As much as I wanted to, I couldn't tell mom what happened at school.
If I were to tell her, she would blame me for starting a fight. Then she would tell my father, and he'd start yelling at me, about how I'd always waste his precious time and put problems over problems, how they could fine him for my actions and make him waste even more money. I didn't need that. Normal parents would probably ask if I was okay, but mine weren't normal parents.
I couldn't even tell Evelyn, or everything I did to look cool to her would be for nothing. The only person I could talk to, in that moment, was Belle. And I did.
I called Belle and told her everything that happened, from the beatdown to holding hands with Amber.
"It's ridiculous," I head her saying over the phone, "You should tell someone about this. You can't let them go on untouched."
"Tell someone?" I asked rhetorically, "I can't do that. My parents would only blame me. And telling teachers is never a good idea."
I heard a sound like wind coming through the speakers, so I supposed she sighed. "So what're you going to do? Just stand there and let them pick on you? At least try to react!"
"I tried that," I felt my breath starting to get nervous, "With Andrew. And it backfired. The fact that I reacted is what made Josh and his crew interfere in the first place."
"I honestly don't know what to tell you..." she explained after a few seconds of silence.
I nervously ran a hand through my hair. "I just can't believe Andrew would turn on me like that. We've been friends for over ten years. Basically our whole lives."
"You don't need to tell me that, I know it," she commented.
"I'm pretty sure that I was his only friend for a long time of his life. And it was the same for me," I kept moaning.
"Well," she chuckled, "I told you from the start to never trust a guy named Hook."
I couldn't help but laugh, even if I was nervous. "Thanks, Belle..." I said softly, "You're always there when I need you."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
– So, how was your day?
That afternoon was cold. I was already under the sheets with the laptop on my legs. I didn't even want to open a window, let alone go out.
People around me always felt the urge to go out at least once a day. Like, they couldn't stand the idea of staying home. They'd get bored. They wouldn't know what to do. I never understood this. Even if I had a social life, I wouldn't go out every day. I liked being alone. And, maybe, a day at home alone was even better than a day out with other people.
– it was a great day. they voted for me to represent the school and talk about all the problems we had you know.
I couldn't say the same as Evelyn. Mine was the furthest thing from a 'great day'. And I was rather scared by how popular this girl possibly was. She was a class rep, and she wasn't scared of talking to people. Evelyn Tiger was the exact opposite of me.
– Wow, that's cool.
– what about u
Yeah. What about me?
– Oh mine was great as always. Just being more awesome every day.
– i'd like to have your attitude xD
I'd like to have it too.
– I'm afraid only awesome people like me can have it!
– are u saying i'm not awesome?
She actually looked pretty awesome to me. Definitely more than I was.
– Hmm... not until you use a capital letter, nope.
– WELL WHO'S AWESOME NOW?
I chuckled.
– You still didn't use any punctuation, though. Sorry.
– well guess what? awesome people break the rules. So i'm breaking yours!
– Oh, look. You used a capital 'S'! That's progress!
– bitch -.-
Somehow, that little chat conversation, as worthless as it might seem to most, made me feel weightless. Evelyn made me feel weightless in a time when I had the weight of the whole world on my shoulders.
– I'm joking, girl. I must admit, alright. You're pretty awesome yourself.
– now we're talking. i'm going out with Sean. see u later Mr. Charming. <-- look at me using capital letters and punctuation only for u.
And there was reality once again. Just as I felt like we were bonding more than ever, she's going out with her boyfriend.
The way she talked-- or wrote, to me, though, made me feel kind of special. I mean, you could tell she actually cared about me and I was someone special in her day. Not just another wrestling dude she met online and she talked to in her spare time. I felt like, maybe, we were actually becoming friends.
And that's what got me to get out of bed in a hurry and stand up by actually jumping, and then skipping all the way to the kitchen for dinner. At least until I saw my father at the table. Then I seamlessly stopped jumping and started walking like a zombie.
"You want to hear something funny?" asked my father, as soon as I sat at the table.
I hesitated for a moment, because I knew nothing funny could possibly come out of my father's mouth, but then I nodded.
