I got up around 6:15 when my alarm went off. After finally standing, I walked to my bathroom to inspect my face.
To my luck, the bruise wasn't too noticeable yet, so I just had to act happy and energized. I walked back to my room, a little relieved, and dressed. I wore a casual outfit with a scarf, just in case someone began looking at my face. It was also the beginning of winter.
I ate breakfast and grabbed my backpack and went out to my car. I turned the key, only to hear silence. Oh yeah, that's right, I was supposed to put gas in the car before I was wounded in battle.
I cursed under my breath and called Melanie. "Hey Cas!" She said. She was a morning person and I still can't comprehend why. "Hey, um can you pick me up? My car doesn't have gas," I said, frantically. She giggled and said yes.
Melanie arrived a little while later. Thankfully, she got me into the routine of waking up early, even if I didn't like it. We drove to school, arriving around the same time as usual.
We got out of the car and walked into the building, going our separate ways to our lockers.
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By 5th period, still, no one noticed my face, which was becoming clearer as the day went on. I didn't have any classes with Michael or Nate, except for 7th period, and Melanie only had 1st and 7th with me.
We, of course, sat in our same spots at lunch, like everyone else. We were joined by Nate and Michael. We sat and talked while eating.
A few minutes after getting our lunch, a couple of guys who I recognized as Devon and Colby, and a girl, Kinley, walked past our table. They were all who people thought were "cool and popular", but in reality, they're really no different than us.
They walked past, then one of them turned the head back. "Hey Mike! Got yourself a girlfriend?" Devon said, smirking, bringing them all back to our table. I don't know why, but I blushed and turned away.
"C'mon guys," Michael said, smiling. "Why are you over here with them?" Kinley said, acknowledging the table even existed for probably the first time ever. Kinley and I weren't exactly friends, but we'd been partners before in classes, so we knew each other.
"Because, they're cool, and I like them," he responded, firm but sweetly."When you get back to your senses, you should come sit by us again," she answered back. "Kinley, he's just in love, leave him be," Colby teased. This time, Michael blushed and looked away. They began giggling at Michael and Melanie joined in, more towards me. Devon began looking around, paying particularly close to my face. "Well dang Michael, did you get mad and hit her?" Devon said, pointing at my face. This stopped the laughter.
It was now noticeable. I just hoped Michael wouldn't say anything in front of Melanie. If she knew, she'd start worrying. "No! Why would I do that?" Michael said. He touched my chin lightly to turn my head to the side with my bruise. His eyes widened when he saw. It hadn't hurt all day, so I never looked at it. His eyes showed a mixture of confusion, guilt, and worry that only I could distinguish.
He cleared his throat. "No, that's just a pen smudge!" He lied, "She's a writer and probably just smeared ink." He supported his lie by pretending to rub the spot off. This seemed to calm everyone as the group smiled as they left and Melanie and Nate went back to their food.
After they left and Melanie and Nate were in deep conversation, Michael whispered in my ear, "Meet me outside the front doors after school." I nodded and we finished lunch in silence.