Recap:
Just as I was about to knock on the door, someone shoved roughly in front of me, pushing me out of the way and knocking me a few steps back. It was a long, tall figure who took out the house key from his pocket and shoved it rather violently into the lock. He opened the door and paused a moment to glance back at me with his usual glare, telling me that I wasn't wanted. Adjusting his black bag on his shoulder, Mason smirked sinisterly at me before walking into Maeve's house and slamming the door in my face.
Chapter 3 ~ Bathroom Drama
I heard Mrs. Hetchers yelling at her son from outside. She opened the door again and immediately smiled, sweeping me into a big hug. "Luke! How are you?" I hugged back a little hesitantly. Besides the fact that she was causing me a lot of pain, her forwardness always surprised me. "I'm so sorry for Mason; he's always so rude to everyone, you know?" Pshh... did I know? This was yet another part of my "understanding" with Mason. Our silent agreement was that he didn't tell Maeve I smoked weed, and I didn't tell her that her brother was selling it.
"Good to see you," I mumbled into her hair as I sunk into her embrace. She was always comfortable and warm and caring. She was the perfect mother to Maeve, and I couldn't help but look at her as one to me, too. Mrs. Hetchers was there for me through that entire time of losing my mother, while still caring for her own family. I pulled away. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun at the top of her head, and she had on her apron. I noticed a smudge of something that looked like flour across one side of her forehead. I didn't remember my mother ever cooking.
"Is this your day off?" I asked, stuffing my hands in the pockets of my jeans.
"No, not today. They gave me a night shift." She smiled up at me and backed up to let me inside. "I'm working until two o'clock tomorrow morning," she said a bit sadly as she led me towards the kitchen. Mrs. Hetchers worked 12 hour shifts at the hospital at least 3 days a week. She was a busy woman, most of the time tired, but whenever she had a day to stay at home Maeve always seemed to be in better spirits, and sometimes, so did I.
I sat up by the breakfast bar that divided the kitchen into the living room and began to unload my school books from my bag. Mason quickly stuck his head in the refrigerator the moment I walked in, suddenly looking for something important in there. Mrs. Hetchers leaned over to get something out of the oven, sending a flood of delicious scents spilling out into the kitchen and Maeve walked into the room, steeling the apple that her brother had just grabbed from the fridge. She grinned at him while he glared. I smiled fondly at them; the family that really wasn't my family.
"So, how was your day, Luke?" Mrs. Hetchers asked as Maeve came to sit beside me, turning back and forth in the swivel chair while munching on her apple. I shrugged, smiled a little. This felt nice. I noticed Mason visibly flinch, and then noticed him turn to glare at me from the corner of my eye, but I ignored it. Soon enough, he gave up and stalked out of the room, his bedroom door slamming, making us all jump.
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I woke up Monday with an aching in my gut and a throbbing headache. I felt like I had barely survived the weekend. I had come in later than usual from Maeve's house on Thursday, and Dad beat me for that, for making him "worry".
Yeah, right.
Damn, I felt awful. I tried to dodge the worried looks that Maeve was shooting me as we made our way to class. She had been concerned the entire day, but around period 6 I had stopped talking all together. The pain had just become too much. The medicine that I had taken in the morning had worn out, and I knew that I couldn't go to the nurse. She would ask what was wrong, and I wouldn't be able to tell her.
I trudged into math class and sat down heavily in my usual seat, stifling a groan as I hit the chair. Every move I made seemed to trigger a new kind of pain. I settled my arms onto my desk, tucked my head into them, and shut my eyes, trying to block out the pain.
The bell rang, and everyone shuffled to their seats. I heard Mrs. Karine saunter into the room, her bags dropping to the floor. Papers shifted from up front but I didn't bother to look up. Head felt too heavy, eyes were too tired, body too sore. Maeve nudged my elbow and I looked over to see her staring at the teacher, her eyes wide. I raised my head to glance towards the front of the room.
An angular tanned jaw stretched to glance over the class. Brown locks of hair seemed to shine under the florescent light whenever he moved. He looked like a god. Soft, blue eyes met mine, and I quickly looked down at my desk, blushing madly. Who the hell is that? I just noticed how quiet the classroom had gotten, something that never happened when Ms. Karine was around.
I heard him clear his throat, but I refused to look up, which just made me blush harder. What was I doing, acting like a 12 year old with a crush? Biting my bottom lip, I sneaked a look towards the front of the classroom where he was shuffling around, looking for something among the mess of papers on the desk, a cocky smirk just visible beneath a lock of golden brown hair.
A burst of aggravation exploded in my gut.
"Uh- I'm Mr. Fraites ... I will be substituting for Ms. Karine for awhile," he said distractedly, his deep baritone voice eliciting several content sighs from around the room. He was perfect. "Ah! Here it is." He held up a sheet of laminated paper in victory, a happy expression crossing over his features that immediately made my heart beat a little faster. I grunted and slunk down farther into my seat, somehow ashamed of the way I was feeling. He began calling out names.
