Pins and Needles

Chapter 22

The days were passing faster than I had hoped and eventually, one week had flown by. I was getting anxious; so far no progress had been made and I needed that to change. The only good thing that had happened was my foot was in better shape, but that didn't relate to the bigger problem at all, unfortunately.

I had spent the majority of that week hanging around Maeve, but yesterday, she had disappeared during 2nd period. Today, I hadn't seen her for the first half of school, but then she reappeared in the halls a little later. This had given me hope that I could get a tip, so I planned on looking for her during lunch to uncover her shadiness. I started at the lunchroom and scanned for the familiar blonde headed girl, but couldn't find her. I did, however, lay eyes on an equally intriguing subject; one jittery looking Clark. Seeing as Clark and Maeve hadn't been seen in the same room since the park incident, this was great news. In addition, not only was Maeve absent yesterday, but so was Clark.

I decided to revisit Clark later and continue on my search for Maeve. I lapped the building a few times, unable to find her in any halls, classrooms, or bathrooms. I almost gave up when I noticed a figure moving outside of the window. When I inspected it closer, I was giddy with the results. It was Maeve.

I went out near the closest door and called out to the girl, "Maeve! Hey, where've you been?"

Her back was facing me and she wore a hood, barely turning her head to respond, "Oh, uh, just thought I'd enjoy the weather today."

I scrunched my nose, but didn't protest and instead asked, "Well, then, why weren't you in school yesterday?"

Maeve went to turn around, but swiftly stopped and let her hair hang, only making her nose visible, "I was... sick."

I took notice of her deliberate hiding and gripped her shoulders to spin her towards me. Once I did so, Maeve gasped loudly and turned her face again. On her cheek laid a discolored mark that rested right underneath her eyelashes. The white of her eye also had a red streak running through it, like a blood vessel had popped. I was at first confuzed, then the realization hit me and I lightly poked the affected area.

"Ah- ow," Maeve whimpered.

My mind clouded over as my worst fear imaginable came true. I rubbed vigorously at the spot, ignoring Maeve's bleats and cries until the splotch was fully uncovered. What was once a greenish speck quickly turned into a huge purple-ish sack that prominently stood out on Maeve's pale skin. My heart dropped and I pricked myself so hard that the pin got stuck in my finger for a moment. This was exactly what I didn't want. Out of all the reasons for Clark and Maeve to be avoiding each other, domestic violence was the only one that I wouldn't stand for.

My attention swiftly turned to Clark as I bolted through the door and mumbled, "He just had to ruin everything again."

Why can't things go my way for once?

I barged into the cafeteria and focused directly on Clark, slamming my hand on the table right next to his own. All eyes were on us as I stared daggers into his skull. Clark didn't move a muscle nor did he dare to utter a word.

"You're pathetic," I spat.

My name was called over the hushed bystanders and I turned to see Dean standing behind me with Maeve trailing not too far behind. He was giving me a stern look and I knew exactly what he was implying. I faced Clark one last time before huffing and walking out of the door. I surely wanted to pick on Clark more, but I was sober enough to know that the school cafeteria was not the best place to do so. Dean followed behind me and Maeve attempted to, but Jess and Simon held her back.

We walked down the corridor in silence for a while until we were significantly farther away from the cafeteria.

I struck a locker with my fist in aggravation and screamed, "FUCK!"

Dean suddenly grabbed my shoulder and swung me to face him, but then backed up after noticing my fierce glare.

"Clark needs to go. He has ruined everything and is like a parasite leeched to my back. He has been in my way for such a long time and needs to pay for what he did. He's going to be the bane of my existence if he continues on. I won't be able to follow through with my plan and so forth; I just can't let that happen," I rambled.

Dean jumped in, "Woah woah, slow down there. W-What do you mean by plan? And, you wanna get rid of him?? What does that even mean?"

I ignored his questions and pressed him with a few of my own, "Do you like Clark?"

"Well-"

"Did you see Maeve's face? He did that to her! Do you think he should get away with that?"

'Now, wait a min-"

"Was what he did right?"

"Hold on-!"

"No! I won't hold on, Dean! I'm outraged, and you should be too! You said that as Maeve's friend, you would protect her and help her if she ever got hurt. Well, here's your opportunity! I say you and I confront him on the side and teach him a lesson, give him a taste of his own medicine."

Dean stepped back, "I don't know if-"

I cut him off again, "Please, Dean, I beg of you. I physically cannot let him go farther than this. He has done so much to hurt me and now he has done worse to Maeve. If we don't stop him, he will never change."

Dean still looked a bit hesitant, so I added, "Look, I need you Dean. You are the only person I trust enough to ask this kind of favor. I know it sounds crazy, but I'm desperate. If I were to do this myself, it would be far too personal and I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to stop myself. I don't want to kill him, but I do want to hurt him. You are the type of person to stick to your word, so I only hope you will do the same here."

After a bit of contemplation, Dean sighed, "Alright, alright, I'll help you."

I hopped up with a big smile and hugged the boy tightly, "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am forever indebted to you, Dean!"

That isn't exactly a lie, after all, I'm getting two for the price of one. Sorry, Dean.

Dean nodded and smiled sadly at me before moving down the hall. I giggled lightly and skipped behind him. How fate could spin around like that was beyond me, but I didn't question it too much as I rode my high. Luck was on my side thay day.