The Bad Boy Hero

Chapter 2

Our school was newly built and had an American look to the place, with lockers lining the walls and high-tech computers that had been donated by someone important. I headed firstly to my locker so I could get out my English books for class. Tess was waiting for me with a smile on her face “So I was wondering,” she began as I opened my locker door “Do you think Jamie likes me?” she wondered fluffing up her bubblegum pink hair in the mirror of my locker

“I have no idea,” I laughed softly just glad she wasn’t hung up over her parents. “But I can ask Mattie,”

“No don’t ask Mattie,” She quickly begged as I closed my locker

“Don’t ask Mattie what?” my said boyfriend appeared out of nowhere wrapping his arms around me as we began to walk

“Oh nothing,” I smiled “Don’t worry about it,” Tess looked slightly red faced as she departed for her Design class “You didn’t mind too much that I left last night did you?”

Mattie pouted slightly and regretfully said “No, Tess needed you,”

“Good,” I kissed his cheek “Then I’ll see you at break,”

“I’ll meet you here,” he promised as I slipped into my English class and to my usual seat. I was deep in the novel we were meant to be reading for the exam, I had already read it twice but I needed to find ‘key quotation’ and all that jazz so I was once again absorbed. When Miss called the class to attention I looked up to find someone watching me, I blinked at the grey eyes before rolling my own brown. Turning to our teacher who seemed more like a drama teacher than an English teacher, she would jump about the class room excitedly like she had ADHD for a couple of hours then let us watch movies of the novels we were reading. I didn’t blame the 50% of the class for failing. I powered my way through the class, doing my own thing for half of it when she went on one of her feminist rants about a text. I couldn’t wait to be a better teacher than her. When break finally came I slipped out of the class to find both Mattie and Tess waiting, what a privilege that they were being nice to one and other. It wasn’t for long, Mattie soon departed and Tess made a disgusted noise.

“I don’t know how you can put up with him,” she sighed linking arms with me as we made our way through the corridors “he’s so...” she couldn’t think of a word so I changed the subject

“What were you saying earlier?” I wondered lightly, hoping for a happier conversation

“Oh, well I was thinking of asking him out, but then I...” Someone bumped into her

“Watch it fatty!” I saw the stick thin and hardly pretty Jade carry on walking and the disheartened look on Tess’ face. I unlinked our arms and turned in the corridor

“Who do you think you are talking to?” I called to her retreating figure, she was of course walking with Jasper Ryder but I took no notice to him as she turned around, people paused looking almost sympathetically to me like I was the gazelle about to be devoured by the Lion.

“Excuse me?” she blinked her fake eyelashes at me

“Yes thank you,” I folded my arms across my chest “That is what you are supposed to say when you walk into someone!” everyone ‘Oohed’ at my comment and the said bully took a step towards me but I stood my ground not scared. I’ve faced worse, I told myself. Jade was about to say something but Jasper Ryder just tugged on her arm, he probably wanted a fag. She gave me a death stare before walking away, everyone else went on their way accept Tess and me, Tess dived on me

“I cannot believe you just did that!” she squeaked excitedly

I laughed softly “Come on Tess, you know I’d do anything for you, even if it ended with me getting kicked in by that lunatic,” She gave me another squeeze and I laughed lightly.

I heard the front door slam shut and closed my eyes tightly for a moment knowing what was coming. Hidden in my room I tried to be as quiet as I could but I knew he'd only yell for me to come downstairs 
"Annie!" He shouted, great he was in a bad mood that's just what I needed when this essay had to be in for tomorrow, I shifted my work into a pile and slipped from my room I could see him at the bottom of the stairs wobbling slightly as he glared up at me "come make dinner, your mother is working late," the hatred in his tone told me tonight wasn't going to be a good night and the slur in his voice told me he had already had at least 8 pints. I made my way quickly downstairs and to the kitchen, I turned the oven on and searched the fridge for anything that would please him or anything I could cook in 10 minutes before he got impatient. I pulled out a pan of left over stew and set it on the hob turning the oven back off in the process. 
"What have you been doing all day? This place is a mess," 
A mess because you left it like that I answered in my head but put on a light airy voice for him "At school dad,"
"Aren't you nearly 18 why are you still going?" I heard him sit down but didn't check I just got him another beer before he asked and continued to stir the stew
"It's going to help me get into Uni," 
"And why the hell do you want to go there?"
To get away from you "To better myself," I shrugged
"I didn't go to damn Uni and I turned out fine," Sure you did, I answered sarcastically in my head "what did you just say?" He demanded his chair dragging along the floor as he stood 
"Ah nothing," I quickly plated up his dinner and handed it him 
"That's right," he sat back down and began eating I began cleaning up the kitchen aware of every movement I made making sure I didn't do anything wrong. The sad thing was I could remember when he used to take me out when I was a kid for picnics with mum when she wasn't working every hour she could get at the hospital, maybe to get away from dad or maybe for the simple fact that we needed her to live since dad lost his job... Maybe that's what started him being like this. I wasn't looking what I was doing as I dried a plate, it slipped from my hand and split in two. My heart pounded in my throat "You stupid little girl," before I knew what had happened I was slammed into the wall with him holding my throat, I choked as the air was squeezed out of me but dared not to look into his eyes or attempt to pry his hands off my throat knowing what that would lead to. My back ached from being hit pretty hard on the wall and I was beginning to black out from the lack of oxygen then without warning he dropped me and I fell to the hard floor. I didn’t look up as I heard a smashing closing my eyes tightly heart pounding in case he came back, “Clean all this glass up,” I heard his footsteps leave the kitchen and I finally exhaled and began gasping for breath. I did what I was told before tiptoeing back upstairs and locking my door behind me, I wasn’t actually allowed to have the lock on my door but what he didn’t know didn’t hurt me and mum didn’t care what I did anymore.