"If this is a joke, there has better be a valid reason, otherwise I'm out of this club with immediate effect!" I yell at Peri and Brix, with the former immediately shutting the diary, and the latter throwing uneasy glances at the ceiling, as if she were meant to hide something more.

Since neither gives me a satisfying answer, I insist. "Okay, then I'll leave. And I'll make sure everyone knows about this pathetic, sad excuse of a club. You literally protect perverts!"

My friends' worry turn into indignation. Peri stands up, her eyes locked into mine in a glared filled with fire and poison. "Rieleigh. How dare you? Do you realize you'll get us in major trouble if you do what you promise?"

"You tried to find excuses for that creep!" I point my finger at her, not caring about whatever deadass explanation she has to offer. "Don't tell me you think that's romantic. It's not a love letter, it's an invitation to fuck me. It's predatory!"

Now, Peri's voice is a deafening roar. "You're exaggerating! Get a fucking grip, or get out of this house. Forever." Her voice turns ice cold in a matter of seconds. The Burden of Breaking Hearts Club is dangerous. It can destroy friendships, make fools out of people who thought they'd simply share their experiences in terms of relationships and feelings.

If the price to pay to destroy the club is to give up on a long standing friendship, so be it. I'm not accepting compromises on who I am, my values, to fit in. I'd rather be an outcast for the rest of my life than turn into someone I'd never want to be.

"I have a fucking integrity, Peri. I'm not accepting that shit. No way. If I see that shmuck, whatever his fucking name is, I'll punch him until he's unable to even approach a girl. Fuck him." I collect my belongings and prepare myself to leave that room. I can't stand it anymore.

Brix shakes her head and sneers. "Next time, ask yourself if your so-called 'integrity' can stand the truth. Sweet dreams, snowflake." How dare she? Who the fuck does she think she is? With friends like her and Peri, it's like having enemies. I should've realized earlier.

"Fuck off, both of you! And, on Monday, I'd better not see any of you trying to set me up with that sucker! Hope you have your worst nightmares ever!" As I spit these venomous words, I leave the room, slamming violently the door behind me. I can hear one of them calling me out for that, but I don't care. I want to go home, lock myself in my room and not go out until I'm certain that fucking club is on borrowed time.

I'll destroy The Burden of Breaking Hearts before more people fall victim to it.

***

It's been a week since I last talked to Peri or Brix. We have carefully avoided each other and I've made sure not to name the club or anyone involved with it. I've just buckled up and focused on quizzes, even though I'm not sure I performed well.

At home, my parents and Ella have noticed how in distress I am, unfortunately for me. I'm tempted to them about The Burden of Breaking Hearts, but, for now, I simply mention my argument with Peri and Brix, as well as the creepy interest from Lyndall.

Ella is shocked. She exclaims, "That guy is a weirdo! Has he even got an idea of how to approach girls?"

"Yeah, that's the point! But Peri and Brix insisted there was nothing wrong with it." My complaint, although it earns attention from my family, isn't taken seriously enough.

"Come on, Rieleigh. Are you sure things are as you see them? Have you tried to talk to that guy?" Mom's suggestion is outrageous. I can't, and won't, talk to that guy. He can go and make disturbing remarks on other girls' bodies if he wants.

"No way! He's a pervert! He said I'm hot, but in a-"

"So what? Relax. If he thinks you're hot, then take the compliment and that's it. Don't go looking for ulterior motives unless there's a valid reason to, or unless you know him better." Mom's stern warning doesn't sit well with me. She's basically saying I should give that scumbag a chance because "he probably misworded his feelings for me."

I've had enough. Not even Mom and Dad support me. They believe I'm clouded by prejudice and all that other shit. I leave dinner early as I feel a knot in my stomach. Ella tries to follow me, but Mom and Dad call her back at the dinner table and she complies.

I'm alone. I can't count on anyone to destroy the club.

***

More time has passed, but things haven't changed for the better. Instead, they have become way worse. Not only Peri and Brix don't talk to me, they also hang out with The Burden of Breaking Hearts clique and use their role in the club to belittle me and make me feel worthless. I can't believe a simple argument had them pull a whole 180.

The club has turned the entire school against me. A group of girls, led by Ashlea and Meghan, throw tennis balls at me and I have no chance to dodge them. One ball strikes my left eye, leaving it swollen. But I'm not allowed to go to the medic—they circle me. Ashlea and Meghan snicker at me. "This is what happens when you go against The Burden of Breaking Hearts Club," says the former, her voice a dark hiss.

I beg them to let me go, but Meghan kicks my thigh. "Shut up!" she yells. "You have to pay for disrupting the harmony our club. Brix told us everything. Traitor!"

I can't even cry, because they'll mock me to no end. The Burden of Breaking Hearts is a coven of bullies and no-one seems to have any redeemable qualities. Not even Peri or Brix. I have to either swim on my own to the end of this school year or sink to my demise.

When the school day is finally over, I don't go home. I won't give my parents the satisfaction to see me miserable. Instead, I walk for miles without a destination. I notice a small ice-cream parlor and stop by. I count the coins in my wallet. I barely have enough for a small cone.

The lady at the parlor notices me and asks, "What brings you here?"

I shake my head. "I just found this place by chance." Realizing I have nothing to lose, I vent my thoughts. "Well, it has been a horrible day. The latest of many, but not the last."

"Why so?"

"Well, I joined an after school club not long ago. The Burden of Broken Hearts. The problem is, I discovered something unsettling on my first day there." The ice-cream lady freezes as she listens to these heavy words.

"Because of that, I wanted to leave. My best friends, well, ex friends, didn't take it well. All because I threatened to expose what I perceived to be disgusting behavior by one club member—and that's only part of it."

"Oh, dear. I can't imagine how horrible it must've been for you, to be betrayed and discredited just because you discovered their painful secrets." Although this nice lady wants to reassure me, all I can do is cry. I don't think I can find the force to say more.