On Monday morning, I arrived two minutes just before class began. I sat down in the fourth seat in the second row in physics.
A few of my classmates were discussing that a new girl transferred somewhere out of the state. News like this was a bit exciting for our school, because of the fact that we live in a small town and we hardly ever receive new students.
"Alright class! Let's begin reviewing for your first test! It's -" Mr. Tress was interrupted by the classroom door being opened. I glanced at the door, the appearance being an unfamiliar face. The girl was speaking with Mr. Tress as the class around me began to pick out things about her outfit, height and the usual. She was standing at an average height. She had long, straight auburn hair and big emerald eyes. She was petite and very pretty.
"Class, this is Jo Collins!" Mr. Tress lowered his voice as he stood near the new girl, Jo.
"You can take a seat by . . .," he paused and looked around the room and spotted the empty seat ahead of me. "Right in front of Adalynne Claire," he continued. I raised my hand so the girl wouldn't appear clueless. She walked in front of the class, head down and trailed to the seat in front of me. She took the seat and sat still.
I tapped her shoulder. Her hair swished behind her shoulder, and she turned her head to glance at me.
"I'm Adalynne Claire," I whispered, introducing myself.
She smiled, "I'm Jo. It's very nice to meet you," she spoke in a southern accent.
"It's nice to meet you, too." I was being friendly, which is odd because I am a socially awkward person.
"Thanks," she whispered and turned back around to pay attention to Mr. Tress, who was reading from the Smart Board.
***
The new girl, Jo, and I had the next two classes together. We made plans to sit with each other at lunch once we separated after our third shared class.
I was standing in the lunch line, grabbing a sandwich in a baggy, an apple, and an iced tea. A nudge was pressed against my shoulder. I turned my head and there stood Baylor.
"Hey," I said. I reached into the cooler for my iced tea. I typed in my lunch number and headed to find Jo.
He appeared at my side again. "Where are you sitting?" Baylor spoke.
"With the new girl, Jo," I answered.
I found Jo sitting at a far table by herself. I sat down on one of the stools and took a sip of my iced tea. I thought Baylor was behind me, but I guess he went to sit somewhere else.
"Who were you walking with?" she wiggled her eyebrows, giggling after. I quietly laughed and took a bite out of the red apple.
"Baylor Parker, he's my brother's best friend."
She mumbled an "oh" under her breath.
"Your brother has a hot best friend," she grinned a toothy, white smile. I smiled.
She laughed, "Hey, he's all yours. I don't even know anyone here except you."
Once we were finished eating, we began conversing, answering questions about one another that we didn't know before. Jo said she's originally from California, and then moved to Georgia, and now she's here. She has two little brothers and an older sister. Her parents are divorced, and she lives with her mom and her older sister. Her dad and brothers still live in Georgia.
I began telling her the basics, like who's who, what they do (if they're the captain of the football team, basketball team, or the head cheerleader), and that was basically it. I gave her information about Nicole, too. That garden utensil . . .
"Do you have a phone?" I asked. Of course, she did, it's the twenty-first century. She nodded her head and reached into the pocket of her blue-jean jacket for her phone. I handed her my phone. "I'll put my number in here in case you'd like to hang out or something."
Awkwardly, the cafeteria got quiet. I looked at Jo curiously, arching my brow in questioning and glanced around the building.
"You pervert! You leave her alone, jackass!" Someone screamed in anger.
Two boys were face-to-face, screaming at each other. One person I noticed was Derek Cage and the other, Baylor Parker. Baylor's back was faced towards me, shoulders tense.
I turned to Jo whose face was instantly filled with curiosity and her eyes were the size of saucers. "That's Baylor and Derek," I chirped, and turned my attention back to the two boys.
"You have no say-so over her, Baylor. I can have her if I want her," Derek smirked. Who is he talking about?
"Do not make me bust your head open, dick," Baylor growled. His hands were fisted by his side in anger.
"Adalynne, we're still on for tonight, right?" Derek said loud enough for me to hear at the back of the cafeteria. His eyes were glued to mine, and Baylor turned to look at me with the rest of the cafeteria, his eyes wide. I slouched on my stool, my heart beating rapidly in embarrassment of being the center of attention.
Baylor drew his fist, socking him right in the side of Derek's cheek. Some of Derek's friends ganged up on Baylor, punching him and trying to push him to the ground. Baylor overpowered all four of them, including Derek, in height. Baylor kicked a blow directly in one of the boy's stomach, sending him backwards.
I saw a couple guys by the name of Chase and Lane scurry over to the group of guys. They were throwing in hits as well. One could tell the two guys, Chase and Lane, were in Baylor's defense when Chase manhandled a blonde headed guy.
People were beginning to crowd around the group of boys. All I saw was Baylor's tall figure fall to the ground. He was trying to get up, but the guys who were against him were defeating him.
Jo looked at me speechlessly. I stood from my stool and ran to the crowd, pushing my way in. I pushed people out of my way, trying to get to Baylor as fast as I could.
