I was walking to registration the next morning when the plastics came my way. Nate turned to me and scowled. He pushed me slightly so I was against a locker. "Oh how i've missed this." He said, almost in a growl as he held my shoulder against the locker and got right up in my face. I didn't fight back. I told him to do this.
"Give me your dinner money." He whispered to me.
I pulled a five pound note out of my pocket and handed it too him. He snatched it from my hand. I looked up into his eyes and he looked down into mine. He may sound angry but his eyes tell a whole other story. He looked more broke than he did when he first turned up on my doorstep.
Suddenly, all I wanted to do was hug him and tell him everything was okay and that he could stay with me for longer, but I didn't. I stood there for a little longer before our eyes broke apart and he shoved me angrily against the locker, causing my books to fall out of my arms where they had been steadily held all this time. I still didn't fight back, I was frozen from his gaze.
He muttered a few nasty words of choice as he walked off with his little followers behind him. I looked at the floor and suddenly, Bailey was at my side. "I'm sorry, I should have got here sooner. I heard through rumors that Nate was cornering you and I ran straight here." She explained.
I smiled at my friend as she looked at me. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" She asked.
"I'm alright, I'll get over it." I replied as she helped me up.
"Are you okay?" Bobby and the gang asked as they ran round the corner.
"I'm fine." I replied with a smile.
"Are you sure?" They asked.
"I'm fine guys, really." I replied.
They nodded and we split apart after a short conversation. Me and Bailey walked into English together (turns out she's in my English too).
At lunch, we all met in the usual room and did some maths and messed around a bit. Tomorrow is Friday so I asked everyone I they wanted to come round after school and they all agreed. I have already explained that Nate had left which was kind of obvious due to this mornings events.
I looked over at Hayden. "Are you coming later?" I asked as I realised that me never answered my question.
"Yeah sure, sorry, I was zoned out." He replied.
I nodded. "We're all catching the bus to mine after school."
"Okay, I'll come." He said and I smiled.
"Good."
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The next morning, I was walking with Bailey, conversing about tonight, when the plastics came our way. I didn't try to hide like I usually do, I just let him see me and push me against the locker again. "Dinner money, again." He growled.
I handed him my fiver. I had gone home last night wondering why he was asking for my dinner money before I realised that he must still be having trouble with his parents and they aren't feeding him or giving him money or something and he's afraid to ask his mates.
"Good little Maya. Is this your new friend?" He asked as he looked over at Bailey. When I didn't reply, he signalled one of his little followers to pin her against the wall too. He obviously didn't like hurting girls as he did it pretty gently.
"Let her go." I said through gritted teeth.
"Aww look, the little nerd finally speaks." He mocked.
"Shut up. Let her go. Do whatever you want to me but let her go." I shouted a little. He looked like he was thinking for a bit and the rest of the gang ran round the corner, obviously hearing what was happening. "NOW!" I shouted at him and his minion looked at him. He nodded and she was immediately released. She ran to the others and told them she was okay. She looked at me and I smiled, happy that she was okay.
"Don't shout at me." He said angrily.
"Don't hurt my friends." I replied as I looked him straight in the eye. He looked even more hurt than before. Because I was so close to him, I noticed that he had a black eye but it was covered in make up to conceal it. I guess he snuck into his moms bathroom and used her make up to cover it but from this close, you could see it clearly. I wanted so badly to reach up to him and wipe away the make up to see how bad it really was but I didn't.
He grabbed my hair and started pulling me along the corridor. Everyone stood frozen by the fact that he was pulling me away.
He took me into the P.E. changing room and threw me under the freezing cold shower water. I sank down onto the floor and just stayed under there. I couldn't help feeling like his black eye was my fault. He looked fine everywhere else thank god but I could tell that letting him go back to his parents was not a good move... but it was my move. I was angry and for some reason, upset. I had just had one of the best days ever since I started this school but he ruined it. He didn't even really say anything that bad, he made a mistake and so did I.
