Moving Forward

Chapter Five

I don't know how she did it, but she somehow managed to convince me to go back to hell. I don't know what it was! Was it her kindness when we first met? No, because I ignored her right after that. Could it be because she doesn't care about what the rumors say about me? Well, that's a given, unless she's lying, but I don't think that's the case either.

I'm trailing five feet behind her as we walk back to that treacherous place. I can still run back to the apartment if I want to. Or even back to the alley I resided in before she picked me up. I looked over my shoulder and gazed at the cars rushing past. I shivered at the water droplets being thrown into the air and pulled the scarf over my face and made sure my hood is still protecting my hair. It's been raining since the day she found me and it displeases me. I hate the rain.

"I won't let anybody harm you," is what Sandra had said before walking out of the apartment. I looked at her back with wonder. Will she really protect me? I admired her yellow raincoat and the black rain boots she wore. They both seemed old but she seems plenty comfortable with them on. Because of my lack of clothes, she gave me her father's green raincoat and boots. I also wore black skinny jeans and a grey T-shirt. Nothing she owned was fashionable but clothes are clothes.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I failed to notice the giant puddle of water at the side of the road. I noticed Sandra move as far to the wall as she could, but it didn't register in my head why until I heard a car zooming down the road. However, once it did register, I was suddenly pinned against the wall and the splash hardly even touched me. I shook my head and my eyes suddenly regained focus. Sandra had her arms on either side of my head and she blocked most of my view of the road. The car was long gone but the puddle remained-- the puddle?!

"It's dangerous to be in deep thought while walking near somewhere potentially dangerous," she said. Her expression was neutral as usual and her eyes screamed boredom. I glanced at the streams of water rolling off her coat. She had pushed me out of the way of the puddles splash and got soaked for me.

"Why would you do that?" I asked almost angrily. She does not need to get sick because of me. She removed her arms and continued walking down the sidewalk.

"If you got wet, you'd use it as an excuse to go back," was her response. I felt my limbs gain mobility again and chased after her.

"Well, now you have to go back and get changed unless you want to get sick!" She grunted in reply. I pouted angrily and walked alongside her. I had a little difficulty keeping up with her long strides. As we walked, it dawned on me that she was like two meters away from me when the car passed by. How did she manage to get me out of the way on time?

I stole a glimpse in her direction. Sandra was looking forward with her usual expression. What I'm trying to see is if she--

Suddenly her eyes darted in my direction and they narrowed. I yelped and tore my gaze in front of us. I think I may have been gawking at her a little longer than I had anticipated. Even so...

My eyes snuck back to where they were and tried not to make my viewing as obvious. Sandra seemed neutral and alert. I smiled at the realization. I think I know how she saw that coming.

Shortly after, we finally arrived at the school gates. I stood in front of the welcome sign and gulped. Sandra did not even stop. She kept walking forward. When she realized I wasn't going to move, she stopped and sighed, turning in my direction.

"You coming or what?" I didn't respond. Instead, I urged my legs to move forward and walked past her, head at first hung low than up high and confident when I saw her smirk. Why did she smirk?

I entered the school building before her and froze once the doors closed behind me. Everyone I knew was bustling about in the halls. The people closest to the entrance noticed me and their laughter ceased. Their faces slowly turned to scowls of disgust and like a chain reaction, everyone had quieted. That's right. The reason why I tried to drop out. The doors behind me opened and a slap to my back made me flinch and tense up. My eyes widened and my grip on the scarf tightened. My head literally creaked about 12 degrees and watched as Sandra's hand slid across my back and over my left arm. Although I couldn't see her face and she didn't say anything, I knew she was urging me forward. I gulped down my fear and once again had to force my legs to move under me. However, this time I no longer held my head with confidence. It was taking my remaining confidence to move my feet. I kept my head down as I slowly followed after Sandra. The whispering felt intense-- suffocating even. Despite all of this, I made it to my locker. What surprised me is the fact that nobody vandalized it. Then again, I was gone for a couple of weeks. Even if they did something to it the janitors would have been ordered to clean it.

