Chapter 1
Monday December 1, 2014
My back hits the locker with a defining thud making people look for just a moment before they turned their heads and smirked. They all find it funny, what this man does to people, pushing them around like their garbage. I look into his grayish eyes, but they held no emotion, maybe a glint of joy every now and then. "Hey, Hayden, wanna have a little fun today?" His voice was deep,menacing but a small shudder ran down my spine at just the sound of that authoritative voice.
"No, I have to get to class." I lower my head, my knees are wobbling so badly that I'm surprised I'm still standing. I turn towards my class room, my books held close to my chest, trying my best not to make eye contact with him. His body gets closer to mine as I try to escape, making his upper build more intimidating, more noticeable. His arms showed his weight lifting habit as did his torso but he was still tinier than most.
"What's wrong, Hayden, are you afraid of me?" I shake my head keeping it low, as not to make any form of eye contact with this man. Eye contact always means a challenge to Nathan. I watch from below as his smirk gets bigger, knowing that he has me cornered. "Such a little pussy," He says his face falling as he finds no fun in my timid side. Grabbing my arms he shoves me against the lockers hard, causing my stuff to fall out of my hands, before he walks off down the hallway. The bell rings causing me to jump and grab my stuff, scrabbling to pick it all up. I get to my class just as the teacher is starting lecture.
"Ah, Mr. Grey, glad you decided to join us instead of socializing in the hallways during class time." I put my head down, knowing that he would probably give me a detention. "Get to your seat!" he barks and I scurry to my seat while the other students chuckle. I sit down and he starts lecture, as the students snicker at my being scolded. The class drags by with people throwing things at me and whispering their comments too their friends, none of them are scolded by the teacher though, only I am. Once the bell rings, I gather my things and quickly scurry from the room.
Lunch is always the most peaceful time for me, ironically, but only because Nathan and the "cool kids" go off campus for lunch. I sit at my table in the corner, alone, nobody likes me enough to let me sit with them except the chess club, but I'm still higher in social status than them. Once I get my lunch eaten I usually do my homework but on days like today when I don't have any, I go outside and enjoy the sunlight. It's nice to go outside every now and then, I'm always doing something on the inside that I rarely get to be out on nice days. I exit the school, seeing people talking about stupid things like relationships and the biggest rumours going around school. "Did you hear about Nathan?" I couldn't help listening in, anything I can use against that asshole would be much appreciated. I move and sit over at an empty picnic table, not out of hearing range of the two girls gossiping about Nathan. "So Jake said that he was hanging out with Matthew, Nathan, Zander, and Mason over the weekend at Nathan's house and he found a magazine with naked men in it." I sigh, this isn't even remotely useful to me, I need something to embarrass him.
"It was probably his mom's, you know how she is, remember she slept with Matthew and Mason at the same time. She's such a whore it's actually kind of pathetic." The girl next to her said and the other girl shook her head. She is so sure that it wasn't his mother's, why? Her blonde hair moves around her shoulders as she shakes her head.
"No,they were in his room, hidden, Jake didn't say where exactly, but he did say that they were most definitely Nathan's." The girls were all silent for a moment, then started talking about something totally different. I just sit there frozen though, unable to believe what I had just heard. Nathan, the guy who bullies me everyday in some shape or form, was gay. After a moment of silence in my mind,I laughed at the rumour, it has to be fake because Nathan was basically shoving his tongue down a girl's throat every time I saw him and he wasn't making fun of me.
"Hey isn't that Hayden sitting over there?" I heard a small chuckle exit one of the girls mouths and sigh, standing, it is time for me too leave. I grab my stuff and go to move to the side walk, but I run into somebody. I fall on my butt, my bag spilling all over the ground. In an attempt to catch myself I scrape my hands, blood quickly flowing from the cuts. The sound of glass shattering is what makes my eyes spring open and I see that I have spilled this guy's drink all down his shirt.
"You little bitch!" Shit, it's Jake, I ran into the person with the worst temper. His hand fists into my shirt and he yanks my body up. "Oh look, Its little Hayden, Nathan is going to be upset because he missed this. I believe that Hayden should clean up his mess, don't you guys think the same?" They all chuckle and nod before Jake is pushing my face into the glass covered ground,his hand locked tightly around the back of my neck.
Sitting in the nurses office isn't fun,but sitting in Mrs. Blackshire's office while having glass pulled out of cuts on your face is even worse. It took the bell ringing from inside the building to make Jake stop shoving my face into the hard and glassy surface of the sidewalk. I didn't even bother going to class, I just came straight here, not really wanting anybody to see me in this shape. I had a cut along my cheek and my lip was broken open and my face was just swollen and bruised with shards of glass in it. "Mr. Grey, you should really be more careful, people aren't as nice as Jake was." I nod obediently, the teachers were even on their side. Her brown hair bounces freely as she plucks one last piece of glass from my face. "There, that should do, let me bandage your face up and I'll send you back too class." I again nod, knowing my place in this screwed up school. The door opens and Jake and Nathan walk in, causing the nurse to immediately leave my side. "Boys what can I do for you?" she was up next to Jake who was basically undressing her with his eyes. Nathan eyes were scanning my face, disgust quickly pushing its way onto his face.
