𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄, original story

twelve, the words he didnt say

Room twelve was my first form room, it was where our register was taken morning and afternoon and the teacher was someone we put all our trust in. Mrs. Taylors was an American lady with a huge heart and a stomach just as big. She left unannounced half way into Year Eight, leaving me and my entire form with some fill in until we got a new form teacher we all loathed.

Mrs. Taylors helped Lily understand some maths, which in itself was a miracle. She was always kind spirited and never stopped smiling. And sure, her accent was grating but it actually made me smile to hear her accidentally start singing the American national anthem out of habit, or to see her putting on Let It Go at Christmas and letting us belt our hearts out. We weren't any good, but it was fun.

Then we got lumped with Mr. Barrett, yes the guy who thought paracetamol could cure period cramps, and also the most boring man on earth. He didn't try to compare with Mrs. Taylors, instead he just knew he'd never compare and never tried.

Serena was in a different form, it wasn't done by surname but rather by who the school thought we would click with so we could make friends. There wasn't much point was we were separated in Year Eight, further in Year Ten.

I stood outside my form room, which wasn't uncommon as I often waited for my friends outside. Serena walked out near to last after one of her friends I couldn't remember the name of, a short ginger girl with striking green eyes.

She waved her goodbye and then immediately saw me, making her way across the hoards of students walking to stand next to me against the wooden pillar. I don't know why it was there, but it was helpful to put bags and such against.

"Hey, how was maths?" Serena asked me, but from the look on her face she appeared bored.

"Good. We did something to do with circles," I hadn't understood all the words, and I knew I'd need Anna to explain it later on FaceTime. "You?"

Serena sighed, rolling her eyes, "With Mr. Boring? It was bloody awful,"

I laughed along with her, nodding towards the corridor ahead, "You sure you wanna do this,"

"Yeah, I need to know,"

"Come on, then," she grabbed my hand and I took it, we walked through the quad until we got to the reception and walked out.

We walked to the buses, I knew that Rob took bus six so I made my way towards that one.

"Where is he?" Serena asked as soon as we got there, fiddling with her phone in her hands and immediately checking it for messages.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw her send a message asking where he was. No reply.

Even when she refreshed it the same blank screen with her message appeared, "Relax, he'll be here,"

I didn't know how much truth my words held, in all honesty it was a running theme these days. Ever since I killed Callum I had lied more than the girls on Pretty Little Liars.

"But what if..." Serena trailed off once she saw him in his navy school jumper, holding hands with some other girl.

He walked past us, giving me a wave and ignoring Serena completely, "Who's that girl?"

She was a brunette, with stunning blue eyes. She looked younger than us, which made my stomach churn. Bloody men.

"Poppy Fritters younger sister, Darcy," the girl in question was helped up into the bud by Rob, he held her pink handbag and his bus pas.

Darcy spared us a last glance, I saw the black eyeliner and mascara she wore, her skin was freakishly pale... but not green, almost as though she were just naturally pale. It wasn't uncommon here, after all.

"How old is she?" I said to Serena, who gave me a quick look of disgust before watching Rob get in the bus and kiss Darcy passionately.

"She's in Year Nine," if there was a sick bucket nearby, I would've been hurling over it.

"That's... disgusting,"

I knew that Rob was a bit disgusting, and I knew that he always wanted girls to worship him as though he were some deity (which, I didn't agree with and had told him that many times), but this was unheard of. He had been accused of touching girls up, and now had sexually assaulted a girl but dating a thirteen or fourteen year old was just gross, considering he was sixteen too.

"How old is she?" I got the nerve to ask, to which Serena swallowed harshly, watching as the bus pulled away.

"She's twelve I think, was smart in Primary so they bumped her up a year," Serena looked almost green, her brown eyes filled with worry.

"Ew," I said it without actually thinking about it, before adding, "Are you and Poppy close? Could you let her know?"

"Yeah sure,"

Serena opened up her phone, going onto Snapchat, she clicked on Poppy's user and I saw a conversation going on between them before.

serena_xox: have u told her yet???

popsiclleeefrittz: no, y?

serena_xox: u shld
serena_xox: just tell her

popsiclleeefrittz: fine i'll tell her abt me an

The messages cut out as she scrolled down, I didn't get to see what they were hiding. It was most probably nothing.

serena_xox: did u know ur sister is dating rob pollard?

popsiclleeefrittz: WHAT?!?!?!

serena_xox: we saw her getting on a bus w her

popsiclleeefrittz: alr i'll talk to her when i get home

Serena put her phone away, we didn't say a word on the walk home. I dropped her off at her house before I pulled my phone out and texted Harry.

maddie: serena and poppy fritter are hiding smth

I then walked home on my own, the day replaying in my head. As I passed by Callum's house I saw his parents putting up decorations as a memorial to him, black bunting and such covered the house, it looked like something out of a Tim Burton movie, and so did their faces. Gaunt with sadness.