An Old Family Friend (COMPLETED)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

I spent the rest of the night pretty much avoiding Mum and David at all costs. I didn't want to go through the questions and phone calls to parents. So, before I showed them my ragged appearance, I had to come up with a story… which I just so happened to be horrible at.

So I went to bed early and when I did emerge for dinner, I had sunglasses and a hat pulled low over my face. When questioned about my appearance, I merely said I was still sick and didn't want anyone looking at my running nose and puffy eyes.

The next morning, I decided to brave school. I did my best to cover up the scratches with make-up and succeeded in adding more colour to my complexion.

When I got to school, I was immediately covered in four strong hugs from Georgia, Harry, Penny and Jade.

"Hey guys," I gasped, trying not to wince at the pain they were causing me by pressing up against my bruise.

"Are you alright?"

"How are you feeling?"

"We'll get that bitch back don't worry!"

"She's so going down!"

I forced a smile at my friends' supportive comments and couldn't help but ask, "What the heck is that plan you three were talking about?"

"Hush, Amber, hush. Don't worry your little bruised head with those sorts of questions. We have it all under control," Georgia assured me in an annoyingly mother-like tone.

I replied to her comments with a death-glare that clearly said, "Tell me or else."

"What's that, Penny?" Harry suddenly spoke up in an overly-loud voice. "It's time for first period? Already? Well, we better get going then before Amber asks any more questions, huh?"

They were being infuriatingly unhelpful and I was struggling to keep my temper under control. Didn't they realise that if they did something bad enough to get themselves expelled, their failing senior year would be on my head?

I opened my mouth angrily to verbalize these thoughts but my voice was drowned out by the shrill ringing of the bell. I closed my mouth in a pout as my friends bid their farewells and hurried off to the school.

Shifting my bag on my shoulder into a more comfortable position, I sighed and walked up to the school after my friends. I had Art first up and had to hand in Tristan and my assignment.

"You did it all by yourself?" Tristan managed to whisper in my ear guiltily before we both caught the eye of one of Ashley's friends and immediately separated.

It was definitely going to be a long day.

I was walking outside for lunch when I saw Georgia and Jade running up to meet me halfway down the hall. They were both grinning from ear-to-ear and by their ragged breathing, I had a feeling that they had run around the entire school searching for me.

"What is it? What's happened?" I asked quickly when they reached me.

"Come, quick!" exclaimed Georgia, grabbing my hand and pulling me up the hall at a run.

We hurried down the hall and burst out of the school onto the grass.

My first thought was that the world was ending. The last time I had looked at the weather it had been sunny but now the sky was covered in wolf-grey storm clouds. Also, a large ring of students – mainly Seniors – were gathered, whispering to each other.