One of the Boys

Chapter 6 - Revenge

I get to the lockers late on Friday, because I had to stay in class because the French teacher turned up and stoke up an extremely long conversation with me while making some photocopies. Next time I am running past her.

Seth said he would wait for me outside, since it's a nice day and everyone's got plans to go partying tonight. I mean, first Friday of the year, and a lot of us are starting to turn eighteen. There's almost no one left about. I see one of Luke's cronies walk past me, which worries me for a moment, but then I calm down. I'm just going to grab my stuff and leave calmly.

Since it's Friday, it takes me like five times what it would usually take me to get my stuff together. By now, the only people I've seen around are Luke's cronies and I'm starting to feel scared. I wonder if I should run out and get Seth just for the hell of it.

No, it's okay. It's okay. But just when everything was going so perfectly, it's not okay. I'm grabbed from behind, and I immediately react. I don't want to go down without a fight this time. I kick and squirm and it makes no difference whatsoever. Eventually, worn out, I give up.

I'm dumped at the back of the building, somewhere near the back exit and the rubbish containers. Someone kicks me in the ribs, sending me straight to the floor. I wince in pain, but try to get up again.

Within seconds none other than the Dark Lord himself is in front of me. Yeah. It's Luke.

"What do you even get out of beating me up, Luke?"

"What do you even get out of pilfering my friends and brainwashing everyone in the year?" He snarls back.

"Aww, did I use my special nerd powers to do it, then, Luke?" I simper. "Maybe it's because some of you idiots finally came to their senses." I glare at him. "Unlike others I could mention." Before I can move his foot draws back and he kicks me. And he's wearing soccer shoes, so it bloody hurts.

"Well, you did something, because, ta-da, no one seems to be talking to me and-" He pulls a face of disgust. "Seth and Caleb are all over you, aren't they?"

"They must have found something interesting, I guess." I blink up at him through my eyelashes, and the look he gives me is almost scary. Almost. But not quite.

Some other guys crowd around us, looking to defend their master, the Dark Lord. "Just remember, Zerd, you're nothing special and you never will be."

"And that's exactly why you blatantly admitted you'd have sex with me at the party." I say grinning and suddenly the world is a blur as he pounces on me. I don't quite know how, but I'm suddenly pinned against the wall, his hand around my neck.

For a terrifying moment, I think, game over. Seth's not here and no one else is and this guy is going to seriously damage my throat. Which contains my windpipes. If he squeezes too hard, it's game over. Shit.

"You should know better, Zerd." He says, his eyes glinting like a sharpened knife before kneeing me in the thigh. I groan, crumpling to the ground when he lets go of me. Someone kicks me, but I don't care anymore. I curl myself up into a ball, trying to block out the abuse and somehow send a telepathic message to Seth or someone.

Anyone.

Help me.

HELP ME!

You promised this wouldn't happen again.

So where are you now?

Are you all in on it?

A tear slips down my face as someone kicks my back again. Then my neck's kicked from the back and my whole body jars. I can't deal with the pain. My vision starts to be blurred up by black dots.

I recognise the feeling. But I've never passed out like this before. It's never gone so far, not even when it was the three of them. There's footsteps running away and some laughter, and I just lay there, willing my body to pass out as quickly as possible and just hoping someone won't throw me in the trash.

The pain in my stomach intensifies, and I start to retch. I recognise this feeling too - I feel like I want to throw up. So I just lay there miserably for some more, trying not to be sick. Well, trying to be sick, but nothing comes up, so I try not to.

Then there are footsteps again. The whole floor seems to vibrate as they get closer. Someone kneels down and I can feel their hot breath on the back of my neck.

"Zoe?" The person says. I recognise that voice. It's Nate. "Oh, god." He reaches down, taking my wrist in his hand, and feeling softly. It hurts. I think someone kicked it. "Carter, go get Seth, now." He says firmly, before putting a hand tentatively on my shoulder.

I groan softly.

"Zoe, are you okay?" He asks softly. I don't answer, and I don't respond, even when he puts an arm under my shoulders and one under my thighs and picks me up gently. "Just say something." He says, almost urgently.

I shift uncomfortably in his arms before I hear yet more footsteps coming towards us. "Oh- oh god I am going to kill him." What sounds like Seth mutters before Nate passes me (I'm hoping) to him. "Is she okay?"

"I would say she's somewhere between passing out and crying." Nate says, his tone dark.

"God." Seth mutters again, pressing me tighter to him. I open an eye hesitantly.

"I'm fine." I mutter softly. He peers down at me, looking almost amused for a moment.

"You really don't look it." He answers.

"Put me down, I'm fine." I snap with my remaining energy. "I've been through this plenty of times when you weren't there and I've dealt fine on my own. Let go of me."

He hesitates for a moment before lowering me slowly to the floor, keeping an arm around me as I stumble slightly. It's true. It annoys me that they think them being here and picking me up is just going to fix everything. I've been through this plenty of times, a lot at Nate's own hands.

It pisses me off that they think they can fix this, when they can't. This whole thing will probably end in Seth beating Luke senseless, which will only end in, a week later, Luke beating me senseless.

Because, obviously Seth can talk, but he can't always be there to protect me, and I don't want him to have to always be there to protect me. I don't want him to have to always be there to protect me. I thought everything was fixed.

Why can nothing ever go right?

"Seth, get off me." I mutter again as he pulls me closer, trying to support my weight. "Don't you realise I've been through this plenty of times when none of you were there? Do you think I need you now?" I say. My voice comes out harsher than I want it too, and from what I can see they both look a bit hurt, Seth in particular.

"That's not a conversation for right now." Seth says softly.

"Let go of me then." I answer back.

"Can you even walk?" He asks me in response.

"Yes." I hiss. Then the black dots get too big and overwhelming to ignore, and I slump against Seth unexpectedly, and definitely without wanting too. I don't want to pull a whole damsel in distress act here.

"Did she just faint?" I hear Nate say, but it sounds like I'm underwater and he's shouting, and I can barely hear him.

"Kind of." Seth answers, shifting me again so my weight is supported on him. "I need to get her home. Who's got a car?"

There's more noise, but then the black circles get too big to ignore, and then I do faint. 

A/N - Heya everyone has probably stopped reading this because of my useless updating but heY I'll keep going lmaO 

Thanks for reading! (I know it's cringey it gets better after like chapter 10 I promise)