Decisions and Mayhem | ✓

Chapter 6

The next day, when I got to school I made a point to avoid Jay at all costs. My skin was still crawling with disgust and assumed seeing him would only make things worse. Thankfully, I didn't see the bully with dirty blond hair for most of the school day, and I eventually started to let my guard down and relax.

"Is something wrong?" David asked me during lunch. I looked up from my food to stare at him, still chewing the food in my mouth as I shook my head. David bit his bottom lip, narrowing his eyes at me in a way that told me he didn't believe me before he looked away. I looked back down at my food, realizing that Tim, who'd started making it a habit to sit with us, was giving me an odd look.

Lunch passed by, and I eventually got to head for one of the few classes I didn't have with David—biology.

When class was over I made to change my books at my locker. I had completely relaxed now since it was almost time for the last school period and I hadn't seen Jay all day.

"Hey, Ant."

Too soon. I scolded myself mentally as I made to close my locker door. I found Jay resting against the locker beside mine. I tried not to let the fact that I was panicking on the inside show on the outside. I bit my bottom lip, adjusting the strap of my backpack before attempting to walk past him like I hadn't heard him call me.

"Wait," he said, taking a hold of my hand. I turned, snatching my hand back before looking straight at him with a frown. The hall was emptying out since everyone was heading for class, and it was beginning to bother me that we might, in fact, be the only ones here in a little while.

"What?" I asked, wanting to get whatever was about to happen over and done with.

"Come on, say something," I groaned when he just smiled at me instead of talking.

"Can I have your number?" he asked, making my frown lines deepen as I stared at him like he'd lost some brain cells - which was probably the case.

"Come on, don't look at me like that. I just want your number," he said, leaning off the locker beside mine before reaching into the pocket of his blue school trousers to retrieve his phone.

"Here, just write your number and I'll let you leave," he said with a smile as he stretched out his large iPhone to me. "Come one, take it."

After a while of thinking about it, I took his phone from him, making to type in a wrong number so that he'd leave me alone. The bell for the next class had gone off a while ago, and I knew we were now officially the only ones left in the hallway.

"it better not be a fake number."

For fuck's sake. I thought, making to press the backspace on his phone's keyboard before typing in my actual number. I just wanted to leave. I was probably going to get a detention slip for later next week as it was already.

"Thanks," Jay said when I handed his phone back to him. I turned to start leaving, but he took a hold of my hand again.

"Chill. I want to call your phone now." I rolled my eyes, waiting for him to do what he wanted. He dialed my number, and soon enough my phone's default ringtone rang through the hallway. Jay cut the call, finally letting go of my hand.

"Good. I was just checking," he said before waving his phone over his head. I found myself looking away from his smiling face. It was odd and out of place - weird. I was only used to seeing him frowning, and now his smiley-go-happy look was creeping me out.

"Can I leave now?" I asked, before making to leave when Jay nodded at my question. I headed for my Spanish class, muttering an apology when I walked into the class and interrupted a presentation. I looked around the classroom after I got a short briefing from the teacher, groaning when I noticed that the only free seat was beside Alissa.

Why? Why was whatever being that was up in the sky trying to make a comedy skit out of my life?

"Antonio, you should take a seat," my Spanish teacher said, making me look over at her before apologizing and heading to sit down beside the devil herself - Alissa.

The dark-skinned girl turned to me with a grin on her face. "You shouldn't come late to class if you're trying to be valedictorian," she said, turning away immediately after like she'd scored some sort of point. I rolled my eyes., deciding that there was probably no way I was going to convince her that I wasn't, in fact, trying to compete with her for valedictorian. I might as well allow her to continue playing out the imaginary competition between the two of us.

Spanish was my last school period for the day, so when it was over I headed out of the school building to meet up with Juana and David at our usual spot by the school gates. There was a new addition to the regulars - Tim. He even waved at me when I got close to them. I waved back, smiling at him before I turned my attention to my best friend and sister.

I hadn't really been able to concentrate in my Spanish class due to Jay sending me stupid texts during the class. I didn't reply to any of them, but he'd filled my screen up with useless notifications as I'd tried to read the visual novel on my phone in peace. Okay, reading comics in class wasn't paying attention, but that was all I did in Spanish class. It was Spanish - an easy A for me already.

"I know I already asked you this but is something wrong? You've been looking off all day," David asked me out of the blue. I chuckled, running a hand through my dark hair before shaking my head.

"I'm fine. I promise," I said, waving off his accusation before turning to my sister as we waited for the bus to come.

When the bus finally came, students started filling it up. The school gates were soon flooded with people in their blue and white prep school uniforms.

"Aren't you taking the bus?" my sister asked Tim, making him shake his head as he watched us get in.

"I actually live just a few blocks away. I walk home," he said, waving at us before he turned and started walking away. I frowned, wondering why he'd stood with us for twenty minutes. It didn't make any logical sense to me.

"Doesn't Tim have any friends?" I asked David who was sitting beside me. He hummed, taking his headphones off before looking straight at me.

"What?" he asked, making me sigh.

"Does Tim have any friends?" I asked, making David mutter an 'oh' before he nodded at my question.

"He actually does, and that's why I find it odd that he's been tagging along with us. He's friends with a couple of gamers, but he seems to be the only decent-looking one," David said, making me chuckle a bit before looking away. I wasn't sure what David had against gamers or games, but his commentary on them was hilarious.

"You know, he might have some sort of savior complex since you literally beat the shit out of Jay and his goons in front of him," David said, making me shrug as I looked out the window to view the passing scenery.

"That makes sense," I muttered, turning to find David nodding in agreement. Juana was sitting at the back of the bus with her friends, and they were annoying everyone within two rows of them with their loud discussion.

"Hey, Antonio," David called, making me turn to him. His red curly hair was a mess like it usually was at the end of every school day, there was so little a comb and gel could do to make it say in place.

"Did you notice that Jay was acting odd today? He didn't fight with anyone, and he was smiling - what the hell is up with that?" I found myself shivering in disgust at David's question, making my friend look at me with concern.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, making me shake my head as I looked away from him.

"Nothing," I finally muttered, making him let out a sigh.

"If you say so," he replied, putting his headphones back on. Throughout the bus ride home, I kept wondering about how I was going to get Jay off my case without setting him off like the ticking time bomb that he was.