The Girl in the Hoodie

5

"What the fuck do you clowns want?!" I groan.

Everyone stares at me.

"Jeez, Nev, all we did was sit down." Max breaks the silence.

I take a deep breath.

"Look, I'm sorry." I sigh. "I have ADHD and I didn't take my pills this morning."

Meg stares at me in surprise.

I can see why. I don't like people knowing I have ADHD. I don't trust people very easily either because I don't like letting people in.

I guess I trust these buffoons though.

"Oh." Max pops his lips. "Eggo?"

I look down at his outstretched hand which is holding an Eggo waffle wrapped in glad wrap.

I give him a small smile and take it from him. "Thanks."

"Oh my god, she smiled at me!" He cheers. "Nevaeh smiled at me!"

Everyone breaks into their own conversations and I just sit there.

My leg bounces up and down and I constantly tap my finger on the table.

"I have Ritalin in my locker." Noah whispers to me. "You want some?"

"Please?" I whisper back.

"Come on." He nods. We get out of the picnic and stand up. "We'll be right back."

We start walking away.

"Have fun!" Max yells after us. "But not too much fun!"

*~*

"Here." Noah hands me the bottle and shuts his locker. "You can have them."

"Are you sure?" I question.

He nods. "Yeah. Don't need them anymore."

I pop a pill in my mouth, unscrew the top off the water I was carrying and gulp down the pill, everything immediately slowing down.

"Noah, why do you have Ritalin in your locker anyway?" I ask him after a few seconds.

He tenses slightly. "Uh, my brother had ADHD. I always kept a bottle in my locker just in case."

"Oh, does he come to this school or...?"

He stiffens, the slightest bit of sadness on his face. "Not anymore."

Part of me wants to dig for answers, but that could result in him snapping at me, or, well, killing me. He doesn't know my past and I don't know his. Plus, it's none of my business. And I only met him a few days ago.

"Let's get back to the others before they think we did have too much fun." I suggest, changing the subject.

He looks grateful at the subject change and gives me the smallest of smiles.

We walk back in silence and as soon as we sit down, Jenny Lingard -Queen Bitch of the school- struts over.

"Hey, Megan." She smiles.

"Uh, hey?" Megan looks confused.

Obviously. Jenny has never talked to either of us. It's a miracle she even knows her name.

"You never told me you knew Noah, Max and Dylan."

That explains things.

"We didn't up until a few days ago." I pipe up, rolling my eyes under my hood.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name." She smiles sweetly, but I can see her eyes narrow slightly at the close proximity between Noah and I.

"I would be cliché and say 'I never threw it'," I start. "But lets be real here. We've been in every class together for the last two years, yet you never bothered to learn my name because your head's so far up your ass."

Dylan's mouth drops open slightly, Max lets out a quiet 'ooohhh', Megan giggles behind her hand, and I see Noah smirk a bit from the corner of my eye.

She doesn't seem to have a comeback so she changes the subject.

"What's under that hood?" She questions with a sneer.

She reaches over to pull it off, but my hands shoots up and grabs her wrist.

"Touch my hood, and I'll rip of your arm and bitch slap you with it." I growl.

She pulls her hand away, scowling at me.

"What's with the hood, anyway? Are you so hideous that you need to hide your face." Jenny scoffs, smirking at her insult.

Megan opens her mouth, but I glare at her from under my hood, making her shut up.

"She's hideous?" Noah questions. "Coming from the bitch who cakes her face. Why don't you eat some of that makeup? Maybe it'll make you somewhat more decent on the inside."