The Water Girl

"Miss Stephenson, wake up!" Our math teacher, Ms. Davis, yells at the girl that's sitting beside me. So, I shake her a little to wake her up and, as always, I get yelled at.

I'm the odd one out... the outsider... the water girl of the football team because I can't play any sports. Whenever I attempt to play sports, my two left feet hold me back. "Don't fucking touch me again, water girl. Now I'll have to scrub my arm until it bleeds to get your nastiness off."

I'm not sure how I have been deemed the nasty girl in school, but it has been this way for a few years now. Thankfully, this is my last year at this school, then I am off to college, hopefully far away from here. I have sent in all my college applications and am just waiting for the right one to accept me. I look over at Marie when she says something else to me. Then my best friend pipes in, telling Marie to take her cheerleading ass on over to the jocks and get her pussy sucked and leave me alone.

"God -Sydney, do you have to be so vulgar?"

"Ah, River, don't start your good girl shit with me. One of us must show them assholes whose queen is around here, and it obviously will not be you."

How I became friends with Sydney Lou Martin is beyond me. She is the opposite of me. She is the life of the party, says what's on her mind and doesn't give a crap about what anyone thinks of her. From head to toe, she wears black clothing, with black lipstick and nail polish. She's beautiful with her long black hair, her blue-green eyes and her hourglass figure. Where I have red to the point, it's almost orange hair, ash gray eyes. I'm 5ish and a little on the heavy side, weighing in at about 150 give or take. Guys love to look at my best friend and ask her out on dates left and right, which she turns down because she plays for the same team. She's never made me uncomfortable with her sexuality by making a pass at me or anything. And truthfully, if I wasn't her best friend and didn't know everything about her, I wouldn't have known she liked girls. She has only had one girlfriend in her lifetime and it only lasted for about 6 months, so maybe it was just a phase and she doesn't know what she wants.

The bell for this class to end has finally rung, and it's finally time for lunch. So, Sydney and I make our way out the door and down to the cafeteria, where we wait in the salad line so I can grab myself a salad. Once we get my salad and I pay the cashier, we make our way over to the pizza station so Sydney can get herself a pizza. One of the football players is in line to get a pizza and, of course, he couldn't resist a jab at me and my weight.

"Damn water, girl.! Shouldn't you just stick to the salad you have in your hands? You keep eating unhealthy foods like pizza. You're going to get too big to run and fetch me my water."

"Thanks for your concern, Arron, but it's unwanted and needed because all I'm eating today is my salad."

"You do not have to explain anything to that douche bag," Sydney hisses at me.

"I was being sarcastic, Syd."

Sydney rolls her eyes at Arron, then leads us over to our table. Luckily, I made it to my table without a hitch. Normally, I end up with most of my food on me before I get to my table.

"Are you okay Riv? "Sydney asks me once we get sat down.

"Yes, I'm used to it by now."

"Wow, River Rock just walked in."

My skin instantly heats at that name. Rock (James Martinez) is not only the hottest guy at school. He is the quarterback and captain, and my biggest hater at Scotts high. To make matters worse, his mom is dating my dad.

"Hey water girl, go get me some food." Rock says, coming over and sitting down at our table like he owns it.

"Fuck off Rock." Sydney says, then gets up and positions herself in between us. I guess she thinks that's going to stop him from harassing me. I go to get up and get him food so he will leave me alone, but my friend is not having that.

"Sit your ass down." Sydney growls.

"Just let me do this Syd so I might eat in peace today."

"You're going to eat in peace, anyway. I will make sure of it," Sydney says between clenched teeth. She really doesn't know what she starts when she does this.

Surprising, Rock gets up and walks over to get his own food, then goes and sits with his girlfriend and the other football players. I get to eat my food in peace for the rest of the lunch hour. Once the bell rings, Sydney and I head to our next class. We make it through our last couple classes and then it's time to go out on the football field to make sure the team has plenty of water.

I wonder if I could get away with putting some laxative tablets in their waters see how good they practice having to run to the bathroom every 5 minutes.

"Yo water girl, get your ass over here with the damn waters," Damion, the linebacker, yells at me. Making me jump out of my daydream.

You know I'm not the only water girl out here, but I'm the only one that gets picked on. I really don't understand what I have done to make them target me. Unlike Tiffany, who's dry humping Rock's leg while giving him water, I'm quiet and keep to myself.

Walking towards the table, I put some more water glasses down on it. Then I walk over to the guys that are standing around waiting to get on the field to see if they want any water. "It's about damn time, water girl." Most of the guys say, but there are some. The freshmen thanked me. But that will soon change once they hear what the other guys call me and the way they treat me, then they will start doing the same.

Once that set of guy's head on the field, the ones that were on the field head off it, so I do the same thing for them. I walk up to them and pour water into the mouths of the ones that want water and get shoved to the side by the ones that don't want water. God, I really don't know why I am doing this... I really hate football. But it's either this or having to hear my dad complain about me not doing anything.

By the end of practice I have everything packed up, and ready to head to the locker room when Rock and his friend Damion walk up behind me, pushing me so hard I fall and the bottles in my hands go flying around the field.

"Oh, damn water girl, I didn't see you standing there." Rock says, then bends down to help me up to my feet, but I slap his hand away.

"Now, now, River, is that anyway to treat your sum to be stepbrother?" Rock chuckles.

God, I hope not.

"My dad will never marry your mother. He loved my mother too much." I spit at him and he sees red. Rock lifts me up off the ground by my shirt, hauling me into his body. "You listen to me, you little bitch."

