3 weeks later - Monday
I was starting to get a lot better. My stomach cleared up but it was still a little sore when I used my stomach muscles but it was bearable, my eye had cleared up and the swelling on my lips had gone down a lot too. My legs were feeling a lot better and my cast was coming off a day before I see the boys. Life is actually going pretty well for me.
This week was going to be my first week back at school and I knew I had already missed out on a lot of school but it was time to catch up. I got ready for school and Bernie drove me there. On the way to school Bernie and I had gotten our coffees from the small coffee shop around the corner. He dropped me off and I walked into the school as I drank my coffee. I walked up to my locker and got my usual stuff out and quickly skulled my coffee and put the coffee cup into my locker and then walked into the classroom. Everyone’s heads turned and everything went silent. Ryan was still just as welcoming and offered me the seat next to him and I smiled and accepted the offer.
“Hey Tash how are you feeling?” Ryan asked.
“Yeah alright actually how about you?” I asked.
“Fine thanks, so will you be playing footy at recess or lunch?”
“I am not allowed to, still a bit delicate, see the arm?” I laughed holding up my cast.
“Well I am quite the artist, can I draw on it?” Ryan asked.
“Sure go for it.” I smiled. I gave him all my different coloured sharpies.
He started drawing some really cool graffiti art on my cast, it looked really good.
“Lesson 1 now!” Mr Barton yelled.
“Oh Tash our Monday and Tuesday time table has switched so we have Home Ec now.” Ryan said.
“Oh cool.” I said as we walked out the classroom. I went to my locker and switched my books around. Ryan waited for me the whole time and we walked off to class.
“So how’s Lara, everything’s going well?” I asked as we made our way to class.
“Actually, not too well, she hates me because I went to a party without her, I don’t get how it’s such a big deal.” Ryan said.
“She is just being a bitch, she wants to spend every 5 seconds with you and do everything with you but you don’t want to and that’s why she’s angry.” I explained.
“She is just so clingy and the reason I didn’t want her to go is because she wouldn’t know anyone there and she would’ve been shitty the whole time.”
“To be honest if she can’t make friends with your friends she isn’t worth the time.”
“You think I should break it off with her?” Ryan asked.
“Okay be honest with me here, why did you ask her out in the first place?” I replied.
“Um because she is hot…… and she’s popular……. and she liked me.” Ryan explained.
“Exactly it was never because she was nice or anything and she has never done anything good to you has she?” I reminded him.
“You’re actually kind of right.” Ryan said. “I think I might do it, she is getting too clingy but how do I break it off?”
“Alright you have got to do it in person or else she will go round telling everyone how much of a bad person you are.” I explained. “Tell her that you just don’t feel the same anymore but you still think she is a smart and beautiful girl who deserves a lot better than you, just tell her what she would want to hear because that’s what every girl wants.”
“Wow you’re a smooth talker.” Ryan said.
“No I am just an expert on my own kind.” I laughed.
We walked into class and sat down in the back row. The teacher handed out a recipe and we had to pick a partner and go into a kitchen. Obviously Ryan and I picked each other as partners. None of us had any other friends in our class we just had each other which was good. We were cooking a curry today and I am shit at cooking so I let Ryan do it for me so while he cooked we talked.
“You know who you kind of remind me of?” Ryan smiled.
“Who?” I replied.
“Bella from twilight, just way more interested in sport though, like it’s just the way you talk to people.” Ryan explained.
“So I have no emotions?” I laughed.
“No, you’re just so chill with everything and you are really nice but you cant make friends with girls for shit!" Ryan said.
“Natasha! Do some work!” The teacher yelled at me.
“Sorry miss I can’t!” I frowned and held my cast up.
“That isn’t school uniform.” She yelled again “Take it off.”
“Sorry miss I have a broken arm this is a cast I can’t take it off unless I get a sore and sore it off.” I yelled back and the whole class laughed.
The teacher just gave me a look of anger. I couldn’t really be stuffed learning the teachers names, I just called them miss or mister. It’s so much easier.
“So you really think I should break it off with Lara?” Ryan questioned me.
“Well it’s up to you and how you feel about her.” I explained. “But if you only like her because of her looks and popularity then dump her.”
“Should I dump her after school?”
“Yeah, do it in front of some people so they know that you were being good about it so then she can’t change the story to make you look bad.”
“That’s actually quite smart but she’ll make a giant scene she is an attention seeker.” Ryan sighed.
“So let everyone see that so she looks like the over emotional bad guy. Easy.” I smiled as he got back to making the curry.
“So have you seen Harry?” Ryan asked
“I am seeing him on Friday night and until Monday.” I told him.
“I bet you’ll have fun.” He winked. I just laughed.
“Well it is legal for me now.” I reminded him. My phone buzzed in my pocket and I saw the caller ID and it was Liam. I walked over to the teacher.
“Excuse me miss my Mum is calling may I talk to her it must be important for her to be calling now.” I pleaded.
