Rainbow woke up as the sun hit her face the next morning. It was the first night in a while that she hadn't had a nightmare. It felt strangely refreshing to wake up happy. As her eyes slowly opened, her gaze fell to her hand which had been holding the mattress tightly all night. It ached badly and she winced as she attempted to move it.
After she'd got showered, dried and dressed, she left the dorm and immediately bumped into Barry's big chest. She stepped back slowly and he grinned menacingly down at her. All her joy quickly converted to guilt and fell to her stomach as fear encompassed her body. She'd pushed against him beating up Gary. He was definitely going to kill her.
"Dimond's in the dorm i-if you want to see her..." She stuttered, quickly trying to get back in the dorm before he slammed his hand down on the door frame, making her flinch and stare at it. He grinned more, making him seem slightly unhinged.
"You're so thoughtful! But I'm actually looking for you." Barry answered, stroking Rainbow's cheek with his spare hand. She flinched as he touched her and her knees started to tremble. What was wrong with him? He wasn't acting like Barry...
"After all, how else would I get to talk to you?" He asked, brushing her fringe out of her eyes. She noticed the people walking past behind them and suddenly understood why he was acting like this. She was his 'girlfriend'...
"Someone has crossed too many lines..." he whispered in her ear. Even though it was a threat, her cheeks pinked up. It was just embarrassment... She didn't like him anymore... or at least that was what she told herself.
"Someone is going to prove that they are loyal to the group." Barry continued, pulling back and locking eyes with her. Her eyes filled with fear. Prove herself? How? Loyalty to the group? He'd lost his mind! She thought. Then he suddenly grabbed her face, thumb on one cheek, fingers on the other. It hurt so much that she thought he would pop her head.
"We're making fun of the nerds later, and you're joining in. Otherwise, you're out." He informed her, and pulled back. He started to walk down to the cafeteria for lunch, leaving her confused, scared and flustered.
"Wait!" Rainbow called out to him before she knew what she was saying. She stood up a little taller and walked over to him. The truth was that she couldn't face the idea of being pushed out of the group. She had no other friends and anyone she tried to make friends with either made fun of her or avoided. It only deepened her existing anxiety and made her push away anyone else, scared that they would be using her as a joke or to fulfil a dare. She tucked a lose strand of hair behind her ear.
"You're right. You should start proving yourself to me right now!" He grinned once more and held out his hand towards her. "You coming, my dearest girlfriend?" He questioned dryly, making a chill run down her back. She walked over to him and went to hit his hand away, but he grabbed hers instead and started walking again. She pulled her hand out of his and crossed her arms. He could be so forceful she thought.