Hey brilliant readers. Thanks for staying with my story :) Would love to hear your comments, so fire away! Hope you continue to enjoy my book. Yours in writing, K xx
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The day flew by in a daze. Sophie couldn't believe what she had heard. He thought her eyes were stunning. She allowed herself another small smile. Maybe he would be in some of her classes. Maybe he would sit by her. Maybe he would even talk to her.
But should she let him? And with that thought, the joy Sophie had been feeling escaped her, and suddenly her bag felt extremely heavy. Should she let him? If she allowed him to sit and talk to her, would it ruin his chances at making any other friends? Would it make him a social outcast too? Would he have to bear the brunt of Jordan's bullying because he was nice to her?
No.
She would not allow it.
She could not allow it.
And if he tried, she would ignore him. If she allowed herself to become friendly with him, she wasn't sure she would survive if he, too, was to turn away and leave her on her own. She had grown strong on her own, and he would only be a weakness that would be her downfall.
Trudging along the bustling corridors towards her locker, she became aware of a commotion out on the playing field - which could be seen out of the windows on her left. Stepping out of the next door, the icy wind tugged at her hair, pulling her towards the growing crowd.
Unlike others, who were having to shove to get to the front, the crowd parted as she passed. The whispers running around the crowd, that ''She'' was there. Reaching the open space in the middle of the crowd, all her breath left her as she gazed at the sight before her.
Standing in the middle, Jordan held a battered Mark by the collar of his shirt, as his mates rifled through Mark's bag, tipping the contents onto the frozen ground. Sophie could see bruises forming on Mark's arm, where the half length sleeves could not hide them. Also, a gash across his forehead and a bruise under his left eye, revealed to Sophie what had happened.
So much for not getting involved.
Striding towards Jordan - something she had never imagined she would do - Sophie filled her lungs and yelled, "JORDAN! Leave him alone!"
Startled, Jordan dropped Mark - who lay on the ground groaning slightly - and turned to face Sophie.
The crowd 'ooed' as Jordan pulled himself up to his full height..
Taking a step towards her, Jordan grinned, "Come to protect your 'boyfriend' have you?" He took another step towards Sophie, but stopped when she held her ground.
"You leave him alone" Sophie continued, ignoring Jordan's jibe. "He's done nothing to you, and hasn't even been here one day. Why choose to pick on him?"
Jordan's grin widened, "Why, Sophie. Surely you know. He talked to you, and by his own choice. Now, everyone knows, that is a punishable offence."
Sophie stood rooted to the ground, as the realisation of what he had said sank in. She had always known people avoided her because of her eyes, but the fact that Jordan 'punished' anyone who even spoke to her, explained a lot more.
Taking a deep breath, Sophie tried for a final time to save Mark from further beating. "Well, he didn't know that, did he. It's his first day, and since nobody bothered to explain your rules to him, how was he to know? I'm sure he now understands, " raising her voice so Mark could also hear, "and will never bother to speak to me again, knowing he'll have to face you."
Taken aback by her reasoning, Jordan remained silent for a few seconds longer, then turned to Mark. "You heard her right. Nobody talks to her, apart from ridiculing her. Is that understood?" When Mark remained motionless, Jordan kicked him in the stomach, "I said, is that understood?" Almost imperceptibly, Mark gave a shuddering nod.
Jordan turned his attention on the crowd. "Get lost! All of you. Know!" And without any further prompting the crowd melted away, taking Jordan and his gang with it.
As soon as they were all gone, Sophie collapsed beside Mark, and lifted his head onto her lap. Seeing that he was shivering more than she, Sophie pulled off her jumper and covered him with it. Rifling through her bag with one hand, Sophie retrieved some wipes - she knew they would come in handy eventually - and started to clean the blood from Mark's face.
"You...you idiot." She whispered, as her barrier broke and tears began to leak from her eyes. "What on earth were you thinking. Talking to me."
YOU ARE READING
Life's Misfortunes
Teen FictionYoung Sophie has always been an outcast. With her defining features she finds herself alone in a big scary world. Not quite alone, as her mother is always home. But things are wrong. Since her dad died her mother turned to drink and abandoned poor S...