"Miss. Blackshire, my head just won't stop hurting, do you have something that could help me out?" His voice was so innocent, light and free even though I was sitting there with cuts all across my face.
"Of course dear, Mr. Grey, you are free too leave. I have to tend too Mr. Harrison." I stand up and head towards the door, thanking her, knowing that Jake and her were probably going to do it.
"Hey, Hayden I hear you got your ass kicked by Jake." his voice was like a bell in my ear. I look over at him but don't stop, my face hurts and in all honesty I just wanna go home. I walk past him but hear the soft thumping of his foot hitting the ground behind me. I'm just about to turn to leave the building when I'm shoved against the wall. I let out a small gasp, the brick digging into my spine wasn't a nice feeling. His body was pressed up against mine, holding me to the wall. I gasp for breath when his hand wraps around my throat. "Hayden." his voice was gruff, as he whispered my name into my ear. "You don't ignore me Hayden, you know that." he's taunting me, teasing my body. I close my eyes, gritting my teeth as his grip tightened.
"Please let go of me. I'm sorry I won't ignore you anymore!" I screech after a moment and he let's go of me letting me fall to the floor. Tears were burning in my eyes but I wouldn't let him see them.
"You shouldn't leave school because of a fight-" his pink lips turn up into a smirk "-I need my punching bag around." his voice was now gruff again, it sounds nice, but I couldn't focus on that. He grabs me by the collar of my shirt and pulls me up before slamming me back into the wall. "got it, nerd." I nod hurriedly, he could hurt me worse that Jake could, way worse. "Good, now get your ass too class and stop bothering me." he says and lets go, throwing me to the floor, turning and walking away. I sit on the floor, hyperventilating for a moment, before I stand and scurry to my class.
"Ah Mr.Grey, you're late, do you have a pass?" Mr. Barker asks holding his hand out, waiting expectantly for the pass that I had neglected to get. He raised his bushy eyebrow at me as I looked to the ground. " Well do you have one or not?" he snaps and I feel a small tremble run down my spine.
"No, sir, I was in the nurses office." he scowls at me and points too the door. I open my mouth to protest but quickly close it realizing that the only way for me too get into his class was with a pass and that wasn't going too happen. I walk out into the hallway and he slams the door behind me, muttering a small, get out. "What now?" I whisper to myself and take a seat against the wall. I looked at the front doors with want, I want to leave, too never come back. But I can't, Nathan would murder me if he caught me.
Time passed slowly, the clock across the hall was a sure sign of it. The bell rings and I stand with my stuff, not watching where I'm going and run into a hard body.
"Watch it nerd." his voice is a growl but I don't look him in the eyes only nod. I feel him standing there for a moment, not moving, like he's waiting. I peak up into those dangerous eyes and they spark with interest. I moved my head back down but he grabs my wrists, shoving me against the wall. My books fell to the ground, the loud thud causing some students to look in our direction. A group of girls, freshman most likely, came closer.
"Hey leave that guy alone!" Says a girl from the middle of the group, her long-chocolate brown hair flowing far past her shoulders. She is beautiful, her small frame was much like my own and her eyes the same brown shade as Nathan's. Nathan tenses, does he know this girl? Usually his girlfriend's are applauding him when he does this, why is she different? She looks too me and she smiles, her teeth are so white.
"Ames stay out of my business." She puts her hands on her hips, her bag falling to her wrist. Her friends just chuckled as if they thought this was funny. I close my eyes, giving up, everybody thought me getting beat up was funny, maybe I should ask mother and father if we could move away, Easton is still young. "If you don't stop I'll get the principal and he will call mom and dad!" I felt him tense when he said dad, Is his dad scary?
"That would get you in trouble too, so don't think I won't see right th-" I open my eyes. The girls face was the picture of frustration as she looked at Nathan but when she looked at me I saw a smirk peel across her face.
"Mr.Riker!" A big bulge of a man came through the crowd of people and Nathan dropped me just in time. Ames smiles at Nathan and he just looks at her with irritation, those two are most likely going to break up after today.
"Sorry, Mr. Riker, but there was a fight going on outside and the victim just ran towards the bathroom with blood running down his face, you may want to go check on him." she points down the hall towards the bathroom and mr. Riker waddles his way towards the bathroom. "So you will leave this boy alone now, correct." He didn't answer, just turned around and walked away, leaving me on the floor. The girl looks towards me and I move away as the crowds go back to their business. I scramble trying to get my books and everything as she walks closer to me. "Need some help up?" she sticks her hand out to me and I look up at her confused.
"Thank you." I whisper and she smiles nodding.
"My name is Amelia but everybody calls me Ames. What's your name?" I cautiously take her hand, afraid that this would all be some kind of trick cooked up by Jake and Nathan. She takes my hand and pulls me to my feet without doing me any physical harm.
"My name is Hayden, Hayden grey." I say, keeping my head down, not wanting to make any eye contact with her. If I make eye contact with her and she is with Nathan, she could say something that will make him hurt me even more. I don't want to be hurt anymore.
"Don't worry, I won't bite, I'm not like Nathan." She says and turns walking back to her group of friends. "See you later, Hayden." Then they all walk away, going to class as Mr. Riker waddles from bathroom too bathroom looking for our invisible victim.
