When We Fall

by Olivia Rose

  "Oh silly! Who are you here with? Do you want to join us?" She asks, blanking me completely.

  "No, I'd much rather hang out with, Erin. You know, the person you can see standing right next to me." He puts his arm around my shoulder, and I can't help but try to hide my face.

  "Seriously, you're here with her?"

  "It's fine, Mason." I look to the floor, wishing it would open up and swallow me whole. I should've known better than to think I could have even one good night.

  "Yes, I'm here with her, do you have a problem with that?" I feel how rigid he goes, like he's wound tight ready to explode.

  "Maybe we should just go get some food instead," I say to him quietly.

  "Sure thing," he tips his head down to me and sweeps my hair back behind my ear, not letting me hide behind it.

  "You should be careful who you hang around with, Mason. You don't want to be associated with slutty trash." Tegan's goon Becca goads as we walk away.

  I see his jaw go tight, but I unravel myself from him and walk away, pretending what she said doesn't bother me.

  "Slutty trash? Really, Becca? Maybe you should pay closer attention in class. Maybe then you'd understand the words you're so casually tossing around. The only trash around here is the garbage coming out of your mouth," he fires back before turning to follow me. He catches up to me and opens the door to his car for me again, before closing it wordlessly and getting in himself.

  "Are you okay?" He asks, his hands gripping the steering wheel, his knuckles going white.

  "I'm fine. It's really nothing new. Mean girls exist everywhere; don't let it get to you."

  "It's not fine, Erin. Those girls have no reason to treat you the way they do. From what I've seen, you're one of the nicest people in this godforsaken place."

  "It is what it is, Mason, but thank you for being different from the rest. I don't think anyone else has ever stood up to them for me."

  "Yeah, your friend, Evan, seems like a real stellar guy," he says, putting the car in gear and pulling out of the spot. We drive around for a bit, music playing on the stereo as he calms.

  "You like Jaded Hearts?" I ask, shocked, as the song starts up on his playlist.

  "Who doesn't? I'm not normally one for a female-fronted rock band, but these guys are killer."

  "Oh my god; nobody around here would have any idea about the words you just said. Finally, someone with decent taste!"

  "You're kidding me, right?" He asks, and I shake my head excitedly before directing him to Patty's.

  "Rock music isn't exactly the stereotypical happy place for most of the robots here. They all like dance, or techno, with a deep-seated love for country music. I don't get the mix, but it's true," I explain. "Don't get me wrong, I love me some Luke Bryan and Sam Hunt as much as any girl, but things are a little... blinkered here."

  "Well, thank god for out-of-towners, huh?" He says with a wink.

  He leads me through the door of Patty's, and chuckles.

  "Wow, this really is a 1950's paradise isn't it? Tell me the servers wear roller skates too so my vision is complete?"

  I take in the black and white check floor, bright blue and red booths, and the shiny white tables, and neon lights. I guess I'd never really noticed before. It's just a place of love for me. I lead him to the counter, and we're seated in a back booth.

  "Can I get you guys anything?" the girl flutters her lashes at Mason, but he doesn't even notice as he looks over the menu.

  "I'll have a chocolate shake, and whatever she's having. You're the expert here." He smiles at me and our server loses some of her sparkle, turning her attention to me.

  "I'll have a chocolate shake too, and then we'll have the Taco Fiesta sharing plate, with extra nachos, and queso. Oh, and guac!"

  "Perfect, anything else?" she gazes back at Mason hopefully, but he shakes his head and hands her the menu.

  "Thank you," I smile at her and hand her my menu. I'd feel bad for her if she hadn't dismissed my presence so easily. So what if we're just friends? She doesn't know that.

  "So, those girls... are they always like that?" Mason asks as soon as she steps away. I pick up my napkin and focus intently on it, not looking him in the eye.

  "Not always, but yeah, pretty much. Most of the time, they just pretend I don't exist, which is fine. I like the quiet life." He reaches over and lifts my chin, so my gaze reaches his.

  "You shouldn't have to put up with that, Erin." The mix of anger and sadness in his eyes is a punch in the gut, but I don't want his pity.

