Fracture

CHAPTER FIFTY SIX

☆ ♫ Patrick ♫ ☆

The lunch hall was tense. Actually no, tense wasn't a good enough word.

It was...worse than tense?

Class had been fine as we were all separated but lunch was something else. I was seated between Scarlett and Hughie.

Claire and Gibsie were on the other side of Scarlett, Johnny and Shannon were across from them and Katie was next to Hughie.

And Lizzie was seated across the lunch hall at a table by herself.

Partially by her choosing and partially because Scarlett threatened to throttle her if she came within ten meters of her.

"She looks so sad," Shannon looked to Lizzie, her bottom lip trembling.

"If it isn't the consequences of her actions," Scarlett snorted, stabbing a piece of chicken with her fork.

"Let her," Claire chimed in, "She's done it to herself. She made her choice."

"I still don't think we should isolate her," Shannon pushed, "Its just lunch, you don't have to speak to her."

I could feel the anger radiating off of my girlfriend. I knew this whole overlap of friends was going to cause an explosion.

"You know what's worse than being isolated?" Scarlett narrowed her eyes, "Being raped."

And with that she was shoving her chair backwards and standing up from her seat. Throwing her schoolbag over her shoulder, she walked away from the table.

"Wait, Scar," Shannon called after her but she didn't stop.

As stubborn as she was, Scarlett's feelings were completely valid. Lizzie had chosen not to believe that one of her longest friends was raped, just to fit the narrative she had created.

"She's going to hate me," Shannon's shoulders slumped, "I didn't mean it like that!"

"I know, baby," Johnny comforted her, "Scarlett's just stubborn."

"And right," I shrugged.

"I never said she wasn't," Johnny threw his hands up.

"You implied it. Maybe Scar is stubborn, but she's earned the right to feel that way," I shot back.

"Still, she shouldn't be hurting Shan's feelings," Johnny snapped at me.

"Maybe Shan shouldn't try and play referee," I hissed, slinging my bag over my shoulder and following after Scarlett.

I knew it was wrong to argue with Johnny, especially over Shannon.

But I was team Scarlett with zero tolerance for anyone that wasn't. She was the clear right choice.

I wandered the halls until I reached the six year common room where Scarlett was seated on one of the leather couch's in the middle of the room. I could tell the other students in the room were gawking at her.

Everyone had been since this morning when we first arrived at Tommen. I knew she could hear the whispers and feel the stares and she tried to act like she didn't care.