He smirked. "Today your mom almost crashed with another car."
"Jesus Christ, here we go again." I mumbled, as I saw mom starting to counterstrike.
"I told you, it wasn't my fault. He suddenly stopped in the middle of the street," she cried.
"Well, it was your idea to get in the car in the first place," he complained.
"So what?" she moaned, "I should never get out if I want to stay alive?"
"No," he shrieked, "You should never get out if you don't want to break the car!"
You are a fucking idiot," she yelled as she stood up, "I hope something bad happens to you so I can blame it all on you!"
At that point, I took a deep breath, stood up and walked back to my room, without looking at either of them. How could I keep dealing with that craziness for four more years? It was insane.
In my room, I could still hear them yelling over the doors and the walls, so I put my headphones on and listened to Sum 41.
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"Josh got suspended," I heard a guy telling Andrew the next day in the school's hallway.
"I know," Andrew replied, "He told me."
"Do you know why?" the other guy asked.
"I have no idea," Andrew lied, as he rubbed his neck, "Maybe he got into a fight with someone."
I was just about to go face that snake once and for all, when I got stopped by Amber, appearing in front of me from out of nowhere.
"Hey, Pete," she exclaimed, "How are you doing today?"
"The usual," I sighed, "Andrew is telling everybody he doesn't know why Josh got suspended."
"Oh," she giggled, "I thought you would want to see this."
"Wha--" I couldn't even ask, as she was already approaching Andrew and the other guy. I got closer, but not too much.
"You," she pointed at that guy, "Get lost. I need to have a word with this big boy."
"Amber, sweetie," Andrew started, "What are you doing?"
"Don't even try," she warned as that other guy left the scene confused, "I heard you're trying to hit on me. Well, I hate to cut you short, but you ain't got a chance in hell. So stop trying."
The satisfaction I got from that was simply unmeasurable. At the same time, I was kind of frightened by the change of tone and attitude of Amber.
"W-What..." I swear I could see Andrew getting smaller in front of her.
"And you tell that other loser of your friend Josh that we're done," she roared.
"Josh? Loser?" Andrew laughed awkwardly.
"Yeah," she grinned, "Loser. Just like you. See you, son."
She walked back to me, as Andrew was left standing there with his mouth fully open. I had a grimace on my face that I couldn't control, even when Amber started talking to me, with her usual, soft tone, "Would you care to sit next to me today?"
I cleared my throat and smiled. "It would be my pleasure."
• — • — • — • — • — • — • — •
"That is why," Mrs. Misura claimed, "you've got to remember this general rule about equations for all four years of school."
I was managing not to fall asleep, as I sat in the second to last row, next to Amber, who somehow seemed interested by Mrs. Misura's lesson. Behind us, Erasmus was still drawing dragons and other creatures. I hadn't talked to him as of late. He didn't do anything to help me when Josh and his friends attacked me.
"So now, open your book at page--" Mrs. Misura was interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Can Peter Charming come out?" the woman asked her.
Mrs. Misura nodded as I clumsily got up and glanced at Amber with a look of dismay, but she shrugged, letting me know that she had no idea of what they wanted from me.
As I walked through the first rows, I felt Andrew's eyes staring at me, but I didn't look at him.
"There's your cousin out," the woman told me as I tried to keep up with her fast walking, "He said he needs to talk to you."
My cousin? Why would Tyler come all the way from New York to my school, during class, to talk to me? I got a little worried as I reached the door.
I took a deep breath and opened it. The shining sun blinded me for a moment, as I took a few steps outside, but then I realized there was nobody there.
I stared confused at the bushes in the distance for a moment, until I heard the door shutting behind me.
"Hey, Peter," I turned around to see Josh, standing there with his hand on the just closed door.
***
Holy cliffhanger! I'm very sorry to leave you hanging, but you'll have to wait 'till NEXT WEEK to find out what Josh is gonna do!
***
Meanwhile, consider to VOTE if you liked the chapter!
Are you #TeamEvelyn or #TeamAmber ? Let me know with a COMMENT!
***