  "I know, but it's a long story," I say, before telling him the short version of Tegan's love to hate on me; about how I was left on the church steps and how Monica took me in.

  "Well, that's just ridiculous, but Monica sounds awesome."

  "Welcome to Rocky Falls, I guess." I say as the waitress brings over our milkshakes.

  "So, tell me some more about you. You live with your grams?"

  "Yeah, she might be old, but that lady can still bust a move. She can be scary as shit, too; just don't tell her I told you that," he chuckles. "But yeah, it's me and Parker against the world for the most part. I was lucky enough to find a job at a local garage when we moved here so I can help my grams with the bills and stuff, ya know? I can't imagine it's easy looking after us both after losing her son; not when she was ready to get to living life for herself."

  "I'm sure she loves having you guys around."

  "She does now. But one of the reasons we moved was because of some trouble I got into at my old school. Looking back at it now, I know it was stupid, but you know when you fall in with certain people, things spiral and you don't even notice it until it's too late? So, yeah... I just want to keep my head down, start afresh, and not cause Grams any trouble while we get Parker to where he needs to be. One day though, I'd love to travel the world. Road trip my way through the globe. Backpack, walk the beach at sunrise, find music I've not experienced, explore the beauty that's out there, you know? One day."

  We enjoy the rest of the night just talking about music, movies, and sticking to the lighter subjects, before he takes me home.

  "Thank you for today," I say when he pulls up in front of my house.

  "I'm just sorry we ran into those idiots partway through," he says, turning to me. "Maybe we can do this again sometime?"

  "Erm, yeah sure," I agree, with a quick smile. I haven't felt this comfortable with anyone except Scottie in a really long time. The feeling in the car shifts as he looks over me. His stormy eyes grow darker as he leans in closer, his hand cupping my chin. I panic at the look in his eyes and open the car door, breaking the tension.

  "I'll see you at school," I say before closing the door and hurrying up the drive.

  See you at school? God, I'm such an idiot.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Another week passes but thank goodness its Friday. I'm still cringing at my amazingly smooth moves with Mason on Saturday. I think he's a nice guy, and I enjoy his company, but ever since he arrived, Tegan and her goon squad have been a thousand times worse. I don't know if having him as a friend is worth it. Especially since they seem so interested in him. On the other hand, he's nice, protective, and let's not forget, hard on the eyes—my sarcasm astonishes even me sometimes. Plus, why should they get to dictate who I hang out with?

  I push the palms of my hands against my eyes. Seven am is not the time for this sort of thinking. I kick off my sheets and prepare to face the day. I can hear Monica humming away downstairs, prepping for her morning yoga class, as always. The sound brings me comfort as I pull myself together.

  "Erin, if you don't get moving, you're going to be late!" She hollers up the stairs. I grab my bags. Books. Check. Gym sack. Check. Get up and go. Nope, apparently that wanted to stay in bed today. Awesome.

  "I'm going, I'm going," I say as I run down the stairs, grabbing an apple as I pass through the kitchen. "I'm never late, remember?"

  "Oh, I know, one of the many things I love about you. Now get going
before you break your rules," she chides.

  I swipe a chaste kiss on her check before running out of the door.

  I make it to class with minutes to spare, having dropped off my stuff in my locker. I love uneventful mornings, even if English class is the start of today. Settling down in my corner, I wait, knowing Mason is going to be here any second. I can't help it, but I can't keep still. A mash of anxiety and excitement fills me, and that worries me.

  He saunters into the room. Some of the guys from the football team call out to him as he leaves them behind, sliding into his chair beside me.

  "New friends?" I ask, with a small smile. The football team are Evan's friends, and by association, Tegan's. I've never been their number one fan, especially since they tend to help Tegan with any heavy lifting she might need.

  "Yeah, I caught up with the guys in the park yesterday, after my run. Some of them are actually all right; you know, once you get past their ego and jock thing."

  "Awesome. I'm glad you're fitting in."

  "Well, Little Miss Outcast, I might just be able to bring you into the light with me," he teases.

  "Maybe I like the darkness."

