Flawed (s.m.)

005.

 One school week without the luxury of having my own car flew by far faster than I thought it would, and I couldn't decide if I was elated that it was Friday or disappointed that my time with Shawn was coming to an end. Over the past few days, the kid really began to grow on me. I started focusing on the smallest things about him, such as the difference between his unamused, fake laugh and his sincere, hearty laugh. I noticed that the way he scrunched his nose up in disgust or embarrassment was quite possibly the most adorable thing ever, and I learned to love the feeling of his strong arms around me when he hugged me and the smell of his cologne. Surprisingly enough, I knew that I was going to miss having our time together before and after school every day.

 Right after walking into the dreaded Clearwater High, Shawn and I waved our goodbyes to each other, and I was already anticipating our after-school car ride together. He'd been walking me into school this week, since now I seemed to be the hot topic of everyone's gossip. Every day I told him that it wasn't a big deal, but he always insisted. He had even been accompanying me on my way to my first period every day, just to assure that I wouldn't be the victim to any sort of harassment. It was the sweetest thing, but could take care of myself. So, today, I convinced him to let me walk to class alone so I could test the waters. I didn't think that having him by my side made much of a difference anyway; he was practically harmless, but if it made him feel better to watch over me, then who was it hurting? Unfortunately, my thought process was proved to be incorrect as I was approached by an all too familiar face

 "Hey, Audrey," Carter Reynolds greeted me, smirking at me as his eyes took in every inch of my body. Normally, I'd be happy to be receiving this sort of attention from a guy, but due to recent events and due to this being the infamous Carter of all people, I couldn't help but feel violated. My lips curled into a slight grimace to express my disgust as I took a small step back from him.

 "Um, hey, Carter.." I replied unenthusiastically. This elicited a laugh from him as  he yet again moved closer. I took another step, my back pressing up against the cool material of the lockers. He laughed even more. Now, he was standing directly in front of me with his hand pressed against the metal beside my head.

 "So," he started, a mischievous light overcoming his eyes. "I heard about what you did at Sammy's party. I gotta say, Auds, that's pretty hot..." His free hand made his way to one of my hips and instantly, I smacked it away. I could feel spots my skin growing warm and red. This was a bad time for my body to be doing the weird things it always seemed to do. I needed to be taken seriously.

 "Don't call me that," I demanded, my eyes narrowing themselves into a cold glare. He chuckled yet again.

 "C'mon, baby. Don't be like that," he cooed into my ear. I honestly debated kicking him in the groin and making a run for it. What the hell was this kid thinking? That's when I heard a recognizable voice, much to my relief. Shawn. Effortlessly, he swiftly shoved Carter away from me and wrapped his large hand around one of my tiny ones, pulling me into his larger frame. He then let go of my hand to wrap his arm around my shoulders. Since when was he capable of this? And why was he doing it?

 "Hey, babe," Shawn greeted me with nonchalantly, leaning over to look at a shocked Carter Reynolds. Wait, what? "Is he giving you trouble?" He cocked an eyebrow at me, subtly winking. Oh my god. This kid was a genius and I knew I had to thank the heavens above every day for the rest of my life for that.

 "Yeah, but that's okay now," I answered, wrapping my arms around his torso, almost as if I'd done that a million times.

  "Okay, good," he said. He was being very persistent to keep me close to his body, and truthfully, I couldn't tell if that was for the sake of acting or if he was actually getting defensive. Either way, I appreciated the gesture.