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Courtney Age 9 -11
We hadn’t long moved from the city to this small town, why? Well, my parents wanted to move from the hustle and bustle of city life where everything moved that fast you didn’t have time to blink. We had the perfect house, the perfect life, but now it’s all gone.
I’ve been in school for four years now. I was leaving the friends behind that I had made. I was only in junior year five, but I had many friends we’d all met in reception and we’d remained friends throughout, we were all inseparable. I once had an older brother Tucker; he was almost eleven, but he was in year six as his birthday was at the end of the year and had missed the initial last date of entry requirement. He was around two inches taller than me and had many friends, he always took care of me. He had promised me that nothing would ever happen to me and he’d always be there for me no matter what and I believed him until the day we moved here and he met Ashton Barraman; they were like two peas in a pod; inseparable like we had once been.
We both had our own friend group, his friends were ones I had never cared to talk to because to me they were all the same, dumb boys who were only interested in playing on their damn PlayStations or Xbox.
Simone, Eva, Aria, Issac, Jayden and Theo. They were all friends. Simone and Theo were cousins the same as Aria and Jayden. Issac and I were the oldest of all our friends, but we all gelled together pretty quickly and they had all warned me about Ashton Barraman’s and his band of misfits.
The only one of his friends that took any interest was Bryce.
We quickly became friends though, he and Ashton were like brothers from another mother we got on, but I always knew where his loyalties lay the same as my brother: Ashton damn Barraman. My second to last year in primary school was hell because for some unknown reason he hated my guts and it wasn’t missable, but now my friends and I were heading to high school and the bullying would start all over again.
I remember when Tucker had made friends with Ashton Barraman and the horrid words he said to me after that had Ashton fucking Barraman written all over them.
“I can’t believe you sis, you know how hard it is for me to make friends, and now I may have just lost my new friends because of you.”
“Don’t be so dramatic Tucker. You know as well as I do, not to step away from the house and never to leave me alone.”
“He’s right, you’re a leech and you’re holding me back.”
I was so upset that night, he had said something I had never thought he would ever say. I had always looked up to Tucker as our oldest brother as Shane was in the Marines. He was the closest person I had to look up to until Ashton Barraman spun his web. Now I hardly talk to my brother. His words had cut me that deep and I wasn’t sure if my wounds would ever heal.
Year seven came and went in a blur. Savoy High was everything I had expected, big and full of assholes wanting to be anyone or someone other than themselves they all were like flies around shit when it came to being noticed by the King of Bad boys and his friends. I’ve avoided them so far, but I know next year will be a whole different matter when they choose another one.
Year 8 - Courtney aged 12
My friends and I had all met up apart with the exception of Isaac who knocked on the door twenty minutes before eight am to walk to school with me.
“Good morning kitten, shall we?” He grinned like a Cheshire Cat.
I smiled. “We shall,” I said, closing the door and linking my arm with his.
We continued to school laughing and joking, meeting up with our friends and heading inside where we all got told which classes we would be in. We had all been split up apart from Simone, Issac, and me.
We’d all had a brief introduction from our tutor on punctuality and tardiness is unacceptable.
We had been given our timetables and were in a few lessons together. I hope our other friends are in classes with us.
Getting greeted by our teachers with the same message. “Do not forget to do your homework is crucial, it is a necessity. If we fail to do our homework and give crappy excuses for why we are not doing it we will get detention to complete it. If it is continuous for a month we will get put on the report. There will be no copying homework and bullying is definitely not tolerated; it will result in suspension or being taken out of school permanently.”
We had only had two lessons together which I shared with Isaac or Simone.
“I’ve got a headache.”
“Me too.”
Thank god it was break and we finally met up with our friends who looked as bad as we felt. Once break was over we all said our goodbyes heading to our separate classes. One of which I didn’t share with my friends.
I was minding my own business heading to class. I turned the corner bouncing off a hard chest.
O oh.
“Well hello there, squirt.” His masculine voice purred.
Oh great here we go. I looked up. God damn it. His curtained hair hung over his face, his eyes were a pure blue colour, almost like ice. He smirked. “Sorry I... I…”
His smirk grew wider. Crap now I’m in for it, first day being back here and I’ve bumped into a hot guy, who obviously was in year eleven as none of the other students were in until Wednesday. First day?”
“I’m not a squirt thank you very much. And der, I’m in year eight.”
“I’m not a squirt, thank you very much.”
His grin never faulted, great another idiot who thinks he’s god’s gift to girls.
“So what class are you heading to?”
“Geography.”
“Well follow me, Squirt. I’m not far from there.”
“Sure, why not.”
He grinned and I followed him down the corridor. “So what’s your name squirt?”
“Courtney, and I’m not a squirt. ”
“Josiah and you are to me.” He winked.
I rolled my eyes.
“So can I have to look at your timetable table to see if your classes are close to mine and I can walk you to them?”
“Whatever.” I pulled my timetable out and passed it to him.
He took it off me and began to read it. His smirk reappeared on his face. “So do you like music, squirt?”
“I do ”
“Can you sing?”
“I’ve been told I can.”
“Mmm. Interesting. I guess I’ll have to see for myself.”
“I guess you will.” I took my timetable back off him.
“Some of your lessons are close to mine. I’ll walk you.”
“Haven’t you got anything better to do than walk a year eight to lessons?”
“I have, but I want to.”
“Sure, whatever floats your boat.”
He grinned. And we continued walking. He was a chatter box and I wasn’t surprised if the girls swooned over him. “Well, here we are. ”
“Thanks, Josiah.”
“No need to thank me squirt, just look at me as your guardian angel.”
I smiled and nodded.
“Later squirt.”
“Yeah later.”
I walked away, going to my lesson.
I met my friends at lunch, sitting down and eating. Josiah walked in with four other guys; they all sat down. He looked over at us and winked at me. I smiled.
“Do you know who that is, Court?” Ava asked.
“His name is Josiah. I bumped into him on the way to the lesson.”
“Are you serious, Court? No one bumps into Josiah Kingsman; he’s the bad boy of year eleven; everyone fears him. You’re lucky you’re still alive.”
“Who told you that?”
“Everyone knows who he is, Court, he’s the most feared kid here.”
“Well, he seemed cool to me.”
“Just be careful around him.”
“I will.”
