It Only Takes One

Twenty Five

Harley:

I'd been in Portudo for 3 weeks now - which meant I'd known Angie for a month. The doctor had told me and Angie that we should take a few weeks to recover before heading back to school. It was Monday which meant a new week and back to Franksten High. Angie would be going to her school, Park High. Jane had decided that it would be easier to keep us in the schools we've been in before, after all Franksten was only a 5 minute drive from Portudo. 

I walked down the stairs, my footsteps heavy. Words can't describe how much I hate school uniform. My shirt had the top 3 buttons undone and my tie was loosely tied. My uniform was a white shirt, grey pants and a blue and red striped tie.

Angie and the girls' was a white shirt, red skirt or pants and a yellow and red striped tie. Park High also had a primary next to it, so all years shared a uniform. 

All the girls were laughing and talking about seeing their friends, even Angie was excited to be reunited with them. Then there was me. I didn't want to go back to Franksten High, there was nothing for me there. I only had Angie and the girls - they were my family and friends now, but they weren't going to be there. My friends from Franksten didn't care about me anymore, they just abandonned me because I started being 'difficult' with everyone. 

Jane drove us to Park Primary and High, and the girls got out and ran over to their friends. Angie kissed me and started to walk into her school. People stood watching. Then Jane drove me to Franksten High - I had a knott in my stomache. I felt physically sick. 

"Harley?" Jane asked with a sympathetic voice, "You'll be okay. There's nothing to worry about. If it does get too much for you, ring me and I'll come and pick you up, okay?" She knew I didn't really want to go back and face people.

I nodded, taking a deep breath I opened the door and stepped out of the mini bus. I felt everyone's eyes land on me. Watching. Waiting. I took another deep breath and started to make my way towards the school.

Oh crap. This is just what I needed. Johno, Luke and Ethan were gathered near the entrance of the building - there was no way of getting in without passing them. Great. I walked over and they glared at me - hating me no doubt. Their faces had looks of disgust and an intollerence towards me. As I approached, I just wanted to turn around and go home now - I'd started calling the foster house home now.

I couldn't do this. I couldn't face them, I couldn't face anyone. No-one knew what had happened, just that I'd dissapeared for 2 months. But I'd done that before, so I doubt anyone was worried.

"Well look who it is," Johno's voice. "Where the hell have you been? You seriously don't care about anyone but yourself. Vanishing for weeks and then showing up without an explanation - typical Harley eh?" Sometimes Johno could be a real jerk - he was supposed to be my best friend, but that'd all changed.

"Good thing no-one actually cares about you enough to worry." Someone said as they walked past.

"You have got no idea what's happening in my life and you clearly have no interest in it, so do me a favour and back off!" I growled at him. 

"We were supposed to be friends, but you just have to act like a jerk and push everyone that cares about you away, don't you?" He snarled back.

He seriously called me a jerk!? 

"You just said no-one cares about me, so I don't have anyone to push away. As for us being friends, yeah, I thought we were until you decided that I wasn't worth your time."

At this point, Ethan jumped in. "We tried our best to be there for you, but you constantly act up. How are we supposed to be friends with someone who treats us like crap all the time. You have no idea how much we wanted to ignore it, but you just kept getting worse everyday. Until it reached the point that we couldn't do it any longer. You're the one who pushed us away, what else were we supposed to do?" 

"Whatever," I mumbled and shoved past them. Johno grabbed my arm and pulled me back. My mind froze and the next thing, I realised I'd just punched him. By now, Jess and Evie had appeared.

"What the hell is wrong with you! All we've done is be there for you and this is how you repay us?" Ethan said angrily, helping Johno get his balance back.

That was it, I snapped. "Be there for me! When have any of you been there for me? You all left me when I needed you the most, that's not what I call being there for me. What do you want me to say; I'm sorry for having problems that I couldn't talk to any of you about because you were all getting fed up of me? I'm sorry that I hurt your precious feelings because I didn't know how to ask you to help me? I'm sorry that you got upset because I wasn't coping very well with having the crap beaten out of me everyday, for no reason?!" The words just flew out of my mouth before I could reaise what I was saying. Then I realised what I'd actually just said, they all just stood there. Still. Shocked. 

My heart was pounding in my chest and I was thinking to myself 'what have you just done?' Again, I shoved through them and Johno went to grab my arm. But this time I dodged out of it.

"Just leave me alone," I said quietly, brushing past him.

Now I really felt sick. I also felt like bursting into tears, I don't know why, I can't even remeber the last time I cried - unless I was in the middle of a more severe beating. I didn't go into the school but around it to the car park, where I sat against a huge oak tree. After a minute, I called Jane and asked her to come pick me up. I'd been here for what, 15 minutes? Anyway, Jane came back and took me home, she didn't ask any questions about what had happened, just if I was okay.

I just blurted it out, everyone in the school would know by tomorrow. What had I just done?