I walked down the hallway to my locker. I could see the heads of a few people followed me as I moved forward, eyeing me, unaware of the anxiety that was starting in me. I guess word got round.
I kept my head down, trying not to be noticed and to minimise all the attention being directed towards me. Kind of hard when you have bright red hair, you broke into tears in your History lesson, and the popular boy who has only been here for one day carried you out of the classroom while comforting you. As I said, kind of difficult.
I reached my locker and grasped the handle firmly with my hand, pulling it open. A piece of paper, small and lemon yellow fluttered out, drifting to land by my feet. I stared down at it before looking around at the other students self-consciously. If I bent down with them watching it would look like I was a giant klutz again, as it would appear as if I had dropped something. Once confirming that no eyes were on me, I leaned down to pick it up, smoothening the crumpled paper.
I'm sorry about yesterday, Angel. -H
It was written in a black, messy scrawl. I groaned and crumpled up the paper, before stuffing it in the pocket of my bag. How dare he try to apologize?
I gathered my textbooks and stuffed it in my bag, quickly, uncomfortable being around so many people.
"Hey, aren't you the one who broke down in History yesterday? Who does that? You are so weak!" A voice shouted from somewhere behind me, undoubtedly directed towards me. I stiffened at his words, afraid to turn around and face the sea of students who were now whispering and occassionally sniggering at me.
"Don't listen to them," I whispered softly to myself, hunching my back in attempt to block everybody out. "Don't listen to them."
I repeated the chant to myself, but it wasn't working. I felt the panic rising in me, growing like a balloon, their cruel laughter was the air. Where is Emma? I thought frantically. She would help me.
I felt it. The hand clutching around my throat, preventing my breathing. I felt like walls were closing in around me, pressing me tighter into myself. I was suddenly very aware of the slightest sound, I picked up every word of the hushed whispers, I heard the little rings in their laughter. I grabbed my bag, ripping at it, trying to grab my book. Books were my salvation, when I was having a panic attack I would read a book, it would make me forget about everyone else and make me get sucked into it's world, where everything was alright. It would direct my attention away from the monsters outside.
I couldn't do it. Everything went blurry as I fumbled desperately with the zipper. I couldn't grasp it, my hands kept slipping, clammy with sweat. Everything was going out of focus, my locker door spinning around, the neon orange of my bag just a blur, the floor no longer under my feet. Suddenly, my eyes focused on something in front of me, something as bright and radiant as the sun, everything still a blur but what I saw in front of me.
A pair of deep, green eyes.
The shaking of my body stopped as I stared. "My book," I whispered hoarsely, trying to gesture to the bag. I saw the shape behind the green eyes comply, their hand a blur as they pulled out my book and handed it to me gently. I took it from them gratefully, opening it to a random page and focusing in on the words. There was nothing now, nothing but the book and me as I read the words. My heartbeat calmed down, my shaking stopped, everything around me went back to order as the character's pulled me in, intriguing me. FInally, I raised my head up from the book, only to be greeted with shouting. But not at me.
"What the hell is wrong with you guys? Can't you see what is happening to her? Just shut up, all of you!"
It was Harper. He stood a metre away from the locker, his hands clenched into fists, his feet apart in a defensive stance. His hair was messy, (probably for making out with some girl) and he was confronting the students who were awkwardly shifting their weight from foot to foot, quite surprised. After all, the player, the heartless, the most popular boy in the school was defending me.
Defending me.
I stopped still as it sunk in. Harper Andrews, who was the cause for all this, was defending me. I stared in shock at his figure, his perfect figure, as he ranted on to the students. Suddenly, I felt angry, watching him scold them.
"Seriously, Harper?!" I shouted, making the hallway silent, but I ignored the stares. How come I could do that now? I sent all my attention to Harper, who had stopped, mechanically still, and stiffly turned towards me, confusion written in his gorgeous eyes. Gorgeous?
