Right Now

13.

I'm a likable person. But, that doesn't mean everyone likes me. You stick up for the little people, the big people chase you next. It's the game. I'm cornered, it happens sometimes. I don't let it effect me. But, somehow this is different. Remember how I mentioned Whitney? Yep, my one personal tormentor. Plus her best friend. As I am shoved into the wall, the pressure of this happening more and more is making me collapse. I'd never say this or let it show, but it's wearing me down. The comments, getting beat up, everything. It sucks. The guy, Denver, throws my stuff all over the hall and the girl, Whitney, hits me again, but in the stomach. The air is knocked out of me and I fall to my knees as they walk away. They are the only two who do it, but slowly they are breaking me. They didn't like to be stopped or bothered, so I know me sticking up for that girl made them angry.

"Shit," I mutter to myself as I raise my shirt and examine the marks on me. I sit there in the empty halls, blinking away tears in my eyes as I look at all my things in the floor. I felt discouraged. "I'm not going to cry," I say in a weak voice. "I am not going to cry."

I gather everything and the last person I want to see me like that comes around. "What the hell are you doing on the floor?" Calum asks me. His tone is harsh and it isn't helping me. In fact, it makes it worse. The tears fall from my eyes and I try to wipe them away before he sees.

"I fell down and my stuff went everywhere." I say and he looks around.

"Where did you fall from? The moon?" He asks me and crosses his arms.

"Go away, Calum." I say and I stop moving, small sniffles can be heard and I curse myself. I just want to be left alone, I don't want to deal with him right now.

He walks over to me and pushes my head back and tilts my face up to look at him. "Who hit you?" He asks me, running his thumb over the mark on my cheek.

"I fell down, I'm fucking stupid." I say and groan. I pull away from him, continuing to pick up my things.

"Don't lie to me, Emily. I'm not stupid." He says softer than before. I dry my eyes on my sleeve and I try to stop the pathetic flow of tears. It's stupid to cry over. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

"It doesn't matter." I say in a cracked voice. He takes everything from me and drops it back on the ground. This causes the tears to come faster. He takes me in his arms and hugs me tightly. I wrap my arms around him and I cry softly.

"It does matter. Someone hurt you and I don't like it. I don't want to see you cry," He says, he gently rubs my back and the bell rings, signaling we are late for our classes. He lets me go and he helps me pick everything up. "Who was it?"

"Whitney and Denver. Butthurt because I helped that girl the other day." He dries my eyes and with every gesture, my heart swells more.

"Go to class, don't fall anymore today. Or you better fucking tell me about it, got it?" He says, pushing my hair out of my face and I nod.

***

At lunch, I sit at the table and I stir the spoon around in the bowl of green soup. "This can't be healthy." I say

"It's not. It's child abuse to feed this to us." Gorgy says. She seems on edge today and I notice Lyle isn't with her. He is sitting somewhere else. I want to ask what's up with that, but I figured that was a conversation for when we are alone. Calum and his friends sit at our table. Curiosity got the best of me and I ask anyway.

"Hey, where is Lyle?" I ask her softly, not trying to make any trouble, but I fail.

"Does it matter where he is? I'm here, isn't that enough?" She says loudly, causing me to jump and I return to silent. Ashton has wide eyes and we both scoot away from the angry girl.