"What? Little nerd boy going to cry help for your baseball friend?" His dark eyes looking into me.
"No–I-"
"Save it." He said gritting his teeth.
"W–what do y-you want from m-me?"
He gave a dry chuckle as I fell down to the floor, my glasses flying off somewhere.
"Listen here, nerd boy."
I gulped parting my hand places looking for my glasses.
"I don't want you anywhere near that new babe that's in your classes." He hissed.
"Wha–"
Aphmau?
"She's mine." He said sternly.
I finally found my glasses and put them on.
"Got it?" He asked.
Before I could answer I tried to stand up, resulting me to just fall back some again.
"I asked you a question." He growled. Grabbing me up my my shirt.
"I got it." I stammered once again before he let me go.
"C'mon boys." He said snapping staring off in a different direction.
I shook my head and rubbed my nose looking for the novel that got dropped.
"Need help with something?" A familiar British accent asked holding out the book I dropped.
I stood up and smiled.
"Thank you." I said taking the novel.
"What class do you have next?" He asked standing closer to me.
"I have calculus." I reply.
AP calculus.
"Oh. Cool I have science." He said shrugging.
"I'll see you around." He said waving.
I waved back and turned around walking to my class.
•••
My last class was art.
I could take art, or go into music but I'm not really talented in that way.
I saw that girl Aphmau in some of my other classes like AP English, AP calculus and AP chemistry.
She was in my art class too I guess.
"Okay class, today just sketch something that you like or are good at." The art teacher said smiling.
I started drawing an eye, not forgetting any of the details.
I wasn't very concentrated in this class considering you get full credit for coming to the actual class.
Plus, we wouldn't get in trouble for doodling anyways.
The bell rang and everybody scrambled with papers flying everywhere.
As people exited, I stayed back to help clean things up.
"Thank you Laurance." She said taking all of the papers hat I picked up.
I smiled and nodded before I left.
I checked my phone for any notifications from Cadenza.
Surprisingly, I didn't have any.
I texted her where she was and apparently, cheerleading tryouts were today and she wanted to try out so.
I mean she should make the team, considering she did do cheer for a good amount of time.
I sighed as I started along the pathway to the library that usually nobody goes to.
It's only the beginning of the year and Garroth already had been starting conditioning for baseball.
It was the beginning of football season so none of them would be on my case.
I entered the library and saw the same people who usually are there.
They just looked at me and whispered a bunch of things.
I just sat down in the back and put my headphones on.
I took out my math and science homework and started on it.
Math only had twelve problems which I finished in five minutes. I guess I get why they call me a nerd.
My science homework was only ten questions which I finished not long after my math.
I only had one earphone in, and it wasn't playing any music.
I looked around and saw that same long black haired girl with her head in the same homework that I finished.
She noticed me and walked towards me.
My Irene, what did I get myself into.
"Hey, Laurance."
"If you want to copy the homework it's right there." I said pointing to the papers.
"Oh! No. I didn't come for that." She giggled.
"Do you need help with something?" I asked hoping she would just say no and leave.
"Yeah actually." She said flipping though the papers.
"Nobody really knew how to help me." She smiled.
I nodded my head. "Most people usually cheat their way into AP." I said.
She looked surprised
"That's terrible." She paused for a moment, tapping her pencil on her chin. "I don't really get this." She said pointing at the math problem.
"Oh." I said pushing up my glasses and looking up at the problem.
"It's just reversed. So you do the whole thing backwards."
She tilted her head confused.
"You basically do the steps that you did first, last to get the outcome."
"That makes more sense now. Thanks!" She said smiling and going back to her table.
I nodded and she left.
I looked at the door and saw him staring at me furiously.
My phone buzzed as I pulled it out.
Cadenza texted me that she was waiting at the car.
I sighed looking at the entrance with him still there.
I took a deep breath, stood up, slug my backpack over my shoulder and walked out ready to accept what's going to happen to me.
I opened the door and got shoved into a wall by the one and only,
Aaron Falcon.
He was the football captain and varsity champion.
Every girls dream besides Garroth.
"What did I tell you about staying away from her?" He growled.
"I-I"
He grabbed my shirt and threw me to the floor.
Also, my glasses falling with them.
"I told you."
Punch.
"Stay."
Punch.
"Away."
Punch.
"From her."
Punch.
I got up looking for my glasses and the library door opened with the same black haired girl.
I turned around hiding my face.
"Hey beautiful." Aaron said cat calling her.
She scoffed. "No thanks." She held a familiar novel in her hand.
I couldn't tell. It as too blurry to see.
I grabbed my glasses and left.
And thankfully, they weren't broken.
•••
"Laurance what took you–"
She gasped slightly noticing what happened.
"Laurance! What happened?!" She shrieked.
"It's nothing–"
"Don't tell me it's nothing." She said touching my face.
"Ow."
"Mom and dad–"
"We're not telling mom and dad." I interrupted.
"Do you have any makeup to cover this up?" I asked looking at all of my bruises.
"Yeah." She said shuffling through her things. She pulled out what I believe was either concealer, foundation or powder. I don't really know makeup.
She gave it to me and I applied it on to myself making the bruises disappear. The makeup job wasn't that good though. I should've just let Cadenza do it for me.
"How was cheer?" I asked keeping my eyes on the road.
"It's was goo–"
She stopped herself.
"You want to ask me how cheer is when you just got beaten up by some jerks?" She squealed.
"It's fine Cadenza." I said giving her a look of reassurance.
"No. It's not fine Laurance! You just got beaten up by a bunch of jerks!"
"They're not just some jerks."
"Then who are they?" She asked.
"If I say they'll beat me up worse." I said looking at her.
"I won't say a word." She said looking at me.
I sighed. "Aaron Falcon and the rest of them." I said giving a hand gesture.
She gave a look of disgust.
"That's terrible and shallow and mean– ugh! That's just so wrong in so many ways." I could feel the frustration radiating off of her.
"I've dealt with it for the past three years so it's not that bad."
"Just don't worry about me Cadenza." I said smiling sadly.
"We're siblings. We're always going to worry about each other."
"So what did you do before that happened?" She asked.
"I went to the library." I said shrugging.
I pulled into the driveway and walked outside the door.
I went into the house to find my parents screaming their heads off at each other.
"Connor! You're useless! All you do is go out clubbing and to the bar! And for what? To not come home to your two children?"
"Laurie don't I can do what I want! Stop throwing a little hissy fit about it!"
I saw Cadenza's eyes getting watery.
"Cadenza come upstairs to your room let's go." I whispered helping her up the stairs.
"You need to be more responsible around here! You need to be a better father!"
"Do not question me on my fatherhood! I'm a great father!" He shouted back.
"Are you really Connor?! Did you know for the past three years Laurance has been getting beaten up and bullied?! You never bothered to notice coming home wasted all the time!"
My eyes widened at what she said.
She knew.
She wasn't supposed to know. How did she find out in the first place? Did she do anything?
"Just leave Connor!" She finally yelled back.
I couldn't hear what he said after that.
Cadenza sobbed into my chest.
"It's okay Sis, shh." I said stroking her hair with my fingers, trying to conform her in the best way I could.
I was never good when it came to being affectionate towards family.
But Cadenza needed me,
And I'm going to be there for her.
A/n hope you enjoyed this chapter! I don't know laurance or Cadenza's parents name so I just made them up.
Love you all!
-babyc