"Please, you are the one to speak, Andrews. You are the cause for all this. You were the one insulting me yesterday, stop trying to clear up what you did. Stop trying to help me. You started it in the first place, so please, just stop." I huffed at him, exasperated. Why couldn't he stop? Why can't he take a hint, he was the one who started all this! I know, he is trying to help but he is making it worse! Who am I kidding, I thought forlornly, he probably just wants to hook up or something then break my heart, knowing him. His eyes melted from confusion to shock. His mouth was slightly parted as he continued to stare at me. He looked so adorable.
No, shut up!
I grabbed my bag from where Harper had set it down, the floor, and stalked off down the corridor. I could still feel his eyes burning into my back as I walked away, the hallway silent except for my footsteps.
"If you want, baby, I can make you feel better... " I heard a girl say to Harper. And then, just for a moment, my heart ached. I scoffed and increased my pace, rushing away before I could hear his answer.
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I sat in Chemistry, five minutes before class started, staring at the whiteboard. I couldn't read, my mind wouldn't allow it. My eyes scanned the words, but felt no true meaning, I was so distracted. So I stopped. My head was full with thoughts of Harper. It was fifth period, just after lunch, and I had avoided him the whole day, pretending he didn't exist in English and persuading Emma to sit with just me instead of Max, Harper and I. So far I was doing a pretty good job.
The bell rang and the classroom started to fill with students, taking seats behind me, as I was seated in the first row. I absentmindedly twirled my pen between my fingers as I waited patiently for the teacher, paying no attention to the idle chatter of the students.
My eyes flicked away from the board to look at Harper and a brunette girl wearing a tight pink top and a small denim skirt enter the classroom. She was holding onto his arm, a smile plastered to her make-up caked face. Harper looked annoyed, his eyebrows furrowed, paying no attention to the girl who was desperately trying to get his attention by stroking his arm. I sudden;y focused on his arm, lean and slightly muscular. I darted my eyes back to his cold, hard expression, as he sat in a seat a few rows behind me, failing to notice my prescence. The girl, of course, sat next to him, still trying desperately to gain his attention.
"Not now, Maria," he said, frustrated, turning to face the front of the class. He stopped at the sight of me, his expression softening. Realising I had just been caught staring, I turned to face the whiteboard quickly, my cheeks reddening. Luckily the teacher had entered the classroom and was standing in front of her desk, clutching a notepad.
"Alright class, we will being making a presentation on the effects of viruses on the body which is due in three weeks," she announced, clapping her hands together. I chorus of groans rose up from the classroom. "But," she added, "You won't be doing it alone. You will be doing it in groups of three." Student exchanged eager looks. I wasn't friends with anyone in this class.
"I have chosen your groups." she said. The chorus of groans arose again. I, however, was still indifferent. She opened her notepad and cleared her throat.
"Adam, Sophia and Axel, you will be a group. Ariana, Francis... " she continued to read names, as I waited patiently for my name to get called out. Okay, I had to keep my good grades, I had to ace this project.
"Linda, Harper and Noelle, Maria and Archie..." My head snapped up at the mention of both our names in one sentence. My heart sunk at her words, shock and anxiety filling up in my limbs. No, not Harper, anyone but Harper. I quickly looked back at him, he was staring at me, the right corner of his mouth tugging up in a small smile. Maria, however, was flailing her arms around and whining at not being picked to go with Harper. It's okay, Noelle. You can survive. Just ignore Harper, after all Linda is pretty nice. The teacher had now stopped talking and was looking at a boy, Linda's boyfriend I think, who had his hand up. She gestured to him to continue.
"Miss, Linda isn't here, she has gone to England to test for schools. She won't be returning for two moths." He said. The teacher stood thinking for a moment before glancing down at her notepad, tapping her pen against the desk. I scanned frantically through the classroom. He was right. Linda wasn't here. My heart sunk in my chest.
Crab biscuits.
"Okay, it's no problem," she announced, looking up to glance at me and Harper. "Noelle and Harper, it will just be the two of you."
Helloooooooooo :) this took AGES to write, sorry if I there are some grammatical or spelling issues, I was in a rush.
What do you think of Harper? Leave your answers in the comments :)
-A :)