Life's Gravy

Chapter 3

"Hannah!"  Andrew screams at me. He is drunk and he stammers to me. I'm outside Dugg Browns' house. It's still packed with people enjoying the party but I want to leave. I ignore Andrew and walk to my car.

"Hannah!" his voice is much closer now.  I feel his hand on my waist and I pull it away from me. "Come on Hannah!" I feel his wet lips on my neck. I push him away with my elbow. 

"Leave me alone Andrew!" I say but he takes that as an opportunity to push me back until I'm against my car.

"Hannah." he shoves his face in mine. I push him back and slap him hard on his face.

"Fucken bitch!" He screams out. He takes a step towards me but a hand on his shoulder stops him. 

Gregson looks pissed out of this earth. Next to him is another football player, Thomas Greyson, who look annoyed at Andrew.

"When a girl says no, you step off Colsten!" Thomas says. His blue eyes glisten in the light of the street lamp.

"Are you okay Hannah?" Gregson asks me with concern.

"Yeah, I had him handled." I try and smile but the look of disgust can’t leave my face.

"Next time hit with a closed hand." Thomas smiles before dragging a drunk Andrew back inside.

"I'm sorry about him." Gregson says, "I'll talk to him."

"It's okay, he's just drunk." I say.

"Yeah but still, I'm sorry. I’m meant to protect you. Especially now with…” he trails off. “Matt is going to be fine.” He finally whispers.

“I shouldn’t be at parties right now.” I say, my throat holding back tears.

“It was his idea Han-han, Matt wants you to have fun and not to worry about him.” He pulls me into a hug, “he’s going to be fine, you’ll see.”

****** 

I'm sitting inside the library reading a book. Mrs Frick, the librarian, is shelving books and every now and then she shoots a group of students a warning look before pointing at the various “silence!” posters.

"You really going to read that?" I hear a boy whisper at the table next to me. I look to see Thomas Greyson smile and grab a book from a really pretty brunette in front of him.

"Give it back Thomas." she whispers back. She brushes her hair back and I recognise her as Francisco Daies. Every one use to call her Hog, then one day she showed up to school holding Thomas Greyson's hand and all of that stopped. Thomas has great influence at this school, Gregson says he's the best football captain ever. He could worship the ground the guy walks on.

I avert my eyes back to my book but I'm drawn back to the couple. Thomas is still teasing her about her book and she's trying to get it back without causing suspicion to Mrs Brick. They are both really good looking-they look like they were put together for a genetic experiment.  Like put two really gorgeous people together and see if random girls at the library can stop staring at them. My phone buzzes and I'm grateful that I can look away from the playing two.

Its text from my cousin Cindy: Hey, come over and hang today?

Cindy is my cousin and I love her and all but hanging out with her is such a drag sometimes. She doesn't go to my school so we barely see each other.  The last two times I went over to her we spent all afternoon following her boyfriend- a collage student- who she was sure was cheating on her. We used my car because he'd recognise hers. We followed the poor boy to the laundry , to a retirement home and the  back to his dorm room. I didn't get back home until past ten at night and I was exhausted.