Chapter 6

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I was successfully able to sneak back into the house. I could tell Mom left the door unlocked for me.  I quietly make it to my bedroom and slip into bed. I let myself slip into a well-deserved sleep. 

I wake to the sound of my alarm going off. Dragging myself out of bed I hop in the shower. The hot water washing away the salt of yesterday's tears. It feels good. After My shower I get dressed and head downstairs. My mom waits for me at the kitchen counter. I look around for any sign of Derek. 
"He's not here. Come, sit down." She gestures towards a stool against the kitchen island. 
"Mom, I really have to leave. I'm gonna be late. I don't know if you've noticed but as of yesterday, I'm a slow walker." I pull curls behind my ear. Catching her sympathetic gaze, she walks to the oven and pulls off a pan. A fried egg slips from the pan onto a plate. 
"Honey, Derek is going to get some help." Her eyes teary she continues. "He has some anger issues and he's going to be working on them. He was so apologetic when he left." 

Hearing her excuses I push the plate away as I scoff. "Problems? He hurt me, physically!" Throwing my hands in the air I say, "All because I was talking to our neighbor!" I stand up aggressively. I wince at the shot of pain radiating in my ankle. I side glare my mom and walk out of the house. I wobble my way into school. I pull down the sleeve of my long sleeve shirt I decided to wear, not wanting anyone noticing the bruise that resides on my wrist. Brooke shot me a text saying she was going to be late coming into school. With that I walk to gym class.

Looking around I don't see Xavier but James catches my eye. He looks so good today. I snicker to myself when I see he's wearing a head band to hold back his bangs. So cute. I'm not the only one who feels that way. All the girls are poking at his hair or watching from a distance. Through the group of girls James notices me and waves, singling me out in front of everyone. All eyes are now on me. Lowering my head I stay on the outside of the students with Jess. 
"Wow, you and James have gotten kind of close, yeah?" Jess twirls one of her braids around her finger. I lift my knuckles to my chin really trying to think about it. 
"I wouldn't say close, but we have talked a bit." With that Xavier walks in right before coach. Xavier isn't looking at me... Did I make him uncomfortable yesterday? 

We break into our teams. James notices the inevitable limp in my steps. His hand lays on my shoulder. "Are you okay, Zoe? You're limping." His eyes look worried. This is exactly what I wanted! My inner self throws a fist of victory in the air. 
"Oh-um. Yeah, I'll survive." I softly smile at him. I notice his hand still resting on my shoulder. The warmth of his hand sends zaps up my neck, instantly turning red I look around embarrassed. That's when I see Pam and her group watching us. Their eyes burning with hate. I pull away from James hold. 
"Are you sure you're okay?" James leans in eye level to me. I try my hardest not to make eye contact.  I really don't want to become a target of Pam. James's breath touches my neck ever so softly, I lean back again trying to escape. Pain spits itself on my ankle, I fell back not being able to carry the full weight on my body. Reaching out I try to grab whatever I can. My efforts fail, I crash to the floor and let out a groan. 

I feel something in my hand, I feel a weight on my chest. I open my eyes and see James. His eyes wide, his cheeks colored a soft pink. We are staring face to face, out lips inches away. The way we fell one of his legs stands holding him up between my knees. My hands clenching to the collar of his gym shirt. James's arms are slightly above my head. At this point I feel like my face is going to melt off. 
"Oh my god! James are you okay?" Jess squeaks. Her hands folded into one another by her chest. I start pushing James off of me. Everyone eyes penetrating me. 
"I'm so so sorry!" James hurries himself up, grabbing my hand he pulls me to my feet. 
"It was an accident, don't worry about it." He's smiling, but I can notice his eyebrow slightly twitching. I look around and everyone seemed to go back to what they were doing prior. Xavier, he was turned around, his back to me. Internally I'm banging myself on the head. So stupid! I should have just fallen. Everyone's probably laughing. 

