All Along

004

After sitting there, thinking about what could have been a perfect life, I drift off into sleep.

...

I wake up the next morning to find myself still laying on the couch. I don't have my phone to check the time so I walk into our kitchen to look at the clock to see what time it is. 7:50. I couldn't care less about being late today. I had a bad, long day yesterday and I am in no rush to get back to school to be confronted by Satan... Mandy.

I sit up to walk to the bathroom but stop myself as a throbbing pain starts shooting down my back and stomach. I lift my shirt just high enough to see the welt on my hip. Memories of Liam and his friends kicking me and laughing at me flood through my head and I wish they would go away.

I have a pretty high pain tolerance but this is unbearable.

I finally make my way to the bathroom. The pain isn't as bad now that I've become used to the throbbing sensation.

I decide to take my time today and actually try to look presentable. I usually don't care about my appearance enough to put on make up and do my hair but one look in the mirror and my decision changed completely.

Bruises are scattered all over the side of my cheek but I am thankful that my eye wasn't swollen, just bruised. I wash my face and clean up the cut on my eyebrow, lip, and jaw. They aren't too deep but they hurt like you wouldn't believe. Once I look back in the mirror after washing my face, I'm not as disappointed as I was before. The blood that was once running down my chin, is gone and the cuts on my eyebrow and jaw line are hardly visible.

I use concealer to hide the bruise on my eye and cheek. I look in the mirror one last time before exiting the bathroom. I still look pretty beat up but not as bad as before.

I enter my room and scatter through my closet to find an outfit. I finally decide on a gray v-neck tee shirt and black skinny jeans. I slip on my navy blue converse with white laces. This time, I remember to grab my science book and head out the door, not caring what my hair looks like. I don't have a backpack because mine is in my locker at school. I also don't have my phone because its in my backpack. I'm completely and utterly vulnerable without a backpack and phone. Let's just hope and pray to God that this isn't the day Liam tries to kill me.

Thankfully, I make it to school safely and head to the office to pick up a tardy slip. Once I enter the small room, I am thankful to see that Mrs. Collins is here today instead of Mr. Landers. Mrs. Collins was the old councilor at Ridge Way but she was moved to support staff and then promoted to Administrative assistant. Not that either one pays much but its better than nothing. I have eaten lunch with her a couple times and she seems pretty cool.

Her face lights up when she sees me.

"Hi, Tessa!" Mrs. Collins greats me.

"Hi, Mrs. Collins!" I smile back.

"You really need to stop doing this, kiddo," she laughs, handing me the white slip of paper and telling me to get to class before I miss third period.

"Wait, Tessa!" She calls after me.

"Yeah?" I ask.

"There is a new student here and he's in the office. He's totally lost and doesn't know where any of his classes are at... So I was wondering, would you mind showing him around for the rest of the week so he isn't completely confused?" She giggles.

The thought of showing a new kid around campus isn't thrilling but it will give me someone to talk to for a while.

"Sure," I smile.

"Thank you so much!" She squeaks.

"Cory?" She asks and a tall, pale boy with curly blonde hair exits the office, into the hallway.

"Yea?" He asks.

His voice is deep and raspy and somewhat intimidating but he doesn't look like anyone I should be afraid of. He looks kind of... Friendly? But then again that's what I thought about Liam when I first met him.

"Cory, this is Tessa Hamilton! Tessa, this is Cory Banks," she giggles as she hands him a long sheet of white laminated paper. "This is your schedule! Tessa will be showing you around so you don't get lost!"

He rolls his eyes and laughs at her comment about getting lost.

She talks to us for a little while and before I know it, we have already missed third period and its already time for lunch.

The walk to the cafeteria is completely silent and I feel very uncomfortable.

"They serve lunch here but I wouldn't advise eating anything from them; I don't know what they put in their food but I think it might have once been part of a human body," I try to be funny but miserably fail in my efforts.

"Here, you can have some money for the vending machine," I say, handing him a five dollar bill.

"Thank you!" He smiles.

I nod my head and get in line for the vending machine behind Cory. Once he has selected what he wants, he waits for me. I'm oddly surprised that he has stayed with me but also thrilled that decided to do so.

"Where do you usually sit?" He asks, scanning the room full of teenagers.

"Umm... Alone, over there," I sigh, pointing to an empty table.

"Oh."

I walk over to the table and sit down. I'm completely stunned when I see him set his food out on the table in the spot next to me.

"You know you don't have to sit with me. I won't be upset if you choose to leave," I sigh and add quietly, "they always do."

The last part is nearly a whisper.

"Oh, well... I kind of... wanted to sit with you."

My heart flutters. He wanted to sit with me?

I decide not to question it any further because he may leave and that's the last thing I want to happen; no, the last thing I want to happen is to run into Liam or Mandy... or both.

"Do you have your schedule?" I ask him.

"Uh, yea!" He smiles, pulling a white slip of paper out of his backpack. He adds, "here you go!"

I take the slip of paper and pull mine out as well. I read up and down the paper. I'm thrilled to find that we have History and Gym together on Monday, none together on Tuesday, Math together on Wednesday, Science on Thursday, and none on Friday.

Maybe this won't be so bad after all.