Octavia (Completed - 2018 Watty's Longlist)

Chapter Sixteen - Edmund

"Hello." A familiar voice chirps happily beside me. I look beside me to see Octavia smiling up at me.
"Oh hey, where did you go before English?" I ask, remembering back to when she disappeared earlier before school.
She shakes her head a little. "Oh don't worry. I was just taking care of something." Her lips twitch up into a smirk at the last word.
"Okay." I say confused, looking away from her. My eyes immediately catches onto a guy - possibly a sophomore -staring at Octavia in a way that makes my blood boil. I don't understand why these people judge Octavia so harshly. I don't believe that she has done anything wrong. So why do people give her dirty looks as she walks down these hallways?
The guy shuts his locker and taps one of his friend's shoulders, whispering something to him and making him laugh. Without a second thought I lunge at the guy, gripping his collar tightly, slamming him back into the lockers behind him.
"Would you like to say that out loud?" I question him, spitting the question out like venom. The guy looks up at me in shock, then embarrassment as he looks at all the people looking at us. But honestly, I couldn't care. This guy does not get to make judgements on people like Octavia without even knowing who she is.
A cold hand is placed on my shoulder, from which I recognise to be Octavia's. I could tell by the electricity that shot up my arm.
"Edmund." She softly says, soothing my anger. I look down at her, into her eyes and feel my whole body relax. I loosen my grip on the guy's collar, pushing myself off of him. Taking a step back, I look at Octavia's shocked face once more before turning around and walking away. Everyone's eyes are on me, but I just ignore them as I make my way to Spanish class. My hands shake so I shove them in my pockets but not before a same small, cold hand lightly grips onto them, pulling me to a stop.
"Edmund?" She asks worriedly.
"I'm fine, Octavia." I assure her, the anger from before still clear in my voice. "You should go to class."
She rolls her eyes at me a little. "I'm not going anywhere until you explain to me what just happened." She orders, staring up at me expectantly.
"Fine, okay." I say giving in as she continues to look at me with her confusing eyes. "Look, that guy was giving you a dirty look and he said something to his friend and . . . I guess it upset me. But, I'm fine now, Octavia - really." She looks up at me, unconvinced, but her face softens.
"Well, it's nothing I'm not used to." She shrugs, nonchalant. "But, thank you."
I sigh, pained that this was a usual thing for her. Octavia didn't deserve this. "And that's the problem. You're used to it. You're used to the glares and stares you get, the rude comments you receive, the arrogant people you face everyday." I tell her. "But you shouldn't be used to it. You should never of had those things done to you in the first place. You deserve better and you know that." The final bell rings signalling that 4th period is starting.
"Look, I have to go. But I'll meet you outside the gym." I say, making my way down the hallway. I arrive to class with legitimately a second before my Spanish teacher, Mrs Grace comes rushing through with all her books and pens falling out of her hands.

Even after the night I had discovered that Octavia was a vampire, it still feels weird to think about it. Even though I don't know myself truthfully that she is a vampire, it all makes perfect sense to me. And even if it is the truth, I don't see Octavia any differently or less in that matter. It's like that now I know what she is, I know her better. I couldn't sleep at all that night. I was tossing and turning, failing to get her out of my head. The visions of her in my dreams played over and over as if they were giving me some sort of proof that my accusations were accurate. I honestly don't know what to believe. It's driving me crazy, which is why I've decided to ask Octavia to come to the beach with me and the others this weekend. It's very unlikely that she'll accept my offer, seeing as most of my friends - along with the rest of the school - don't like her.
But I can only hope, right? I mean, this way I can actually talk to her in private but it'll still be public enough that she can't kill me. Even that thought doesn't even scare me like it should. Only one of my scenarios have ended with me dying and it is a possibility. But it's a risk I am willing to take.