Lean On Me

Chapter 9

I huffed in frustration as my baby carrot rolled away. I stabbed repeatedly at my plate, not caring about the deafening scratching sound. I needed it.

"Calm down, Faye."

Giving Vienna the stink-eye, I continued my battle with the carrot. The canteen was bustling with annoying teenagers. Souring my already sour mood.

A slightly stronger grip on the fork and a more aggressive stab sent the baby carrot whizzing off my plate. The boy sitting a few seats away on the same bench glared, flicked the baby carrot off his long sleeve shirt. On a normal day, I'd have sent him a sheepish grin. Today was not a normal day.

I scowled back.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Shush, Vi. I'm stressed."

"All the more."

I sighed in defeat, turning to meet her grey orbs.

"I think I failed Physics."

"You say that every time."

"Well, this time, I think I really-"

Vienna tackled me with a bear hug. I hugged her back and we went back to eating.

"Father will skewer me."

"Said that last time too. You still look pretty alive to me."

"It wasn't the difficulty of the questions. It was the time limit. How can they expect to give us 30 multi-parter questions to do in one and a half hours? It's physically impossible!"

I flung my arms for extra effect. And I forgot there was a scoop of mashed potato on my spoon. In slow motion, I watched it fly towards the same boy my carrot had hit.

It landed splat on his spectacle. Of all places on his body, precisely the right lens.

I stood up in shock, hand over my mouth. He took his glasses off and gave another killer glare. I should have apologised, I really should've. But what did I say instead?

"That only happens in movies!"

Seconds passed by and I wasn't so sure if it would be my dad who kills me in the end. This boy was ready to yell. 

What I had not expected is a laugh that erupted from a distance. The sound reverberated throughout the canteen. All heads whipped in the direction of the source.

Travis freaking Taylor.

While I was pretty sure many people were staring at him before, many more were staring now. And they followed his trail of sight:

Me.

I was ready to throw hands, but I wasn't one for drama. I sunk back into the seat and squeezed my eyes shut to channel the invisible power. When I blinked my eyes back open, I was greeted by a smirk.

"Got something to say, Taylors?"

Travis wasn't the only one surprised by my bold comeback. Whispers rippled through the canteen. But Travis recovered quickly.

"Nice shot." He flashed his billion dollar smile.

They know each other?

Who's that girl?

She doesn't look like his typical chick.

Did they think I was deaf?

"I think it was meh." A girl who had been sitting next to Travis piped up. I'm guessing that she was his typical chick.

She had sharp cheekbones, silky blonde hair and wore a crop top that showed too much cleavage. A bowl of salad sat in front of her. She prodded at the leaves, throwing me a challenging look. 

Firstly, was she in the right place? She looked like she was heading for a night club. Who even wears that much make-up for school? Secondly, if she thought I was going to feel the need to prove I was better than her, she was dead-on wrong.

Grabbing my plate, I stood up from the table, aware of the eyes still fixated on me. Muttering a half-hearted sorry to the poor boy who was wiping off the mashed potato, I walked past Travis' table to head for the tray return kiosk.

Blondie's smirk still hadn't disappeared.

"Some nerd you are."

When I passed Blondie, I stopped dramatically and announced, loud enough for more than just her to hear:

"Remember when I asked you for your opinion?"

She blinked.

"Right. Me neither."

In my mind, bombs exploded as her smirk dropped. Sniggers were cascading down the bench row and I walked out of the canteen, feeling more empowered than ever.

Vienna caught up once we had left the scene.

"Damn girl, that was amazing!" she squealed, shaking my shoulders.

The corners of my lips tugged upwards. For someone who wasn't used to drama, I would say I didn't do too badly.

"Yeah, maybe today isn't such a bad day after all."

Vienna laughed. "So Physics doesn't matter anymore?"

I smiled, shaking my head.

"That'll be a problem for another day."

Vienna departed, since she didn't take Geography. I gave her a wave and rounded the bend.

The sound of quick footsteps made me whip my head back. A stranger who was dressed in a purple hoodie stopped in his tracks. With my gaze on him, he slowed down to a timid pace.

Just as I was about to turn around again, I felt a tug on my hand. I gazed back at the boy in surprise.

"Sorry, I just wanted to tell you that you were so cool."

My heart fluttered. I wasn't used to compliments. I was invisible. I smiled shyly, cheeks burning.

"Thank you." I gave her a gentle squeeze of a hand.

"I didn't catch your name."

"I'm Faye."

"I'm Tommi with an 'i"."

"Pleasure to meet you, Tommi," I chirped. Damn, I even made a new friend. He smiled, withdrawing his hand to rub the back of his neck. If there was a definition of cute nerd, it was right in front of me. He had a puppy-dog look about him, his big round spectacles sitting loosely on his high nose-bridge.

"You're a senior?"

"Hmm? I'm a- Oh yeah, I am. A senior, that is," he stuttered adorably. I laughed. Usually, I was the one in the shy predicament. Just for today, I was the bold fierce one. All because my mood was off. I had the crappy physics test to thank.

"Love your hoodie."

"Thanks, hoodies are my life." His eyes twinkled, and I had to stop myself from squealing. He was so cute. My heart could not handle it.

"What class are you going for?"

"Geography."

"Hey, me too!"

"Oh! I never noticed you in class, before," I quirked my eyebrows. While I wasn't popular and friends with everyone in class, I knew all my classmates. Some people don't get a shit about who is in their class or not, other than friends. But I like to be aware of my surroundings.

"I just transferred. I used to take Literature, but I was rubbish." Tommi scrunched up his nose and I giggled.

As we made our way there, I felt a boost in my step. What a magnificent turn of events. Who knew telling a bitch off could do wonders to your mood? Let alone make you forget about failing an exam? And get you a new friend?