_Chapter 3_
Elliot Warren
RICKY: 'Be ready in ten minutes.' My phone indicated after blinking up together with his name. I didn't respond since he could already see that I read the message anyway. So, I put on my sweatshirt jacket and grabbed my bag, hanging it on the handle of my wheel chair.
"Are you ready?" Dad said and put some lunch money in my bag.
"Yeah. Ricky will be here any minute."
"Ricky? Sounds as if you get along," he smiled and handed me my black converse which I put on. I just shrugged at it.
That's when someone rang the bell. Knowing that it was him, I quickly opened the door. "Good you're not late. I wouldn't have waited." I rolled my eyes and threw a quick goodbye at my father before closing the door behind me. He doesn't have to know that we were still in that struggling stage.
"Yeah, hi to you, too." We approached a dark blue Volvo as I was checking him out again. He was wearing a pair of black skinny jeans that was hanging loose around his hips and a tight shirt that was showing of his athletic built. On top of that he's tall and has a handsome face. I bet he's got girls lining up behind him.
He opened the door to the front passenger seat and stared at me. "Want me to help you?"
"Sure, but-" Before I was able to finish my sentence I was roughly grabbed and placed on the seat. "For real, can't you be more gentle. It really hurts," I complained and rubbed my now sore limbs.
"You're not a girl so stop whining and tell me how to put this in the car," he pointed at the wheel chair. I bit my lips trying not to go ape-shit at him and pulled the handle from underneath which made it fold together with a click. With that he stored it in the trunk, got in and started driving after we both fasten the seat belt.
As I already said I had attended school once. And it didn't help that I couldn't relate any good memories with it. Now I'm even tagging along with a guy I don't really get along with. I guess, it is reasonable for me to be nervous. I mean, I already have a bad reputation but now that I'm together with Ricky, his reputation sticks on me, too. And if he really did get in a lot of trouble I suppose it can't be a good one.
"Listen, midget," he started a conversation when we reached the schools parking lot. "I don't want you to make it harder for me than it already is, so don't behave like an annoying brat in front of my mates."
"So basically like you?" I crossed my arms and looked out of the window, seeing some students gathering in a chat with others while the other half went in.
"That's what I mean," he groaned. "Look I'm already standing in a bad light, there's no need to make it worse." I frowned, what did I have to do with that. "Just don't behave like a bitch."
I bit my lip and grabbed his shirt pulling him closer in anger. "No, you listen. I don't care about any of that. I have enough on my plate and if you don't like the way I act then you should start changing you attitude first."
He stared me in the eyes with a challenging look that pulled me in a staring competition where I had the time to admire the beauty of his eyes because they really were oddly pretty. It surprised me every time. But our contact broke off when he pulled my hand away from him and got out to get the wheel chair out of the trunk.
He opened my door and wanted to carry me again when I flinched away. "What is the deal now?" He sighed in annoyance.
"I'm telling you, do it gentle. I don't know if you have eye problems but I'm not Apollo." He didn't say anything and just wanted to go for it again when I pushed him away. "I'm serious."
"I got it!" He rolled his eyes and carefully helped me back on my wheel chair without hurting me this time. He got our bags and handed over mine before we could finally head to the school building. We hardly even passed the entrance when the gazes already stuck to us. But with a glance to Ricky, I could tell that he didn't give a shit.
Though when we went through the hallways I realize how some of their gazes weren't just out of curiosity or surprise, they were actually hostile. That made me wonder what happened before I came here. He said he got into trouble but what could he have possibly done that would make this many people in school turn their back on him?
However, I couldn't just question him. Which is why I kept quiet and just followed him until we made a stop at his locker where he got out his math book. "You need to go to your locker?" I shook my head at his question when a sudden voice surprised me.
"Hey Rick!" It came from a guy with a sharp undercut and bright blond hair that seemed to be bleached, given that his dark roots were showing. "I see this is the guy you were talking about, hm? Elliot, am I right?" He was brightly grinning and had a massive amount of charisma, the total opposite from Ricky.
