Llemons

The Return

Sorry for the late updates, WiFi problems :( but here it is! Enjoy!

~♡~

The rest of the week went by without event. The jocks acted less and less awkward around me, but there was a noticeable change in their expression whenever we would make accidental eye contact. This odd behavior made me feel torn between wanting to run into Brandon and never seeing him again.

He had five days' suspension, so I wouldn't see him until next week, but still. The more days that passed without me seeing him, the less enthused I was to tell him off. Most of the steam had blown out the kettle, and I didn't know if that was good or bad.

A part of me became hopeful that he just wouldn't come back at all, but another part just as strong knew I would forever be frustrated if I never found out what he had said, or done to the jocks to make them respect me for a whole week. And of course, there was another part of me that was saying maybe it wasn't his doing after all. That part was growing smaller and smaller each day.

The week without Brandon had passed, and besides Kolden no longer going to school with me, everything went back to normal. Brandon's suspension was over, so this was my chance to finally give him a piece of my mind.

I looked for him Monday morning, for usually he came in late with his entourage, but he never showed. We had calculus together, and that was fifth period. I told myself I'd see him then, and then after class, I would confront him.

Fifth period rolled around.

Brandon wasn't there.

I tried to shake the uneasy feeling in my stomach, mostly because I didn't know what is for. Surely it wasn't for Brandon the Bastard. I wasn't worried about him. Why would I be? He's a jerk and he beat up my brother and because of him, Kolden doesn't go to school with me anymore. I told myself the uneasiness in my stomach was for my own selfish reasons, and I was worried I would never be able to get my answers from him.

Yeah. I didn't believe me either.

As much as I told myself I had no reason to be worried about the jerk, my mind kept going back to when I had eavesdropped on his family's squall.

Did the guy who I assumed was his stepdad hurt him? He seemed pretty fed up with him while they were arguing. I thought about the slight red mark of a bruise beginning to form I had seen on Brandon's face that day when I dropped the pill in his hand.

Was his stepdad abusive? I didn't recall seeing a red mark on his face after I stopped him from hitting Kolden. Did his stepdad do that to him?

My mind also wondered to the pills. The little white pills that had scattered throughout the hall after his parents had left. He had said to me when I was behind the corner, in a voice filled with so much hurt and exhaustion, "I.....I really need that..." I realized then that his tone of voice and the look in his wide eyes had never left my mind since that encounter.

I thought about it every now and then, wondering if he had a personality disorder or something. I was noticeably distracted to Elyssa, who had to call my name several times and wave her hand in front of my face to get my attention throughout the day.

Luckily, I was able to play it off with lies that I was thinking about Kolden. The Jimeny Cricket in my mind was adding inches to my nose from the lies I had been telling her lately, but like Pinocchio, I ignored it.

By the time Friday rolled around, I was able to at least pretend I didn't care anymore. I had a life to live, and I'd be damned if I let my focus slip because of some stupid stereotypical bad boy and his personal problems. I went through the whole day with only the smallest part of me thinking about my situation with Brandon.