2.3 | Notorious ✓

05 | oblivious

"I've been searching for him all over school, and I can't find him."

Something in Greg's tone sent a sharp tingle of worry through every nerve of my being. He didn't say anything, but I knew what he meant, I saw the harsh reality that was staring us in the face - we were still stuck in Hell Week, and there were ambushes set up everywhere, all over.

Never, ever, let your guard down.

I glanced at Greg, the fear in my eyes was clear as crystal, and he immediately began to head towards the direction of the school building. I followed as quickly as I could, clutching the strap of my bag tight in my fingers.

"I swear, Scout," he snapped, when I caught up with him. "If Callum's hurt, the rest of us won't let your friends off that easy."

"Jason's just a little mad about Hell Week, that's all. He's still pretty rational."

But there was no telling if I said it to reassure him, or myself. I had no guarantees that Jason could think with a levelled-head. Perhaps there came a time when you got pushed too far and hurt too much, you just lost all semblance of rationality.

"Your faith in your friend is alarming," Greg returned, his tone almost sardonic. "Then again, you always have seen the best in people, haven't you? That's what made Callum fall for you in the first place."

That's what made Callum fall for you in the first place.

He'd said it so nonchalantly that I could not stop myself from pausing in surprise, my eyes widening.

"He what?" I blurted. My heart was hammering in my chest, nails digging deep into my palm as my fingers curled around the strap of my back. And even as I asked that, hope surged through me, an idiotic smile threatened to spread on my face.

Greg rolled his eyes and continued walking. "Please. It was so obvious. Didn't you ever catch him staring at you like an idiot whenever we walked past you in the hallway? He always thought you'd already figured it out yourself - given the fact that your friend Burke never stopped being an ass about it."

Even though Jason and I weren't friends anymore, I couldn't help but jump to his defence. After all, this was the guy who'd stood by me ever since I was ditched by Alexia.

"Come on," I told Greg, trying to match my strides with his. "When was Jason ever an ass? All you guys ever did to him was push him around and treat him like he was beneath you, and - "

My voice trailed off as Greg turned to look at me. Even if that surge of confidence had led me to say what I really felt, my courage left me seconds later, the words shrivelled and dried on my lips.

Instead of being angered, like I expected he would be, Greg simply smirked. "And what?"

There were a lot of things I had to say, wanted to say. Things like how I wanted all the bullying to just stop. Forever. I wanted them to stop treating Jason and the others like scum beneath their feet. I wanted there to be no divide, I wanted there to be no bullies or bullied. Just people. People who treated other people with basic respect because that was the least we all deserved. Every single one of us.

But I couldn't, because some things just weren't easy to say. Instead, I shook my head and ducked away from Greg's probing gaze.

"Maybe it's just your stupid optimism getting in your way of seeing people for who they really are," He started, his voice marginally gentler than it'd originally been. "But things aren't always as they seem, and to understand everything you have to see the bigger picture."