Guns and Roses

Forty Three ~ Quinn

Everyone stares when I walk into the room. Mr Timms held me back before I made it to class to speak with me about what happened yesterday.

I cant believe that all that happened only yesterday. It feels like a lifetime ago but yet I can remember every detail so vividly.

Now I'm late to Modern Studies and I have to make my way in with everyone staring. Everyone wondering how I could have been so stupid to live with them and not notice.

I keep my head low as I walk to the back of the class. The table is empty now that three of my group are off today. Reggie is at home with Kira after her miraculous arrival this morning. I dont have a clue where Rya is.

I sort through our completed project. We worked really hard on this even with everything going on and luckily I had it in my bag otherwise we wouldn't be able to submit it.

Everyone starts to whisper and suddenly I know how Rya feels constantly. It's awful.

I can feel every pair of eyes on me even when I keep my eyes on the pages in front of me. I tune out their words but I know they're talking about me.

I try to draw my mind back to the early hours of this morning when the call from Reggie came through. I didn't believe him at first when he told me that Kira had been dropped off at his doorstep. He was more shocked that Rya had been with her.

Apparently Rya had marched into the rings, approached the Italian mafia leader and demanded that Kira be handed over to her. When he refused she paid him a million pounds and he finally let her go.

This all sounds a little bit dramatic even for the Guerreiros so I think Kira might be over exaggerating slightly.

When I asked where Rya was, he told me that she just disappeared. She didn't say where she was going or if she was ever coming back. She just left.

Shes with her parents now and they'll look after her. They'll keep the Petrovs away from her. I really hope they do.

I start to doodle because I need to do something with my hands. I need something to distract me from the voices around me and the thoughts of Rya bleeding out somewhere.

My fingers find the tender spot just above my ear and I hiss as I brush the broken skin. One hit from those brass knuckles and I felt like I'd been hit by a train. How the hell Rya managed to sit through whatever torture he inflicted on her without saying anything astounds me.

"Hello," Mr Timms walks into the class and talks to the teacher in a low voice, "there's people here to pick up Rya's things"

At the mention of her name, I mimic the actions of my classmates and look at the two guests that have joined us.

Switch is fidgeting with something in his hoodie pocket, most likely his switch blade, and Lisa is frowning at the class. Her eyes land on me and her face immediately softens. She smiles and I cant help but smile back.

The teacher starts to rummage through things on the desk and then shakes their head. "Sorry, I dont have her stuff. I'm not sure where she would have put it"

I look over at the pile of things Rya left at the side of the class yesterday and I raise my hand. "Over here" I say.

Mr Timms smiles at me "Could you get that for us?"

I nod and walk over to pick up the bundle of jotters and notebooks. The majority of this is for work she did in class but I recognise the one on the top as one that usually sits on her desk at home.

"What exactly do you want with her things?" Mr Timms asks just as I get to them.

Lisa nods at me "Could you help us carry those out to the car? We've got a few more classes to go to and I dont think we'll be able to manage on our own"

"Of course" I say, knowing better than to miss the invitation to talk.

Lisa turns back to Mr Timms and then we all start walking down the hall. The books start to become awkward to carry and Switch takes some of them off of me. "Well I dont think she'll be coming back here anytime soon so I just thought we should take her things from you" she tells him.

He nods "How are both of you related to her?" He asks.

Switch answers this time. "Lisa raised her father and I married her uncle"

Mr Timms frowns at Switch. "You married into the mafia? This must be very hard on you to discover this"

Switch nods and then tries to hide a smile "I'm devastated. Filing for a divorce first thing tomorrow." He stops and I have to look away to stop myself from laughing at the strained look on his face to stop the smile spreading across his mouth. "I always knew he was a bad boy but I mean, I just couldn't resist his rugged good looks and perfect ass."

Lisa scowl at him "I dont want to know!" She shouts and smacks his chest "That's my baby boy you're talking about!"

I stifle my laugh and look between the two. Mr Timms watches on with a confused expression and I do laugh. I didn't realise quite how much I missed them already.