Unspoken

Chapter 8

Tatum is played by Avril Lavigne by the way:)

Naomi's POV

I'm staring back and forth between Indi and this 'Tatum' girl unable to think straight.

I had a feeling Tatum was horrible, well I knew she was. Ever since I tried to talk to her this morning and she just stared back like I had said something in another language, with her chewing gum bouncing around in her mouth.

The chewing gum.

She needs to take it out seriously. It's unhygienic and disgusting and I really don't want to see her multiple fillings.

I've only just got a proper look at her. After she had crept up on me, I was too flustered to take notice of her features, but now I can really take note of everything about this tall, blonde bitch in front of me. Laced in her hair, are multiple ribbons of colour, and if she took out her chewing gum and smiled, she would be really pretty. Her teeth are dead straight and her cheeks have the perfect amount of blush on them. Her eyeliners a little too thick but I can't judge her considering Roz has about three times the amount layered on her eyelids. Her body is toned, you can tell she's goes to the gym. She really is genuinely pretty.

But that's the surface. I know if you peel back the skin tight black dress she's wearing, rip off the fake smile she wears that everyone takes a first glance at and thinks "wow she looks nice," there's a boiling pit of hate and misery. I know that after I caught sight of her evil grin directed at Indi. There was nothing but searing venom in her eyes and it kind of scared me.

Indi looks petrified, angry, broken, lost and really fucking pissed off all at once. A stripper. How? I really can't imagine this frail figure in front of me turning up at strangers doors wearing a skimpy skirt and top. Probably not even that.

Question after question piles in my brain and every one is on their own little mission to get to the top of my list. So many questions. They are all rippling through my head and I'm fighting over what one I should ask next. What one I need to ask next.

Lost in my own thoughts, I haven't really been paying attention to the two girls, but I know they're bickering. It's Mr Hodges who snaps me out of my thoughts, yelling that we need to get out of the toilets.

Its not so much that I'm upset by the news, I don't know Indi well enough to feel any kind of emotion towards the situation, but it's the idea that I was going to be best friends with her. I had planned in my head to make Indi my closest mate and now I've learnt she's not as pure as I thought.

My hearing has just caught up with my brain as I hear a vague scram, but when I look up, no one is in pain. Tatum looks really pissed though and is clutching her arm, did Indi punch her?

As we exit the small, disgusting room, I see Mr hodges. I go to speak but it's like my words have been stolen. This always happens. When I get news of something that shocks me, I can't handle it. My body shuts down and my mind runs away with a collection of my thoughts.

Indi is at my side when I look up again. I recognise the corridor as the one Indi first came scurrying down and we soon reach the English room. As we walk in, there's a mass of bodies all gossiping and some even cheer as Tatum walks in. Beaming, as if proud of herself for triggering Indi's humiliation, she courtesies before taking her seat. Indi is walking slightly faster than me and pulls the chair out for me to sit down.

Mr Hodges has lost his earlier glint of happiness and is now a stroppy 40year old again. The rest of the lesson we are told to work in silence, although Tatum somehow gets away with whispering to all her mates, obviously telling them about the events that occurred in the toilet.

A couple of times I briefly look at Indi, but her head is in her work. Literally. She isn't writing at all and has rested her forehead on her arms. I feel for her, I really do.

It must be horrible suffering with poverty that badly, and even worse having to become a stripper to make ends meet. But even worse than all of that is the fact that somehow people from the school found out. I guessed earlier from Tatum's little dig, that Indi got hired by someone from the school, although who that person is I don't know.

Knocking me from my thoughts, the bell alarms. Lunch. This is going to be awkward and difficult to get through. I'm still not sure who I'm going to sit with, when Indi links her arm with mine as we walk out of English.

I don't flinch from her touch, but I'm apprehensive. I can't think of Indi as a slut or I'll struggle to be friends with her. Just think of her like you did this morning. Well that's hard because now I know the reason 99% of the school think badly of her.

A random student looks at me and Indi's intertwined arms and smirk. Make that 99.999999% of the school. The remaining 0.000001% being Roz, Sam and me. Because truth of it all is, I don't think badly of her. I think she was desperate for money and did what she had to. If I were in that situation, I'd want someone to at least consider what it was like in my position.

We get to our form room and outside is our lockers. I've never actually been to this thing yet. Indi unwraps her arm and glides further along to her locker as I fumble around at mine. It's relatively big and murky grey. I need to put some posters or something in to decorate this shit. Finally It clicks open after numerous attempts. Dumping my bag in, I close it hurriedly. I can't be bothered to take in my surroundings properly, I'm too focused on worrying about the dramas that may unfold at lunch. Will I learn more about Indi and be grateful for our friendship? Or will I be put off by the other stories she has to tell of her past?

I don't have time to doubt my friends as I see Roz and Sam walk towards me. Do they know I know about Indi?

"Hey, what happened in English? Everyone is saying Tatum slapped Indi, is she alright?" I think the expression on my face speaks to Sam very clearly as an answer to her question. "I'm guessing that was bullshit made by Tatum?" She re-questions. "Yeah, well Indi told me about the er-" i start but I think Sam already knows the story.

"Yeah I know, you know about Indi. But did Indi get hurt? I swear if Tatum touched her I'll beat her up so bad!" Sam scoffs, tilting her head back and to the side to Roz who stands behind her. Roz is much taller and Sam looks like a child looking up to her mother. It's cute though, that Sam is so protective. In reality, she would probably never lay a finger on Tatum for fear of the teachers seeing or more people turning against her, but the threat is nice. And plus Tatum has a posse to protect her.

In the crowded mass, Indi appears and joins us, and we all begin walking. It's me, Sam, Roz and Indi all in a row, but I'm being left out because obviously Sam has turned to Indi to find out what happened.

The weary, drained smile that Indi holds explains everything. She is sick of this shit I can tell. Sick of the drama and gossip and the hateful glares she gets every time she lifts her eyes from the ground.

I wish I could help her, but I'm new. I can't do anything except commentate in my head. I'm looking at everyone who we pass and they move...sorry, jump out of the way as we walk through. We haven't got the plague or anything! They turn their noses up or eye us and it's really intimidating.

"Hey so who have you met so far?" Sam suddenly turns back to me. The conversation topics change quickly. They must be used to the dramas as they have moved on from this one in around 30seconds. It's sad really, that they are used to Indi crying and Tatum spreading shit about them. It shouldn't be that way, they should put a stop to all of this. How they would do that I'm not too sure...

"Gabby, Sian, Tony-" I list, but I'm not paying attention. My body collides with something tall as I stumble backwards. Apologies stream from my mouth as I look up, but when I do I feel even more embarrassed. "Sorry did I hurt you?" His raspy voice gasps. I look from his emerald eyes to Sam briefly, only to see her goggling at the boy in front of me. If her mouth was open, she'd be dribbling, but her eyes are wide and excitement and lust are swimming in them.

It had to be me, on the first day of a new school, to walk straight into an unbelievably super fucking hot guy.