The Night We Met

Chapter Thirteen: Confrontations

Salem tried to walk to her class. Teresa stopped her in the hall and pulled her brown hair into a ponytail. 

"I told you to stay away from him," she said. 

Salem sighed. "I did stay away from him. He just didn't stay away from me. That's not my problem," she said. "It's yours."

Teresa scoffed. "Don't speak to me like that."

"Or what?" she asked. "Are you gonna beat me up again? I'm honestly getting so tired of this shit. Why do you hate me? Why won't you leave me alone?"

Teresa shook her head. "Just leave him alone, alright? This is the last time I'm going to warn you."

Salem looked over Teresa's shoulder and Tobias was watching them with his mouth set in a straight line.

She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "Teresa," she said. "Even if I  leave him alone and distance myself, you are still going to harass me. Nothing I ever do with be good enough for you."

Tobias walked over and looked between Salem and Teresa. "What's going on?" 

Teresa sighed and looped her arm through his. "You should have heard what she said to me," she chirped. 

Tobias pushed her off. "Don't try that bullshit with me," he said. "I heard everything you said to her. Why are you being like this?"

Salem had so many things she wanted to say but she stayed quiet. 

"Why didn't you say anything to me?" Tobias asked her. "I never would have kept dating her if I knew she was the one messing with you."

She pointed to her black eye. 

He grabbed Salem's hand and began walking away. 

"Tobias!" Teresa yelled. 

He turned around and faced her, holding a finger up. "We are so done, Teresa. Don't talk to me again."

She seemed like she was a moment away from stamping her foot like a small child but Tobias just walked out the front doors of the school with Salem. 

The next morning, Tobias was kicked off the football team because the coach knew Teresa's mother. He sat with Salem on the field during lunch. She began eating with him a few days ago. 

She took a bite of her sandwich. "How's your day going so far?" she asked. 

Tobias shrugged and pulled grass from the ground. "I was kicked off the team this morning. Teresa's mom is fucking the coach and Teresa made the break-up entirely my fault."

Salem set down her sandwich. "Oh my God, T, I'm so sorry. I--"

"No," Tobias interrupted, holding up his hand. "Don't apologise. None of this is your fault, m'kay? Don't try to take the blame for Teresa's actions."

"But they were your team."

He shook his head and laced his fingers through Salem's. "They were never my team. A team is supposed to have your back. They let the coach kick me off and sided with Teresa. They are not my team," he said. "You are."

She chewed on her lip. "I just... I don't know. I feel like somehow--"

"Hey." Tobias took her sandwich and shoved a bite into his mouth. "I don't want to hear you talking about how this is somehow your fault. Because it's not. Nothing that has ever happened to you is your fault, okay? So stop it."

She sighed and set her mouth to a straight like. "Goddamnit, Tobias."

He leaned forward a little and took a drink of water. "So. There's a party," he said, changing the subject. 

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I don't do parties."

Tobias groaned and fell backwards onto the grass. "You never do anything fun!" he complained. "Have you ever even been to a party."

Salem took a long drink from her Snapple and stole her sandwich back from Tobias. "No. And I intend to keep it that way."

He grinned at her. "How about we make a deal?"

She grimaced and took a bite of the sandwich. "Hm. I'm not going to like this."

"If you go to this party," he said, "I'll do your English homework."

Salem chuckled and shoved the last bite into her mouth. "We both know you're gonna do my English homework anyway because you're a weirdo and you love the class."

He shrugged. "But this time I get something out of it too."

"Fine," she said. "But I'm only staying for thirty minutes."

Tobias's face broke out into a grin. "Deal."

* * *

Salem's leather jacket was pulled over her white t-shirt and her blue jeans were ripped from kneeling in the garden that was behind the coffee shop. She tugged on lavender Converse and threw her hair into a ponytail. 

When she got to the party, Tobias wasn't there yet. 

The music was so loud it made her head hurt and she stared around wondering how people could actually have fun with this. Jacob walked up to her and shoved a plastic red cup in her hand. "Come on, Salem," he said. "Loosen up. You deserve it. Also, that speech in English class was rad as fuck."

She cocked her head. "Thanks?" She shook her head. "Have you seen Tobias?"

Jacob pointed at his ear. "What?" he shouted above the music. 

"Have you seen Tobias?" she asked, enunciating each word. 

He shrugged. "Nah, man. Tobias doesn't usually come to parties. Was surprised when I heard he was coming to this one."

Salem sighed and threw back her drink. "This conversation is useless," she muttered. 

A few drinks later, she was dancing with the rest of the people in the living room. A tall guy with black hair and green eyes rubbed up against her. 

Salem turned around and looked at him. "Excuse me," she said, pushing away. 

He just moved closer. "Bro." She shoved him off again and he put his arms up as if to say 'you asked for it.'

Suddenly, the room was way too hot and she couldn't breathe. She manoeuvred her way through the crowd, shrugging off her jacket. Once she got outside, she took a deep breath. 

Salem slid her phone from her back pocket. 

Where are you?  she texted Tobias. 

This isn't funny. 

I didn't even want to come, where tf are you? 

She finally gave up when she realised he wasn't reading her messages and wasn't going to. Her brain felt like it was moving around in her head and she pressed her hands against her head. 

She looked over and saw a couple of people standing around on the wrap-around porch. Salem was completely drained of energy and started walking home. 

"Are you okay?" a voice asked her. 

Salem turned around to look at the person. She squinted her eyes. "Amy?"