The next class came and went, so before I knew it, lunch had arrived, and I was less than excited. With all of the weird looks I was getting, the school day had become a lot less enjoyable than it should be.
I trudged into the cafeteria, passing my brothers, and Adrian, before turning to sit with Dolly at our usual table.
Noah wasn't there yet, but I doubted that it would take him long to join us. Just to be safe, I decide to sit next to my friend, so there is no chance of being stuck next to Noah.
Dolly and I converse about how our days have been, as well as her wanting gossip about the car accident. I reluctantly gave it to her and didn't press the issue.
As I expected, Noah approached our table, and sat on the other side of the wood, greeting Dolly and me.
While my friend responds, I don't, and instead pretend to be picking at my food, but I'm actually ignoring the stupid boy.
But when Dolly jabs me harshly in the ribs, and winds me, I have no choice but to look up, and play dumb, like I didn't just hear Noah speak to me.
"He said hi, Hazel," my friend hisses close to my ear.
"Right. Well hi," I grumble, looking back down at my food, and refusing to make eye contact with Noah.
The boy chuckles, and slides further into his seat, becoming comfortable. He and Dolly talk, while I stay quiet, until another presence makes their way over to our unoccupied table.
I glance up, but look back down, thinking that they're just passing our table. But when the figure doesn't go away, I do a double take, and see Adrian in front of me, with his arms crossed over his muscular chest. A frown lines his face, and he looks in between mad, and worried.
"Don't ignore me, love," he says quietly, trying not to gain attention from the other people at the table.
I sit up straighter in my chair, and tip my chin up, looking at him, in curiosity. "Is there something I can help you with, then. You know that my brothers won't be happy to see you talking to me."
"I don't care if they see me. I need to talk to you," Adrian grunts, gesturing for me to stand up.
Instead of disobeying him, I decide to get up, and follow him out of the cafeteria, so we don't make a scene.
When we are a long way from the eating room, I glance expectantly at Adrian, wondering why he pulled me out of the cafeteria.
He sighs, before answering my unasked question. "There's something off about you. You're not eating as much, or talking. I just want to know what's wrong."
Some people might think that he's coming off too strong, but if I'm being honest, I don't care.
"It's nothing. Everything's fine. I've just had a difficult morning," I explain quietly, just incase someone else is listening to our conversation.
"That's not the only thing, though, is it?" Adrian shakes his head in frustration, and turns his wide eyes towards me. "I just want to help you, Ze, and I can't do that if you're not letting me in."
"Something did happen." I eventually cave at Adrian's words, and feel the lump in my throat begin to rise, and stop my speech.
"Okay, love. That's a good start, can you tell me what happened?" The teenage boy coos, placing my hands on my shoulders gently, and looking straight through my soul.
I only nod my head, feeling as if I'm going to cry if I recount the events that happened earlier this morning.
"That's good, Ze. What happened?"
"He touched me," I whimper lowly, so Adrian is the only one who can hear me.
The boy strains his ears, and I'm thinking that he's going to ask me to repeat my words, but he does no such thing.
Instead, I'm surprised when I feel him begin to shake, before throwing his arms around me, and rubbing my back, softly.
Tears slowly begin to cascade down my cheeks, and I have to remember to be strong, but I seem to have lost all of my courage, the second Adrian's hands wrapped around my trembling body.
"It's okay to cry, love. Cry it out. Tears are good," the boy reminds me, as we hug in the middle of a school corridor.
From my position in his chest, I nod my head, and sniffle in a way that my mother wouldn't approve of.
Slowly, we break apart from each other's holds, and I look at Adrian in a new light.
"You still owe me that date," he says cheekily, showing his dimples.
"I do," I admit, nodding my head.
"We will go on one... but only after you tell me who touched you," Adrian negotiates, continuing to play with my hair, as we sit down against the corridor wall.
Instead of giving a verbal reply, I just shake my head vigorously, with my eyes widened.
"Why not, love. I only want to help you, as do your brothers," Adrian explains.
"He told me not to tell anyone," I mumble, hesitantly.
"Okay, but you shouldn't listen to him, Ze. You're stronger and smarter than him," Adrian says, trying his hardest to win me over.
After a couple of minutes of silence, and my brain whirring at the speed of light, I finally sigh, and give my answer.
My mouth opens and closes a couple of times, and my eyes dart around the room many time, before I finally respond.
"I don't know much about him, but I know that his name is Noah."
That was all Adrian needed to go into action.
A/N: Hey guys, thank you so much for reading. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE VOTE, COMMENT, AND READ WHEN I GET A CHAPTER OUT TOMORROW. I have a plan for where this book is going, I just need a little support. Also, thank you very much for 12700 reads and 701 votes (I know that it's not a lot,) but to me, it means the world. Keep slaying in life, and I will see you tomorrow night- or day depending on where you live- when I update tomorrow. Bye <3
YOU ARE READING
Five's A Crowd
Teen Fiction"𝔼𝕍𝔼ℝ𝕐 𝔽𝔸𝕄𝕀𝕃𝕐 ℍ𝔸𝕊 𝕊𝔼ℂℝ𝔼𝕋𝕊" - - - "My name is Hazel, but most people call me Ze. I'm from Melbourne, and love Taylor Swift." I cringe at my own words, and think back to a time where Fletcher was one of the only people calling me Ze...
