The new girl - Elmax

Chapter 9 : The work

- "You're okay Will? I hadn't seen you after sport yesterday," Max said.

- "Yeah, I'm fine," the young boy answered with an irritated tone.

The two friends were in front of Will's locker. Max didn't stop wondering if Will was okay since the day before, he usually waited for her.

- "Okay, it's just, I thought something happened to you, that's all."

- "No, nothing happened to me," Will continued with a bit anger in his voice.

- "Did I do something? You seem upset."

- "No, I'm fine! I just, I don't need you to mother me! I need to defend me myself, you won't be always there for me, or Mike, or Beverly, or Lucas, or Dustin! You will all be in different colleges and I need to defend me myself! I have to stand up for myself because no one else will!" Will angrily said.

He slammed his locker and left before Max could answer. He felt the tears coming and didn't want her to see it because he knew she would think he was a fragile little creature and was done with people thinking that of him. He thought he couldn't feel worse, but he saw Jane and Mike talking together. Even if they told they were just friends, Will didn't know what to think about it, it was hurting him more than it should, he was wrong since the beginning and felt stupid for it. He went straight in his classroom without saluting his friends.

He was in Geometry, and Jane was at the table next to him, with a shiner at her left eye. She tried to talk to him before the beginning of the class, but she rapidly gave up when she barely had answers. He was feeling guilty for treating her like that because he wasn't really mad at her but he didn't want to talk to her. He wanted to make a joke when the teacher began to correct the exercise five, the one with the improbable shapes, but he was feeling too ridiculous now, she wouldn't understand why he was talking to her after being icy with her.

The bell rang the end of the class, and the teens put their stuff in their bags. Will thought he could try something with Jane.

- "Hey," Will shyly said.

- "It's okay, I understand, you don't have to justify yourself, you're not the first one who doesn't want to be friend with me," Jane answered without looking at him.

- "No Jane, I'm sorry—"

- "It's fine, I'm used to it. Have a good day."

Jane put her khaki bag on her shoulder and left the room with a quick walking. Will hated himself right now. He didn't know why he was so mad today. On his way to his locker, he saw Max at hers looking at him but not coming to him.

- "Hey," Will shyly said.

- "Hey," Max answered taking her books in her locker.

- "I, I'm sorry for...yelling at you..."

Max closed her locker and took support on it, looking at Will. She wasn't rancorous, but she liked to know what she did wrong to not do it again.

- "Yesterday, during the match," Will began, looking at his feet, "after I hit Jane, Troy became the new thrower and...I lost my confidence...I looked at you, but you were taking care of Jane, and I remembered what Jane told me the week before, to stand up for myself because no one else will. I realised how true it was, and it's turning in my head, and it's scaring me a lot," the young boy finished with tears in his eyes.

Max's vexation disappeared when she noticed her friend's sadness. Will had always been the favorite victim of the bullies, but they were more quiet when he was around the party. She understood his fear and hoped she could help him to face them.