Lorna
My alarm went off loudly in my ear, reminding me it was time for yet another dull and torturous day of SCHOOL. Just great.
After the weekend's events, getting up was a real struggle.
My head still felt a bit tender, but at least the bump was starting to go down. Unfortunately, my knees and hands didn't look so good. The bruises were already turning that dark blue and purple, especially the ones on my knees.
Thankfully, my mom didn't notice because I wore that long tank dress yesterday. She did, however, spot the bags under my eyes from lack of sleep.I had tossed and turned all night, with everything that happened playing in my head on repeat.
She also proceeded to lecture me on underage drinking, and partying, yada,yada,, yeh like I'm sure she never did any of that stuff when she was younger! The amount of stories I heard from my parents and Reece's dad about all the wild and crazy things they got up to, I'm pretty sure my dad said she was dancing on table when she slipped and fell on top of him, pissed out of her head, apparently she blamed him, but he said he fell in love with her straight away..
Anyway getting back to me,, my head was pounding all I wanted to was go back to bed and sleep..
So, you can imagine I wasn't thrilled when my mom said we were meeting my sister Gina for brunch. She lives in an apartment half an hour away, with her girlfriend, just five minutes from her college.
I had gotten a bunch of texts from people asking if I was okay. Samia practically yelled through the phone, promising to beat up Kady for bringing those scumbags to the party. Sarah and Connor checked on me too. I thanked Connor again for coming to my rescue, and he replied sweetly with "anytime"with a heart emoji. I hadn't forgotten to ask him how he was holding up. Since he did get a black eye and busted lip because of me, but he said he was fine and would see me at school.
Kady texted, wanting to come over, but I wasn't in the mood. I told her we'd talk at school. She apologised again, but something about it didn't feel genuine. Maybe I'm overthinking things...
It wasn't until I was out with mom and Gina that I got a text from Reece. He'd been asking if I was okay, but my replies were short. I was still mad at him for embarrassing me, and then storming off when Nick kissed me. It was just a dare, and I still don't know why he seemed so angry. But then he had to go off with Nick's sister... I can only imagine what they did. She wasn't wearing much when she opened the door for him, and he looked pretty pleased with what he saw.
It hurt. I know he can do what he wants, but he had always waited for me to go home before hooking up with girls. Not that I asked him to, he kissed plenty in front of me, but never left me to fend for myself, especially knowing I'm not much of a party person... and especially after what happened to me five years ago.
A memory I want to keep locked away forever.
"After brunch, my mom and Gina were going to do a bit of shopping. They asked if I wanted to join, but I said I was meeting Reece. They both swooned. Mom loved Reece like he was her own, and Gina knew that I had feelings for him. I confessed to her over the summer one night when I was high.
She always knew, but could understand my turmoil in not wanting to ruin our friendship, so she never pushed me to confess. She'd always say if it's meant to be, it'll happen naturally.
When I met up with him, my nerves kicked in. I've never fought with him, except that one time when we were small—(you know what happened.)
He looked so good, as he always does. When he looked at me, I saw the hurt in his eyes. I could tell he was sorry, but I had to let him know why I was so hurt and disappointed. I also wanted to know why he was so mad at me. But we never really got that far because I was a blubbering mess, and all I could do was cry in his arms. I couldn't stay mad at him. His big puppy dog eyes would never allow me to. But I was glad to get it out of my system, even if I didn't get the answers I was looking for.
Although it was he who reached out to me, I probably would've gone another week without talking to him. Yeah, I can be stubborn sometimes—a trait I get from my mom, so Dad tells me."
My phone buzzed; Reece was outside, waiting for me to take me to school. "He insisted," although he was half an hour early. He said he was craving a McMuffin. Luckily, I had already showered, and my hair and makeup were done. All that was left was to get dressed. I quickly threw on my khaki long cargo skirt with a fitted white T-shirt, along with my white Nikes.
"You look nice," he says as I get into his car.
"Um, thanks," I reply shyly, turning away. He chuckles. "Still can't take a compliment, huh?"
My look tells him to be quiet. "I need coffee," I say, stifling a yawn.
"Okay, let's get you a coffee then." It was like our fight never happened. We slipped back into our normal selves, sipping our coffee and munching on our muffins as we headed for school. It was nice... until Reece decided to open his big mouth.
