This Girl

Chapter 8: YOU LITTLE CHICKEN NUGGET

I arrive at school on Monday morning with Bubbles, who I gave a lift, since she doesn't have her own car. I explained my weekend to her and she let out a bunch of girly squeals, she's still giggly now. We walk towards my locker and meet up with Kate and Chloe. Chloe's moved on from her boyfriend, I'm pretty sure that she's got someone else in mind 🙄. 

Bubbles explains to them my entire weekend and Chloe jumps up and down with Bubbles while Kate chews on her gum and walks over to me.

"This guy could be different to all the others," she tells me.

"Pfft, you mean nice smelling, kind, good looking? Nope, he's the total opposite, same as all the others," I say, stuffing some books in my bag. Kate raises her eyebrows at me, chewing on her gum. 

"I'm the exact opposite of what?" I turn and see Alex leaning against the lockers on my right. He has his sunglasses on top of his dark, curly head, and is wearing a plain white shirt with his leather jacket. He's chewing on a toothpick again. 

"Nothing," I shove the books in my bag, looking away from him, worried he'll see me checking him out. I pull out my sweatshirt and chuck it over my singlet top because it is a pretty overcast day. I pull my hair out and look over at Alex, he stares at me. 

"Alex? What's wrong?" I ask, shutting my locker.

"Nothing," he shakes his head and stands up. I look over to my friends to see them walking away.

"Well done, you scared them off," I huff and start walking. He jogs after me. 

"Me! Scare girls off? No way!" he smirks.

"You obviously do, given that there aren't any girls left here," I say.

"You're a girl. You're still here," he smirks again.

"I thought I was a dude, remember?" 

"Oh, yeah," he flicks me.

"Would you stop flicking me?" I say, shoving him. 

"Would you stop shoving me?" he says. "People could say you just can't keep your hands to yourself." 

"Did you just quote Selena Gomez?" I ask. 

"I didn't mean to," he grins, I roll my eyes but smile nevertheless.

"Oh, yeah, you left yesterday before I could thank you," I stop outside my classroom, taking my books out of my bag and placing them on my hip. 

"For what?" he scrunches his face up.

"For, you know, picking me up, taking me home," I say. "And I'm sorry for being stubborn."

"Its fine, I shouldn't have let you walked out the door," he looks down.

"I'm too stubborn."

"I'm too arrogant."

"Well, you came after me."

"Yeah, so would've anyone."

"I'm sorry for being such a drama queen, fainting and all that," I roll my eyes.

"Knowing you, there must've been a reason behind it," Alex says, I raise my eyebrows at him. 

He's right though. After I transferred schools , I befriended a girl called Susan. She and I had only been friends for a couple of weeks before I heard that she had been kidnapped. They searched for a month before finding her remains a couple of kilometers away from the school. They found the man who kidnapped her and he was sent to jail. It traumatized me, when we went to Paris I almost forgot about it as I got older. I did manage to see a picture of the man's face on the news. He had a scraggly beard and sunken eyes, he had dirty clothes and a beanie, his hair was past his shoulders and he looked very much the same as the guy from yesterday.