  "Well, does that mean you don't want to come and see Jaded Hearts with me?"

  "I'm sorry, say what?" I squeal as he pulls two tickets out of his back pocket. "Are these for real?"

  "I heard from a good source, these might just be your favorite band, and I had a spare ticket."

  "Are you kidding?" I squeal again and jump up and hug him. "This might be the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me."

  I don't even care we're in class and people are looking. JADED HEARTS TICKETS!

  "You're welcome. I figured it's the least I could do to repay you for tutoring. Plus, finding someone else to come to their gig with me isn't an easy task. You're doing me a favor." He winks at me, as I sit down, trying not to do a happy dance in my chair. "It's tonight. Is that a problem?"

  "Hell no! It isn't. Thank you so much, Mason. Gahhhh!" I hug myself, resisting doing the same to him.

  "Nice to see you took the loser on as your charity case, new guy." One of the jock squad pipes up from across the room.

  "What's up, butt munch? Jealous I'm taking out the pretty girl? Guess you should've asked first." Mason retorts, but I can't find it in me to care even a little about everyone else around me. My happy bubble is keeping me nice and warm with fuzzies. Screw everyone else. I'm going to see Jaded Hearts!

  The rest of the day blurs by, and not even gym class can ruin my mood. I stand under the showers, humming my favorite Jaded Hearts song to myself when I realize how quiet the room has gone. I rinse out my hair and do another little happy dance, before reaching outside the shower curtain for my towel. I'm met with nothing but air.

  Please God, no.

  I poke my head out around the curtain, and I see no-one around, but I also don't see my towel.

  You have got to be kidding me.

  "Hello," I call out. "Is there anyone else in here?" I'm greeted with nothing but silence. Wonderful.

  I double check and make sure no-one is around before darting from the stall ninja style, trying to cover myself as much as possible. I get to the main locker room and still see no-one. Tiptoeing to Coach's office, I knock softly, half-hoping no-one is in there. There's no movement, so I open the door and grab a towel from the top of the bin. I don't even care if it's wet at this point, I just need to not be naked.

  Securing the towel in place, I head to my locker and find it ajar. Seriously, this day can go suck it. I open my locker and see my chucks in the bottom, along with my underwear, my cell, and my necklace, but that's it. Fucking wonderful. That's when I hear a shower turn on. I grasp the towel around me and look around. I could've sworn there was no-one else in here.

  "Hello?" I call out.

  There are footsteps, followed by a door closing. I lean back against my locker and close my eyes. I just have to survive this year and then I can escape this hellhole. One year. I take a deep breath and head toward the now running shower, finding my clothes balled up and shredded in the bottom of the shower. I sink down the wall and land in a mess on the floor. What did I ever do to deserve this?

  "Erin, are you okay?" I look up and see Coach Scott looking down at me.

  "Sure thing, Coach. Just a mishap with my clothes, I guess," I tell her. She frowns.

  "Come on into my office, Erin, and we'll see what we can do about this, shall we?"

  "Thanks, Coach." I take her offered hand and stand while trying to keep my modesty with the small towel. Picking up my destroyed clothes, I follow her to the office.

  "What's going on here, Erin?" She asks once I'm sat opposite her.

  "If I knew, I'd tell you, Coach. As it is, I have no idea," I say, exasperated.

  "I can't help you if I don't know the details."

  "I really don't know, Coach."

  "Fine," she sighs, disappointment thick in her voice. "I'll call Monica to come get you and bring you some more clothes. Until then, you stay here, okay?"

  "Thanks, Coach," I say as she leaves the room. I drop my head in my hands and fight the urge to cry. I will not let them get to me like this. I've never let it get to me before. Though it's definitely worse now than it's ever been. The only things I can put it down to are: one, Tegan found out I slept with Evan over the summer and is torturing me as a way of 'reminding me of my place'; or two, it's because of Mason. He actually sees me, unlike the rest of the school; and considering he has that whole, mysterious, cheeky yet bad boy thing going for him, I can only imagine the queen bee and her little minions hate it. God forbid, I ever have a friend.