"James Martinez, put River down right now." Coach barks at him and Rock chunks me to the ground and I land on my butt hard. Once everyone heads to the locker room, I get up and start gathering the bottles that went flying a minute ago back up and put them back in the bags. Coach must have stayed behind because he helped me with the bottles. "You know, Ms. Darby, you really shouldn't let them boys treat you that way."

I know I shouldn't, but I really don't have any choice. "Thanks coach I say." Once he helps me up and gives me the bags to carry to the locker room.

"River, I've known your dad for a long time, and I don't think he would be too happy to know how bad things are for you at school."

"No offense, coach, but you must not know my dad as well as you think you do, because my father couldn't care less." I walk on into the locker room without another word. Once I'm done with everything, I make my way out to my 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee that my dad got me last year after I found out he was dating Rocks of all people's mom. The one person it seems besides my father that hates my guts.

Ms. Gabriela and my mom were college friends, and they stayed friends throughout their adult years until my mom did what she did when I was about 5 years old. I barely get into the cab when my phone rings with my dad's name coming across the face. I answer it on the second ring.

"Hello dad."

"Hello River." Dad answers back. "We are meeting at the restaurant tonight. I would like for you to go home and dress appropriately."

"Can I sit this one out, Dad? I have tones of homework to do tonight."

"River, do not start with your antisocial bull-crap tonight, young lady. Go home and get dressed. Gabriela and I will wait for you. I need you to go over to Gabriela's and pick up the two younger kids. James is already on his way from football practice."

Are you kidding?

"Yes, sir. I will get right on that." Great, I have to play-house with the Martinez's tonight after dealing with the jerk Rock all day today. I pull up to the house then and run up the stairs to my bedroom, where I find a pair of slacks and a blue blouse with a pair of my dress boots. Then I run back out to the jeep and drive down the three blocks to the Martinez house. Once I park in the driveway, the two younger Martinez kids come running out the door and to my jeep.

It sucks that their older brother is such a jerk. Because the two younger kids are so sweet. If it was just them two, I probably wouldn't have such an issue with my dad dating their mom.

"Hey River." Jessica, the second to the oldest Martinez kid, greets me when she gets into the front passenger seat of the jeep. "She is about 15 now, so she just started high school, so she kind of knows what it's like to be the target for the mean kids. The difference is her brother is the QB of the high school football team, so once people learn that tidbit, they leave her alone. Then there's the cute little guy, Abe, the little blonde-haired beauty. He's only 8 years old, but he's already fighting girls off. He looks like his older brother.

Shaking my head out of my fog, I turn and greet the two that got into my jeep. "Hello guys, how was your day at school?"

"It was okay; the kids say. So, do we know why we are going to eat dinner with my mom and your dad Jessica ask me?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." I told her. Once we get to the restaurant, we pile out of the jeep and I give my keys to the ballet. We go to walk into the restaurant at the same time Rock is walking in with non-other than the head cheerleader and longtime girlfriend Amy Smith.

"Well, hello water girl, long time no see," Amy sneers. "Do you work here or something?" She asks me so seriously, but she can't be that stupid, right?

"Have you bumped your head one too many damn times?" Jessica asks Amy. It takes all I have to keep a straight face.

Amy looks over at Rock for help and he leans in and whispers something into her ear.

"Oh, you poor thing." She tells Rock, then they walk into the restaurant like we are not there.

I roll my eyes, then walk in behind them.

Abe puts his hand in mine and whispers to me. "You're so much prettier and smarter than she is."

"Awe thanks buddy."

My dad pays more attention to the three non-related kids than to me, his own daughter. Gabriela gives me a big hug and compliments my looks to make up for it.

I like Gabriela very much. I just don't like her son.

"How are you doing?" I ask her as I step back and sit down beside her and Abe.

"Sweetheart, I'm doing very well. How are things at school she asks me?" Knowing full well the heck I go through on a daily basis. She doesn't quite know most of it is at the hands of her son, but that's for another time.

"Once we all order our drinks, my dad stands up, getting all our attention. He clears his throat then looks over at Gabriela... "Gabriela Maria Martinez; you are my best friend, my true love, my forever person. I cannot see myself with anyone else, so with that, Gabriel Martínez, will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

He doesn't even bother to kneel.

Gabriela, of course, cries and tells my dad yes.

I hear Jessica gasp in shock, and Abe claps his hands together. Finally, Rock is pissed.

I agree with him. That can't be right. I would never agree with that jerk.

"Are you fucking joking right now?" Rock hisses through his teeth? "You cannot marry him, mom. Don't get me wrong, I think you're cool Mr. Jim but, I cannot be known as her stepbrother he says pointing a finger at me."

Funny, not what he was saying earlier today.

"That is enough out of you, James Martinez. Now you apologize to River." Gabriela tells her son and my father has the audacity to tell her it's okay. "I'm sure Rock has a reason for being mean to River."

What in the heck is going on here? Why has my father turned against me these last couple years?

I congratulated Gabriela and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Now I must leave. It seems my father doesn't want me here."

Gabriela smiles at me. "That's not true Riv, and even if it was, I want you here for this big day."

"Thank you for the invite but I really need to leave." I tell her and walk out the door and grab my jeep, then head for the house that I'm not really wanted at anymore.

My dad is someone I would never expect Gabriela to want to marry. He is so cold, self-centered, and arrogant.

I make my way to the house as soon as I get home. I walk up to my room and text Sydney right away.

Me: My dad asked Gabriela to marry him tonight. My life is over.

Sydney: What?

Don't be so dramatic you like Gabriela, right? 🤷‍♀️

Me: It's not her, I don't like Sydney. It's her son. He will make my life heck and you know it.

Sydney: You gotta stop letting him win, River. You have done it all our life. He should not have power over you.