Lots of POV switching, hope you can keep up...
---Alex's POV---
"John's back." Angelica didn't sound happy about it, although I couldn't imagine why. This was the moment we'd waited for.
I didn't care. I was happy as- as- a nerd in a library. I shot out the door and flung myself down the hallway. "John?"
"Hey alex!" He sounded overjoyed. I rounded the corner and stopped short, my initial elation lost.
Bruises sprinkles his face like dry leaves in the fall marring his perfect, freckled skin. One eye was black, and laced with red veins.
And his arm was broken.
"John," I whispered, "what the hell happened?"
John just shrugged. "I fell out of a tree."
---John's POV---
I knew I looked terrible. But like Michael said, this is brave, this is bruised, this is who I'm meant to be.
This is me. And I didn't care, I was too happy right now.
For one, Michael would be ok. I'd gotten word he was pretending to be straight. It hurt to know, but I knew he'd survive. His spirit could preserve itself inside. His body could not. He was so strong and proud no matter what he pretended to be.
For two, I was back and alive, despite having fallen pretty far. Being alive is a good thing.
Three, I was with Alex. Like not with with Alex but I got to see him every day. I'd missed him for the couple of days I'd been gone.
And four, Alex sounded really concerned. Which meant he cared, although it did mean I'd need to explain. I stepped forward and hugged him.
"Good to have you back," Alex sighed into my shoulder, my heart fluttering.
"Glad to be back," I replied earnestly. I bit my lip, then asked, "Coffee?"
~~~
"You ain't got no skills!"
"Alex!"
"Yo, lemme get a-"
"Milky way."
"Yeah, lemme also get a-"
"John's back?"
"Yes."
"That's wonderfu- Oh dear, what happened?" Eliza rushed over, handing Alex what he always ordered. "Who-"
I shook my head. This time my smile was fake. "Not who, what." She handed me my regular, which I took with my right hand, my left being in a cast.
"He says he fell out of a tree." Says. Was I that obvious? Alex was looking at Eliza significantly. I sipped my coffee as casually as I could.
Eliza looked at me. "How did you break your arm?" I swallowed. I could do this. I could. "How did you break your arm, John?"
I shrugged again. "I fell."
She looked concerned. "Really? Is that what happened?
I nodded unconvincingly. "I was, I lost my grip and I- I fell."
I bit each word, but I got it out.
Eliza rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well obviously not. I'm calling Maria."
Alex grinned. "Thank you 'Liza."
Um, what? "Wait, I don't get it, what's going on?" I was afraid they were going to turn me in or report me, but Maria? I smiled at Sally, taking my change and turning to Alex. "What's going on?"
"Pardon me, but you don't have any intentions of educating children with that work of art on your face, do you?"
"She's doing your makeup." Sally told me knowledgeably. Makeup? Still, I smiled with relief.
Eliza gave me a wink. "She's really good."
Maria sauntered up to Eliza, pecking her lips. "Thanks hon. But it's kind of disappointing to know you don't think it's my natural beauty." She eyed me and then froze. "...Sally?"
"Yeah," Sally's voice was soft and quiet, something sad conveyed in her tones. I realized I'd barely heard her speak before, other than a minute ago. "Looks familiar." What did that mean?
"Same thoughts, same thoughts," Peggy called to Sally from the corner, pointing to herself and Sally and winking at her. Sally flushed. Peggy answered my unspoken question bluntly. "You look like Sally did when Jeffershit beat the hell out of her. How'd you break your arm again?"
Wait, what? Too much to process at once. First, Sally had been beat up by Jeffershit. Second, my bruises looked like those. Third, my broken arm was also apparently an unbelievable story.
I didn't know how to respond. Answering the question was out. Oh, my dad was beating me up and accidentally punched me over the railing of a high staircase. Which, incidentally, is the source of my bruises. No biggie. Ha. "You, uh, do you live in that corner, or...?"
Wow. John. Wow.
Peggy just smirked at me. "Yeah," she drawled, "I like the people."
An alarm sounded form Alex's phone and he interrupted our conversation, to me immense relief. "Lunch and recess is over soon," he informed us, "I recommend we proceed with the makeover if we have intentions of making it back in a timely fashion."
"Ok," I sighed. I'd never worn makeup, or had it applied, ever. Guess why. Or, I guess, guess who.
---Alex's POV---
I was pretty damn sure John had been beat up my someone back at his home. I didn't want to be pushy, but if someone was hurting him, they needed to pay.
