by B C Morgan
Amias is staring at me intently and the fact that he’s directly opposite me makes it even easier for him. I feel naked and exposed and I don’t really like it, Ivy looks like she’s fallen asleep beside him and Elijah is hurrying over so he can claim the seat beside me.
Poor Noah, he hates when they take his seat and I’m not going to delude myself into thinking it’s because it’s next to me.
“My chair again,” he says as he places my tray in front of me and brushes his fingers across the top of my hand before taking his seat.
He goes so far to pull a chair to the head of the table and smiles broadly when Elijah moans for not thinking of that before.
“We came to get you for dinner, but you weren’t there,” says Amias, staring at my hand where Noah has touched me.
“Sorry, I should have let you know she was in my room,” says Noah innocently and Ivy sits up so fast she must give herself whiplash.
“Ooh this has suddenly grown interesting, and what was she doing in your room? No, no, or was it more ‘yes’, ‘yes’,” Ivy says on a moan, and garners a lot of attention from around the canteen. I’m never going to be out of the limelight with this girl.
My cheeks are heating, and I feel so bloody embarrassed, this is ridiculous. I haven’t done anything wrong so why am I having this kind of reaction? It’s only going to encourage Ivy further and I don’t need or want any more attention to be directed my way.
“Someone broke into her room and trashed it, she was looking for us and luckily Mattias saw her and brought her to me. Stop reading more into it, you know the score,” he says with hard eyes and I know I don’t like this look on him. He’s too sweet and kind to be mad.
“Are you okay?” asks Elijah, with the softest tone I’ve ever heard from him and he lays his hand on top of mine.
“I am, Noah calmed me down by being his typical quiet but nice guy self. I didn’t even know where you guys were. If it wasn’t for Mattias, I probably would have ended up with the Shepherds.” I keep my tone low and my eyes soft, I have nothing to hide and I know they see this. I think they can also probably see how bad that situation could have turned out if Mattias hadn’t been the one to find me.
“What is the headmaster doing about it?” Amias asks, his eyes remaining cold and his mouth pulled into a thin straight line.
“They’ll replace my laptop and get me a new mattress delivered but it won’t be here until Monday and the cameras conveniently went down again,” I say, my frustration returning tenfold.
“Oh Henleigh, we heard what happened. It must have been such a shock,” says Britney as she approaches our table.
I’m not saying anything back and I know it’s pissing her off, she wants to know she’s affecting me but she’s gotta try harder than that.
“Pink isn’t really your colour, I hear you prefer gravestone grey,” chuckles Octavia and my vision is starting to shimmer a light shade of red.
“Shame about the cutie, I would have preferred to keep the picture but it was a celebration and all celebrations need confetti,” her smile is sly and her tongue drips her poison like it’s nothing more than sugar. This bitch has no soul and deserves to suffer.
I stand up, my chair flying back and crashing into the table behind me. I don’t even know who’s shouting as my eyes zero in on Octavia and all noise is suddenly muffled. I don’t care if they were working on someone’s orders, I’m going to make this bitch pay.
I run forward and connect my fist with the side of her jaw, before dragging my knuckles down and pulling her jaw down, only just stopping myself from dislocating it. She shrieks in pain as I get one more shot in on her nose, before I’m being pulled away and hurried out of the canteen. I throw my head over Elijah’s shoulder and meet Harrison’s stare and I’m certain mine is as dark as his.
“Damn girl, that was crazy and sexy as fuck,” says Elijah as he spins me around but all I want to do is go back in there and throw a few more punches.
“You’re not helping Lija, I think she needs to blow off some steam in another way,” Ivy says, as she grabs my hands and leads me out of the mansion.
I’m following her, letting her lead me to god knows where. I just don’t have the capacity to care right now, I’m so angry I want to scream.
The guys are following us and I want them to go away, well mainly Noah, I don’t want him to think less of me.
She leads us into the fitness centre and I’m soon standing before a punching bag with wraps around my hands. I wanted to feel the bite, but they refused to let me punch bare.
I let all my anger out. I punch, kick and scream until I’m so tired I’m just falling to the floor.
“She’s had enough,” says Amias and I think he’s growling as Elijah scoops me up into his arms and for some reason, takes me to Ivy’s quarters.
He lays me on her bed and places her blanket over me, I can see them all retreat to the far side of the room, but I don’t have the energy to try and listen to their conversation. Instead I can feel my eyes begin to droop and I welcome sleep.
“Elliott, why do you have to go again. Devon will let you stay here if I ask him to,” I say, wrapping my arms around his waist and trying to keep him from leaving.
“I’ve got to go, pipsqueak, I’m going to make this a better place to live. Just you wait, we’ll never be burgled and you’ll no longer have to look at things mum and dad can’t afford to buy. If you want something I’ll get it for you, I just need to prove myself first.”
“Why do you need to prove yourself? I can see how great you are and if they can’t, then they’re not really your friends. Not like the boys, they will look after us,” I say.
I don’t really understand what he’s trying to say, Devon and the others wouldn’t let anything happen to us, Devon is scary when he’s mad and no one ever wants to be on the receiving end. As long as he’s around nothing bad will happen.
