"My Flower"

Chapter 17 - 10 Minutes

~ ~ ~ 1996

After homeroom ended and the bell rang to alert the other teens they had a 10 minute break to go to their locker and then their next class.

Hunter however was going to use his extra 10 minutes to talk to Blossom, whom he hadn't seen in 5 days. 5 eternities is what it felt like for him.

Hunter's locker wasn't too far from hers, if he times it right he could spend 8 minutes talking to Blossom and the final 2 by running to his locker, grabbing his needed items and hurrying to class.

    A normal person would just take the items out first and hold them, then go to class at the last second but Hunter wasn't normal person to say the least.

    He swiftly walked over to his best friend, noting the time and smiling joyfully up at her.

    She returned the smile with one of her own, perfect white teeth glinting in the hall light and big blue eyes gleaming at him. Not a single shred of pain or regret behind them, not like his own which he was trying his best to mask.

    But as always Blossom could see it and her happy smile wavered slightly before she forced it back up.

    "Hey you!" Was all she said, shutting her locker now holding onto some text books in her hands...which were swiftly taken out of her arms and into Evan's.

    Hunter hadn't even noticed he was there.

    Had he just merely drowned him out or did he really just teleport out of thin air?

    Blossom didn't seem fazed in the slightest as she looked up to meet his gaze with one of her judgmental stares.

    "I can hold my own books, contrary to what you and Ethan believe." She flatly stated, arms crossing over her chest.

    Evan gave a small "hmm" as if that was a suitable answer and continued to hold onto the books. Blossom didn't try to take them back so she couldn't have been that bothered by the boys.

    "Excuse the bodyguards Hunter. They're stuck to me like glue until...when will you guys stop anyhow?" Blossom at first had spoken to him but turned her blue eyes back to meet Evan's.

    He just shrugged carelessly in response.

    Hunter then came to the conclusion Evan wasn't a talker. At all.

    "I-I just thought I'd say hi and wanted to know-"
Hunter began but was interrupted by the girl in front of him.

    She gave a sigh, as if she had expected it. "Thank you for your sympathy but I'm ok now. I'm going to start going to therapy next Monday per my parents request and per my own request I'll be starting self-defense classes the fallowing day. I don't want to tell you how it felt and I'd rather you not ask. My skull was fractured but it's healing and I feel fine. If you have any other questions I can give you the name and phone number of my receptionist who is available from 11:00 am to 11:01 am. Thank you and good day."

    "...how many people have you give that response to?"
Hunter asked, a sly smile pulling at the corners of his lips.

    "9." Blossom sighed out, hanging her head solemnly.

    Hunter couldn't help the laugh that escaped his lips and soon she was laughing right along with him.

    "I guess all this sympathy isn't all it's cracked up to be huh?" Remarked Hunter and she nodded back at him.

    "It's..." she paused "exhausting. I know everyone means well but the hard part is I can go about my day now without thinking about what happened and then when someone says they are sorry and if I need anything it all comes rushing back and I wanna cry."

    Hunter looked at her, pain filled his heart but it couldn't be anything close to how she was feeling right now.

    He lifted a hand to his mouth to bite at his already shortened nails. He should've know she would be feeling this way. Heck he was just thinking about it as well.

    Blossom brought her hand up to pull his away from his mouth and spoke "It's ok Hunter. Really, if you want to be of any help I'd like to hear about something normal going on like how are you and Aisha?"

    He thought about what had happened the last time he saw Aisha, it wasn't a break up. He didn't know what it was. All he knew was that he missed her and wanted to try to work this out, but it seemed like Aisha didn't feel the same.

    Hunter went on to tell her but was stopped abruptly  once again but by a boy he didn't know more than his face, which appeared every day in his homeroom class.

    "H-Hi Blossom. Um you don't know me or anything but I-I want..wanted to apologize. F-for the card I wrote." The boy said, nervously playing with the hem of his uniform and looking anywhere but at Blossom.

    The card he was talking about had to be the one Ethan crumbled up. Now he definitely knew it wasn't nice which made his blood boil dangerously high.

    "I'm a v-very stupid boy who acts out to get attention and I sincerely apologize for any hurt I have caused you on top of the pain you are already going through." The boy finished with a mumble and looks behind him at Ethan who was glaring from across the hall, arms folded and chest puffed.

    He seemed to give a slight nod and the boy continued. "A-Also I would like to offer um you some money as an apology gift." He pulls out a plain brown wallet and grabs a $100 bill, then proceeds to offer it to her. Wincing the entire time, like his arm had been dislocated from his shoulder.

    "Thank..you but I don't want your money." Blossom muttered out glancing over at Ethan who the boy had been stealing glances at the entire time.

    "I'll be right back Hunter. Stay!" Blossom commanded the last part to Evan who held his hands up in surrender.

    "Give me that $100, she'll want it later. And your watch." Evan ordered to the quivering boy standing at least 5 inches shorter than he was. He at first looked like he would put up a fight about the watch but Evan towered over him like a menacing statue and he caved.

    Yet Hunter wasn't focused on Evan practically stealing from their classmate or even Blossom who seemed to be getting into a heated argument with her younger brother, no he was focused on Aisha.

    Blossom had asked how the 2 of them were, trying to make small talk but this wasn't a small talk topic. Him and Aisha could be over for good and he didn't like that  thought one bit.

    He had to talk to her, Hunter thought but he would have to do it either at lunch or after school because the 10 minute bell rang and the hall was practically empty.

   "Dangit." Hunter thought. He was definitely late now.