"Yeah," I nodded whilst looking up at Ricky. So he figured out himself, I smirked. My eyes were back on the blond guy.
"I'm Christopher. I go by Christo, though," he made a quick salute as he introduced himself.
"Hey," I smiled when the school's bell suddenly interrupted.
"I guess you can find your way to your next class, right?" Ricky cocked an eyebrow at me. I rolled my eyes and just left by myself without uttering another word.
I already attended this class, my advanced biology class, so it was not too weird getting to my table and watching every body arrive before the teacher started his lesson. Fortunately, the class wasn't boring so it passed by pretty quickly. As much as my next periods before lunch break. Plus, I didn't bump into Ricky, another good thing.
But of course, it was all going too smooth until I heard Christo's voice behind me. "Elliot!" he called me. I turned around seeing him with another guy that I didn't know. "You were probably heading to the cafeteria right? Wanna tag along?"
"Well actually-," I didn't have the chance to finish my sentence when he just pushed me towards the cafeteria himself.
"Good, we're all going." He just decided. "You haven't met Derek yet, right?" He pointed at his friend who looked at him like he was stupid. "Derek, that is Elliot. Elliot, Derek." Was he always so hyper? When he almost rushed through the cafeteria door, I noticed the gazes filled with hatred and some with surprise again.
Was it because of me? I frowned. But that can't be, I didn't do anything. Christo didn't seem to care, or maybe he really didn't notice. "Everyone's still so mad," Derek muttered and went ahead to choose what he was going to have for lunch. So, he noticed.
"Why is that?" I questioned him, but he just shook his head, as if it really wasn't anything worth to know. So, after we all got our meals, we went to sit at one of the tables.
"So tell me, how is it having Rick as your PA?" Christo wanted to know. "Probably shitty, right?"
"You have no idea," I shook my head with a half smile.
"I could tell, he ain't the helpful and cooperative type. And definitely not the one to care about others," he shrugged. "But if you want, Derek and I are here if you need anything." I smiled. He was kinda nice after all.
"Why are you so unusually nice?" I wondered.
"Well, you see," he itched his neck in guilt when the door suddenly opened, revealing Rick with a girl. "It was somehow my fault that we and eapecially Rick got in trouble since I was the one who came up with that stupid idea and convinced him into it. I know we dragged you into it, too now. Well indirectly."
"I don't understand. What happened? Is that the reason why everyone looks like they're ready to kill you?"
"What? They do?" He looked around as if he just realized when he then started sulking. "What a bummer! It was not our fault, though." He stopped talking when he spotted Ricky approaching our table with an annoyed expression when his eyes landed on me.
"What's the midget doing here?" He mumbled when he placed his tray next to mine.
"Don't be rude, he's a good guy," Christo scolded him. "I wish we could just switch our punishments. I got stuck with helping at an old people's home. And I don't like old people, they are absolute judgmental hypocrites!" He shuddered.
"Yeah, the janitor's like that, too. Keeps talking about how bad or generation is," Derek agreed and sigher in annoyance.
"What did you guys do if I may ask?" I really wanted to know because it felt like it was important in order to understand their reaction.
"Hey Martinez!" But then a abrupt voice appeared from beside us when suddenly an entire cup of what looked like strawberry milkshake was spilled over Ricky's head, making me shrink back in utter shock. A lot of laughter followed afterwards as I was still staring wide-eyed at Ricky who seemed all frozen up for a minute. "Oops, I guess my drink slipped!" he laughed.
Ricky let his fist hit the table when he stood up, his eyes filled in determination to rip that guy apart, well and also filled with milkshake which is why he wiped it off his vision first before he gripped him around his throat and threatened him, "I'm going to kill you."
"Rick, no!" Derek wanted to go and stop him but I, being the one right behind him, was faster to grab his hand that he was about to use to hit that guy when I pulled him back.
"Ricky, don't dare hit him," he stopped in tracks when he gave me his attention as he turned to me without letting go of his target. "Ricky, let him go!" The anger in his eyes slowly retreated when I added forced to my grip on his hand. "You have to do everything I tell you to remember?"
