Black Roses

chapter four (the walk)

  I enter fourth period seeing Axel sitting in  my seat. I walk over as he quickly grabs the chair next to my desk and moves to it. I sit down as he takes my bag still searching for the homework that he can copy. While in the process of finding his/my homework he finds a bag of chips that I threw in there a couple of days ago. "Those are probably stale." I say moving his hand out of my bag grabbing the crinkled homework.
  "I don't care if there stale I just want chips that I know your not gonna eat." He quickly rips the bag open and copies the homework down on a separate price of paper as quick as he can. "Also what's up with your boyfriend he such a dick everyone knows I wouldnt go out with you."
  "Well, fist of all he not my boyfriend because we all know I'm not pretty enough to get someone. Plus in his defence he is new. I picking up the empty chip wrapper throwing it back into my bag. Axel was annoying me.
  " You'll only defending him because you wanna SmAsh." Axel sticks his tongue out at me.
  I feel random rage grow and my cheeks turn red "Alright asshole." I raise my voice at him.  "Just finish the homework and get the fuck away from me before I smash your avocado head into the desk and punch you in the balls so hard that your eyes pop out."
  Axel finishes his copying and stands up.  "You know Abby, people would like you better if you weren't just some stupid emo bitch." He starts to walk up to the front of the room where he usually sits.
  "Don't expect me to do you're homework again if you really hate me so much." I'm used to people expecteing things out of me. Things most people wouldn't do either. Other people like my mom and teachers see how many people I talk to and how I make people smile and laugh all the time. So when I say I don't have friends they always freak out about how I do have friends. Even thought they don't see it through my eyes, doing people's homework and making them laugh because I call someone an avocado dose not mean im friends with those people.
  The rest of the school day was as normal as any other day. In the middle of sixth period I texted my mom telling her I was going to the library. Unlike most teens I was honest, I wasn't going to a friends house I was actually going to the library. The end of school bell rings everyone rushes out of the building. I was almost the last student to leave.  Stepping down the cement I see Liam writing on a thin gingers arm with sharpie. I try paying no attention flipping my hair the other direction. I continue to walk down a hill and try to start up my music.
  "Hey." I hear being startled. I turn around, Liam was standing there. "Where you going? " He asks while I start to walk again.
  "Library, why do you ask." Liam walks at the same pace as me.
  "Because I don't think you should be walking alone."
  "And why is that?"
  "Did you forget about last night or something? "
  "Of course I didn't forget about last night, how could I."
  "I just don't want you walking alone."
  "So then walking with you is gonna make me feel so protected right?  I mean you are the one that almost killed me. So how is that a valid reason for you to be walking with me. Especially when I said tomorrow before school if you wanted to talk."
  "Damn you are a stubborn girl arnt you?" I hear him giggle. "Listen, I know it might be a little wrong but let me just walk you home, just so I have a little closure."
  I turn around and stop us placing my hand on my hip. "If you wanna walk me home you can do it after I go to the library. Okay mister?"
  "Yeah, I have all the time in the world but uh; what's so important about the library?" Liam asks.
  "You'll see." I say continuing my journey  downtown.
  We arrive at the the library door around four. Most of our walk was silent and Liam just slowly followed me. We walk in as I'm  greeted by smiles of the workers. There all in there early twentys, witch is why I get along with them. They don't act like children. I bring Liam to the back of the library where there's a little hallway that leades to the manga and "Suicidal" Poems. The back has a little circles of chairs with a nice coffee table in the middle and a small squar window above where I usually sit. I grab a book and sit down. Liam looks around and then looks at me in confusion. I point to the seat acrossed from me telling him to sit.
  Not long after he is seated, I hear someone walking up behind me. "Here you go Abby, your usual iced latte with extra wip cream and carmel. Just how you like it." I feel long dirty blond hair brush against me and see long skinny arms placing my coffee over my book. I look up seeing the only person I consider a friend.
  "Hey hippy." I grab my coffee while pulling his beanie over his face. His name is Jordan, twenty-four years younge and plays two many videos games.
  He wraps his arms around me and looks at the book I'm reading. "Good choice, hey btw would your friend like something." Jordan smile dissapears when his face meets Liams who was still frowning.
  "I don't drink coffee but thank you." He smiles for a split second.
