Abhor

Chapter 8

Dylan 

Glancing down at my phone, the 12 New Messages notification flashed on the bottom of my screen. Natalie. I knew that ignoring her for this long was going to have consequences, but for once I couldn't find it in me to care. 

I shoved my phone back down in my bag, drumming my fingers on the desk as I watched students shuffle in. Each of them drifted to their assigned seats, plunking down as if they were still asleep.  

A smile tugged at my lips as a familiar face stepped through the door. A large black sweatshirt hung loosely on her shoulders, baggy grey sweatpants practically slipping from her hips. Her hair was slopping drawn up into a ponytail, loose strands falling across her face. 

As she sat down next to me, I noticed the red veins that stained the white of her eyes, the thick purple bags beneath her eyes. Then there was a glimpse of a bruise, peaking out beneath her sleeve. 

Sighing, she pulled her sleeve up further. "Just- just don't say anything" she muttered softly, gaze cast down to the tiles. The anger and concern churned inside me, but I smirked instead.

"Say something? What, about that outfit your wearing?" I teased, catching her wide eyes dart to mine. A. grin cracked across her face, gratitude glimmering in her eyes. Forcing her normal scowl, she resisted the laughter. 

"You know, I do choose to dress like this" she replied, another short laugh escaping me.  "What?" she challenged, crossing her arms over her chest. 

I shrugged, fighting the smile on my face as I leaned back in my seat.  "Nothing" I laughed, enjoying the playful frustration that knitted her brows together.

"Tell me" she demanded, earning another laugh before I decided to fill her in.

"I'm laughing because I don't think you could dress girly if you tried" I informed her, smiling smugly. 

Emma scoffed in offense, delicately covering her heart with her hand. "Me?" she blinked in over dramatized disbelief. "You know, I'm sure you mean slutty. No one in this school dresses girly. Not since the fifth grade", she pointed out, more laughter trying to fight its way free. 

"Yeah, well, whatever you want to call it. I just don't think you could do it" I dared, enjoying the conversation that began to escalate. But I'd rather focus on this than the other terrifying thoughts that waited for me. 

"Is that a bet?" she inquired, leaning in closer across the gap between us. 

I laughed at her poker face, having a good feeling I would win. "You know what, yeah. Yeah it is. If I win..." I pursed my lips in thought, "You have to come to all of my lacrosse games" I decided with a grin, watch her try to keep her mouth from dropping. 

After a moment or two, her mouth snapped shut, a decision made. "Fine. Fine." she finally managed, "And if I win?" she wondered, eyebrows raised. 

I thought for a moment, taping my chin with my finger. What did Emma want that I could possibly give her. "Hmm" I hummed, finally reaching a conclusion. "I'll buy you a whole new paint pallet" I finally announced, watching a smile spread across her face.

"Deal.  Okay. But how will we judge? If you were the judge you could easily lie" she pointed out, a glimmer of childish excitement in her eyes. 

I nodded my head in agreement, also noticing the flaw in our original plan. It only took a moment for a solution to come to mind. "How about when you walk by the lacrosse team in the morning where I'm standing, if three or more heads turn to stare at you, you win" I suggested, smiles breaking across both of our faces.