*Charlie’s POV*
“No, I didn’t know that actually” I reply to Emily, a little absentmindedly. She was listing some strange scientific fact or something she’d learned in class today. We were at lunch and I wasn’t really in the real world, but lost in my mind.
Emily leans forward and kisses my cheek. I try not to move away in discomfort. “What are you looking at?” she asks carefully. I blink, startled. Had I been staring at something? We both focus on what’s in my line of sight-Riley Fallen. “Did he do something else?” She whispers concerned.
I shake myself “No” yes. He confused me. About everything.
“Charlie, you do realise that you could go to someone about how those kids treat you? It’s awful. They’d all probably get suspended and not mess with you any more” She’s been trying to persuade me to do something like this almost forever. Because she cares. Again I feel twisted regret that I can’t make myself want her as more then the best friend she already is.
“No Emily, I can handle it” I give her a kiss of thanks, but what I’m really thinking is. I wouldn’t want them suspended, now would I? Because lately an enjoyable flutter has picked up in my chest when Riley walked by and brushed my arm, and a strange tingle when he looked me in the eyes. I was to aware of him.
“Are you sure?” she asked, bitting down on her full bottom lip.
“Positive” I reply with a loving smile. Loving the way Quinn and Tyson love her-like a sister.
The bell rings then, and I stand and offer her a hand up. She take’s it and we hold hands, happily. We’re leaving the cafeteria all together when I feel my hand and her’s being unlinked. Forcefully. Riley had just butted between us aggressively, looking peeved. I stare after him curiously, but he doesn’t look back.
“Jerk” Emily hisses. I roll my eye after Riley
“Ignore him” we put our hands back together and I wlak her to class.
The trouble strikes when I’m walking to my next class. The halls have thinned in students, most of them already In class, the last few that trickle by most likely to be late. Knowing I’ll probably be late if I don’t pick it up, I decide to cut through smokers section.
I’m already half way to the entrance by my next class when a hand clamps down on my shoulder. Very startled, I turn and see Andy Johnson smiling a sadistic smile at me. He’s not very big, and neither are his two friends, but he is bigger then me, not to mention I’m out numbered.
“Hey Bitch” he greets me cheerfully. I flush.
“What do you want?” I snap. He doesn’t reply, simply gives me a shove.
I stumble backwards, barely catching my balance. The loose papers in my binder go flying and as I scramble to pick them up, a foot knocks my legs out from underneath me. Andy and his buddies have a good laugh before they pick me up altogether.
*Flash back*
Riley is carrying me. My heart beats in loud painful thuds, stricking up against my rib cage in a combination of fear and something else. Something unidentified. If I crane my neck I can see Tyson and Quinn giggling and carrying Emily between them. “What are you guys doing?” I whisper to Riley.
Because sometimes, when he saw that I was scared the way I was after being chased all over the street and tackled to the ground, he’d whisper words of comfrot to me. He looked down into my face and I saw his own color. That was enough to tell me he’d probably give me a heads up.