“Go outside and be quick.” The teacher said.
“Thank you.” I said running out the classroom. I answered the phone.
“Hey what’s up?” I said.
“Tash, its Liam and Louis.” Liam said into the phone.
“Hey boys can you make this quick I am at school.” I explained.
“Okay.” Louis said “Management just had a talk to us and they need you to get a twitter or a Tumblr so you can interact with the fans, they said it would increase the popularity of the band.”
“Alright I can make that happen, I’ll do it tonight.” I said.
“And they want you and Harry to spend more time together so the media can see how committed Harry is to you so you are coming with us all around Australia with us so after Melbourne we are going to Sydney then the Gold Coast then Darwin.” Liam explained.
“Um alright that’s not a problem but could you get Harry to call Bernie or even one of you could call him for me because he won’t listen to me at the moment because he knows best for me apparently.” I said.
“Tash he is better than having your Dad look after you alright, w you have to get back to class!” Louis said.
“Bye then!” I smiled “Love you boys!”
“Love you too!” Louis and Liam replied. Then they hung up the phone.
I walked back into class.
“What did your Mum want?” The teacher asked stubbornly.
“Sorry its private.” I said as I walked back into the kitchen.
“No one really gives teachers attitude so you might want to calm it down a little.” Ryan warned me.
“I couldn’t care less to be honest.” I smiled “Fuck teachers.”
“You’re funny.” Ryan said.
“You’re a pussy!” I giggled.
Ryan finished the curry and it turned out he is probably one of the worst cooks. I had one bite and he did too and I nearly vomited and he actually spat his out. We put ours in the bin and got yelled at by the teacher again. As per usual.
The double lesson of Home Ec had gone quite quickly and we ran out to recess. I went to my locker and Ryan’s was right next to it. While Ryan was putting his books back in his locker Lara came over to him and tried to kiss him but he turned his face so she kissed his cheek.
“What’s wrong with you today?” She asked.
“I thought you were angry at me?” Ryan said.
“I can’t stay mad at you, you’re so hot!”
“I we need to talk at lunch alright.” He said as he shut his locker and faced me. I shut mine and Ryan and I walked off together to see the other boys.
“Ryan you look a bit down what’s up?” Jai asked.
“Oh well don’t spread it but at lunch I’m breaking up with Lara, she is just so clingy and its going nowhere.” Ryan explained.
“But she is so popular and hot doesn’t that rule out everything?” Jai asked.
“Dude I’m not allowed do anything without her, I feel like I am stuck in a jail.” Ryan explained.
“Dude you better break it to her nicely and then move to another country and change your name because she’ll kill you.” Jai laughed.
“I know just please tell everyone I am the good guy not her, I need to keep my rep.” Ryan said.
“Alright will do man.” Jai said.
Recess finished and we walked back to our lockers.
“Why do you care about being popular?” I asked.
“Why don’t you care?” Ryan said.
“Because I just want to have good mates not fake ones for popularity.” I explained.
“I understand, I like being popular though, everyone cares about what you say and do.”
“Yeah true.” I said.
Time flew, we had double English and a single Science and then lunch came. I could tell that Ryan was a bit nervy but who wouldn’t be? He was about to break up with his girlfriend. I did feel a little guilty, I did put the thought of breaking it off into his head but I think even he knew it was going to help him in the long run.
Ryan took Lara to the courtyard where no one went unless something big was going to happen. Jai walked up to me.
“Want to come and watch the break up with me?” He asked.
“I guess.” I sighed as I walked to the courtyard with Jai.
“Look Lara, you are a beautiful, intelligent girl and you deserve the very best.” Ryan said “And I think you deserve way better than me. I don’t think things are working out how I had hoped and I think it’s time we broke it off.”
“You’re breaking up with me?!” Lara cried.
“Yeah but I it’s because you are too good for me and I know I am just dragging you down.”
“You’re a prick!” She yelled as she cried.
Ryan walked over to us as Lara’s friends carried her off like she had just been stabbed.
“Well that went better than I thought.” Ryan sighed.
“Now you’re free!” I laughed.
“Yeah and I am thanking the heavens on high.” Ryan said.
“Dude now we can hang out more!” Jai smiled.
“Yeah COD at your house this weekend?” Ryan said.
“Sure man sounds good.” Jai replied.
After a long day at school I got everything out of my locker and decided to walk home. I texted Bernie and told him and he understood completely. I started to walk when someone ran up behind me and physically turned me around.
“Hey Tash! How are you we haven’t talked in ages!” Nathan smiled.
“Yeah we haven’t! I have to go sorry I need to get home!” I sighed.
“When are you coming back to work?”
“I don’t know Nathan soon I hope when the doctors allow me I guess, tell everyone I miss them.” I said as I walked off.
I just wanted to get away. I didn’t want to talk to anyone I just wanted to go home and rest and that’s all I planned to do for the rest of the night.