belong.

  Jess laughed. “That bad, huh?”

  “I miss my friends,” she replied softly.

  “Yeah, I can understand how that would be hard. Where did you move from?”

  “Michigan.”

  “Oh. Too far to visit much.”

  “Yeah,” Violet responded, finally looking at Jess in a daze as they stopped in front of her English classroom. She was already late, but she didn’t want to leave him.

  “This is my next class.”

  “Okay. Wanna eat lunch with me tomorrow?”

  She stared at him, wondering if she was dreaming or imagining it all. She did that sometimes—pictured her life the way she wished it was, so she didn’t have to deal with reality. Her parents always said her head was in the clouds, but most of the time, it was the only way she could survive—to pretend her life was the way it appeared in her dreams.

  “Sure,” she replied with a small smile.

  “Cool, see you then.” He waved as he walked down the hallway, presumably to his next class.

  When he was gone, Violet allowed herself to smile fully before opening the classroom door. Maybe Asheville wasn’t so bad after all.

  ***

  The next twenty-four hours passed in a blur as she eagerly awaited
meeting Jess for lunch the following day. She barely paid attention in her classes and ignored her parents when they asked about school. Her older brother, Glenn, called her a zombie when he passed her the meatloaf at dinner. She accidentally dropped the heavy platter because she wasn’t paying attention.

  Thankfully, her younger sister, Emilia, who preferred to be called Em, chattered throughout dinner about the upcoming cheerleading tryouts at her middle school. Her inane chatter was a welcome distraction. From the sound of it, even though school had barely started, Em was already popular and would most likely make the cheerleading squad. Violet wished she could make friends as easily as her outgoing little sister.

  Everything in life was easy for Em. At least, that’s how it appeared to Violet. Maybe that’s how life was for beautiful people. While Violet worked her butt off for good grades, Em always had nearly perfect grades without seeming to study much. She had been a cheerleader at her old school. She already had boys asking her out on dates—but their parents had strict rules about not dating until high school. Em pouted every time she had to turn down a boy’s invitation to hang out alone.

  Glenn, on the other hand, wasn’t like either of his sisters. He had graduated from high school last spring before they moved, but he didn’t know what to do next. His mediocre grades and lack of extracurriculars meant he hadn’t been accepted to any of the colleges he applied to, so he still lived at home. He had wanted to stay in Michigan, but without a job or any money saved, he had no option but to move to North Carolina with the rest of his family. He seemed almost as unhappy about the move as Violet. However, he had more options than Violet. He was seventeen, practically an adult, and he could get a job or apply to a local community college—there was an entire world waiting for him—but he chose to stay at home sulking about his miserable life.

  After dinner, Violet went upstairs to her bedroom to do her homework. She opened her geometry textbook and scrutinized the assigned equations for the night. It was all gibberish. Math was her weakest subject. Besides, how could she possibly concentrate on geometry when the cutest boy at her new school had invited her to eat lunch with him tomorrow?

  She grabbed her phone from her bedside table and sent a quick text to her friend Abby.

  Violet: You’ll never guess what happened to me today.

  Abby: What?

  Violet: I met a cute guy at school. His name is Jess. :)

  Abby: OMG! Tell me everything!

  Violet: He walked me to class and invited me to eat lunch with him tomorrow.

  Abby: Vi, that’s awesome! Sounds like things are looking up for you. Let me know how it goes tomorrow.

  Violet returned her attention to her homework. After a few hours of boring geometry, she turned on the TV in her bedroom. She scrolled through Netflix and clicked on Gilmore Girls, one of her favorite comfort shows. While watching the episode when Dean and Rory kissed for the first time, Violet wondered what it would feel like to kiss Jess.

  ***

  September 17, 2019

  The next day, the first few hours of school seemed to drag by as if time had slowed down to half-speed. Violet kept anxiously checking the time and waiting for the lunch bell to ring. When it finally did, she bolted out of class. She had packed her things several minutes before the end of class, despite her teacher’s warning that class wasn’t over.

