Pattern

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

// Avery //

Prudence wasn't in school on Monday. 

Gareth sauntered down the halls, and I didn't make myself avoid him because I wasn't scared. I was just angry, but the bruises on his face, like the ones on mine, gave me a fair amount of satisfaction. He caught my eye once, and grinned, but didn't say anything.

I hated everyone. 

People were avoiding me, which wasn't unusual, but it was more obvious. Anyone who'd been at the party knew what had happened, and that they'd done absolutely nothing to help. The only person to come up to me was Crystal, and she took one look at me and tears appeared in her eyes. I was taken aback, as she whined to me "I'm sorryyyyy! I didn't realise that would happen, I swear.. And now the girl isn't in, and it's my fault.. I'm so, so sorry." She looked like she was about to go down on her knees and beg for forgiveness. I hadn't expected this. Crystal started conversations with me now and then, but I'd always thought it was a joke or her just being too polite. I didn't even consider the fact she was genuine, and perhaps even thought I wasn't all bad.

"It's really fine.. And my friend, I think she will be too," I said quickly, even though I had no idea why she was absent. 

Crystal half-smiled "I'll apologise to her when she comes in. And, Avery - not everyone is like Gareth." With that, she walked away, blonde curls bouncing as she did. 

Nobody was quite as bad as Gareth, in truth, but they were all similar, to a degree.

Howard didn't look at me, at all, his gaze stayed firmly on the ground in my presence. I guess now he'd seen it, what Gareth had told him about, Avery in fight mode. Maybe Gareth had made him believe he had a chance against me, and now Howard was realising it was a joke. If I hadn't gone for Gareth, he wouldn't be in school right now.

Hell, he mightn't be anywhere around right now, he might've packed his bags and left town. I hated Gareth, more than I hated anyone else, but at least I understood. He had motive. But Howard? He'd done nothing but hurt and he'd had no reason at all. He'd strode into the school and pretty quickly turned my life into a mess. Well, actually, him and Prudence had done it, though not together. I'd known where I was going, and I'd accepted that life was going to give me another chance, until things happened, and I ended up sort of befriending her. But that had affected her life to a point that I couldn't stand. I wasn't going to be the reason that she missed school, that she got hurt, that she cried. I was selfish, but I wasn't that selfish.

 Near the end of the day, I bumped into Howard. And though we'd been shuffling our feet and walking away, I didn't let him this time. "Why?" I asked, quietly at first.

He looked at me. "What?"

"Why'd you do it? Attempt to murder me by assault, then choke and humiliate her in front of everyone? Why? What have any of us ever done?"

He looked down. "It's none of your business."

"Goddamn it, it's obviously my business if it's me or the only person who I actually care about is getting hurt! It's completely my business! I'm not some random target, you've got to have a reason."

He met my gaze - he's slightly smaller. Then Howard shrugs. "You? They, the people that rule the school, hate you." I presume he meant Gareth and his group. "To get in with them, I beat you up like they'd .. suggested, though I wondered why he didn't do it himself. And her? Ever since she intervened, I've hated her. I've never hated anyone more. I don't like girls, but she, she's the worst one I've ever come across. Sure, I agreed to help because it would make you angry, and then we could properly fight, and I could impress them.. But that wasn't all of it. In truth, I don't even dislike you that much." Then he paused. "There, you've heard it. Gonna hit me because I despise your girlfriend?"

Instead, I turned away. "She's not my girlfriend."

I walked off.

--

My dad arrived home, after being missing for about two days. He shouted at me, staggered around and fell onto the sofa, completely out of it until morning. I got up as usual, leaving breakfast out for him for whenever he decided to move his ass.

I probably felt similar about him to the way he felt about me, since he made it clear I was a screw up, a lazy, worthless waste of space. Except, now I was trying, and he wasn't.

I saw Prudence, looking tired but alive, as she walked through the school hallways, chatting animatedly to Madi about girl stuff, probably. I looked away. I knew what I had to do. School was boring without anyone to talk to, even though one or two people had been given me sympathetic glances since yesterday, like they were sad about what happened. I wanted to scream at them, ask them why they were feeling sorry for me now, when it was too late to help. Instead, I looked away.

Finding out someone hated Prudence rather than me did anger me a little, but I was also pretty relieved. I thought people just automatically hated me, like there was an aura coming off me saying that I was the worst guy ever. But then again, Howard couldn't be the best judge of character, seeing as he wasn't even a nice person. At all. He was, at the end of the day, a douche, but he was a douche who reminded me of myself when I was a little younger. I didn't think we'd ever be friends or anything, but I understood him, at least I thought so.

--

On Wednesday, Prudence approached me. She was wearing a t-shirt, and her bruises were very nearly gone. She looked a lot better, but I didn't want to talk to her, so I tried turning away, but she caught my arm.

"Avery, for god's sake! I don't know why you're avoiding me, but I've to talk to you."

"Leave me alone," I mumbled sourly.

She put her hands on her hips, as if she was about to sass me, then spoke seriously. "Another girl is gone. Missing, I mean, not gone off to have lunch without me because I'm turning into a freak, I mean disappeared. Vanished."

"Thanks, you need to go now though."

"Natasha O'Neill, she's fifteen, brown hair, blue eyes, just like the others. A good record, also lists several similar interests with the other-"

"Prudence, I told you to go."

"What is with you? I'm talking here, and it's important."

"I'm telling you to leave me alone!"

"Why? Why are you being so cold towards me all of a sudden! I thought we were friends!"

"Just, fuck off, Prudence!" I shouted, probably much louder than I should have. But then again, it was a good thing. Everyone would know now.

Her expression changed, anger and hurt danced in her irises.

She took one last angry look at me, turned on her heel on walked away.