Red

Chapter Four

Chandler POV:

I walk into school the next day, my composure regained. As long as I don't see Ram before first period, I should be fine. I threw away that stupid fucking skirt that he gave me, and for some reason, it made me feel much better.

I make my way down the hall, looking for Duke and Mac. I had told them to meet me in front of my locker. That's where we usually meet anyway. Poor Mac is gonna get slaughtered by Duke for not showing up at the party last night. Her family dragged her to some sort of wedding reception or something. I don't know where she was, exactly. All I know is that I'll probably have to cover for her if Duke starts getting bitchy.

I turn down the hallway towards my locker, but I freeze once I see Duke and Mac having a conversation with Ram. Ram looks like he's pretty fucking proud of himself for something, and Mac looks confused. Duke is eating up whatever Ram is saying. Of course she is. She's obsessed. I can't approach them if he's there. I duck into the girl's bathroom before any of them see me.

I sigh, walking up to the mirror above the sink. I pull my lipstick out of the front pocket of my bag, applying more of it to my lips. I have to at least look like I'm doing something productive in here. Once I've coated my lips in the red shade for the second time this morning, I take a paper towel out of the dispenser and blot before crumpling it up and tossing it in the trash. I start to fix my hair, wanting to waste a bit more time, when the stall door opens behind me.

I turn to see Veronica standing behind me. I turn back to the mirror again. "Sawyer," I say.

"Hi," she replies cautiously. "Are you...? Did I say something last night?"

"No," I tell her. I pause for a moment, turning back to her. "I'm sorry I left."

"That's ok," she replies. "You don't have to apologize." Neither of us say anything for a few seconds. "You saw him, didn't you?" she says finally.

My expression darkens, and I nod.

"Do you want to skip today?" she asks me.

I can't help but laugh. "You? Skip?"

"I can skip," she replies defensively.

"Have you before? Or even tried to, for that matter?" I cross my arms across my chest, smirking at her.

"Do you want to skip or not?" she asks, blushing. Good to know I still have that effect on people.

I think of Ram still standing in front of my locker, talking to my friends, probably telling them about what he did to me last night. I can't stay here. I know I can't. "Fine," I say finally, "but I choose where we go."

"Sure," Veronica says, smiling.

"And I drive," I add.

"Whatever you want to do," she tells me. "Just so we get you out of here."

I nod. "Good. Let's go."

I walk out of the bathroom, and when I see that Ram is still standing there in front of my locker, I take a step back. Veronica gently touches my arm, and I look at her. "It's ok," she says quietly. "I'm with you." She hesitates, but then she reaches down and takes my hand, and though I'd typically pull my hand away immediately, I let her. She's comforting. I feel safe like this, like Ram can't do shit if I'm with Veronica.

She walks with me down the hall in the other direction, and neither of us say anything. The bell rings as we walk outside, and she drops my hand. I clench my hand into a fist once before extending my fingers. I oddly wish she hadn't let go.

I walk out to my red Volkswagen beetle convertible, Veronica close behind. I take my keys out of my blazer pocket, unlocking the car. "You can put your bag in the back," I instruct her. She nods, opening the back door and setting her bag down on the seat. I put mine on the other side before sliding into the front seat. She opens the door on the passenger side, getting in cautiously beside me. "Nervous, Sawyer?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"You were right," she admits. "I've never skipped before."

"It's not bad," I tell her. "You'll be fine."

She nods, but she still seems on edge.

"And you really don't have to come with me," I say finally. "You can go back."

"No, that's ok," she replies. "I'll be fine."

"You seem nervous," I say.

"I am, but there's no way I'm letting you leave alone," she tells me. "You should have some company. I might not be your top choice in that department, but-"

"At this point, you are," I interrupt.

"Really?"

"I saw Ram talking to Duke and Mac in front of my locker," I say. "He's probably... bragging. If that was what he was doing, Duke will tell the entire fucking population of Westerburg by second period." I start the car. "That's not the kind of people I need to be hanging out with right now."

***

Veronica POV:
We're at the mall in a matter of minutes. I'm fairly sure Chandler was speeding for at least half of the drive. She parks as close to the front as she can, and once we've stopped, I take another deep breath. If my parents catch me, I'm dead, and I can probably kiss Harvard goodbye. As Chandler looks over at me, I realize I might not need Harvard. I could deal with community college for the chance to hang out with her more often. Sure, Martha's been my best friend for years, but Chandler's... different, somehow. She's certainly the most adventurous friend I've ever had.

"Are we going or what, Sawyer?" she asks.

"Yeah, I'm coming," I say, getting out of the car. She starts walking towards the mall entrance, and I follow behind. It isn't like me to skip. Then again, it really isn't like me to walk through the school hallway holding a pretty girl's hand, either. I expected her to immediately tell me to let go and leave me standing there alone, but maybe she needed someone in the moment. I guess I was readily available. I just hope I made her feel more comfortable. I swear to God, I'm going to kill Ram. How could someone do that? How could someone hurt another person like that? Just thinking about it makes me angry.

"You look like you're ready to punch someone," Chandler comments, a look of concern on her face. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," I say, keeping my voice calm. "Where do you wanna go first?"

She thinks for a moment before she decides. "How do you feel about H&M?"

***

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I swear there will be more fluff in the next chapter. I just have to figure out when that first kiss is going to happen...

Thanks for reading!

-LittleMissBlitz