"Gabrielle Adams?"
"Marcus Aimes?"
"Hilary Gardener?"
My heart was throbbing ridiculously as he neared my name. I fought the urge to face-palm myself in the middle of class with the absurd feeling. He was handsome - so what? I've handled it before, so I can just as well control myself now, right? While I was giving myself an inner pep-talk, I didn't realize that my name was called until Maeve whispered at me.
"Yes?" I managed weakly, and quickly cleared my throat. He looked down through thin-wired glasses at the attendance sheet, another annoying smirk crossing over his striking features.
"This won't be a habit, will it, Mr. Greffin? Not paying attention in my class?" He met my eyes. I glared back at him, suddenly and increasingly more infuriated.
"Of course not," I said forcefully, and noticed him jerk up a little in surprise, eyes widening. He quickly recomposed himself and glanced away.
"Good. Kaylie Ires?" He continued as if nothing had happened. I tucked my head back under my arms, disgruntled and confused.
What is this?
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A quick glance and a smirk here and there from the teacher had me itching to get out of Mr. Fraites' sight as soon as possible. It was like he had caught me doing something sinful every time I looked at him. I felt myself glaring back at him through the entire lesson, and apparently he found that extremely amusing, judging from the smiles he was trying to hide throughout the class.
I jumped up as soon as the bell rang, ignoring his shouted request for me to stay and collect the homework due tomorrow. I just didn't care anymore. I needed to get away from that entrancing deep voice, the bothering smirks always aimed towards me, that perfect face...
I switched hallways and roughly pushed into the bathroom, weaving through the wave of people going to their lockers and abandoning them outside the door.
The door slammed shut behind me as I quickly examined the grimy bathroom. The lighting was dull, casting an eerie light over the open stalls, urinals, and dirty sinks. No one was here.
I propped my books on the edge of the sink as I leaned over to look in the mirror. Moving my black hair gingerly to the side, I examined the bruise covering my eye. It just looked worse, now green and purple, but I knew that it was slowly healing. I placed my fingertips carefully on the bruise, applying a bit of pressure, but jolted suddenly when the pain was more than I had suspected. I hissed loudly at the ache just as the bathroom door slammed open, hitting the tile wall behind it with the force of it.
I sucked in a surprised breath and quickly readjusted my hair over my eye, collected my books and began to head for the door before a hand stopped me from my progress. I was suddenly scared. Had he seen anything? If anyone found out what was happening at home and told the administration, my plan to protect my father would be ruined. I looked up and my gaze was met by a pair of familiar striking green eyes.
Freddie's pink lips were parted slightly and his delicate brows were drawn together in confusion and concern. "What do you want?" I said harshly and quickly regretted it as his beautiful face fell into disappointment.
"Y-your eye," he spoke with words dripping of concern that I knew only to come from Maeve's mouth.
Shit.
I needed to think of a lie. An excuse. Anything. Anything to get me out of this mess with my family's safety ensured.
He moved closer and I tensed, not sure what he doing. Everytime someone edged near, even Maeve who I trusted entirely, made me think of Dad and what he would do as soon as he got close to me, which had me automatically putting up my gaurd. Before I understood what was happening, his hand caressed my cheek, a thumb gently tracing over my cheekbone to brush the hair out of my eyes. He was concerned. He cared about me. His sharp intake of breath seemed to snap me out of my trance while his gaze stayed glued to my swollen eye. I jerked out of his hand and stepped away.
"I'm fine," I insisted, but I could tell from the look in his eyes that he didn't believe me.
"What happened?" I shrugged in response and looked towards the tile floor. I knew that I couldn't tell him what really happened, so I had to come up with a lie, and fast. He stepped closer towards me and I backed up farther, my back hitting the cold wall.
"Tell me what happened, Luke. I promise I won't tell." His breath washed over my face as he leaned closer, his left arm resting against the wall above my head. Too close. I edged closer towards the door, not comfortable standing near to Freddie when I knew that he could possibly reveal my secret if I let anything slip. I could feel my heart pace speed up as I tried to squirm out of his grip, knowing that the odds were against me. He was taller than me and had the advantage. He could easily hold me down if I tried to get away.
"H-hey! Move!" I said as firmly as I could, suddenly finding my voice, scrunching my eyebrows and trying to look menacing. He didn't move, just smiled and leaned in closer.
"You're so hot when you're mad, you know that?" My eyes widened as his bright green orbs flicked down to my lips. I was frozen. I didn't want this. His face blanked as he neared, his soft breath chapping my lips from his close proximity. Just a little bit closer...
The door slammed open, and Mr. Fraites strutted in, looking furious.
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-- I was having a bit of a block which is why it took me so long to update. Sorry to any of you who were waiting! There will be more about his mysterious dream from chapter 1 in the next update.
Mr. James Fraites to the right ;) >>>>
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