red | e.d

ten

EDEN-JADE THURLOW

It was only 8am and my blood was boiling, far over the edge. I stormed through the hallways for the first time this year, my fists curled up into balls and my nostrils flaring, struggling to contain the anger that bubbled up inside of me like a potion.

I spotted the bitchy blonde at the end of the hallway, my footsteps gaining speed, as did my heart rate.
Within seconds I was in front of her, all of her friends staring at me as if I were an alien, giggling at the angry expression plastered on my face.

" I told you not to hurt Luke, you fucking bitch " I said clearly, the girl's eyes peeling towards me and instantly filling with dread, as if she were afraid of what was to come.
It fell silent in the hallway, even amongst her friends. I'd had a crystal clear reputation so far this year, with zero fights. And this, was about to be my first one. May as well get the first punch, and the last.

" What now, Eden-Jade? " Mackenzie tried to act tough, sweeping her hair to the side.
She was playing dumb, as if she weren't the reason for my best friend turning up at school today, completely heartbroken. I may sound over dramatic, but the poor boy was finally happy. That was until she dumped him over text and slept with his teammate, of course. It felt like deja vu, which was why it angered me so much. She did almost the exact same thing to me, suddenly stopped talking to me and slept with my crush. Now she's hurt Luke, and that's the final straw.

I was about to shout at the girl, embarrass her more than I already had in front of all of her friends. However, when Ethan showed up at the scene with Luke himself, I couldn't do anything of the sort. Seeing the two, mostly Ethan, convinced me to leave the confrontation without a scratch.
" Leave it, Jade. Come on " Luke grabbed my arm, used to my defensiveness.
I snatched my arm away and raised my hands as if to surrender, about to head to my first lesson and take the high road, until Mackenzie's high pitched voice piped up one last time.
" Be careful, if you carry on the way you're going you'll end up just like your dad "

That was all it took for me to turn back around, my fist colliding with the girls face, punching her straight in the nose. It knocked her to the ground, a high pitched squeak leaving her voice at the sudden impact, fuelled by hurt and anger.
" Fuck you! "

It was safe to say that Luke and Mackenzie were well and truly over, now.

RED

" This sort of behaviour is not acceptable. We've spoken about this before, Eden-Jade " Principal Marino scolded, her words never once pointing towards Mackenzie.

The two of us sat in the principal's office, exchanging looks every now and again. It was rather fulfilling to see her sat with an ice pack and a wet paper towel on her nose, sniffling in pain. She got what she deserved, but apparently we were both getting what we deserved right now.

" You're both going to sit in this office for the rest of this period, together! I want you to apologise, Thurlow " She announced, both mine and Mackenzie's jaws dropping.
" Fuck that, I'm- " Before I could even protest, principal Marino had slammed the door, leaving the two of us to fend for ourselves.

I turned towards the girl and rolled my eyes, standing up from my seat and moving towards the large desk. Allowing me to roam freely in the principals office was foolish, I had access to everything. But instead of tearing the place apart, I sat myself down on the desk, looking down at the babyish teen sat opposite me.
" It's probably a bad idea to leave me alone with you, god knows what I'll do " I sighed, watching as she rolled her eyes, dabbing her swollen nose with the paper towel.
" You deserved that " I mumbled, looking at the drops of blood that lined the tissue she held.

Mackenzie looked at me quickly, her eyebrows furrowing, steam coming from her ears.
" No I didn't. You don't know the half of what I've been going through this past week! " She suddenly snapped, my eyebrow raising.
" Oh yeah? What could you be going through that gives you the right to hurt someone like that? Nothing. You did it once to me, and you've done it again to Luke " I told her straightforwardly, leaning forward in my seat with a look of hatred on my face.
Mackenzie fell silent, her eyes glossy and her arms crossing against her chest. The bleeding had stopped on her nose, leaving it just a swollen mess.

" I'm sorry " Was what she whispered, so quietly that I barely even heard it.
My eyes snapped into her direction, confusion filling my mind as I tried to think of what she had just said.
Mackenzie never apologises. That's something that hasn't changed about her.
" I shouldn't have said that about your dad. I know how hard it was for you when... he passed " The girl sighed, staring at me intently, sorrow filling her bright blue eyes.

I was taken aback, my eyes lingering at the ground. There's a lot of things Mackenzie was, but as a friend, I hate to say it, but she was pretty great. If I rewind to when we were actually there for each other, when we were still close, she was so supportive. When my dad did what he did, she and Luke were two of the only people who helped me, which despite all she has done, I still appreciate with all of my heart.
" It was really heartless of me to say, so I'm sorry for that, Jade " She told me again, as if to be begging for my forgiveness.

I shook my head, as if to let her know that I'd forget her nasty and vile comment. It wasn't the end of the world, really. My mom has said worse to me, before.

" Whatever, I don't really care " I shrugged it off, as if her comment hadn't hurt me at all.
But it did. It really did.
" Is that why you punched me in the face? Because it didn't bother you? " Mackenzie said again, her eyebrow raising as she leant forward in her seat.
Her bright blue eyes stared me down, straight through my own orbs, as if she knew me all too well.
" I did that for Luke " I denied once again, staring back at the girl just as hard.

Mackenzie shook her head, her eyes glancing down at the ground. However, when she looked back up at me, her eyes were glossy once again.
" The more you hide your feelings, the more they show. But the more you deny your feelings, Jade, the more they'll grow " When she said this I looked away, unable to face the girl who knew exactly what I was feeling.
It was almost as if Mackenzie knew I needed comfort deep down, her hand hesitantly reaching towards my own. I almost did a double take, my eyes meeting with her own, as she gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. It was weird. I hadn't been so close to her in years, as friends as again. It didn't feel like a bad weird.
" What're you doing, Mackenzie? " I asked with a small laugh, shocked that she was being so nice, so caring to me after all she had done.

The girl sighed, pulling her hand away gently, placing them in her lap. She had a look of pure regret in her eyes, something that took me by surprise. I knew what she was feeling. She regretted it all. Hurting me, hurting Luke, she regretted every little bit of it.

" I'm sorry, for everything "