He's My Bodyguard

4 Back to School 4

"Mmm. I'll gladly take your place. I'm in desperate need of some... protection."

I about roll my eyes into the back of my head at my best friend Nate's remark after I told him about Peyton.

"Oh yeah?" I say with all the sarcasm I could muster up.

He pouts but smiles again, eyes glossing over as if in his own little world. "I'm telling you. You're lucky! You can probably sleep with him and get away with it. I mean, won't he have to obey your every order?"

"He's a bodyguard, not a sex slave, Nathaniel." I cringe at the thought of commanding Peyton to sleep with me. I laughed a little at the thought and how I thought he'd react. He's handsome, but even I'm not that cruel. Or desperate for that matter...

"Whatever. Same difference..." He takes a drink from his water bottle and stares at me as I stare back quietly. "Nothing. I'm just wondering if you're doing alright with everything that's happened?"

He always does this. Reads my mind.

"I've honestly been better but it is what it is, man..." I sigh in exhaustion. I hadn't gotten much sleep last night or any night after the whole, party fiasco.

The pictures and sounds kept intruding into my thoughts every time I closed my eyes. I had night terrors too but tonight seemed to be a little better. Only because I stayed up late and passed out, too tired to think or dream for that matter.

"Where's Dallas?" I ask, breaking our awkward silence. I was getting tired of Nate looking at me as if internally begging me to bleed out my problems to him. I love him, and I will eventually talk to him, just not at school. Not in public.

"He got stuck in lunch detention. Bad mouthed Mr. Werth."

"I don't blame him." I tap my foot against the ground, looking across at Nate.

We've all known each other since we were small. Our parents are all business colleagues so as children, we were brought along and stuck in the same daycare together.

Now we all go to the same private school.

"I want to see him... I wish we could have all sat together today..."

Dallas was a bad boy you could say. He smokes, drinks, plays around and now, he curses out teachers. He's got an attitude problem but he's not always like that. It seems the only people he's really open around is me and Nate.

His dad is always on business trips leaving him alone all the time. Even when he was a child that was the case. He was raised to be independent from a young age.

We all soon ended up living in the same neighborhood and whenever we got the chance, we'd sneak over to see him, since his house was bigger than ours. Like a castle. Or a tower.

Rapunzel, Rapunzel. Let down your hair.

I giggle at the image of Dallas as Rapunzel that popped into my head.

Nate looks confused and I shake my head. Thank god he couldn't see the pictures in my head too.

*=*=*=*=*=*

My last class finishes and I'm exhausted... I forgot how draining school was, especially after everything that happened. I could use a nap in all honestly...

I walk home with Nate and Dallas after school and wait for them at the car line. It's a short walk to our neighborhood and I enjoy the walk. It makes me feel less bad about not hitting the gym. It also gives us a little time to talk.

That was until a black Cadillac Escalade pulled up in front of me, the window rolling down upon its arrival.

"Oh my god..." Slips from my lips bitterly as my grip tightens on my backpack strap. I had a feeling who was driving this expensive automobile.

It was Peyton. The inside of the car was dark, but I could definitely tell it was him from his chiseled jaw line and the deep, hazel green eyes that stared emotionless at me. I couldn't read him at all but I bet he could read me. I was fuming.

"What are you doing here? Are you stalking me?" I frown, waiting for his response.

"I'm here to pick you up. I thought we already discussed that I was your bodyguard. This is my job. To watch you and keep you safe."

"I can keep myself safe!" I throw my hands up. "I am perfectly fine! I walk home with two boys. They can keep me safe." Just then, as if I had summoned them, Dallas slid his arm around my shoulders making me jump a little and Nate stepped beside me glaring into the Cadillac.

"Hey, babes. Is there a problem here?" Dallas always tries to act like my boyfriend anytime a guy approaches me. He's like my own, personal cock-blocker.

I gently brush his arm away and shake my head. "No... This is one of our bodyguards. Paul assigned him to me to protect me but I told him I walk home with you two."

I can see Peyton darkly eyeing Dallas after he had wrapped his arm around me. Shit. I hope Peyton doesn't say anything to Paul about it...

"Er... Peyton..." I say with a soft voice and his eyes return to me, a new, gentler look replacing his old which makes my heart squeeze. "I will be okay. I'll see you when I get home. I promise I can handle myself."

He looks hesitant but he nods after a few seconds, turning away. "I'm sorry for bothering you, Ms. Reign." My heart squeezes again but this time, feeling guilty. He rolls up the tinted window and drives off towards the house as I let out a deep breath.

"God, he's fucking hot." Nate sighs dreamily.

I punch him in the arm and he laughs and punches me back playfully.

Dallas just smiles at us and starts leading the way.

*=*=*=*=*=*

"Mr. Werth can go choke on a big, fat-"

"Okay, Dallas. We get it." I cut him off before he could continue insulting the American Government teacher.

I had his class in the morning and he is always cranky but somehow, he likes me over all the other students. This was before my mother was kidnapped too. Maybe it's because I shed that teacher's pet vibe?

"It sucks you had lunch detention. As much as I love Nate, it's not the same when we're down one person..." I sigh, all of us sticking close together on the sidewalk.

"I mean, it sucks to have lunch detention, yeah, but it's not as bad as your situation..." Dallas stares at me, we all slowly coming to a stop. "How are you, Sena? Really. After that, you gotta wanna talk to someone..."

I look at Nate who is sharing the same, patient, hungry-for-information look as Dallas.

"Look... I'm really tired. We should plan to talk about this some other time. I promise I'll talk about it when I find the right words... AND the right time. Just not here..."

They both nod and pull me into a hug as I giggle softly and hug them back.

I loved these two boys. They were practically my brothers except we never fought about anything.

Whenever I need them, they always make time for me.

I start to think that maybe it was a good thing they didn't show up to the party.

If anything had happened to them, I'd be devastated.

After out short, affectionate pause on the sidewalk, we head to our houses, discussing how our days went.