Tape 1 Side B: KatieGinella

Hey, KatieGinella. It’s me again. Kitty. I bet you thought the first tape was bad. I bet you thought what issyiss did was the lowest anyone could go. The start of it all. But you’re wrong. A snowball can’t start rolling without a little push, can it? And my push… my push wasn’t a rumor. It wasn’t a stolen photograph. It was a fist. And it came from a girl named Katie Ginella. You know her. Everyone knows Katie. She’s popular. She’s got that smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. She walks through the halls like she owns them, and for the most part, she does. People like her, they’re scared of her. They want to be on her side. I used to think that was just high school politics. I used to think it was harmless. I was wrong. I’m not entirely sure what I did to get on Katie’s radar. Maybe I looked at her the wrong way in the hallway. Maybe I was just new, and new is always the easiest target. Or maybe it was because I was seen talking to benopolis, and Katie and Benop… well, let’s just say they have a history. It doesn’t really matter why, does it? The ‘why’ gets lost when you’re cornered. It was after gym class. The worst part of the day for me. The smell of sweat and cheap deodorant, the sound of lockers slamming, the constant reminder that I didn’t fit in. I was taking my time, hoping the room would empty out. I just wanted to be alone. But when I turned the corner to leave, the way was blocked. There she was. Katie Ginella. Leaning against the doorframe like she’d been waiting. And she wasn’t alone. Flanking her were two of her friends, a silent, menacing audience. The smiles on their faces were sharp, like broken glass. “Kitty,” she said. Her voice was so casual, like we were old friends. “We need to talk.” My heart started hammering against my ribs. I could feel the blood drain from my face. I tried to step back, but another one of her friends was right behind me. I was trapped. In the girls’ locker room. A place that’s supposed to be safe. I asked her what she wanted. My voice was a squeak, a pathetic little thing. She didn’t answer. She just took a step forward. And then another. Until she was right in front of me. I could smell her perfume, something sweet and cloying. “You think you can just come here and do whatever you want?” she whispered. “You think you can talk to who you want?” And then she shoved me. Hard. My back slammed against the cold metal of the lockers, the sound echoing in the empty room. The air rushed out of my lungs. I didn’t have time to recover. Before I could even breathe, her fist connected with my stomach. It wasn’t a slap. It wasn’t a push. It was a punch. A real, honest-to-god punch. I doubled over, gasping, the pain white-hot and blinding. I could hear her friends laughing. A high-pitched, ugly sound. Katie grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked my head back. “Stay away from Benop,” she hissed, her face inches from mine. “And stay away from my friends. You’re nothing. You hear me? You’re a nobody.” She shoved me again, and this time I fell. My knees hit the hard tile, and I scraped my palm on the floor trying to break my fall. They stood over me, a triumphant trio. I looked up at Katie, at the cold satisfaction in her eyes. She wasn’t angry. She was enjoying this. She didn’t say another word. She just turned and walked away, her little clique following behind her, their laughter trailing down the hall. The door swung shut, leaving me there. Alone. On the floor. Crying. In the dark. I didn’t tell anyone. Who would I tell? Who would believe me? Katie Ginella, the golden girl, assaulting me in the locker room? They’d say I was lying. They’d say I provoked her. They’d say I was looking for attention. So I just pulled myself up, straightened my clothes, and pretended it never happened. But it did happen. And it changed everything. Before that moment, I was just a sad, lonely girl. After that moment, I was a target. I was weak. And word gets around when you’re weak. It’s like they put a sign on my back that said “victim.” It invited the next thing. And the next. And the next. Katie Ginella didn’t just start a rumor. She didn’t just break my heart. She broke my body. She showed everyone that I could be hurt. That I would be hurt. And for that, she is on this list. You’re on this list, Katie, because you taught me that this place wasn’t just lonely. It was dangerous