The bell rang and we parted ways to our respective classrooms, but I called firmly after him, "I'll talk to you tonight."
I intended to get answers.
---Angelica's POV---
"Alright, remember I told you all to think about what to get the new teacher, Mr. Laurens?" Murmurs of confirmation told me to continue. "Today you'll get 20 minutes of this period to get whatever you planned."
Alana raised her had. No surprise there. "What if what we plan to get isn't sold where we go?"
Good, I planned for this. I already had a plan in place, but I didn't want to give a lecture, so I had hoped people would ask. "Peggy and Maria will be joining us, along with someone else. Who here has met Miss Sally?"
"Uh, yeah, she's freakishly quiet sometimes, so she's pretty awesome."
"Jared no one asked-"
"I beg to differ, you did indeed ask-"
"Hey." Evan, my hero. "Jared. I- I... Freakishly quiet..." he was blushing and playing with the hem of his shirt nervously.
Jared, pink, looked at Evan shyly but firmly. "And pretty awesome."
I clapped my hands. "Ok, let's go."
We walked over to the coffee shop, kids running all over the place. Miraculously, the head count showed we managed to keep everyone together. After a good 5 minutes, we formed vague groups. We actually didn't need as many different groups as we thought (Jared wasn't planning on fast food after all), so Peggy and Sally were lumped together.
As we split up, finally moving towards our separate locations, I heard Jared chattering away.
"And we're off, to the great unknown. Dud, if there's one thing about Miss Sally: the lady's so quiet. Actually, no, wait, you're quiet..."
Uhg. I was so glad he wasn't in my group.
---Jared's POV---
I was so psyched for this trip, honestly. Other than Evan, I had two loves of my life: memes and bathbombs. Bathbombs, of course, because I love the cronch. When you bite into it, it's just cronchy perfection.
Anyhoo. It had been far too long since my last bathbomb. Like, months. It was scary.
Actually, I did have one hidden away, but I wasn't going to eat that one.
There was one day where I was acting all angsty and stuff because I hadn't had a bathbomb in a while. So somehow Evan managed to get his hands on one and gave it to me. He was so adorable. Of course, then I couldn't eat it because
It was from Evan and I had to keep it forever
It was pine flavored (scented, they say) and it smelled like him
It was from Evan
How could I eat something from Evan?
I would keep it forever.
Now I was really desperate. I needed another bathbomb, and soon.
Which was why I was so ready for today. I had formulated a plan, which was:
Buy bathbombs with this money
Give them to Mr. Laurens
Hack a random facility computer to find out his dorm room
Go there during the night and take them
Uh, eat them, duh.
I think Angelica had a hunch about my bathbomb affair, so I was more than relieved that Miss Sally was taking us. Usually Peggy would be a problem but-
"Girl, you wanna, like, go check out the makeup isle or some shit- I mean, something?"
That. I couldn't believe Sally didn't notice Peggy was hitting on her. Peggy was not slick. Sally just blushed, giggled, and agreed. God.
So oblivious, I could scream. Those two were practically already a couple.
Speaking of which... "Yo, Evan!"
Mr. Adorable looked at me, eyes wide like a deer. "What are you thinking of?"
Ah, lord save me, he was beautiful. Of course, he didn't really care about me. He fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, stuttering about getting a small, compact house plant in a small pot.
Honestly. Too cute.
Zoe and Alana skipped by, hand in hand. Uhg. Why did girls get to hold hands but guys couldn't? I settled for sticking to Evan like glue.
"Bro, come with me to get Mr. Green Eyes some bathbombs." I felt bad asking him to stay with me all the time, but let's be honest: I couldn't part with him.
"Jared, these are for, they're for Mr. Laurens, not, they're not for you." Evan protested.
I shot him a devious grin. "Not for long." Evan looked alarmed and shook his head wordlessly. "Sorry, should I not have told you? Plausible deniability..."
"C-c-c-come on, Jared, let's go."
I complied. Neither chaperone gave a fuck that I was buying bright pink bathbombs for a teacher.
Let's be real. Pink berry is a pretty good flavor.
Longer chapter as an apology for less publishing, but usually they'll be normal length.
I decided to split the POVs into better groups, so be ready for the next chapters to cover several POVs.
(This one was John, Alex, Angelica, Jared. Next will be Peggy and Sally. Next James and Thomas. Then John and Alex again, then CONNOR and EVAN yayayay)
-The Worst Writer on Watpad