Broken

Chapter 3

Harry stays silent and listens to Professor White for the first half of the lesson, scribbling things down in a tattered leather book that he holds one side up on, preventing me from seeing the pages.

"What are you writing in there? This is really simple, you don't need to take notes." I whisper to him.

"I uh, I wasn't taking notes, I'm just... I uh..." He stutters and shuts the book, pushing it up the desk, away from his hands.

I shoot him a smile as his cheeks begin to redden but he doesn't see it.

"Miss Lane. Since you and Harry are getting along so well, I expect your pair work to be the best in the class!" Professor White sighs, causing me to snap my head back to the front of the room.

Numerous, mocking 'Ohhhh's are made across the class and I sink low into my chair. Harry squeezes my knee gently, causing me to jump slightly but he doesn't notice.

"She was just explaining something to me Sir, I didn't quite understand."

Everyone stares at Harry, all the girls forgetting about my brief embarrassment and indulging in Harry's beautiful voice and all the boys raising their eyebrows at the new kid they hadn't even noticed until now.

"Alright then, but still, I expect high quality work from you two." Professor White shrugs and begins scribbling on the board in his messy handwriting.

"Thanks." I hum.

"Anytime."

Professor White explains what we have to do and when he's done I stand from the desk to get some paper for Harry and I.

Suddenly someone rams their elbow into my hip, winding me and causing me to fall into the table next to me. I hear a few laughs but I have no idea who did it. I struggle to catch my breath and lay panting over the wood.

"Hey!"

Harry comes storming over and grabs Seth Davies by the collar. I stay bent against the table, regaining my breath and watching in shock as Harry brings his fist up, nearly pulling Seth from the ground. Harry's muscles flex as he bends his arm and the ship tattoo on his tanned arm stretches with it.

"Fucking watch it, prick." Harry spits quietly in Seth's pale face and shoves him away. He stumbles slightly and scurries away, mumbling under his breath. Everyone that had gathered around gasps and whispers as Harry strides over to me but he flips them all off, silencing them all.

"Are you okay?" Harry grabs my arm and helps me up, steadying me carefully. My lungs are burning and my head feels light but I do not want to make a scene. I quickly nod and he tells me to go and sit down. I know everybody is staring at me, I feel the familiar ache of paranoia as I limp back to my chair.

Harry manages to somehow get there before me, clasping a few sheets of paper in his big hands. I slide into my seat and he turns to face me after we sit in silence for a minute or two.

"Are you sure you're okay?" His concern only makes me more embarrassed than I already was but I shake my head, not wanting to lie to him.

"My chest still hurts a little." I huff.

"Here." He reaches down to the floor and sticks his hand into his bag, pulling out a clear bottle of water. He places it on the table and slides it towards me.

"Thank you." I say, meaning it. Nobody has ever been this nice to me, apart from Kyle and Kerrie of course.

The cold water soothes the burning in my chest and I hand his bottle back.

"Why did he do that?" Harry glares at Seth who's hunched over his desk, obviously not doing any work at all.

"I don't know, everyone does it really." I laugh to try and lighten the humiliating truth but Harry's scowl only grows.

"Why?"

"I...I don't know."

I dunno Harry, I can't really tell you that everyone thinks its funny to take the piss out of me because they managed to find out my dad used to beat me and my mom up.

"Assholes." He growls. "I saw how hard he shoved you, he had no fucking right to do that." He clenches his fists and I swear his pen is about to snap between his ringed fingers.

"It's fine, really. I'm used to it." I shrug and hear the plastic shatter.

"No, no no no. You shouldn't have to be used to that shit. You're a nice girl, you don't deserve that." He doesn't seem to notice that his pen has broken and there is ink all over his hand.

"Harry."

"Yeah?" His eyes soften as he looks at me.

"Uh, your pen..." I point at his hand and he sighs, smirk appearing on his flustered face. I giggle and he flicks his wrist, splatting tiny dots of black ink all over the girl-in-fronts white shirt.

"Shit!" Harry gasps and I splutter involuntarily. We struggle to hold in our laughs before Harry finally leaves the table and washes his hands, bringing back a paper towel to wipe up the ink that had spilled onto the desk.

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At the end of the day I climb over the wall once again and begin my walk down the shadowed alleyway. It's really dark down here, I think I may be the only person that actually uses the path. The line of dry dirt loops all the way round the school, and then deep into the woods next to the back gate. I've wanted to follow the path to the end but I'm too scared too go too deep into the abandoned forest land.

The colossal fir trees dotted around the dry grass prevent the sun from shining on the ground below their branches, only allowing a few rays on a really sunny day. It looks like the kind of place you'd get raped or murdered, but I feel kind of safe here. That is excluding the few times Jasmine goes out of her way to come down here and torment me after school.

"Rhianne, babe!"

I guess this is one of those times.

I begin to walk as fast as I can to escape the sound of her shrill voice but it seems to be closer every times she calls my name.

I really don't need this now. I really don't need her making me cry again, I looked so pathetic yesterday. I felt pathetic. I am pathetic.

She takes the hood of my sweater in her fist and yanks me back, strangling me effortlessly. I tug at the collar of my hoodie and try my hardest to loosen the fabric around my neck but her grip is too tight.

"I heard your little new-boy boyfriend threatened Seth today, aw Rhianne, was he trying to protect you?" She whines in my ear, laughing lightly and I continue to struggle.

She finally lets go and I drop to my knees, regaining my breath for the second time today. I cough and splutter until the sting in my chest and throat vanish and only then do I attempt to get up. Jasmine is still laughing, towering over me, readjusting the straps of her silky neon tank top.

My skin burns in anger and I begin to push myself from the ground but I'm knocked back down when her boot collides with my stomach.

"Daddy hasn't given you a beating in a long time! I think it's time you got one, don't you, you fat rat!" She screams, ramming her foot into my belly over and over again. I groan and cough as she kicks the air out of me and I curl up in an attempt to soften her blows.

When she realises she can't hit me as hard as before, she crouches down and yanks my hair back so my head is no longer against the dust. She clenches her fist and slams her knuckles into my cheek, causing it to throb like crazy. I scream out in pain, hoping someone will hear and come and rescue me but I know it's a long shot.

She continues to hit me, slapping me, punching me, scratching me. Her disgusting laugh rings in my ears and mixes with the sounds of my whimpers and cries as she carries out her attack on me.

"You little bitch. I suggest you tell that new boy to watch out, wouldn't want you getting beaten again because of him now, would we?"

She stands up straight and kicks me once more and I can hardly see her strut away through the buldge of my swollen eye.

(I'm back! Sorry I haven't been on, I forgot my password and logged into another account! Sorry this chapter is so short, I have end of year exams at school so I need to do some revision before I go to bed. Love you all Xx)