  "Yeah no problem man.  Abby, you gonna introduce me?"Jordan says walking over to fix some of the fallen and misplaced books.
  "I guess. I don't really see the point." I clear my throat. "Liam, this is hippy boi Jordan. Jordan, this is Liam."
  "Nice to meet you, I gotta help Rachel with the DVDs, see you latter Abby." Jordan walks away while I wave to him.
  "You guys close?" Liam asks
  "No, not really, but Jordan is the person I feel comfortable venting to. You know he's like the only friend I've ever really had. I don't have his number or social media so I don't consider us close. I only see him and a couple others here. This place is my quiet place."
  "So that's what makes it so important to you, because it's your escape."
  "Yeah basically, now be quiet and read something because I only get an hour here." Liam silences himself. He didn't get up to read anything. I can feel his eyes staying on me and not leaving me. My only hope is when I read or drink is that he dosnt see my double chin. After what feels like ten minutes I feel my phone vibrating rapidly. Witch means my alarm was going off and I needed to head home. I stand up, put my book back, throw away my coffee cup and get Liam up. I wave to everyone while walking out the door.
  "How longs the walk?" Liam asks
  "About an hour." I reply
  "Do you walk different places everyday?"
  "No actually, I usually only walk home if I feel like it or if I miss the bus. You just caught me on one of the days where I don't wanna go home."
  "Is your home bad?" Liam walks almost three feet behind me.
  "Well in ways yes it is, but in other ways no. Anyway you don't need to know personal details on how I live."
  "Just asking woman."
  I feel kinda bad treating him like his lower than me. Sure he's a little weird but that dosnt mean I have the right to be mean to him. I wonder how his life is though. Like I told myself earlier I won't ask him questions until tomorrow morning. Twenty minutes into our walk home, we reached a little town that I like passing by. The sun was setting making the sky purple and blue at the top and the bright orange and yellowes dissapeard. The lights that the people hang around there homes lit up the sky while you can almost taste the salty ocean water by the empty dock.  After going through the town it was back to black. The moon was only cerecnt so the sky wasn't as bright as when we have full moons.
  I crossed the road I see a man with a long beard staring at me. He licks his lips and winks at me. "Fucking gross." I say putting my middle finger in the air to the late fifthtys lookin guy.
  His face creates a frown and he startes rushing over to me with fists ready to attract me. Over been in situations like this all you have to do is kick him in the balls, slap him and then say "leave or ill call the cops rapist." Works everytime to. Well for me. I look right at him and clench my fist as well. That's when I see his face go from ready to fight to I just pissed my pants. The guy starts to running and almost screams. Me being confused I look to my left and see that Liam isn't there. Until I turn around to see him with his red eyes basically beaming when he looks at me. I see him take a deep breath and his eyes go back to light brown.
  "You okay?" He all of a sudden asks.
  "Um, yeah are you?"
  "Perfectly fine,  common lets just get you home already." Liam puts his hand on my waist and I freak out.
  "What the hell are you doing?" I push away.
  "I'm getting you home quicker. Just trust me with this."
  "Okay but if you try and kill me again I have a knife." I say giving him a glimpse of the knife.
  "Not that I think you shouldn't have a knife but that wouldn't do anything if I was gonna attack you again. Just saying." Liam grabs my waist and lifts me in his arms like you see in movies.
  "Can we not have me like this?"
  "Well I guess the only other option is piggyback style."
  "Id rather do that than this." Liam puts me down and bends his knees allowing me to jump on his back. He grabs my legs as I wrapped my arms around his neck tightly. It was weird, no one's been able to pick me up forever. Liam was making it look like it was the easiest job in the world. He didn't even grunt or bend his back because I was heavy and I wasn't even falling down.
  I place my head on his musclely shoulder. "Hold on tight Abby." He says as he starts to run and his running turns into speed as quick as lighting. I couldn't feel him breathing. This was apparently normal to him. Not even a minute passes as Liam slows down. "Okay were here." He helps me off his back.
  "How do you know where I live?" I ask him stepping on the door step.
  "I thought you said you wouldn't ask question till tomorrow?"
  "Yeah I guess I did say that."
  "So then ill see you in the morning?"
  "Yeah see ya in the morning." I open the door wave real quick and close the door.