Stronger than Before

Chapter 5

Flinging what books I need for homework carelessly into my school bag and slamming the locker door shut, I shuffle quickly through the throngs of students as I head for the main doors.
I couldn't concentrate at all for the last two classes of the day, my mind completely occupied with what had happened in geography. Where did Dan go? Was he ok? Why did he get so angry at Ms Baxter? So many questions run through my head as I dart though the crowd, keeping  an eye out for Ruby also. I am fully aware of what she would say if I bumped into her.
No, despite what she thinks and what has happened I know she is wrong. Dan must have a reason for his explosion earlier.

Once I am finally outside I shade my eyes from the sun with my hand as I frantically search the teeming school yard and carpark. At first I can't see him anywhere but suddenly I notice a dark, hooded figure in the distance, hunched over at the edge of the football fields. It's him!
I take off at a frenzied sprint across the tennis courts in his direction, only slowing down when I come within a short distance of him. Turning around at the noise of my arrival, his eyes widen slightly as I come to a halt beside him, my cheeks burning a deep scarlett as I gulp in heavy breaths.

Dan remains silent for the few seconds that it takes me to catch my breath, and as I straighten up I look him deep in the eyes, concern now etched across my face.
"What happened earlier, Dan? Why did you go off like that?"
Sighing heavily he finally replies gruffly, "I wasn't going to stay around to hear the rest. She was being way over the top. It was just homework!"
Glancing at the ground, I bite my lip nervously as I hear his voice rise angrily. "But why let her get to you so much? It was just Old Baxter."
"She was berating me for no reason! I had to stand up for myself because if I didn't who would? I didn't see you jumping to my defence!"
"Hey! Hey!" I throw my hands up in the air because he is shouting now and I can hear the beat of my heart drumming in my ears. Why is he being like this? "I don't want to upset you! I'm just trying to understand."
"Well you don't understand!" He retorts, his fingers curling into balls so that his fists are now clenched. "So just stay out of my life, ok?"
Backing away slowly, I press my hands against my legs to try and hide my trembling fingers, before turning and heading in the direction of home.

"Are you ok, Clara?" Mum looks at me with concern across the table, her eyebrows knitting together. "You've been quiet all through dinner."
Snapping out of my trance, I smile quickly at her, as I stand to clear my plates away. "I'm fine, thanks Mum. I just have a lot of homework to get back to!"
She looks at me a few moments longer, her eyes scanning my face searchingly, before she's distracted by Tomas, my little brother, as his dinner plate goes tumbling to the floor. I take my chance to scurry out the door, back to the safety of my bedroom.

I lie on my bed for an hour, replaying the conversation in my head. What happened? Why made him blow a fuse like that? I reach for my phone to call Ruby and ask for her advice before I remember her words: "He's bad news!" I can't bear the thought of listening to her soft, sympathetic, I-told-you-so voice down the phone. Eventually I get up and make a start on the heaped pile of books on my desk, refusing to acknowledge the question that looms menacingly in the back of my mind. What does this mean for us?