Never The Less, She Persisted

Chapter Nine

The bell rang and everyone started to leave the class but I kept Al behind with me.

"Sorry about the comment before." I said to Dallas as he was grabbing his binder.

He laughed "it's okay, really."

I smiled at him. "Are you new to the school?"

"Yeah, my dad got transferred here." He said .

"What's your next class?"

He looked at the paper in his binder, "um AP psychology."

"Gemme has that class next too. Why didn't you walk together. I'll see you at lunch Gem Okay?"

She hugged me and walked away.

Dallas started to walk with me to our next class. It was silent for a moment before he broke the silence.

"So what grade are you in?" He asked me

"Oh I'm a freshman."

"Me too, I'm completely new here. I just moved from Miami Florida."

"Ahh you're an East coast guy. Well Welcome to Texas." I said tipping my head as if I had an invisible cowboy hat on.

He laughed at me and then we reached our next class. We sat together and then the teacher started the class.

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The bell rang signaling for lunch and Dallas and I headed to the cafeteria in silence. We went into the food line.

"Hmmm."

I laughed. "Whats wrong Dallas?"

"This food is a lot different than what I'm used to."

I looked at the wholesum filling food.

"Yeah, country food, you're gonna have to get used to it." I said smiling.

He smiled back at me and grabbed a plate of food. We made our way to a table and Al made her way to where we are sitting.

"Gem, seriously why does the 1st day have to be so....ugggghhhhhhh."

"What's wrong Al?"

"These like upperclassmen were like judging me in the bathroom and it like teared me up."

"What did they say to you?"

"Nothing, they glared and made faces."

"I bet they were jelous." Dallas said.

Al laughed. "Of what?"

"You're very beautiful." He said.

Al blushed as I smiled. Dallas was so nice. Trying to lift Al's spirits up. She looked up past him and saw that the girls she encountered were making their way over.

"You're Sterling's little sister aren't you."one of them said as they sat down.

"Yeah and?" I asked skeptical.

"You should tell him I said hi." As she said this she gave a look towards Alice.

"Naw I'm good." I said.

"Excuse me?" She sounded shocked.

"I said no."

"Do you even know who I am?"

"Do I even wanna know?" She looked insulted.

She started to get up and she purposely knocked over Alice's cup spilling the contents.

"Bitch." Alice mumbled.

The girl turned around. "Excuse me? What did you call me?"

Al turned in her seat and stared at her. " I said bitch. "

"Say that one more time to my face." She said getting closer to Al.

"Hey! Knock it off." Sterling said moving in between Alice and the girl. "You need to relax Tiffany."

"Why is she your girlfriend?"

Stir looked back at Alice then to me and then to Tiffany.

"No."

"Then what?" She questioned.

"That's my sister's friend, you leave her alone as well as my sister."

She rolled her eyes and walked away. Sterling turned to us and Al started to get up and her grabbed her wrist.

"Alice what's wrong?" He asked.

She pulled her wrist away and left the cafeteria.

"Wait Sterling, she's my best friend I got this." I said with a smile. "Can you keep Dallas company? Please?" He nodded his head and I left the cafeteria to find Alice.

I followed her into the bathroom and knocked on the stall door she was in.

"Al?"

I heard her sniffle.

"Alice cmon. What's wrong." She opened the stall door and went to the sink and looked at me through the mirror.

"Its nothing Gem."

"Is there something going on with you and Sterling?"

She kept silent.

"Alice, if something did happen, you'd tell me right? I wouldn't be mad."

She looked up at me as she turned to face me.

"We've um...."

"Slept together?"

She looked scared.

"Alice, I am your best friend. And Sterling is my brother. Don't you think I would have found it out at some point?"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"So did you."

She nodded her head yes.

I pulled her into a hug.

"Its ok, I'm not mad. Do you really like him?"

"More than anything."

"Is that why you got upset? Because he said you weren't his gf?"

"He's wanted me to be his gf. But I was scared of what you were gonna say and think."

"You don't have to worry about that Alice. I will be here for you no matter what." We hugged again and she smiled at me.