"Yeah listen to your crippled little master." Ricky tightened his grip on his throat when.
"I said, let go!" I warned him. He looked at me and then to the guy who was at fault for the trouble before he sighed and let go. I calmed down in relief as he let go of my hand and headed straight out the cafeteria.
"Ha, stupid coward!" The guy chuckled before he left.
"I'll go check on him," Christo said, but I shook my head.
"Mind if I go?" He looked a bit surprised but shook his head. So, I went to return my tray before heading to look after Ricky. He couldn't have left the school's ground so I checked the nearby toilets and showers.
I was lucky to pass by the boys locker room where I heard the sound of water running. Therefore I went in, moved through the locker room just to open the door to the showers where I found him. "Ricky? Are you alright?" I worried.
"Piss off!" He spat as he was washing the sticky substance out off his hair and face. His shirt was lying on the floor, thus he was half naked when he stopped the water and looked at me. "I said you should leave!" He dried his face with a towel when the water from his hair dripped on his torso. Oh damn, he was ripped.
"Not before I made sure you're okay," I approached him.
"Apart from the fact that I didn't get to rip that guys head off, I'm perfectly fine, now you can leave!" He avoided my eyes but I didn't believe him one bit when I went on to grab his hand again but he pulled away instantly.
"Ricky," I sighed.
"Who gave you permission to call me that?" He muttered.
"You said I shouldn't call you Erickson and I'm not," I justified. When it was silent for a moment. "What was that about?" I wanted to know. "It has something to do with why you got in trouble, right?"
He head back to the locker room as I followed. "I don't see why I should tell you that, you wouldn't believe me anyway."
"Don't be a douche and just spit it out. It's up to me whether I'll believe you or not," I crossed my arms as I watched him open a locker and pulled out a hoodie which he put on. "Hey, I want you to tell me what happened!"
"Yeah, okay," he gave up and sat down on one of the benches when he stared at the ground. "If you didn't already know, I'm in the basketball team. And that guy from before, Cole Anderson, is in the baseball team. Both of our teams always had that constant rivalry. It always has been like that, even I don't know why. Anyway, their team won the Inter High tournament while our team lost in the final. So of course, they took advantage of it and mocked us any time they had the chance to."
He let his hand drive through his wet hair before he continued speaking. "We were so annoyed we decided to prank them a little. So the night before the schools festival to celebrate their victory Christo, Derek and I broke into school. All we wanted to do is draw some mustaches on their poster and put some glitter and stickers on their uniforms, knowing that they'd be wearing them the next day. But when we reached the locker room, we already met everything in a disaster. The lockers were broken open, the uniforms looked like shredded, helmets sprayed with permanent color and some of their equipment were stolen."
"And you happened to be caught in that moment, hm?" I concluded.
"Pretty much. Since then everyone looks at us like bad losers and the baseball team hates us even more than they already did. Worst of us is that people who were actually on our side turned their back on us even some of my team mates. No one believes me as much as I tried proving my innocence."
He looked hurt as much as he tried to hide his emotion, I could tell by the sound of his voice how hurt he was. Thus narrowed the distance between us that I was right in front of him.
"You know that you didn't do that, right?" He raised his eyebrows and nodded. "Then you shouldn't let it get to you that much. If I'd get a penny for every time someone called me a crawling freak, I'd probably be richer than Bill Gates," I chuckled. "Whatever they do, it doesn't matter as long you are sure of yourself. Christo and Derek were there, too, so they'll stick to you. And I have to anyway, so no need to worry about me," I winked and wanted to go and give him some space to sort out his thoughts.
"Crawling freak," he chuckled at it. I smiled and tilted my head. He did look even more handsome when he wasn't scowling for once.
"Don't misunderstand, you prick! I still can't stand you the slightest," I arrogantly turned away and left the locker room for good. But I couldn't help the small smile that formed on my lips afterwards. Such an idiot...
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~ J🤧