Blossom 🌸

FORTY EIGHT 🌸

Golden sunlight seeped in through the patterned glass of the girls restroom, casting crystal-like shadows on the floor.

The whole place smelt of cleaning products and freshly mopped floors. I changed from a white top to a black one and sponged at the stain with hand soap and a paper towel. This shirt cost me twelve dollars fifty, I'd be damned if I didn't try to rescue it.

When satisfied I pushed the door open and entered the ghostly hallway once more, except now I could hear noise. My feet froze on the spot, my ears pricked up like a Christmas elves. Laughter. His laughter. Shit.

I darted into one of the orchestra classrooms and slammed the door closed.

"Fearne?" Shit! "You okay?" I turned slowly towards the voice that belonged to Carlton.

Figures, I hide away in the very room that they're in.

Arlo sat on the teachers desk, legs parted with Carlton standing between them. They were sort of hugging but also not.

"Mmhmm." I mumbled a reply, gasping for air like an asthmatic. Our eyes met, Arlo's and mine. Then he pulled away and glanced down at his lap.

"Were you running from someone?" Yeah. You.

"Uh no."

He glanced down at my outfit, leggings, black T-shirt and Nike trainers. I stiffened beneath his gaze.

"Cute shoes." He smiled, just a little. The compliment didn't seem in-genuine but I still hated him.

He had dark hair and hazel eyes. His vampire-like skin was flawless. His outfit was branded but I didn't recognise the brands, probably some high-end designer. He wore a gold chain around his neck, thick and heavy. Those kinds of chains kids got from gumball machines and pretended they were gangsters.

"Thanks, cute..." don't say chain. don't say chain. "Chain." Arlo sniggered beside him.

"Thanks, it's twenty-four karat gold, that's the highest karat you can get. My dad had his private jet fly it in from Japan, had its own seat on the plane. It was made specifically for me by a Japanese designer with severe arthritis and one eye. It was mega expensive, we're talking billions."

"That's...uh...nice." He twirled it between his fingers. It looked like a yellow heap of shit. "I gotta get back outside."

Our eyes held one other until they didn't anymore. Not a single word was spoken between us, yet I could still feel the tension in the air.

I backed away, free to scurry off and bury my emotions deep down inside of me. I instantly climbed on the bus and stayed there until the journey started to this dumb retreat.

I shared one half of Cameron's earphones listening to AC/DC while the bus wheels crunched against the gravel. Eventually we pulled up at a gas station.

"Do not leave the bus unless you need to use the bathroom." Principal Moore told everyone.

He was a stern sixty-something man who never smiled. Today he stuffed his beer belly into the waist band of worn out jeans and that made me feel uneasy, usually he wore a suit.

"We're only here to get gas not to socialise."

It was one of those sticky-hot days where the heat waves were present through the thick air. The heat slapped me as soon as I stepped out of the air conditioned bus.

Several of our school busses lined the parking lot, all following one another to the retreat. I noticed Arlo sitting on the trunk of his dads car across the way, he had shades on and faced up at the sky like he was sunbathing.

My heart swelled to twice it's size. How could he do that? Just sit there, so causal, not even trying but still look so fucking hot he could burn lava.

I picked up the pace, ignoring him and carried on to the gas station.

As I walked past three older men leaning against their truck they whistled at me like I was their dog.

"Hey hot stuff, give us a twirl." I ignored them and carried on walking. "Are you deaf or just playing hard to get?" One of them jumped down from the truck and pulled on my arm. "I like red heads, does the carpet match the drapes?" He smiled at me evilly, gnawing on a piece of wheat.

"Let go of me creep!" I tried to pull away but he pulled me closer to him, he smelt like tobacco, beer and gasoline.

"She said let go." Arlo pulled his hands off of me and shoved him back against the car.

"Arlo leave it" I pleaded. Three big guys against one was not going to end well.

"And who are you? Her boyfriend?" the other two guys surrounded him now. "Anyone ever tell you sharing is caring."

Arlo punched him in the jaw and suddenly a fight broke out, two guys holding Arlo back at the arms, the other one punching him in his face and stomach.

"What the fuck?" Jordan came out of the gas station with two plastic bags in his hand. He dropped them and came running over to Arlo.

In one strong shove he managed to get the guys off him and then he grabbed the third by the collar and pushed him back into his car.

"Fucking lay a finger on my son and I'll make sure you've got no fingers left." He opened the car door and slammed it on the guys hand, the guy screamed in pain and the other two men took a step away with fear.

Jordan turned to face us, he slapped Arlo upside the head. "Seriously? I leave you alone for one minute. You know your principal is a dick if he sees you fighting he'll make you go home. Get in the car." He picked up his bags and started walking away.

Arlo stood staring at me, holding his bleeding lip. I was breathless, nervous. "You need to go in there?" He pointed at the gas station with his chin.

Those were the first words he had spoken to me for weeks and all I could do was nod.

"I'll be right there." He called to his dad.

"Get in the car now, Arlo." Jordan replied through gritted teeth.

Arlo tilted his head to me "come on." He started walking toward the gas station, Jordan kept calling after him.

I used the grubby restroom, trying not to touch a single thing. 

When I came out Arlo was at the register paying for stuff. Five big bottles of vodka and a packet of hard boiled rosy apples.

I hovered behind him, my stomach whirling around like a damn tumble dryer. This was awkward. I hated the silence so I looked down at his candy and attempted an icebreaker.

"Can I have one?" We walked out of the shop together and he crinkled the packet open.

I smiled, reaching in but he squeezed my hand trapping it inside the packet.

My eyes shot to his.

"Why are you playing with my head Blossom when you know it's already so fragile?"

"Arlo, I swear to god get your ass in this car right now." His dad honked his horn aggressively.

We stood staring at one another, neither one of us knowing what to say.

"Arlo!" His dad called again. Arlo shook his head and tightened his lips. Regretfully he started walking towards his car. "Do I even want to know why it sounds like you've got glass bottles in those bags?" Jordan asked as Arlo clanged his way back to the car.

"No." He admitted.