Bad Liar

Chapter Thirteen

~Alice~

I fidgeted in my seat next to Bex, feeling the panic in me begin to rise at being in the crowded assembly hall. I've hardly slept since Friday, I spent hours upon hours tossing and turning in my uncomfortable bed listening the world outside through my open window or listening to the noise of the pub downstairs. My parents were constantly coming in to check on me and each time I pretended to be asleep, and each time I felt the delicate hands of my mum stroke my hair and would feel the beard of my dad brush my soft face as he planted a tentative kiss on my forehead.

I pressed my shaky hands against my thighs and found the strength to push my even shakier body up and allow my legs to carry me out of the hall, I stumbled through the stiff double door crashing into someone on the way out. The familiar scent entered my nose and I stopped my eyes scanning the clothes that I had last seen strewn across an office floor, Mr Harris' face seemed calm it seemed concerned but it seemed softer than it ever had done before.
It almost seemed to hold affection.

"Alice, come with me." He placed his large hand in the small of my back and gently led me towards an empty classroom, I took a seat on a table my feet resting on a chair.
"Sorry I just started feeling really anxious I, I had to leave." I sighed there was still a twisting feeling in the pit of my stomach but it felt different to before, it didn't feel exhausting like it did before.

"It's fine." He spoke softly, his eyes intently staring into mine I felt my gaze travel to the top of his cloth-covered left arm where a geometric wolf tattoo was inked into his skin, I then looked to his right elbow and remembered my fingers tracing over a long white scar that he later told me he got from falling off his bike when he was younger.
I'm sure he was doing this to me too, I saw his eyes briefly flicker to my left side, just above my hip, and could feel him joining the dots of my freckles into a triangle, like he did when we lay there tired but gleeful in a mess of clothes.

"Alice, Friday should never have happened." He spoke, softer than before his eyes flickering away from my face then back again, almost as quickly as they left.
"I know but, it did." I spoke not letting my gaze falter and leave his face, a flash of anger crossed his eyes leaving me confused as I tried to interpret what would happen next.

"Alice I'll loose my job, I'll go to prison if anyone ever finds out." He snapped edging closer to me, his jaw tightening, the same jaw that my hand gripped to when his lips where stuck to mine.
"I know, I know but I won't say anything I don't want any of that to happen." I cooed, stepping down off the table I stood in front of him gently reaching and taking his hand in mine, wanting the contact of his skin just for a moment before pulling away the fear of getting caught a real one.
"God Alice Carter look what we've done." He sighed rubbing his hand across his face, my reply was cut off by the bell signalling I should make my way to my first lesson.

I picked my bag up, stopping in the door and turned round "I'm not sorry." I said shyly, I wasn't, I'm not sorry for what happened I mean yes I knew it was wrong but how could it be when it just felt so right.
"Neither am I." I smiled lightly at sir and his response before slipping out the door getting caught up in the current of children all heading in different directions.

I took my seat in English next to Bex, assuring her I was okay and she didn't need to worry. The door slammed open and Jake walked in, he was potentially the most irritating student in the school. His arrogant and ignorant behaviour made him hated by everyone apart from the people who unfortunately were like him or just stupid enough to go along with him, he entered every where in school creating so much noise that everyone knew he was here.

As he threw himself down in his chair I rolled my eyes something that didn't go unnoticed by him from across the room.
"Who you rolling your eyes at Carter." Jake snapped causing everyone to turn and look at me.
"You incase you didn't realise." I retorted, not phased by his irritatingly childish and fake rude-boy attitude. I've grown up in pubs, around drunk people you learn how to ignore idiots pretty quickly.
"Well don't little girl." He snarled, making my blood boil, I was usually measured, careful and tried to avoid confrontation but lately it was like everyone knew exactly which buttons to press, and they pressed them.
"I'm the same age as you idiot, hardly a little girl. With maths skills like that you should be in bottom set." I smirked at him, perhaps the most irritating thing was that Jake was very clever, when he tried, we shared the top sets for everything.