𝐚𝐭𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜 • 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐛𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤

two

As lunch finally came around, I followed Emilia back to the cafeteria. I had found out she was of Italian descent and she had a younger sister who was still in middle school.

"You can sit with me and my friends, if you'd like," Emilia proposed as we entered the filled-up area.

"Oh, raincheck? I promised my brother and one of his friends I'd meet them at lunch," I explained, and scanned over the room to find them at a table in the back corner by the window.

She looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Brother? You didn't tell me you had a brother, nor that you had a sibling here. Who is he?"

I pointed at their table, where Hero spotted me and waved. "That dimwit."

"Hero?" she asked. "Hero Hayes? That's your brother?"

I nodded. "Yeah, you know him?"

"Know him?" she chuckled. "You do know half of the female population and part of the male population at this school has a crush on him, right? And I'm not only talking about students."

I scrunched up my nose. "Gross."

"Anyways, I'll see you in English?" she asked, stepping aside.

I nodded. "Yeah, I'll see you then!"

After exchanging one more smile, I walked over to the back of the cafeteria. "Ara," Hero said as I sat down in front of him. "Did you by any chance bring any drink that isn't water?"

I rolled my eyes as I reached into my backpack and tossed him my bottle of coke, trading it for his bottle of water. "Hello to you, too."

He chuckled and thanked me before taking a sip of the drink. "How was your first morning at Hellhole High?" he joked.

"Pretty good. Except I almost fought this kid during first period," I chuckled and opened up the Tupperware that contained my food.

Hero raised his eyebrows at me as Liam tagged into our conversation. "So we do need to kick ass after all? What's their name?"

I furrowed my eyebrows, trying to think of it. "I can't really remember, but he's a senior. He's just retaking Math. I think it's Collin or something? Col... Col-something. Last name starts with a 'B'... I think."

"Ooh," Hero let out in realization. "You mean Colby Brock. Yeah, he really is a dick, he punched Liam in the face last year."

"Yeah," the other boy frowned. "Broke my nose and everything."

"In all fairness," Tyler added as he sat down next to me, dropping his backpack onto the floor. "You deserved it."

"Hey Ty," I smiled at him. "I was just wondering about your whereabouts. "

"English class took a bit longer to end," he chuckled.

Liam rolled his eyes. "I did not deserve to get my nose broken."

"What did you do?" I asked, taking a bite from my sandwich.

Hero cleared his throat. "It doesn't matter, the less you know about everything that happened, the better."

I shrugged, not in the mood to fight him on this today. I'd find out eventually anyways. "Fine."

As the guys talked on, I peacefully ate my cherry tomatoes as Tyler finished the rest of my sandwich I couldn't finish. "If he bothers you again, come find me," Hero suddenly said. "I will not have him harass my sister for the rest of the school year."

"Harass?" Tyler asked. I almost forgot he'd missed the first part of the conversation about the kid that was Colby Brock.

"It's nothing big. He just shoved past me - rather harshly, as I was walking into class. There he said that 'I better fucking watch it' because I called him an asshole," I explained. "But it's fine, nothing I can't handle. Hero likes to overrreact."

"He really is someone you have to be careful of, Ara. I've never known him as anything but trouble," Tyler sighed. "I wouldn't normally ever say this as I would never in my right mind pick a fight with him, but if he bothers you, I will. Please tell us if he does."

I furrowed my brows together, looking down at the miniature tomatoes. "Wow, you guys really are scared of him, huh?"

Hero looked down at his food, none of them really answering me as they stayed silent. Then, it seemed nearly the entire football team joined us at our table, all of them greeting Hero, Tyler and Liam. Now and then, me as well. They really hadn't lied when they said they were popular guys.

I cleared my throat as I packed up my stuff. "I'm going outside for a bit."

"You good?" Liam asked as I stood up.

I smiled at him and nodded. "Yeah, it's just a bit overcrowded here for me."

"I'll see you after school," Hero said.

I nodded and laughed. "Yeah, please, don't drive off without me, again."

He rolled his eyes. "It was your own fault."

I flipped Hero off and swung my bag over my shoulder, then set course towards the school exit.

I had forgotten how cold it was today. I pulled on my coat, trying to hug it closer to my body. My breaths came out in small clouds, fogging around my face. It was probably going to be snowing early this year, if it was this cold already at this time of the year.

"Look at what the cat dragged in. Or out, for the matter," I heard a voice speak up next to me.

I turned my head to see that Brock kid leaning against the wall, taking a drag from the cigarette that was dangling between his fingers.

"Oh fuck off," I hissed at him. "Don't go trying to make conversation with me now, Brock."

He snickered, blowing the smoke out of his lungs and into the air. "Don't stress it, I'm not interested in your kind."

"What?" I laughed. "Girls?"

He rolled his eyes and pushed the tip of his cigarette into the brick wall, the remainders hissing at the contact. "You stupid rich kids."

"That's a load of bullshit," I huffed. "You don't even fucking know me."

He let out a chuckle as he flicked the cigarette butt my way. I managed to dodge it just in time.

"Good thing I don't plan on getting to 'fucking know you', Hayes. You people are all the god damn same," he said as he walked past me back into the school, making sure to shove my arm on the way.

What a fucking idiot.