Twelve

02.

The locker was slammed shut. Addy flinched. He cradled his folder tighter to his chest as he tried to make himself disappear. A hand grasped his head roughly and he bit his lip to avoid screaming. His eyes flitted to that of the hand's owner. The school's star, Troy was sneering at him with malice.

"Your hair looks pretty this morning, Horace," he jeered. "Did you spend a lot of time making it so soft and fluffy like a good little girl?"

Addy kept quiet and squeaked when Troy pulled on hand, bruising his wrist. "L-let go of me, Troy!" He managed to let out.

"What're you gonna do? Take out your pepper spray?" He taunted, laughing.

"No," a voice interrupted, "That's what I'm going to do."

Troy yelled when a dose of pepper spray got into his eyes. Addy felt his arm grasped by the girl with the weapon and dragged away. He felt himself smiling as he tried to keep up with Kelly's 'power walk' as she called it. She was dressed in khaki shorts, white loose tank top, pastel purple loosely knitted cardigan and a light pastel pink muffler that matches her open toe heels.

Her blonde hair which was done in a loose curled bob dyed pastel ombre bounced as she dragged him to the sports field. He honestly felt a bit intimidated seeing that Kelly towered over his five foot seven with her five foot nine-not accounting heels. He was about to ask her to slow down after his sneakers skidded over the floors a few times but sensing her agitation kept his lips shut.

Kelly got them to the field and promptly seated herself at one of the bleachers, pulling at him to sit next to her. He was about to thank her until she levelled a glare at him. He skidded a bit from her but her manicured fingers grabbed his arm, stopping him. He gulped as he dutifully moved close enough to have their thighs touching, eyes resolutely facing his sneakers. Light green today.

"... Addy," exhaled Kelly with a fond tint to it. "You need to tell me why you changed so much these past few months. You've always been reserved, I know that but now you're so... Skittish. Losing your spark. Kenneth and I, we're worried."

Addy looked up to her and tried to give her a smile which was shaky at best, "I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to worry the two of you. I'm working on it with Dr Hale, I promise."

Kelly draped and arm over his shoulders. She pulled until his head was rested on her shoulders before she caressed his hair softly and gently, "That's all I ask. Do you even know why we're here?"

"... No?" Kelly giggled then, her body shaking as she covered her mouth to stifle some of it.

"It's Kenneth's game today, remember? It's his first time being captain of our football team. He'd flip if he knew you forgot."

He paled then. Kenneth was Kelly's brother, a year older than the both of them. Addy knew them since he was in kindergarten when Kelly came charging at him while he was picking some flowers and Kenneth came rescuing as they were bullied for it. Since then, the three were best friends, regardless of the age difference. Addy, being Kenneth's best friend-since Kelly did not count being his sister-was required to support his game. Always.

It sounded unbalanced but it really was not. Kenneth had to suffer through Addy's peculiarities since they were little and never stop supporting, protecting him along the way. Kelly was the life of the group, the glue that sticks them together with her no nonsense attitude and wit. It made them oddballs to be honest. Kenneth was the school jock, Kelly was the hot, popular girl while he... Well. Him.

"A-Anyway, Kelly. Why aren't you in the cheerleading squad?" Addy asked as the cheerleaders came into the field, trying to divert the topic.

Kelly narrowed her eyes at him before shrugging and petting his head again, "I got bored of the groupies. I mean, it was a nice application of my gymnastics but the uniform gets boring after a while."