String of Fate

Chapter Fifty

Connor was strong enough to make me stumble backwards when he shoved into me on the way to the first lesson of the day, making my bag slide off my already hurting shoulder from all the other times Connor had barged into me around the school. The sellotape that my mum had used to temporarily fix my glasses chose that moment to stop working and my glasses popped off my nose. Connor probably wasn't done until he made some snide comment. "Watch where you're walking, four eyes."

There was the snide comment that was along the lines of what he usually gave. I would have rolled my eyes or found it comical if I hadn't been at the other end of it. He was such a prick who didn't even think about the people around him when he did anything.

Then, he stepped around me with his lackey's and headed off, surprising me since I usually had to rush out of his way. I really couldn't work out why I was the target of the most popular guy in the school, or why he was even a bully to me when he was nice to everyone else and the number one rugby player in the school.

I was lucky that I didn't see Connor for the rest of the day. After school I picked up my new glasses from the Opticians – and a spare pair in case. My glasses tended to break easily even though I never tended to drop them or anything. At home, I decided to just shut up in my room and get on with school work because I had a little bit of homework piling up. I'd feel a lot better when it was done.

The next morning, on the day of my sixteenth birthday, I had a string on my finger. I was surprised – I hadn't expected to be the youngest person and I couldn't really think of anyone who could be at the end of my string. If they were older than me, it was possible that they didn't go to my school, so, it would probably need to wait until I had more time to follow it.

I could wait until Saturday to follow my string. One day couldn't hurt. If I could, I possibly follow my string today after school, providing that I didn't get out of gym late. Since I didn't have much time this morning, I just got dressed and headed to school, glad that I only had the first lesson with Connor, but I didn't take my notice of him, just taking my seat and ignoring him. Luckily, he didn't pay any attention to me either.

It wasn't until the end of my PE lesson that I found out who was at the end of my string. I had decided to change after the last lesson of the day, just because the changing room had been empty since everyone had just grabbed their bags and left. While I pulled my shirt on over my head, I heard someone come in. I saw that it was Connor. I almost sighed until I saw his string. Our string. "No way."

I had surprised myself by saying the words out loud. Connor surprised me by saying them, too. I didn't want to wait around for Connor to speak, stuffing my clothes into my gym bag, slinging both bags on my shoulder, and avoided touching Connor as I rushed past him out the door.

This may have been the worst Friday of my life, and it was meant to be the best day of my life. It was also my sixteenth birthday and I was sure that it could have definitely gone better. It definitely should have been a better day for me.

I headed home, popping to the library and to the convenience store on the way to grab some stuff. It surprised me that I spotted Connor after walking out of the shop. I stopped in my tracks, not sure of what to do. Connor marched over to me, taking my wrist but not grabbing it too hard. "Come to the rugby match tomorrow, please. Don't ask questions. Just show up and wait for me when it finishes. See you tomorrow."

I was shocked, and stood still for a moment as Connor walked away, heading back the way he came. I did not have a good feeling about that rugby match. Maybe it was a good idea not to go, but Connor had asked me, and I was nice. Maybe I could go, and give him a piece of my mind. I wanted to shout at him, and scream at him, and maybe I could do that tomorrow at the rugby match.