WOLF

Lies

Bobby spun around as he heard Sarah scream his name, in time for a football to hit him square in the chest. He stumbled back, but made sure to catch it and brush off the hit. He never let them see him hurt, and he wasn't going to start. He had a reputation to keep up. He saw one of his classmates waving their arms to get his attention as the other team swarmed to grab the ball. Bobby aimed and hurled it as hard as he could, a surge of pride swelling in his chest as he thought of his classmate catching it and scoring for him. The pride quickly turned to dismay as the ball veered off its intended path, landing nowhere near where he'd aimed. A player for the other team swooped in, scooping up the ball and pushing past Bobby before he could figure out what was happening. The world swam around him, as he tried to reach the girl, missing completely. The girl scored the goal, her team cheering and racing to her side as Bobby's team retreated in shame. 

"We'll get them next break," Sarah announced, pounding a fit into her hand, her eyes alight with determination. 

"Yeah," scoffed Connor, a large kid, who had apparently played football since he could walk, "But I know who won't be on our team." He cast a dark glare at Bobby, who stared blankly, unsure if he should stand up for himself, or be ashamed. 

"Yeah," another student piped up, "I'd prefer the nerd, Jake over this flop. At least he can kinda shoot straight," he shoved Bobby in the shoulder. 

"It's a one off," Sarah defended, crossing her arms and scowling at the boys, "He's one of the best runners we've got, and he can sure as hell take a hit."

"Except it's not," Connor snapped as Bobby slipped away from the group, "He's been like this for weeks! Ever since he started growing his hair like that."

Bobby forced his face to remain neutral as he heard the boy march up behind him, towering over him as most of his classmates did. 

"What?" Connor snapped, forcing Bobby to stop walking, "You think you're all emo now? Think you're too cool to be like the rest of us? If you're not going to cut that stupid fringe, then I will!" He snatched hold of his hair and pulled back, thankfully after Bobby managed to turn his face away from the group. 

With his one good eye, he saw Connor's expression turn from rage to horror as he saw the line of scars across his face and his whited-out eye staring blankly ahead. He pulled away, quickly fixing his fringe to hide the marks, and catching the larger boy's shirt before he could run. He pulled him closer, his expression indescribable as anything other than murderous.

"If you tell a soul," He growled, "I will hurt you. I can do a lot more damage than you think, and I am not scared to call in help. Do you hear me? Not a soul."

Connor nodded quickly, stumbling away as though Bobby carried the plague. He slowly turned away, a haunted look in his eyes, and shuffled past the group, heading towards the building nearby. The group watched him leave, all except Sarah, whose eyes were locked on Bobby. 

Their eyes locked for a second, when Bobby realised that she knew something was wrong. He forced a shrug, as though not sure why Connor has reacted like that, but her scowl deepened, and he knew she wasn't buying it. So, instead, he turned away without a word. 

Jake looked up from his book, aware that he was being watched. He saw Sarah across the courtyard, and his face lit up. They hadn't spoken in days, and he was starting to worry. His heart sank, however, when she turned away in a huff, her face sour as she marched up to the group of girls that she now called her friends. Jake glanced at Bobby beside him, his fringe hiding his face as he typed furiously on his laptop.