Sticks & Stones

Chapter 3

It's Monday during my second class, science, with Ginny. She whispers as we are reading the thick, colorless textbook, "Why the hell haven't you been answering my texts?"

"I'm grounded for sneaking out with Marcus," I leave out the part about Zayn, I don't want word to spread, and by telling Gin I have an idea of what would happen to my reputation.

"You slept with Marcus? I thought you were saving your virginity until college," now we were having a regular conversation because we aren't the only ones conversing.

I laugh at the idea, "No, it's seldom I let Marcus feel me up in private, let alone public. There's just something about Marcus, I mean he's completely fit, don't get me wrong. Though I just can't imagine the details he would tell his friends."

"Yeah, I completely understand. But what about Zayn? You know Jenna, he is a rather hot bad boy," she winks, jokingly.

"You are being so naïve, what has gotten into you," I snicker.

"I don't know, I've been talking to Sandy lately."

I can't help but burst out laughing even though we were doing classwork. The story behind Sandy is just enough to make my stomach turn from giggling. I say just a little too loud, "College sophomore Sandy? You've got to be kidding."

Out of nowhere a skinny girl with an arm full of tattoos, large gauges, and bleach blonde hair turns around and rudely remarks, "Some of us are trying to learn, so shut the fuck up and save it for after school, would you." She calls it loud enough for everyone to hear except the old teacher, who has to turn his hearing aid up to understand what is going on. She takes a moment to stare at me then she gives me degenerate smirk spread from her cheek to cheek, "Oh, your the girl Zayn is fucking around with! Whats your name?"

I stand up from the beaten lab table and run out of the classroom. I run until I'm out of the science hallway. I am walking down the gloomy hallway, no idea of where I am going. All I knew was how embarrassed I am. Who the fuck is she to think she can talk to me like that? She must've been one of Zayns many inappropriate, rude friends. I, however, have no idea in my mind of where to go. I continue walking, then halt once I arrive at my locker. I take my phone out of my pocket and dial my mum. She answers after the second ring and agrees, with no fuss, to pick me up from school. I turn to go back to my classroom until I hear skateboards approaching me. I see three boys in a distance and I laugh to myself

"You have got to be kidding me," I groan. Zayn is one of those three boys racing down the hall.

He lets the other boys go ahead of him. They don't even take a moment to look at me while I watch them ride away. I then hear the stomps of Zayn after he jumps off the skateboard.

"Lets go out tonight." He says, without doubt I'd turn him down. I look around, hoping that any door will open and someone will come to my rescue. I know Marcus has a class right now, not even a door down. I envision him stepping out and saving me from the hell that was Zayn. "Daydreaming about our date already?" He puts his hand on my chin and gently turns my cheek so I was looking away from him. "I better get going before I get caught. I'll meet you later." He smiles and hustles onto his skateboard to rush to his friends. Why the hell does he think I'll go on a date with him? I will never understand. I really should get back to class before the bell rings, so I lean against my locker one more time, staring at the tops of my dirty converse and then walk back to my current class.

"Where did you go Miss. Hall?" My teacher stands from his seat at his chipped, green desk.

I always have had charm and I was always keeping a good status with my teachers. "It was an emergency sir, it came from nowhere. I apologize for my rudeness and suddenness."

"Apology accepted Jenna. Take your seat and join the discussion with everybody else."

I follow what he says though not even five minutes later the phone rings and I get excused to the office. I take my belongings to my locker where I see written next to the locker number.

*You're mine - Zayn*

I try to wipe it off desperately, though I only smear a little of the sharpie ink. I frown for getting myself into a shitty situation like this. I decide to leave it before I start making it a large black blob and quickly shove my stuff into my backpack.

I'm on my way to the office when the bell rings, thankfully I enter the office in time so I don't get trampled over by underclassman. My mum is standing, smiling at the secretary at the desk while she holds the door open for me. I know as soon as I hear the click of the door being closed, my mum will lose all her composure. She hates leaving her job, working in physical therapy, it's something I'll never understand about her.

"How was your day?" She asks me with all her composure.

"Embarrassing, how was yours?" I ask, I have no complaints for her good attitude.

She lightly smiles, "Hectic, I'm glad to get out of there. I would have picked you up just to go shopping soon enough." We both laugh together. "Why was your day so embarrassing hun?"

I shrug, "This girl called me out for talking to this boy, or I guess for him talking to me really. It was in front of my science class and it was quite rude and disrespectful."

My mum pats my knee, "It's okay. Who's this boy?"

I choke up, I wasn't going to tell her it was Zayn. Dammit, if Zayn would have never showed up at my house everything would be perfectly okay. "Just some boy Marcus plays rugby with. His name slipped my mind."

My mum attempts to interrogate me about him but I just shook my head the whole time, acting as if I had no clue who he was. She was accepting by the time we pull into the driveway. I apologize to her for picking me up and as easy as it was, I went inside, fell down on my family room sofa, and took a nap.

I felt my phone vibrate against my head. Zayn was calling. I answered it harshly, "What the hell do you want?"

"Jenna, where are you?" He asks, sounding almost angry.

"I'm home," I hesitate, wondering if that was the right thing to say or not.

"I expected to meet you at your locker after school ended."

"I left early."

"Why?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes."

"Well I was completely embarrassed after some girl asked me if I was fucking with you in front of my whole class, including my best friend."

"Amy is not my friend."

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that now my best friend knows about us."

"Us? There is no us." I hear the long beep after he ends the call.