Barns Courtney One-Shots

Passing Notes | Part 2

On Monday, I got ready for school. A few people on the bus gave me strange looks before whispering to thier friends. I wondered what they had said, but tried to ignore them. I put my headphones on and listened to some music. Once the bus reached the high school, I got out and went inside. I walked into the cafeteria where everyone else was. If buses and parents dropped off students before a certain time, you had to go to the cafeteria.

Apparently the principal didn't want people roaming the halls. Especially if most of the teachers weren't even there yet. Most of the students were sitting at the lunch tables. Some were eating breakfast because they didn't eat before leaving home. I knew the place was buzzing with conversation. Even if I was still listening to music. A few minutes passed before I felt someone tap my shoulder. When I looked up I saw my friends standing there. "Hey, how was your weekend?" I asked them curiously.

"It was alright. We missed you at the mall though." One said. "Yeah. Why the hell did you walk off with that weirdo on Friday anyways?" Another said. "He's creepy." The last one said. They all looked concerned, scared, and worried. They proceeded to ask if I had started to use drugs and alcohol. Or asked if he had forced me to do sexual acts with him. All of which offended me and made me upset. I couldn't believe they thought those things of me. And it hurt knowing that was the popular opinion of Barns.

"No to all of the above. And I think people need to stop hating people just because they're different." I said. My friends exchanged a look I didn't like. But the conversation then changed to how thier weekends were. They had gone to the mall several times over the weekend. And all of them spent time with thier significant others. I was the only single person in the group. But that didn't bother me much. I wasn't attracted to anyone at the moment anyway.

I had turned my music off so I was able to talk to my friends. And as I looked around I spotted Barns standing alone along the far wall of the cafeteria. "Hey, I'll be back okay?" I said, interrupting my friends conversation. "Okay." They said before going back to talking to each other. I walked over to where Barns was standing, and said hello. My insides warmed when he smiled at me. "Hi." He replied. His blue eyes looked so happy when he saw me. It made feel a little overwhelmed. But I understood that no many people spoke to him.

"I saw you talking to your friends. I didn't wanna come over and make them uncomfortable." He said awkwardly. It made me feel so sad for him. "You could have came over and talked. I don't care if you make them uncomfortable. You're my friend too." I said, and the look in his eyes softened. "Thank you, y/n. I really appreciate you." He said with a smile. The two of us talked about our weekend. He spent it playing video games, and I found it interesting. It was obvious that he was a huge Zelda fan.

Eventually we were allowed to leave the cafeteria. As we walked out I saw my other friends. When they saw me with Barns they rolled thier eyes and avoided us. I hoped that he didn't notice, but I had a feeling that he did. The look in his got a little sad, and I wondered what he was thinking. "Do you have to stop by your locker?" I asked to catch his attention. "Yeah, I do actually. Do you mind?" He replied. "No, I can wait while you get the books you need." I said with a small smile.

I waited as he changed the books that was in his backpack. "Hey, loser!" The quarterback of the school football team said. He shoved Barns, and he slammed into the lockers. It made a loud slam, but it blended in with usual hallway chaos. No one really turned to look or anything. "Can you just give me break?" Barns asked in a sad sounding voice. But I could also hear a hint of annoyance. "Why would I do that? You're a loser, a freak, a weirdo! And weirdos don't belong in my school!" He said, and his jock friends laughed.

"You're just lucky you don't live in my neighborhood." The quarterback said with a cocky smile on his face. The dude grabbed Barns my his leather jacket and slammed him against the lockers. I suddenly had the feeling that he was gonna hurt him. "Hey man! You're girlfriend is looking for you. She looked kinda pissed off." I said loudly, so the guy would hear me. "Shit, you better go find her. You know how she gets." The quarterback's friend said. "Yeah, right. Thanks." He said before him and his friends left.

I watched as they turned the corner and disappeared. "Thanks for that." He said as he adjusted his leather jacket. "No problem." I replied. After he finishes getting his books, we went to my locker. As we walked he told me that jocks beat him up on a regular basis. "I'm sorry about that. I really wish there was something more I could do." I said, and hugged him. I felt a little awkward hugging him in front of everyone. But it felt right. He hesitated for a second before hugging me back.

"Thank you, y/n. But I don't think anyone can change people's minds about me." He replied, gently tightening his arms around me. I felt so bad for him it hurt my insides. We slowly broke the hug and he walked me to my first class. We said our goodbyes before I walked inside. When I took my seat I wondered if the principal would do anything. Maybe they could help keep people from bullying Barns. But I wasn't sure if telling someone would actually help or make things worse.

I pushed my thoughts aside for the moment, and tried focusing on the teacher. Eventually it was lunch time. There was three different lunch periods due to all of the students. I had the second lunch period. As I made my way to the cafeteria, a couple of my friends caught up with me. They talked about the drama they heard in class. I really wasn't interested in what they were saying. I spotted Barns slip into a stairwell with his packed lunch. I wanted to join him, but I couldn't. 'He probably eats alone outside of the cafeteria due to the bullies.' I thought.

I got into the lunch line and grabbed a tray of food. Then my friends and I went to our usual table. We ate and talked, but I kinda kept thinking about Barns. I really wanted to help him and try to make his life a little better. I just wasn't sure how. "Hello? Are you listening?" My friend asked, waving a hand in front of my face. "Huh? Oh, sorry... I was just thinking." I replied. They asked me what I was thinking about, and lied. I said I was worried about failing my math class.

Although I do suck at math, I wasn't failing. They said I was worried about nothing. That I would end up passing in the end like always. When lunch was over I made the excuse that I had to use the bathroom. My friends went on to class. I went into the stairwell where Barns was. He was sitting under the stairs listening to music. "Holy shit, y/n! You scared me to death, I thought you were a teacher." He said with a small laugh. "Sorry." I replied with a laugh of my own. "Is lunch over?" He asked curiously.

He stopped listening to music before standing up. "Yeah, lunch is over." I replied. He walk me back to class before going to his own. At the end of the day I actually had class with Barns. But this time he didn't have to ask me for a pencil. I noticed that he was using the one I had given him. The teacher was a little snobbish again when he realized Barns was present. I just hoped that the principal didn't share the same attitude about him.

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