Falling Too Far

Chapter 6- Crab biscuits.

I walked down the hallway to my locker. I could see the heads of a few people followed me as I moved forward, eyeing me, unaware of the anxiety that was starting in me. I guess word got round.

I kept my head down, trying not to be noticed and to minimise all the attention being directed towards me. Kind of hard when you have bright red hair, you broke into tears in your History lesson, and the popular boy who has only been here for one day carried you out of the classroom while comforting you. As I said, kind of difficult.

I reached my locker and grasped the handle firmly with my hand, pulling it open. A piece of paper, small and lemon yellow fluttered out, drifting to land by my feet. I stared down at it before looking around at the other students self-consciously. If I bent down with them watching it would look like I was a giant klutz again, as it would appear as if I had dropped something. Once confirming that no eyes were on me, I leaned down to pick it up, smoothening the crumpled paper.

I'm sorry about yesterday, Angel. -H

It was written in a black, messy scrawl. I groaned and crumpled up the paper, before stuffing it in the pocket of my bag. How dare he try to apologize?

I gathered my textbooks and stuffed it in my bag, quickly, uncomfortable being around so many people.

"Hey, aren't you the one who broke down in History yesterday? Who does that? You are so weak!" A voice shouted from somewhere behind me, undoubtedly directed towards me. I stiffened at his words, afraid to turn around and face the sea of students who were now whispering and occassionally sniggering at me.

"Don't listen to them," I whispered softly to myself, hunching my back in attempt to block everybody out. "Don't listen to them."

I repeated the chant to myself, but it wasn't working. I felt the panic rising in me, growing like a balloon, their cruel laughter was the air. Where is Emma? I thought frantically. She would help me.

I felt it. The hand clutching around my throat, preventing my breathing. I felt like walls were closing in around me, pressing me tighter into myself. I was suddenly very aware of the slightest sound, I picked up every word of the hushed whispers, I heard the little rings in their laughter. I grabbed my bag, ripping at it, trying to grab my book. Books were my salvation, when I was having a panic attack I would read a book, it would make me forget about everyone else and make me get sucked into it's world, where everything was alright. It would direct my attention away from the monsters outside.

I couldn't do it. Everything went blurry as I fumbled desperately with the zipper. I couldn't grasp it, my hands kept slipping, clammy with sweat. Everything was going out of focus, my locker door spinning around, the neon orange of my bag just a blur, the floor no longer under my feet. Suddenly, my eyes focused on something in front of me, something as bright and radiant as the sun, everything still a blur but what I saw in front of me.

A pair of deep, green eyes.

The shaking of my body stopped as I stared. "My book," I whispered hoarsely, trying to gesture to the bag. I saw the shape behind the green eyes comply, their hand a blur as they pulled out my book and handed it to me gently. I took it from them gratefully, opening it to a random page and focusing in on the words. There was nothing now, nothing but the book and me as I read the words. My heartbeat calmed down, my shaking stopped, everything around me went back to order as the character's pulled me in, intriguing me. FInally, I raised my head up from the book, only to be greeted with shouting. But not at me.

"What the hell is wrong with you guys? Can't you see what is happening to her? Just shut up, all of you!"

It was Harper. He stood a metre away from the locker, his hands clenched into fists, his feet apart in a defensive stance. His hair was messy, (probably for making out with some girl) and he was confronting the students who were awkwardly shifting their weight from foot to foot, quite surprised. After all, the player, the heartless, the most popular boy in the school was defending me.