There's Something About Him (Complete)

Chapter Six - Sticks and Stones

I looked over my locker and sighed, wanting to feel furious when I struggled to feel anything; it had been two weeks since River joined the Ashton High populous and the realisation that he had decided to forgo popularity in favour of sticking with me hadn't gone down all the well.

In fact, this would be the fifth morning in a row that I had arrived at school only to find that my property had been vandalised. Someone had taken to writing insults all over the door of my locker while the metal buckled out.

I was suddenly thankful that I never kept anything in there over night as I put in the code and reefed it open to see the expected paint was splattered all through the interior.

I couldn't really understand their need to do this when it wasn't even about me. River had made the confusing decision to stick with me even though I had warned him repeatedly, even after he'd heard all of the rumours and listened to all of the insults that threaded from person to person about me.

He still smiled at me, still sat with me during class and lunch and had even began hinting at wanting to spend even more time together...outside of school.

Somehow within the last two weeks, River Daimon - undeniably, the most popular boy at school - had become my only friend, the closest friend that I had had in years.

"What the fuck?" The sound of River's loud and angry voice had me jumping. I had been so immersed in my own thoughts that I hadn't even registered that everyone had gone silent as they watched him walk towards me.

I still thought it beyond pathetic that people were so clingingly obsessed with him; he'd shown no interest in their fawning and I knew, after listening to him every day, that he was close to snapping.

I turned from the destroyed locker to face him and the growing crowd that had begun to form. His face was tight with fury as he also took note of the words that had written across the door with a black marker.

Whore. Slut. Die.

Although I was both wary and wearied by the constant attacks, my reaction seemed to be nowhere that of River's. His fists were clenched and I could see that his shoulders shook with the uncompromising tightness across his shoulders.

"River," I tried to murmur quietly, hopeful that he would let it go; giving into his reaction would perhaps only make it worse since those behind it would see that they had done what they had set out to do.

"No," he growled at me, his glasses slipping down slightly, "This is too fucking much and I've had enough of it. Why the hell can't they grow up?"

I bit my lip and pressed a gentle hand to his chest, "It's high school and filled with immature idiots who have nothing better to do. The locker is no loss to me and I really don't want to start a war."

He peered down at me, "It's important to me, Alira! All of this because I was smart enough to stay away from them." He shook his head.

"The popular don't take rejection well and this is just their way of acting out," I moved closer to him so that no one around us would overhear as I tried to calm the irate boy down.

"It's not fucking right, RiRi," He insisted, seemingly distressed on my behalf as he slipped in my new nickname.

"No it's not," I smiled softly, "but it won't break me. Leave it be and eventually they'll get over it unless you decide to join the dark side?" I tried to make it all seem like a joke but an insecure part of me clenched as I contemplated the very real possibility that he may see me as too much trouble.

He chopped me gently on the head before he tugged on some of my loose locks, "It will never happen." He shuddered dramatically, "Seems like you'll be it for me as far as friends go in this place."

I laughed quietly, "Why does that sound so sad?"

He shrugged and finally gave me a grin before he tugged me into a tight hug, "Nothing sad about being the best friend of the most gorgeous girl in the school. I just wish that they would leave you alone; I'm sorry for causing more problems for you."

He squeezed tighter as I savoured something that I hadn't experienced outside of home until meeting him.

He may be sorry about dragging me under the spotlight but I knew that he didn't regret befriending me; it was something that he had made sure to tell me over the short time that we had known one another.

I wasn't entirely convinced that he wasn't just biding his time until something better came along in the friend department but so far I was actually really enjoying having him for a friend and confidante.

He let me go as the bell rang, "I'll make sure that your locker is fixed today."

I rolled my eyes at the certainty in his voice; it seemed that sometimes he forgot that he hated the influence that came with his family's name.

"I really don't care one way or another." We headed in the direction of homeroom where I knew that people would be gathered to stare at us and whisper behind their hands.

River wrapped and arm across my shoulder as we stepped into the crowded doorway, "I got side tracked but I had a reason for coming to your locker...my parents want to meet you sometime this week."

What?