Distant Fates

Chapter 4- Busy Without Achieving

     School was the same. It was normal but everything was still different. Ansley has also been the talk of the school for a long while. "How are you feeling Cecily?" a random kid asked me. "I'm fine." I responded without making eye contact. I tried to stay to myself instead of feeding into anything. "Don't hook up with any strangers now, you wouldn't want to go missing either." He snorted. His laugh made me fume. I sarcastically laughed as if it was funny then flipped him off. I was so fed up with the jokes that have been going around, and out of everyone, me, Abby, and Lynn were being talked down to, or had to listen to every bit of it.

     The students only started doing this because they know Ansley wasn't there to defend herself like she normally would. I didn't care, I stood up for her as best as I could. I've gotten into so many fights this past week I couldn't even count, even the principal was tired of seeing me. The bell rang. I got up and walked out of the classroom, but before I could make it past the doorway, the guy turned me around and gave me a good strike to the face, without even thinking, I punched him back. I hit him right in the nose, that's all it took, he tackled me to the ground while the students just watched and chanted each of our names. We were now fighting, tossing each other around on the ground.

     With some struggle, I managed to push the guy off of me. I balanced myself back up, he was still on the floor, I knew I was in control. I stomped on his chest, then punched and kicked him repeatedly. The students did nothing, no one cared, it was kind of cruel thinking about it now. I let go of all my anger from these past weeks. The jokes and insults from the students, what I heard about dad, mom moving on and not telling me, it all just angered me even more. It was all built up and I couldn't help it. I heard a familiar voice, "Cecily!" The recognizable voice was Liam. "Cecily, that's enough!" Before I could even attempt to stop, I felt hands grab both my arms, a teacher had come to break up the fight. It was the same teacher that was miserably brought into all the fights I've had this week.

     I felt like I didn't even have time to blink, when I did, I was sitting by the front door of the school, waiting for my mom to pick me up. As soon as my mom pulled up to the school, Liam walked up to me, "Try to come to my house today if you can, before we go to the house," he got a little flustered, "Well...if you want to." I smiled, "Sure, I'll message you and let you know." "Okay." he said, and watched my mom grab me by the arm and drag me out of the school and into the car. When we were both in the car, I wasn't greeted by an angry face, she seemed kind of concerned. She looked at me, then started the car and began driving, "What was it this time, are they really still saying things about Ansley?" I was hesitant to answer at first, afraid she was going to lecture me or yell at me for some reason. She didn't yell, she wasn't upset, she laughed lightly and answered a question I've been trying to figure out for a long time, "You really are their leader, they always told me you were there for them." "Seriously?!" I answered back with excitement. Leader... I just couldn't stop thinking of that word. I was proud of it, that's for sure. "How am I the leader? I always thought it would be Ansley." "Well, that's easy to answer, you fight for them and stand up for them all the time. As you see this whole week, you won't let anyone say one word about them without your two cents." she laughed. "Cecily, one part of them, makes a part of you, you four are perfect puzzle pieces that go together no matter what." I looked at her with a bright smile, "Thanks mom." "You're welcome, and I'm not mad at you either just so you know. I'm proud of you for sticking up for your friends, and I'm surprised you took on a boy!" She looked at me from the corner of her eye again, "Speaking of boy," I already knew where she was going with this one, she saw Liam talking to me by the front doors of the school, when she was walking in. "Who was the boy you were talking to earlier?" I got a little red in the face not going to lie, "That's just Liam mom, he's, my friend." "Well," she started as we got closer to the house, "tell your "friend" that he is welcome to come by anytime." I lightly hit her arm and laughed and her sarcastic "friend" gesture, "Stop it mom!" she laughed along with me. "He wants me to go to his house today, is that fine?" I asked, "Cecily, you know I don't mind." She smiled at me as we pulled into our driveway. We had a garage, but it was used more for storage than anything.