Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

Chapter 1

A shrill whistle pierces the air, right before Shaylee was knocked from the sky she was soaring through only moments before. The ruffled feathers of her wings vanished leaving only the sweet aftertaste of her daydream behind.

She's standing in the very center of the gym at school and a short, freckled boy is running towards her.
"Yeah Kohen, you little bitch, go check if your mummy is okay," Shaylee heard echo around the gym, followed by snickers and whoops.

The boy coming towards her is Kohen. He ignores the remark; he's heard it all before. He watches Shaylee as she staggers dizzily trying to regain her balance after the basketball she just took to the face.

"You okay Shay?" he asks as he reaches the girl.
"Yeah I think I'm right, Midgie," but she obviously isn't as he can see the blood streaming from her nose with such a flow it rivaled the force at which the rest of the class were streaming out the double doors.

Kohen has to look slightly up for his eyes to meet her caramel ones, but she looks slightly to the side of him, as she always does. He holds a hand out to steady her and without taking it she thanks him and walks past him to where the rest of the few bags are sitting. 

Finally, their fat old sport teacher manages to wobble over to them.
"Alright, get out of here the rest of you lot! I'm sure you'd all hate to miss your next lesson," he calls and wipes the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. 
"Everything okay Shaylee?"

"Fine, sir, I'll just grab my bag. I don't want to be late."

Mr Swath walks off. Kohen is confused as to why Shay's profound bleeding is no cause of concern to the teacher but instead of pursuing the matter he just falls into step behind his friend.

"You look like you need to see the nurse. I'll take you, I don't think Miss Marley will mind if I'm a bit late," he says.
Without even turning to face him Shay snaps back, "I told you I'm fine so just leave it. I'll get a tissue from the toilets when I get changed."

"You don't have to be so tough all the time, especially not around me," they were such good friends that he was right in her being able to show if she's hurt.
"Kohen you can't come into the girls bathrooms."

They'd reached the bathrooms to get changed and Kohen stood facing the door that Shay had just swung shut in front of him.  What a success, he though sarcastically. He'd only tried to help, what was the big deal? Being her closest confident he knew she would tell him sooner or later anyway.

Shay had stopped the bleeding pretty quickly, no harm done other than a killer headache, maybe a bit of bruising tomorrow. She made it through the rest of her painstakingly long classes of the day and had just stood from her chair in the last zone of the day when Mr Mathers called her over. He looked a bit like a weasel she thought as she slung her bag over one shoulder and waved goodbye to a few classmates as they siphoned out of the second floor maths room. 

"You wanted to see me?" she asked.

"Is something wrong Shaylee? Anything going on at home that could be affecting your attitude towards your school work?"
"Um sir, what's this about?"

He leaned back in his desk chair and frowned. Pulling a paper out from one of the numerous piles on his desk, he pushed his glasses up his weaselly face and allowed Shay to see what he was so disappointed about.

She looked at the sheet in front of her and anxiously pushed the hair that had come out of her ponytail behind her ears. 52%. That was the score written in red marking pen at the top of the page that was her last test. Only 52%, from a girl that had worked her ass off last year to get into the top academic class in year 9.  She swallowed knowing full well what he was about to say to her wasn't going to be a 'better luck next time'.