"So, are you ever gonna tell me?" he asks as he pulls into a parking space.
"Tell you what?"
Mischief dances in his eyes, and a sly grin spreads across his face. "You know about that fantasy you had." I throw the remains of my muffin at his head.
"Oh, fuck off." I step out of his car, huffing.
He laughs, following behind. "I'll get it out of you one day, Devine!"
"Mmm, yeah, in your dreams, Matthews."
"Oh, I have plenty of those." His laughter echoes through the hallway.
Shaking my head at his teasing, I say, "Goodbye, Matthews. I'm going to class."
"Wait, we have the same class," he says, running after me.
The rest of the day was uneventful. I hadn't spoken to Kady yet. I think she was scared to talk to me with Reece around. She kept throwing subtle glances his way, but he ignored her.
Why she was trying to get his attention was beyond me. She should've been trying to talk to me.
"Last class of the day, thank goodness," Austin declares, plopping down beside me. I shoot him a look, my smile clearly showing my amusement.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Lorna?"
Sniggering, I point to his nose. "You've got a piece of egg stuck on your nose."
"Eew," Sarah exclaims. "Jesus, Austin, do you not look at yourself in the mirror?" He picks it off and puts it in his mouth. "Barf," I say, gagging. "That's gross," Connor adds, looking disgusted. "Yup, so glad I bat for the other team," Sarah states whispering to me, making me chuckle.
"Hey, I'm sexy," is all he can say.
He smiles at me and then, with a serious tone, asks how I am after my ordeal over the weekend.
I shrug and reply, "I'm okay," he apologises telling me, he sorry he wasn't there for me. His face takes on a slightly guilty look.
I smile and reassure him, saying, "It's fine."
"I had Connor," I continue, "he was my hero." I wink at Connor, making him blush. His eye was still a bit purple, and while his lip wasn't in terrible shape, he couldn't smile fully due to the cut on it. Whenever he did smile, he'd wince as it hurt a bit. I felt both sorry for him and guilty. Handing him a cream, I tell him, "This should help with the bruising. Sorry, I meant to give this to you earlier."
With my mom being a doctor, our house was always fully stocked with medical supplies.
Heading out of the school doors as class wraps up, I say goodbye to the guys. Reece is by his car, waiting for me. Just as I'm about to head over to him, my name is called. "Lorna, "I look around to see Nick running up to me.
He asks how I am and mentions he wanted to call me but realised he didn't have my number. He didn't want to ask the lads, thinking they wouldn't give it to him—given their role as my "bodyguards." Causing to chuckle.
We chat for a bit. I notice Reece talking to a blonde girl, stealing glances my way while he does. My attention returns to Nick. He smiles at me and then requests my number. I smile back, giving it to him. "Glad you're okay now, Lorna. I'll text you soon. Better let you go in case Reece comes over and drags you away from me..."
I give him an awkward smile and bid him goodbye. The girl is gone now, and Reece is leaning against his car, his gaze locked on mine. Smiling at him, I open the car door and sit inside. He follows suit.
"So, who was that? What did he want?" We both speak at the same time, causing us to laugh.
"You first," he says. "Who was the girl you were talking to?"
"That was Holly. She was just giving me some Chem notes."
"That was Holly? When did she dye her hair blonde?" I ask, slightly surprised.
He just shrugs. Holly has had the biggest crush on Reece for years, but her hair was normally jet black... "gonna be hard to maintain that," I mutter.
"Maybe she wanted to look like you," he remarks. I give him a skeptical look, asking why.
"Because apparently you're the new 'it' girl, Lorna." He pinches my cheek. "All the girls are talking about you. So are the boys too," he adds with a grunt.
I offer him a sheepish smile, curious about what makes me stand out. I've never been particularly popular; it was mostly because of my association with Reece and the others that people even knew who I was.
He gives me a sidelong glance and remarks, "You have no idea, Lorna, do you?"
"W-what?"
Shaking his head, he remains silent. "Anyway, what did Nick want?"
"Oh, he just wanted to check on me and asked for my number..."
With his jaw clenched, he falls into silence as we pull out of the car park. Tension emanates from him. I inquire if everything is alright, and his response is curt, almost brusque: "Nothing's wrong."
I wonder, what now?
Sorry slightly boring chapter, writers block..
But glad they both made up for now 😏