I looked up through the water droplets that were still falling and he was just staring down at me. Some people had crowded the changing room and I couldn't stand having all their eyes on me. Hayden squeezed his way through the crowd, pushed away Nate and ran into the shower to pull me up. By the time we got out, we were both soaked. He grabbed my hand, glared at Nate and then pulled me out of the room.
He then proceeded to pull me out of the school and then the school gates. We walked down the road, still hand in hand and he took me to a house where he pulled a key out of his pocket and opened the door.
"Come in, my Mum's at work."
"Why are we here?" I asked as I shivered.
"Well, you can't walk around the school soaking wet all day and sitting on the bus soaking the seats to get to yours isn't an option so here we are." He said as he pulled me up to what I assumed was his room and pulled off his shirt. I couldn't help but stare at him. His stomach was perfect and he flexed his arms as he pulled a new, dry shirt over his head. I found myself surprised that someone on the math team was this... fit.
He threw me a dry shirt just long enough to go half way down my thighs. I pulled my other top off, using his as a cover and then quickly pulled his dry one over my head while he wasn't looking. He went into what I assumed was his sisters room and pulled out a pair of black skinny jeans that looked my size.
"I would give you one of her shirts but she's a bit gothic and all of them are black. 'It's a phase' my mum says, and it is, if phases last over a year." He explained. I nodded as I pulled off my jeans as he turned away and pulled the new pair on which seemed a hard task because my legs were still wet. I made a face when I realised that my pants and bra were wet. "What?" He asked.
"My underwear is wet." I said as I grimaced.
He looked at me and laughed. "They'll dry." He shrugged. I laughed a bit too before tying my hair up as he lay down on his bed. I sat on the floor while he put his TV on and then looked at me. "Come and sit up here with me." He said as he gestured for me to sit next to him. I eventually got up and he put his arm out across his pillow for me to rest my head on comfortably. I rested my head on his shoulder and suddenly realised how tired I was. It wasn't long before I was asleep.
I woke up a few hours later and looked over at Hayden. He was sleeping too and somewhere throughout our nap, I had put my arm around his stomach. I heard a noise downstairs and I quickly removed my hand and woke him up. "Hayden." I said as I shook him awake.
"What?" He asked sleepily.
"There's someone downstairs." I said. "Plus, I kind of need a drink." I added.
"Come on, I'll get you one then." He replied as he got off his bed and I followed.
We walked down the stairs and there was a woman in the kitchen. "Hi Mum" He said as he walked in.
"I thought I heard someone, I thought it was your dad." She replied and then she saw me in the doorway. "Are you blowing off school to stay at home with a girl?" She asked, almost in a shout.
"No Mum, she got pushed under the shower by that Nate kid and she was soaking so I brought her here to get dry clothes and I needed a shirt too since I pulled her out of the shower." He replied.
"Well, in that case... Hi, my names Mandy, it's nice to meet you." She said as she held out her hand for me to take. I shook it awkwardly as Hayden grabbed me a glass of Coke.
"Thanks." I said as he handed it too me.
"Hey whats the time?" He asked Mandy.
"Just gone 2, why?" She asked.
"We better be getting back to school." He replied. I nodded as he pulled me out of the door.
"Bye Mandy, nice to meet you." I called back into the kitchen.
"Nice to meet you too dear." She called back.
We walked back to school and got to last lesson on time, we had the same class, geography. We walked out of class together and he grabbed my hand as we walked past Nate and I saw his fist clench as he looked from our hands to the shirt I was wearing, which I had totally forgot about.
We walked out of the building and to the gates where everyone was waiting for each other.
"So, you guys made it to school afterwards?" Bobby asked.
Harper saw mine and Hayden's hands and scowled a little. I let go and linked my arm through Baileys.
"Are we ready to go?" I asked them.
"Yep, lets get out of here." Dean replied and we all walked out of the gates.