Mr. Player

Chapter Twelve - I lie and Cover for Him

Chapter Twelve - I Lie and Cover for Him

I knew something was wrong when throughout the whole English lesson the desk beside me was empty. He hasn't missed an English lesson since, well since he and I became partners. If I remember correctly, I don't think I saw his body, towering over students in the corridor. Worry began to sink in.

The lunch bell sounded and we were dismissed from class. I walked in a hurried pace to the benches where I always meet Bec and Lilly, this time though, they weren't there so I stood alone, surveying the premises. As my eyes scattered over the area, they fell upon a certain someone. Grave thoughts sunk in when he turned his face and from a far I could see black.

"Brooks!" I called out as a natural instinct, this scored me a few stares but in the end I didn't care because it got his attention.

He just stared back at me with a blank facial expression. He has spoken to me at school before but never in an area so vast, so public as the school playground. He was about 80 meters away from me so yes, I was shocked that he could hear my voice. Do I walk over to him? It wasn't really a question because the answer came when my feet began walking at a fast pace to the boy.

He didn't look approachable. He stood by himself, in the middle of the playground and hopeless me was approaching him. He didn't look away as I walked towards him, correction, speed walked. My heart was thumping, what if he didn't want to be seen with me? And why would he? I was a no body and he had a big reputation for chatting up with some bodies.

"Brooks." I almost whispered when he was right in front of me. His face was to the side so all I saw was his left side, the unaffected side. Still, his face remained blank.

"Brooks, let me see." I said softly yet firmly. He wouldn't turn his head so I decided to make him. I watched my shaking hand as it advanced to his now, pale face. When my fingers made contact with his skin, he winced at my touch. Slowly and carefully, I turned his chin so his right side was now visible to my naked eye.

My worst night mare was confirmed when I saw the dark purple shading from his eye lid, all the way down to his cheek bone. I gasped and he ripped his chin away from my grip. Now I was nervous and sometimes when I'm nervous I talk, fast, which is never good.

"If there is bleeding within the eye, that is called a hyphema and should be looked for any time you see a black eye. It can affect your cornea and your vision. In some cases of face or eye trauma, increased pressure inside the eyeball (called ocular hypertension) can occur, resulting in damage to the eye and eyesight if not treated." I babbled but he stopped me by putting a single finger to my lip.

"I'm fine, Teddy." He breathed but I didn't believe him. He removed his finger from my lip which now had an incredible tingling sensation.

"Who did this to you?" I trembled, afraid of the answer.

"It doesn't matter," he said, trying to brush off the conversation.

"Let me take you to see the nurs-" he cut me off by his booming voice quick sent me quivering.

"No."

"At least let me examine it." I said and finally he didn't object. As an impulse I took his hand and gently walked him over to the bench where my friends were now gathered. I was surprised when he didn't swab my hand away or grip it out, disgusted that I laid a hand on him.

"Hi." I said softly to my friends who mirrored each others expressions. They had half their sandwiches in their hands, which were close to their mouth and instead of taking a bite, their mouths hung wide open in awe.

Before saying a polite hello to my friends who momentarily have lost their tongues, Brooks took a seat while I rummaged through my school bag in order to find the ice-pack that I retrieved from the freezer this morning, in order to keep my yogurt cold. Gently, I wrapped my thin, lightweight scarf around it just so his face couldn't come into contact with such extreme coldness. I lightly pressed the pack on his cheek and he squeezed his eyes shut. The wound was fresh, that much I knew.

It was then that I realized the close proximity that his face was with mine. I stood over him as he was sitting but still, determining on the width between us, I think we were about 25.63 centimeters a part. Upon opening his eyes, he didn't flinch away from me, instead he looked up into my eyes and smiled.

"Thank you," he breathed out, his warm breath hitting my skin literally made goosebumps rise up from my arms.

"You're welcome." I replied back with a simple smile. But the question still remained, who hit him?

"You know," he said, resuming in his cocky tone. "People are staring."

My eyes raked over the school area and sure enough, just like he said, what felt like hundreds of pairs of eyes met with mine. I gulped, audibly before I averted my gaze back to Brooks.

"When people are staring like that, it's always polite to give them something to look at." Just as I was about to repeat his words inside my head and give him a confused look. I understood what he said as he leaned in.

Afraid to move a muscle, I felt him close his lips and gently press them against my cheek. He pressed there for a good five seconds before leaning out and smiling.

Oh my. A tingling sensation lingered on my cheek and my fingertips brushed over the area in which moments ago Brooks' lips were on. My breath hitched in my throat as I swallowed. Brooks just kissed my cheek. No boy has kissed my cheek besides my dad and my Nonno.

"I'll see you soon Al." He said, noticing the reaction he had on me. I just stared at him in awe and I nodded rapidly. I watched as he got up off the bench and walked away, just like that.

My heart sank a little as I watched him walked away but then it rose again at the thought that Brooks kissed my cheek.

He's kissed so many other girls cheeks, lips and neck, that was nothing.

I sighed inwardly knowing that the little voice in my head was right. I knew that to Brooks I'd never be more than his partner. By his partner I mean, just the girl in his class who got him his first A. As I pathetically watched Brooks' back muscles from beneath the thin white shirt he was wearing another figure caught my eye.

The question who hit Brooks? Was no longer a mystery. The new question was who threw the first punch? He walked tensely to where Tara was standing. Her hands clutched at her mouth in shock as he stared at her best friend who's lip was cut and who has a big bruise on his jaw.

My stare was cut short when my friends regained their tongues and questioned me. "You are the talk of the school you know that?"

"What?" I asked back with a confused look etched across my face.

"Good girl turning bad." Bec said, sounding as though she were reading a newspaper headline.

"What do you mean?" I quizzed, wanting to know everything they knew.

"Well it's not every day that a good girl gets a detention, actually it's never happened...until now" Lil said, taking a bite out of her ham, cheese and lettuce sandwich.

"Oh" I mumbled, looking back at Colt who was now having difficulties eating his food due to his bruised jaw.

Back when Brooks was at my house and Colton showed up, by the way the boys conversation went it sounded like the boys knew each other from beforehand but how? Colt is in the year above, also he's been gone for a whole year. So what's their history?