Ange (girlxgirl)

Chapter Forty-one

Most of the school's kids aged 16 to 18 all look like a wreck on Monday morning. Rubbing their eyes, yawning and staring off into the distance with pale faces. They still manage to wave, smile and talk to me as I make my way through the yard with Emma and Carol. Jake is standing with his friends at the goalposts, he looks away as we approach him indirectly.

"What ended up happening to him?" I ask.

"Oh, yeah," Emma starts, but trails off.

"Well." Carol says dramatically and stretching her fingers for effect. "You hit Emma and disappeared like a movie star. Jake and I were helping Emma, she was rolling around on the ground and I thought something was bleeding, but I think I was tripping. Anyway, Jake turns to me and says, 'I'll sort it out.' He grabs Emma and carries her to the house. I don't really remember this, I'm just going off what Melissa told me. I don't know what happened next though, I wasn't there." Carol looks at Emma.

"I was on the toilet seat, crying cause it fucking hurt. It sobered me up though and Jake was wetting a face washer and holding it to my face. I thought he was just being nice and then he got real handsy and thank God, Carol and Dreadlock guy showed up."

"Oh, yeah, that's right." Carol clicks her fingers. "Dreads and I came along and he saw that Emma was crying and Jake was handsy and knock him the fuck out."

We are level with Jake now and I steal a glance at him. His eye is a bruised and swollen.

"I swear if I see Dreads again, I'll marry him," Carol sighs romantically.

"Do you even know his name?" Emma asks.

Carol crams her eyes shut and thinks desperately. "I'm sure he told me but at this point in time, no. I don't have a fucking clue what his name is. Thou Shall Not Judge, though right? I mean it is in the bible."

Emma and I laugh.

"That isn't in the bible," Emma tries to correct.

"Yeah, it is. The new testament according to Carol. It is a really worthwhile read," I say condescendingly. "I swear to God, though." I say seriously, turning to Carol. "If you had sex in my bed, I will have sex in your's, with your Mum."

We all laugh and walk into home group late because of Emma's late start this morning.

"Hello, girls." Natalie, or Miss Winnett greets us as we walk in mid laugh. She looks up from her desk and straight back down, no one would have suspected a thing.

We are late because Emma couldn't wake up because of her hangover, so nearly everyone is here and sitting behind their desk. The back seats are still free and we sit together in them, waiting for the bell to go. It is eerily quiet because most people are too tried to talk and are sitting there quietly looking at their friends, who mirror the same look of exhaustion. Emma opens her pencil case and takes out painkillers, swallowing them with no water.

"It has been two days, Em. It surely can't be that bad!" Carol says in judgement.

"Trust me," Emma replies dramatically. "I drank a shit ton, more then I ever have."

Carol looks up at Nat and then back at me. "Did you see her neck?" Carol says, nudging me. "You two could be hickey sisters."

I laugh it off. "Don't know who would be in bed with her," I say, looking at Nat in disgust.

"I do. She is hot, just not personality wise," Carol says.

"'I am not gay,'" I mimic in a high pitch voice that doesn't even sound like Carol.

She elbows me in the ribs.

Emma and Carol make a feeble attempt to catch up on homework while I look around the room and when I say around, I mean at Natalie. A few more people trickle in and the bell goes, Nat gets up and smiles at us all, her eyes fleeting on me for a little longer then a second.

"Well, I'm glad most of you aren't dead from alcohol poisoning. By most, I mean that a few wouldn't have affected me."

A few people give a chortle.

She reads the notices and marks the roll and by the time she is done, the bell goes and everyone slowly gets to their feet and shuffles out to their first class. I drop my pencil case in attempt to be alone with her.

"You two go on, I'll see you in math," I say to the girls.

"Are you ok, Angelina?" Nat is standing over me as I pick up my pencils.

I see Carol's red hair whip around the corner and we are alone together, at last.

I stand up and grab her hand. "I'm better now," I say cockily.

"Ange." She says worriedly and moving my hand back to my side. "We can't be stupid about this." She bends down to help me with my pencils.

"True." I agree, also bending down to help with my pencils.

"Just so you know, I don't want this to be exclusive." She says in a low tone and looking at me in the eyes. I open my mouth to interject. "No." She says firmly, not wanting an argument. "You are still young and figuring it out. It would be unfair to you if I restricted you to only me. Go out, go to parties and if you want to, hook up with someone."

"But what if I don't want to?"

She shrugs. "Then don't, it is just how I feel at this moment in time."

"What about you?"

"Oh God. No, I'm a one person only creature, it gets too confusing for me otherwise and besides, I'm far to old." She stands up and hands me my pencil case.

"God, you are beautiful." I say, standing up and grabbing my books. I give her a quick peck on the cheek before she can interject and head towards the door. "I mark what I like." I say amusingly and pointing to her neck.

She clutches it nervously, obviously not aware that they were there. "Good luck on your test tomorrow, now get out of here." She waves me out of the door, I smile at her and leave for math.