I wake up suddenly, jolting upright and taking in the darkened room. I look to my left and barely stifle a scream when I see a body lying next to mine, I take in a few deep breaths just to regain control and I realise it’s Ivy asleep beside me. I guess I’m having my first sleepover and I didn’t even get to experience it whilst being awake.
I really didn’t see me and Ivy ever becoming friends, but it wouldn’t be a bad thing to have another girl to chat with and maybe she could help me with my guy dilemma. Although she may not be the best bet, seeing as they’re her friends and I would be mortified if she told them how I was feeling. Not that I can work that out myself at the moment.
I lie back down and curl up, and I can’t help but hope that I don’t dream this time. Even though it felt like a memory, surely it wouldn’t hold any real significance.
By the time five am rolls around, I’ve had a terrible night’s sleep. Every time I fell asleep, a dream of Elliott would have me shooting up out of bed. I nearly woke Ivy up with the last one, so I think I’ll just go for a run. I’ve already got the new key to my room although it makes me wonder if the assistant head knows where I slept, seeing as I don’t have a mattress to sleep on right now.
I’m coming up short though, as I get close to my door and see that it’s ajar and light is spilling out into the unlit hallway. Seriously, didn’t they do enough damage already?
I approach slowly and push the door open even wider to find Noah and Elijah covered in baby blue paint as they redo my walls. Damn my heart is skipping a beat again, why are they doing this, although the more pressing question really should be, how did they get in here?
I clear my throat and Elijah drops his brush into the tin sending paint splattering over the top, he’s looking at me all sheepishly and how can I not smile at him.
“What are you guys doing?” I ask, even though the answer itself is pretty obvious.
“You shouldn’t have that on your walls, so I wanted to get rid of it. Lija felt the same way, so he came too.” Other than the slight blush on his cheeks, you’d never know his words affected him
and my chest tightens as an influx of emotions hit me like a tidal wave.
“Okay before I decide whether or not to hug you, firstly how did you get into my room? And secondly why do you guys call him Lija?” I place my hands on my hips and lightly tap my foot, but I can’t keep the slight smile from gracing my lips.
“He won’t let anyone call him Eli and he didn’t approve of Jah, so Ivy started calling him Lija and it just stuck. As for your room, ask him? He’s the one who picked the lock,” says Noah as he gets back to painting, clearly done with this conversation.
I look to him and he smiles roguishly as he saunters towards me, I give him the middle finger and he bows over with laughter before stopping to stand just before me.
“My cousin used to hang with this gang down in London and whenever she and my aunt came to visit, she’d show me a few things. Lock picking, hot wiring cars, that sort of thing.” The look on his face shows how fond he is of the memories, he’s more of a rebel than I would have thought. “I thought she was a goddess until she got arrested for dealing and mother dearest banned me from seeing her again. Apparently, she was a bad influence.” He rolls his eyes and his smile has a sad quality to it, there must be more to it than that, surely.
Small world that he said London, but it’s a big place, and probably nowhere near where we used to live. He still has the roguish smile on his face, but his eyes are soft. I walk closer to him before changing direction at the last second and wrapping my arms around Noah.
He freezes and drops the paintbrush on the floor, before turning around and wrapping his arms around me.
“Thank you, I know the assistant head said she’d get someone in to sort this mess out but I don’t think she really cares. And you had no reason to do this for me, but you have anyway.” I pull back slightly to look at him and he’s smiling softly at me.
“I have plenty of reasons my Leighbear,” he says as we stand looking at one another, until Elijah clears his throat.
Noah pulls away and looks down at the floor, it’s almost as if I make him uncomfortable but he’s okay when it’s just us. He even talks more when it’s just the two of us.
“I’ve been painting too, where’s my hug and lingering look,” he’s mock pouting and he looks ridiculous, but he’s right.
I walk over to him and hook my arms around his neck as he bends down so I can reach. Before standing up and placing his arms below my arse, he’s a sod, he really is, but at least he’s not trying to cop a feel.
“Is something going on between you and Noah?” he asks, whispering in my ear.
I look over to where Noah is standing, he’s still painting the wall, but his shoulders are pulled in tight. He looks really tense, but I’m shaking off the thought as I turn back to Elijah.
“No, but he makes me feel safe and he has this way of putting a smile on my face without even trying,” I say softly.
“It’s okay you know; I’d never expect you to want me, I always seem to piss you off. But be careful with Noah,” he says as he slides me down his body and back onto my feet.
“I never said I didn’t want you,” I say, a little too loudly before rushing off into my bathroom and jumping in the shower. What is wrong with me? I swear I’m asking that about myself a lot more lately.
A letter is sitting on my bedside table when I come out of the bathroom into the now empty room. My walls have been painted, and as I open my door, I see they even repainted that for me as well. It actually feels nice to have friends, as long as I stop kissing them it should be okay.