  Violet was the first one out of the classroom. As she practically ran down the hallway, she realized people were staring at her like she was crazy. Her cheeks heated, and she slowed down, trying to force herself to walk at a normal pace. When she entered the cafeteria, she waited in the line for a slice of pizza. She had already analyzed her lunch options for the best choice. This was her first time eating lunch with a boy, and she didn’t want to embarrass herself. She hadn’t considered the pizza grease, though, so she hastily grabbed a fork and knife. Would that make her look weird? What if Jess thought she was a pig for eating pizza and not like a salad or a grilled chicken wrap?

  She froze in the line before someone behind her prodded her roughly in the back.

  “Can you hurry up?” they rudely said.

  “Uh, sorry,” Violet mumbled. She paid for the pizza and a soda and headed over to the drink station to fill her empty cup.

  After the lid was securely on the cup, she scanned the room for Jess. Did he sit at the same table every day? What were his friends like? She hoped they liked her.

  She spotted him at the same table as yesterday, by the windows that overlooked the grassy courtyard outside. As she approached the table, she swore everyone in the room could hear her heart thudding erratically. She thought her heart would explode at the thought of eating lunch with someone she found attractive. She idly wondered if all girls her age were this nervous around boys or if it was yet another symptom of her anxiety.

  “Hey,” Jess greeted her with a warm smile as she set her tray down. He was at the table by himself.

  “Hi.” Violet sat across from him.

  After Violet had settled into a spot, a girl of average height with purple hair plopped down next to Jess, looked at Violet, then raised an eyebrow.

  “Hi?”

  Jess chuckled. “Sorry, Kayla. This is Violet. She’s new here, and Mallory has been bothering her, so I invited her to eat lunch with us.”

  Kayla nodded slowly and looked sideways at Jess before making direct eye contact with Violet. “Nice to meet you.” She picked up her burger and took a huge bite. Ketchup dripped down her chin and she swiped it away with a napkin, as if it wasn’t a big deal.

  “Nice to meet you too,” Violet replied with a tentative smile.

  Violet wondered who Kayla was to Jess. A friend? A girlfriend? Friends with benefits? How could she find out?

  Violet hesitantly picked up her pizza slice and took a few dainty bites. She felt self-conscious when she realized Kayla was staring at her.

  Kayla’s burger was already almost gone. “Sorry to hear about that bitch targeting you. What did you do to piss her off?”

  “She’s had it out for me since we met on the first day of school,” Violet said, setting her pizza down. “All I did was accidentally bump into her.”

  “Seriously?” Kayla shook her head. “She’s the worst. Jess would know,” she added with a glance at Jess.

  Jess frowned at Kayla. “Don’t,” he warned.

  Kayla shrugged. “So, if you want to be friends with us, let me get a few things out in the open.”

  Jess groaned dramatically. “Come on, give her a break. You don’t need to start in with all that stuff now.”

  “What stuff?” Violet asked, looking back and forth between Jess and Kayla.

  “Kayla, cut it out. You’re going to scare her away.”

  Kayla smiled sweetly and leaned in across the table. “If you could have one thing, what would it be? What’s your deep, dark desire? Even if it’s something bad. And be honest.”

  “You just met her. She’s not going to be able to answer that yet. At least, not honestly.” Jess glanced at Violet. “You can ignore her.”

  But something about Kayla made her want to answer honestly. Kayla seemed confident, and cool, and Jess clearly liked her—whether romantically or otherwise, that remained to be seen—either way, she wanted to fit in. She wanted to be friends with them. It was the only promising option. She didn’t want to spend the next three years stuck in a town, hating her life.

  “I want Mallory dead,” Violet blurted out without thinking. She immediately regretted her brutal honesty. What had she been thinking? “I mean—”

  Kayla laughed and rolled her eyes as she finished her burger. “You and half the school, probably.” She paused, sizing up Violet, and Jess nodded. “We can make that happen.”

  Violet gripped her lunch tray until her knuckles turned white and glanced at both Jess and Kayla, trying to determine what they were thinking. Was this some kind of joke? Why had she said that? It was a stupid answer, so now they were treating her like she was stupid.

  “I was kidding,” Violet said with a weak laugh. She tried to loosen her fingers from the tray.