  I wait in silence for Monica to arrive, and when she does, she arrives like a hurricane, bursting through the door like I'm about to go up against a firing squad.

  "Erin! Are you okay? The coach called and said I needed to bring you clothes?" She says before taking in the fact I'm stood in front of her in nothing more than a towel.

  "Oh, dear Lord, give me strength. What did those sniveling little witches do now?" She asks, her face like thunder.

  "Nothing worse than anything else they've ever done. Did you bring me some clothes?"

  "I've had enough of this! These girls can't treat you this way. I've let you handle it for too long. I'm taking this to your principal. Enough is enough, damn it!"

  "Monica, please... It's just going to make it worse."

  "Not if I have my way, it won't. You need to let me help you with this, kiddo. It's part of my job as your mom. Now get dressed, and then I'll be making an appointment with Eric."

  "It's Mr. Hardman here, Mon. No-one calls him Eric inside these walls."

  "Yes, well, maybe he'll take me seriously then. I expect their parents to be brought in on this."

  "We have no proof it was them, Monica."

  She stood next to me and tilted her head. "Look, Erin. I've been meaning to talk to you." Her voice is quiet and full of concern. "You left your computer on the other night and I checked your social media pages. Sorry for the invasion of privacy but I could tell something else was going on. It damn near broke my heart to see that abuse, and to know you tried to deal with it alone. No more. We're a team. You know what they say, a single arrow is easily broken, but not a bundle. I'm going to be your bundle."

  "Thank you, Monica," I sigh, getting up and taking the clothes from her before making my way back to my locker to get dressed. I overhear Coach and Monica talking about how school wasn't like this in their day, well whoopee do for them.

  I slide my phone into my pocket, ignoring the texts from Mason. I've got to deal with Monica before I even think of anything else. She had that look, like a dog with a bone, and I need her to drop this. Yes, it fucking sucks, and yes, I would give pretty much anything for it to stop, but running to the principal or telling their parents, isn't going to work. I'm not sure what will, but what I do know is that is just going to make it worse.

  "I'll be fine now, Monica. Sorry to have distur
bed your day," I say, re-entering Coach's office. She frowns in that way moms do, and while normally I appreciate it, today I just want her to leave it alone.

  "Erin, be reasonable. These girls can't go unpunished," She says, exasperated.

  "You know I can't leave this unchecked, Erin," Coach states, nodding at Monica. "That being said, Monica, Erin is right. We have no proof of who did this. All I can do for now is report it to Mr. Hardman and keep a closer eye on things."

  "Are you being serious? Her property was damaged, and nothing can be done?" Monica throws her hands up in the air. "No wonder these girls think they can get away with anything. They can!"

  "Please be reassured, Monica. We don't tolerate bullying of any form. I'll personally keep an eye on the girls you told me about. Hopefully, we can find a resolution quickly."

  "Ridiculous. Erin, do you want to come home?" She turns to me and I can see that's what she wants; but going home will mean they've won.

  "No, I'm fine. Lunch is nearly over. I'll head to class and be home after."

  "Hmmm. I don't like it, but if you're sure?"

  "I promise, I'll be fine. Don't worry about it."

  "Telling a mother not to worry. Good one, sweetie."

  She rolls her eyes at me, gathering up her purse. "Fine, I'll head home, but you come straight home from school, please."

  She says it like a question, but we both know it isn't.

  "Erm, that's fine. But I kinda have plans later tonight?" I say, hoping she doesn't ask too many questions.

  "We'll talk once you're home." She hugs me, before kissing me on the cheek and flurries out of the room like a walking, talking twister.

  I sigh before heading toward the door. The warning bell rings, signaling the end of lunch.

  "You really should speak to someone, Erin. Even if it's not me. We have ways of helping with this stuff."

  "No offence, Coach, but I've been dealing with this for what feels like forever. No-one has ever helped before, ignorance is bliss and all that. But regardless, I've survived. I've got less than a year left, and then I'm out of here. I can survive a bit longer."

  "Maybe so, Erin, but surviving isn't living. This is your senior year. Living is kind of a requirement," she smiles a small smile. "Just think about it. My door is always open."