All of my motions were slow as I tried to avoid all of the stares. I set down my backpack and took out my notebook, pen and pencil then set down everything else. I took off my wet raincoat to wrap it as small as I could, proceeding to place it underneath my things. I started unwrapping the scarf but stopped after the first loop. Something prompted me to keep it on, so that's just what I did. I kept it securely wrapped around my neck and over my nose. After I placed all the things I wouldn't need for the first period down, I closed my locker and turned, quickly walking down the hall to the classroom. I no longer had the raincoat but I still wore a light grey sweater I found tossed to the darkest corner of Sandra's room. I don't see why she tossed it aside. To me, it seemed good as new despite whoever knows how long its been in that corner. I zipped it up all the way and loosened my scarf. I mean, her scarf. I still kept it over my face but it was loose enough so it didn't look awkward.

It wasn't until I sat down in my old seat that I realized something. The only classes I remember having are first, Algebra II, and last, Culinary Arts. First, because I regularly skipped it. What? I've never been a morning person. I never skipped enough to fail the class and I always collected my work after school. I wasn't that bad. Except it must have been a surprise for my teacher because I had been missing for more than a month. She didn't even hide her surprise. Last period because it's the last class of the day. Also, I loved that class. I enjoyed learning recipes, trying other people's foods, giving tips and critics, laughing with my friends, talking with my friends...

Right. I don't have friends anymore. They left me when the rumors spread. They never cared about me...

A light gasp brought me back to reality. The rest were walking in and taking their seats. The girl who sat beside me gave me one mean glare then went to look for a chair to pull up next to her buddies. Nice to see how much people missed me. I rested my cheek on my hand and started doodling on my journal. There's still about five minutes before class starts. The chair beside me scooted back and a body sat in it. Oh, finally someone decided to sit here. I wonder if this class has grown. I refused to look at the person seated next to me for obvious reasons. The bell rung and the teacher began her lesson. A few minutes in and curiosity got the best of me. I let my hair fall in my face and peeked through the locks at the person seated next to me. At first, it was hard to tell who it was then I recognized him as the nerd of the class. Everyone always teased him about his ginormous glasses, messy brown hair, and dark skin. On the contrary, they always went to him for "help" on their homework. Other than that, nobody wanted to be seen with the nerd. I looked back at the board and grimaced at the memory. I actually used to be like the rest: ridicule him.

Peeking back at him, I realize how cute he actually seems. I wonder if he looked handsome without those glasses... I shook my thoughts away and concentrated on the lecture. This is no time to think about dating. Besides, this guy isn't even my type. He is cute but not really someone I'd date. Also, he probably would ridicule me back because of the rumors and mock me even more. Maybe that's why he chose to sit next to me despite the obvious range of empty seats... wait-- empty seats? I glanced around me fully and realized the class hadn't grown. It was much the same amount of students and there were like six spare seats. Now that I think about it, the gasp I heard earlier sounded more masculine than feminine. Could it be--?

The bell signaling the end of class went off and everybody stood up, talking over the teacher giving instructions for the homework. Deciding it best to talk to her about the assignments, I waited until most of the people cleared out. I talked with her, and she seemed relieved that I was back and told me I missed enough that I'd need to ask for the notes of a classmate. I shivered at the thought of asking one of those snakes to lend me their notes. Something I'd rather not experience.

"Um, I could lend you my notes if you want," a voice said behind me. I turned and saw it was the nerd guy. Gosh, why can't I remember his name? "And I could show you to your classes."

He seemed fidgety and nervous. He didn't even look at me. He was looking off to the side, holding his backpack strap with one hand over his shoulder and extending his notebook with the other. I hesitated before taking the notebook from his hand and mustered a small smile.

"Thanks, um..." I feel so bad right now. All those times ridiculing him yet I can't remember his own name. I really was a bitch like the others and the fact I'm just now realizing this proves it more.

"It's Zach."