Safe And Sound ~Tate Langdon (DISCONTINUED)

0.4

Leah managed to get me down, punching through my raised hands. I reached out with my head turned away from Leah and grabbed my cigarette. I drove the still lit cigarette into her arm, effectively making her scream and jump off me. Before I could be held down by the others I scurried to my feet. 

“She burnt me!” Leah wailed. 

Everyone had disperse, the teachers approaching. I took off running, not wanting to get into trouble. Dad didn’t picks up that day so we had to catch the bus home. My head had stopped bleeding hours ago but there was still dried up blood around the open wound. Apparently both Dom and the twins had witnessed the fight, cheering me on throughout. They promised they wouldn’t tell but I’d get caught eventually. 

When we got home though I saw mum and dad were kissing so I took the opportunity, “busted,” mum laughed. I turned to them and they both looked shocked, “hat happened to your face?”

“I fell,” I shrugged. 

Mum took my face into her hands and looked at my cut, “sit down,” she said then gestured to the kitchen. 

“I’m fine,” I tried to assure her. 

“If you don’t clean those up properly they’ll get infected,” she said. 

“Fine,” I huffed and stomped my foot lightly. 

I watched mum grab the first aid kit, runs hot water on some hand towels, and sit down, “was it a girl or a boy?” she asked kindly. 

“Girls. Three of them,” I breathed. 

“Hope they look worse. You know their names?”

“I’m not narcing,” I said like she was an idiot. 

She was silent for a while, tending to my cuts and scrapes. It’s like she was deep in thought as she did so. I sang to myself in my head to pass the time. 

“You want dad and I to look into switching schools? There are some good private schools around,” she suggested. 

“I’m not scared of them,” I said, looking her in the eyes as best I could. 

“You’re not scared of anything. When you were in kindergarten you had me come pick you up from a sleepover party because the other girls insisted on keeping a night light on,” I let out a breathy laugh and looked at my now ripped stockings. “I think you guys drew the short straw with this one. With the move and all”

“Is dad’s theory right? Were you sleeping with Mr. Myers?” I asked. 

“Absolutely not. We exchanged flirtations once but I love your father and it was over as quickly as it began,” she explained. 

“What are you scared of? You said I’m not scared of anything. But what are you scared of?” I asked. 

“Everything. That’s why  love your father. He’s the only person who makes me feel a little less afraid,” she said with a fond smile. 

When she was done I thanked her and made my way up to my room. I jumped in shock when I saw Tate was lying on my bed, a book in his hand. 

“What happened to your face?” he asked once he’d noticed I was in the room. 

“Just bitches at school,” I said then shut my door. 

“Wanna tell me all about it?” he asked with a smile and sat up. 

“I want to kill her. Ugh I hate her,” I said as I started pacing around my room, rage filling me. 

“Then do it. One less high school bitch in the world making the lives of the less fortunate more tolerable is, in my opinion, a public service,” he said and I laughed lightly. “ Look, you want her to leave you alone? Stop making your life a living hell? Short of killing her, there’s only one solution: scare her. Make her afraid of you, that’s the only thing bullies react to”

“How do I do that?” I asked, sitting next to him. 

“It’s simple. You simply walk up to her and say”

~~

I spun Leah around, looking her deep in the eyes, “I have an offer for you. You stop harassing me and I give you what you want. Drugs. I’m a dealer, a bloody good one at that. Come to my house tomorrow and I’ll give you a free sample. I’ve got the best shit in town,” I smiled darkly and walked off. 

I could tell Leah was intrigued and optimistic. I had no idea what Tate had planned and I was honestly a little nervous to find out. Yes Tate and I had grown close over the past couple of weeks but I still didn’t really know anything about him. 

“Please tell me that was an act,” Dam said, stepping in front of me. 

“Of course dickhead. I’m too tiny to be a dealer,” I told him. 

“What are you going to do tomorrow when she comes over?” he whisper yelled. 

“Chill. I have a plan,” I said then went to walk away but he grabbed my arm. 

“You better have this shit under control. If you so much as lay a finger on her I’m telling mum and dad,” he threatened. 

“Oh. So it’s ok for her to hit me but not for me to hit her?” 

“You started it. You didn’t have to smoke but you did just to piss her off,” he spat. 

“Once someone told me not to take anyone’s shit and stand up for myself. What happened to that guy?”

“He grew up. And you should do the same”

“Unluckily for you “big brother”, that won’t be happening any time soon,” I said then snatched my arm back and walked off. 

~~

“She’s a cokehead. I don’t have coke,” I told Tate in panic. 

“You won’t need it. That’s just an excuse to get her here. She’ll leave empty handed and terrified and I promise you, you’ll never be bothered by her again,” he told me calmly. 

“How am I gonna terrify her? My brother said if I touch her he’s telling my parents. Tate, what am I going to do?”

“Calm down. That’s where I come in,” he said with a sexy smirk and it, oddly, made me feel better.  

People were staring at me as I waked past but it didn’t affect me. I didn’t care what these people thought of me. For what it was worth, I’d rather be feared then loved. When you’re feared, you don’t get hurt. I’d been hurt before and I vowed I’d never, ever, put myself in that position again. And I planned on keeping it that way.