The rest of class proceeded semi-normally. After I hop into the gym shower, rinsing slightly to get rid of the sweat. That's when I hear Pam. 
"What is her deal!" Multiple pairs of shoes stomp their way to the mirror. 
"She totally did that on purpose!" Another voice rings out. I don't want to hear this, but I also can't walk out when they're talking to me. I wait a couple of minutes, their anger and taunts continuing. 
"Zoe, what's so great about her anyways. Her red hair and height make her look like an outcasted leprechaun." Pam finally chimes in. They all start to laugh. They take their time leaving the locker room. When they do I hurry out of the shower and dress as quick as I can. The warning bell rings as I'm limping down the hall. 

I get to math exhausted and in pain. When I walk through the door Brooke stares at me. Her face in an empathetic frown. I wobble to the desk, the teacher giving me a warning. I sit back in the desk and rub a hand through my hair. 
"What happened why are you limping?" She whispers, her hand falling on top of mine. I really don't want to worry her. She knows how Derek is and might try to do something about it. I smile in a big grin. 
"I'm such a klutz! I missed the last two steps and home! I guess it comes with the height! Big feet and all, ya know?" I laugh a little. She smiles back with a small laugh. 
"Gotta be careful dummy!" she says. 
 All this new attention is a little much for me. I turn to look at Xavier who must have heard my lie. He's watching me through the corner of his eyes and looks away. I sense a feeling of tension between him and I. He looks mad... Is he ignoring me? I start to feel like shit, but I know it's for the best to not tell the truth. How am I supposed to fix what is happening between me and my stepfather? He's the main income; everything we have is under his name. I don't even know if mom would leave him! I pout, continuing class, trying to pay attention. 

Xavier wasn't walking behind me to our other classes today. He kept his distance and didn't look my way. After what happened last night, I didn't expect him to go back to being quiet and cold. Maybe he's embarrassed. I walk through the library door for Study Hall. I place my bag at the round table and take a seat. I take out my phone and scroll on social media before class. 

James sits at the seat closest to me quickly. I jump, surprised at his sudden appearance. 
"How's your ankle?" He says pulling his bag up to his lap. 
"Oh, it's okay. Feeling better actually. I start grabbing some homework so I can work on it. I feel something cold and wet fall onto my neck. I pull away and let out a quick yelp. 
"What was that?!" I look to see if anyone is trying to pick on me. James chuckles and grabs my hand. He places a cold ice pack into my palm. 
"Sorry, it was too tempting." I accept it and use a chair beside me to rest my foot on. Placing the cold compress on my leg. 
"Thank you, James." I smile at him, my face heating up.  
"Are you feeling okay? You look warm." James reaches out, the back of his hand lands softly on my forehead, then my cheeks. "Huh, you feel fine, one sec. I was told this is a better way to check someone's temperature." His hands reach both sides of my cheeks. 
"It's really okay! I feel fine. I think it's just a little hot in here." My hands reach his wrists, softly grabbing them. He doesn't pull away. His head comes closer to mine, he's so close I can see the freckles under his eyes clearly. Is he going to kiss me! Fear creeps up, anticipating his lips to touch mine. 

I feel his forehead tap my forehead. He sits for a second before pulling away. I take a breath of relief. 
"Hmm, you feel normal to me." I open my eyes. He's smiling from ear to ear. He doesn't look nervous at all. How can he just do that! I turn my head around; I know for a fact I look like a tomato. I hear James handling paperwork. When I turn back to him, he doesn't look back up at me. He focuses closely on his work. I pull myself together and go back to working. I feel my phone vibrate. I pull it out.

XAVIER: Be careful, he's not a good guy. 

I look around, come to think of it I don't know where Xavier is. I scan the room, when I get to the back I spot him. He's wearing his hoodie, his head laying in his arms as if he's sleeping. What does he mean by that? Looking back at James he's still focused. I can't help but watch as he writes. His handwriting is neat and equally spaced apart. Strands of his hair peacefully dangling in front of his eyes. I'm okay, I can handle my own. 

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