Why Hello Mr. Nerd (HOLD)

Bruised Lips and Tapping Pencils

Chapter 12

...Bruised Lips and Tapping Pencils...

Auden Clark

By the time Friday rolled around, I was exhausted. A fight I had to be apart of only a day after I'd had that 'confrontation' with my mother was the least of my worries. After that night, I asked the elderly lady across the street, Ms. Peters, to take care of Tate during the day and that I'd pay her five bucks an hour. I couldn't risk him being in daycare only for my mother to take him out when she wanted. Ms. Peters offered to babysit for free but Tate could be a handful.

Walking into school on Friday, everything was pushed to the back of my mind except for the fact that even though things were okay at the moment, I'd have to eventually find a more stable environment for my brother.

"Fuck." I muttered to myself as I walked down the hall and towards my locker where Ryder stood with two people. One I recoginized a little but I obviously didn't care enough to learn her name. The other was Ben.

"What's got your panties in a bunch?" Ryder asked teasingly. "Did you remember your date with Mr. Nerd?"

Shit.

I actually had forgotten all about Donovan.

"Fuck!" I yelled louder than necessary, drawing attention from everyone around. I pushed Ryder and the girl out of the way and grabbed a book from my locker.

"Auden... That's a book," Ryder explained slowly as if I was dense. Glaring holes at him, I produced the middle finger salute, fumbling with my jacket and deciding to take it off, throwing it in my locker before closing it, quickly and walking away as quickly as I could in my tired state.

For some reason, I actually figured that since I couldn't do anything better, I'd go to class for once.

As I made my way down the hall, I heard Ryder yelling after me.

"No thanks, sweet cheeks. I think poor ole Donny'll kill me if I so much as lay a finger on you!"

~*~

Donovan surprisingly wasn't in school that day. Whether it be because he was sick or he didn't want to show up for our date, I didn't know.

But it kind of made me upset.

I couldn't help but let my thoughts stray back to the moment I'd stepped into Mr. Gillian's classroom. He stared in curiosity before giving me a smile filled with optimism and gesturing to the room as I stepped in hesitantly.

I was brought back to reality as his groggy voice continued to recite Shakespeare off of the paper as we followed along. The clock was moving rapidly slow and I was bored out of my mind thinking of all possible scenarios as to why the nerd was out of school.

He wouldn't skip because of our date... Would he?

That thought was enough to make me clench my fist on my desk, squeezing tightly to rid the inexplicable anger that welled up inside me as feelings swarmed through me.

Feelings aren't me.

I didn't do feelings, especially these feelings that I'd never felt before. I just wanted them to go away before I went insane. How could a simple nerd cause so much damage?

"Auden, could you... Stop?" Tobias asked nervously and gulped when I gritted my teeth.

Snapping back into reality, I realized that it was indeed tapping my pencil a bit too loud, getting glares from Rebecca every now and then as she looked at Tobias as if waiting for him t reprimand me.

Couldn't she see that I was stressed?

Nodding at Tobias, I tried to focus more on Mr. Gillian's lecture but as time went by, the words became nothing but jumbled up phrases that passed by me.

Sighing, I tried to comprehend one last time before giving up. Literature just wasn't my thing.

I stood before closing my book, ignoring Tobias' look of curiosity.

And again the room went silent, Mr. Gillian staring at me with the same look that was printed on Tobias' lightly freckled face, "Ms. Clark? Is there a problem?" He asked furrowing his eyebrows.

And instantly I regretted yelling at him the other day.

Wait... What? I'm Auden Clark, I don't do regret.

"Yeah, I just... I just don't think that I'm cut out for this kind of stuff," I muttered under my breath as I nodded and just walked out the room, ignoring the calls for me to come back and the threats of detention.

Let's face it, learning just wasn't my thing. No Donny is my thing.

Deep down inside, I knew that the only reason I'd actually went to class was for Donny. I wanted to apologize for getting him arrested and maybe still go on that date. He seemed... Cute, and fun and maybe the more time we spent together, we'd become good friends.

Or maybe more-

Oh shut up brain. Never gonna happen.

As I slid through the hallways, I threw my book in my locker. Making my way to the double doors, I got to the front of the school before remembering that I didn't have a ride. I still had to go get the car with Ben too.

Groaning, I debated on going to find Ben but thought against it as I started walking across the street, it was only a couple miles away from the bus stop and then I could get across town to Maurice's house, using the spare key I always kept on me.

I brought my signature combat boots across the cement of the sidewalk as I made my way there, purposely stepping on the cracks in hope that it'd break Karen's back.

"What's wrong with your face?" I heard a juvenile voice ask as I made my way past a nearby park. Of course he wasn't talking to me but I still spun in a half circle as I tried to see the kid.

It was a reflex.

"I just... Tripped," a familiar voice said vaguely. I couldn't see who it was but I could definitely tell who it was by the voice, even though he was protected by a big grey hoodie.

Walking a little closer to the park, I tried to stay silent as I approached him. Crunching of leaves gave me away as he spun around quickly. Gaping, I caught myself from falling as my eyes set on his swollen lip, bandaged nose, and slight cut on his left cheek.

That was the first time, I hadn't gotten distracted by his coffee colored eyes.

"D-Donny?" I asked, and for the first time in my life... I stuttered.

His eyes were wide and his mouth formed a slight 'o' as he stumbled over his words and if I wasn't so worried, I'd have laughed.

I had momentarily forgotten that we were in the presence of a child as I cursed out loud, all in the range of 'fuck' and 'I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch'.

"Who the hell did this to you?"

A/N

Quick update. This story is still on hold but I thought that I'd give you this.

-Roarr