36. Negotiations

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It was Monday morning. I was groggy from the weekend. My mind had been in a slump amid all of the Mason/Courtney fiasco. I wanted to stay home today. I didn't want to face the music. Nevertheless, I dragged myself out of the bed and began to get dressed. The weather was beginning to change and today a massive cold front was rolling through greater Los Angeles. I opted for overalls that were ripped across the knees and thighs. I cuffed the ends of them. I wore a plain yellow undershirt, to commemorate fall. And the complete the outfit, I wore a pair of black knock off combat boots. Around my arms, I tugged a maroon zip up hoodie.

Jogging downstairs, I had my backpack slung over my shoulder. I sighed heavily, dropping the weight on the floor as I trudged to the fridge to get something to eat. My father come downstairs, running his fingers through his hair. I'll never get used to seeing him shirtless. "You're up early, pumpkin." He said, walking over and kissing me. My fingers ran across the shiny tinfoil of the PopTart as I stepped forward. "Yeah. Last night was a long night and I just want today to be over already." I said, flatly. "What happened?" He asked. "Nothing. I don't wanna talk about it." I responded. I kissed my dad once more before grabbing the car keys and heading out the front door.

Shayne was waiting at the high school. The wind was gusting through the courtyard. Shayne had his hands tucked into his Sherpa lined Levi's denim jacket. He was waiting for Mason. Usually the football boys get to school earlier and practice in the mornings. Shayne leaned against the walkway pole when suddenly, Mason came around the corner. He was laughing and talking with Blake. Shayne took this as his opportunity. Slipping behind the pole, he came to stop them in their tracks. "Whoa, what's up, Topp?" Mason asked. "I think you and I need to have a talk." Mason let out a chuckle at the seriousness. "And what...what did you wanna talk about?" Mason asked. "About what you did to Gill. It wasn't right." Shayne snapped. Mason raised a brow. "What do you care?" He asked. "I care because she's a good person and you're a giant piece of shit." Shayne said.

Mason took a step forward and was practically towering over Shayne, or at least that's how it felt. "Oh really? And what are you going to do about that? Defend her honor?" Shayne could feel that anger building in his gut, familiar and heated. "That's funny...because the last time I checked, she left her honor plastered all over my cock." That was all it took. One wrong thing to be said and Shayne came absolutely unraveled. Of course, he didn't stand a chance. Once the first punch was thrown, Shayne was being restrained by Blake while Mason pummeled his face and his abdomen with punches. After a most severe beating, Blake's strength came loose around Shayne's body and he dropped him down on the cold sidewalk. "Maybe you should stick to people your own size." Mason said, wiping the blood from his nose.

When I got to school, Shayne was sitting in the courtyard with Jade. She was wiping his nose. "What happened?" I asked, walking up. She paused for a moment. "Shayne got into a fight." "A fight?" I asked, slumping down on the bench seat. "It's nothing, forget it." Shayne said, jerking his face away from the touch. I sighed. Jade's gaze wandered away from Shayne, across the courtyard to Courtney standing over there with her friends. "I'll be right back. You tend to him." She said, handing me the cold pack. She got up and walked away. I moved across to the other side where Shayne was seated. "I don't need that." He grumbled. "Don't be stupid. It'll keep the swelling down." I urged. "It's cold enough already!" He protested. "Shayne...what happened?" I asked. "Forget it." He said.

I reached forward and grabbed his hand. My thumb rolled over his knuckles softly. They were purple and bruised. "I can't help if you don't tell me." I said, softly. "I just—I saw what they were saying about you." He said. I could feel that knot in my stomach forming. I hadn't told Shayne Mason and I slept together. I had more or less implied it. "It made me angry..." He admitted. His eyes wandered to meet mine. The blue was gentle and soft, compounded by the roughness of the markings on his face. "You're too good of a person to have people say those things about you." He said. I realized that my fingers had become intertwined with his own. "Shaynie..." Shayne could feel his breath getting caught in his throat. "You don't have to defend me." I said. "I know I don't have to. I want to because I-I—" The words were getting stuck. He was suffocating. Drowning. I was standing on that anticipatory cliff, just waiting for Shayne to push me over it. "You—You're my friend and I think that it's important to defend your friends." And just like a deflated balloon...I felt like...like dying. My fingers loosened around his hand. "Well, thank you." I said, leaning forward and wrapping my arms around him.

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