Everything We Always Were

Six: Mending

(TW: Bullying, mentions of cancer and death)

The rest of Saturday was spent with a quick grocery stop and then another bookstore stop, transferring money, and then sleeping. Sunday was an entire day of laying in bed, reading, and ordering all three meals for the day on an app.

    To get my mind off of things, I just spent the last few hours organizing a few of my bookshelves.

    Knowing that what happened to me last year could have happened again instilled a dark cloud of fear over all of my other emotions.

    Kyler Jones is a creep. More than a creep. He deserved jail time for what he did to me.

    I had easily let myself push what happened that night deep deep down inside of me, practically forgetting about it. Other than the fact that that night is the reason I don't drink.

    When Monday morning hit, I should have been refreshed, but even after all the sleep I got this weekend, I was feeling exhausted and droopy.

    It's now 3rd hour and I haven't perked up a bit. I know that when I get home and try to take a nap, I'll be wide awake. James was late to class, stumbling in a few minutes after the bell and scrambling to his seat.

    "Late, Mr. Frier."

    "I know, sorry. I'll get you a pass from my last hour," He mumbles off flatly to the teacher.

    He looks like shit. Not only did it look like he had just run across the school, but he also had deep circles under his eyes and his hair looked greasy. He was wearing a tank top, as most of the guys were this week, it's the last semi-warm week of the year, and it showed off his biceps which distracted me from the bruise on his arm.

    It was dark and fresh, a deep purple and it looked painful.

    Like he had felt me looking, James pulled his jacket out of his bag and pulled it on quickly as the teacher started the class.

    "Thank you," I mumble.

    I know he hears me because his head tilts to the side.

    "For saving me,"

    "I didn't save you, but you're welcome for caring about you," He snaps back, almost too loud. I think Jessica Franks to our left heard him.

    "Yeah right, I shouldn't have said anything." I lean back in my chair and sink down, stretching my legs out to the side, barely out of the walkway between desks.

    James doesn't respond.

    All too soon, the bell rings and I'm rushing out of class. Only to be met by a foot in front of me that I noticed a little too late.

    My notebook and current reading fall out of my hands first and then my body crashes to the ground, my elbow taking the first blow, sending needles of straight fire up my arm.

    "Oops, I'm so sorry! I totally didn't see you there!" The voice sends shivers down my spine.

    Kyler Jones is standing over me, casting a shadow over me, his hand outstretched.

    I don't take it, shoving myself to my feet. "Yeah right,"

    "No, I'm serious, babe! I didn't see you coming, you were so fast." He doesn't look genuine, a devious smirk on his tanned face. He's objectively attractive but if any of these girls knew what the real him looked like, they would have killed him in a flash mob by now. "We didn't get to finish our talk on Friday,"

    "Whatever,"

    I ignore whatever he yells after me as I basically run down the hallway away from him, tears threatening to spill over.