Once I reached the front view, Baylor was lying on his side, blow after blow was being aimed at his ribs and stomach. Scrapes and bruises overcame his cheeks and his temple. His hair was disheveled.
"Stop!" I screamed. One of the guys stopped, peered up at me, and continued with his recent blows and kicks.
"I said stop!" I kicked him in his lower region, sending him clutching his groin area on the floor. I slapped the other one, his head turning with contact. I kicked him as well. That'll at least get them to leave me alone for a few minutes while I get Baylor out of here.
Before the principal came, I tried shaking him, so he'd answer me.
"Baylor," I shook his arm. He grunted.
"Baylor, c'mon, I have to get you out of here."
He tried pushing himself from the floor, only wincing straight after. I linked my arms around his torso, his hard stomach pushing against my hands.
"C'mon, you have to help me. I can't lift you," I encouraged him. I pulled and tugged on his upper body and finally he pushed himself from the floor. He looked like he was beaten in the head. He couldn't keep his eyes open, and I tried my best to keep him awake.
"Sorry," I mumbled as he hissed when my hand accidentally put too much pressure in his abdomen area.
"We have to take you to a hospital, you're nearly unconscious."
"No," he snapped. "I'm not going to a damn hospital."
"Fine, you're going to my house then," I said.
"Where's your car?" I asked once we made it outside.
"Lot two," he mumbled. He hissed in pain as if everything hurt on his body.
***
"You're going to have to walk these stairs," I mentioned once I helped him out the car.
"Can't you just carry me?" he whined. I looked at him strangely, causing him to laugh and wince.
"Here, wrap your arm around my shoulder." I grabbed his arm carefully and snaked it around my neck. My height stopped right at the side of his chest.
"C'mon, one more flight of stairs." Every time we took a step, we had to stop for a minute for him to recover. Every step we took, he hissed and winced in pain.
I led him to my bathroom and helped him sit on the sink. His body posture couldn't slouch or sit straight, so he was in a weird position.
"Stay here," I ordered. I walked to Aiden's bathroom to retrieve the first-aid kit. I grabbed the peroxide and made my way back to my bathroom. I sat the items on the countertop in my bathroom and grabbed the bag of cotton balls from my medicine cabinet.
I placed the cotton ball on top of the seal of the peroxide bottle and saturated the cotton ball. "This might sting," I warned. I placed the cotton ball over the slash on his eyebrow and began to dab.
"Damn, that hurts," he snapped and pushed my hand away. He looked at me with furrowed eyebrows. "Why do you have to put so much pressure on it?"
I looked at him and waited for him to stop being a little baby. I did the same to his cheek, dabbing the cotton ball over a cut on his cheek. His lip was cut open as well, so I began working on that as well. He furrowed his eyebrows again, causing the slash on his eyebrow to bleed again.
"Baylor, quit being a baby."
I added more peroxide on a clean cotton ball and dabbed at the cuts. Once I was done, I threw the cotton balls in the trash and dug through the kit to find some Neosporin. I unscrewed the cap and squeezed some of the slimy medicine onto my index finger.
"No," he said when he realized what I was about to do.
"This doesn't burn," I said. I ran my index finger over the cut on his cheek. I could feel him watching me as I soothed the medicine over the cut well.
After I was done, I wiped my finger on some tissue and squeezed out some more of the Neosporin.
As I was about to medicate the slash on his eyebrow, he crossed his legs around me, pulling me closer to his body. His knees rested just right at the top of the curve of my back. His long limbs were wrapped tight around my lower body. I glanced at him, and he smirked. I just shook my head.
I continued to medicate the few minor cuts and scrapes as he watched my every move. His eyes never left me, and he kept his legs linked securely around my body. Once I was done with the medicating part, I reached for the band aids. I grabbed three butterfly band aids and placed two on his eyebrow. My eyes fled to his big, chocolate brown eyes, his peering deeply into mine. I glanced away and placed the last butterfly band aid above the cut over his cheek.
"You're done."
He uncrossed his legs, unwrapping them from my body and I moved out of his way. He slid off the counter slowly and carefully. I picked up all the trash and placed the medications back in the first-aid kit. I took the kit and the peroxide back to Aiden's bathroom and came back to wash my hands.
When I reached the bathroom, he had his shirt pulled over his chest and he was running his fingers over the bruised skin.
The visible v-line that disappeared into his jeans was bruised. He had other red and blue markings here and there – it looked awful.
"Are you sure you don't need to go to the hospital to get your ribs checked?"
His eyes glanced from the mirror to me and nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure."
"You don't think they're broken?"
He shook his head. "If they were broken, I wouldn't be standing right now." He flashed a smile and pulled his shirt over his head.
We passed each other in the bathroom.
"I think I have a new name for you," Baylor mentioned. I arched my eyebrow in curiosity, making him grin.
"Nurse Claire," Baylor laughed and slowly sat on the couch.
"Don't push it, Baylor," I warned, causing him to laugh again.