I open the letter and want to laugh, seeing I have to go straight to the headmaster’s office Monday morning. No doubt I’ll be excluded for what I did to Octavia while she and her cronies will get away with everything they did. How bloody typical, screw it, I came back here so I could go for a run and that’s exactly what I am going to do. Pulling on my Lycra shorts and black tank top, I’m soon running out towards the track and I’m not going to stop until everything is burning, my lungs and legs alike.
I do exactly as I planned, and I don’t stop even as a light drizzle starts up. I’m pushing myself too hard but I’m feeling so messed up right now, I didn’t want a friend and now I have four. Three of which I think about in a less than platonic way. Why do all three of them have to be so appealing in looks and personality alike.
I fall hard, slipping on the wet ground. I catch myself on my hands, so my face doesn’t smash into it, but my ankle is throbbing as are my hands and knees.
Son of a bitch, I can’t freaking move, and the rain is coming down harder. Can this day get any worse? As usual that thought just goads the universe to throw more my way.
“Damn, you fell hard,” comes from Finley, and I want to scream, I really do.
If his girlfriend and her cronies did that stuff to my room then he definitely played a part. Even if it was only to ensure they wouldn’t get in trouble with his dear old mum.
“Sod off, really don’t need you rubbing it in further.”
He crouches down beside me and grabs my wrists, turning my hands around so he can look at the cuts and scrapes that are now adorning my palms.
“Can you move?”
“No, I think I’ve twisted my ankle,” I reluctantly reply.
He looks around, for what I have no idea, before throwing my arm around his shoulder and heaving me back to my feet or rather, foot.
“Why are you helping me?” I ask, as he takes some of my weight so I can keep my smarting ankle from getting any worse.
“Who knows how long it will be until you either make it back inside on your own or one of your buddies find you. I’ll get you to the fitness building as it’s the closest and then you’re on your own, I can’t afford to be seen helping you,” he replies but it doesn’t actually answer my question and I’m telling him that myself.
“As far as you’re concerned, I'm staying out of it, they can do what they want, and I don’t really care why either. But it’s chucking it down out here and my nana would kill me if she knew I left an injured girl out in the rain. And she would find out, I don’t know how, but she always seems to know when I do something shitty.” He laughs as he says that last part and honestly, as long as I’m out of the rain, I don’t really care why he feels the need to help me.
He leads me inside and I hate that I need to lean on him, but he’s helping me walk, and he’s warm. I need to say thank you, but I’m not given the opportunity as Amias comes storming towards us. His eyes are narrowed to slits, his fists are clenched and shaking a little.
“What the hell are you doing with her?” he shouts, drawing the attention of the few people using the fitness equipment.
He sends the gawkers a glare and they’re soon rushing into a different room of the centre. I’m trying to remove myself from Finley, but he just squeezes me tighter.
“Brownie here took a bit of a tumble and you weren’t around to help her. Would you have preferred I left her out in the rain? Besides, it’s not like she was complaining about being in my arms,” he says smirking, and I hate it.
I slap my hand across his chest, surprising him enough that I can duck out from under his arm and hop away from him.
“Stop being a twat, like you said I would have been left out in the rain. How could I refuse? Believe me, your arms are the last place I want to be.” I know my voice is raising but I’m in pain and I just want to sit down.
“Get moving Finley, before I make you.” Amias is really wound up.
“Don’t worry I’m going, I’m sure we’ll have a great time in the ring next week. As for you Brownie I’m sure you’ll be begging to have my arms around you again, very soon.” He walks away and it’s a good thing really because Amias looks like he’s about to kill him.
I put my left foot down and cry out at the pain that radiates up my leg, I’m suddenly being lifted into Amias’s arms and he takes me into a room that has a row of benches and lockers. There’s another room attached with a door locked up with a key code keeping
us out.
He asks what happened as he slides my trainer and sock off, I try to answer but my teeth are starting to chatter. I’m so cold.
“Is your underwear decent?”
What the fudge sticks, who asks that? I’m not answering that, it’s absurd.
“If you take your top and shorts off will I see more than you’re willing to share?” He has a gruff tone to his voice, but his eyes are filled with concern, so I’m trying not to read too much into it.
Nope, not answering I’m just going to sit here stubbornly and bloody well freeze to death.
“Screw it, hate me if you want but I can’t leave you like this,” he says as he goes over to the door with the keypad on it and enters the code.
Why does he have the code and where does it lead? He picks me back up and leads me into the room with a hot tub, but this just raises more questions. We have one that we can use, so why is there one locked away out of sight?
He sets me on the edge before gripping the hem of my top and tearing it off me. I would have put up a fight, but the shaking is unbearable I just want to be warm. Next up, he leans me back and pulls off my shorts. I hiss as they hit my ankle but despite the chills, the look on his face makes me feel warm inside.
No, not going there. I’m a terrible person and they’ll all see that eventually. It’ll be easier to lose them as friends than as something more and I don’t think I can close myself off indefinitely. Nope after today, I’m laying down some ground rules. Number one, no more kissing or touching them!
“I know very little about first aid, but I need to get you warm. If this goes badly, I apologise in advance.”
He scoops me back up and lowers me into the water, I hiss almost instantly until the heat seeps into me and I can't help but moan in pleasure.
