I Need You •George Harrison

• Chapter Six •

As Rose walked out of the classroom to her locker, she heard her name being called.

"Rose!" George says as he runs to her through the crowd of people trying to get to their next class.

She steps aside and lets people pass as she waits for George.

"Are you alright?" George asks.

"What?" Rose says, confused.

"You're dressing different, and you're more quiet than I remember..." he says with a slight smirk playing on his lips.

"Well, what does that have to do with you?" She retorts.

"I- it doesn't, I was just curious." He says, face going blank.

She shrugs and they head off to their lockers.

"I dunno. Maybe it's just the thought of high school that's gotten to me. I just feel the urge to..." she pauses for the right word.

"Fit in?" George suggests.

"Yeah, I guess." She says, lips turning up in a small smile.

"Hey, I got an idea. Wanna come over today?" George asks.

"Sure, if your parents are okay with it," Rose says.

"Rose. You know that they're fine with it. My whole family loves you!" George says in a light, bouncy mood.

Rose couldn't help but laugh at his mood today. She's always been the happier one; the hyper one, whereas George has always been the quiet, shy one.

Rose reaches into her locker and pulls out her reading book and her English notebook, before closing the locker door and locking it.

George, right beside her, watches her actions, before turning to his locker and doing the same. They had learned that they had almost every single class together, except for History.

They walk side by side to their next class in awkward silence.

When they arrive at the classroom, they found themselves the only ones in.

"Rose, really. What's going on?" George whispers, suddenly close to her.

"Nothing! George, nothing is going on. If there was, I'd tell you." She says, but leans toward him a few seconds later and whispers quietly, "I'll tell you at your house..."

George looked at her and seen her face stricken with... fear and worry.

He was about to ask her about it, but people started flooding in as the bell rang.

Thee two sat down in two desks, George in the desk behind her, one row from the back.

Their teacher, Mr. Davis walks into the room and sets down a single book about poetry. They had him last year for their English class as well, before he got transferred to the high school.

"Alright, everyone. My name is Mr. Davis, and some of you remember me from last year. But some of you don't know me, so I will inform you with my rule. If you fuss, groan, or get aggravated with me in my class, you will instantly get sent out into the hall, or worse, lower marks. Is that understood?" He says as he scans the classroom.

"Yes," says the students in unison.

"Alright. Let's get started. Also, one more thing. I am a fun teacher, or I try to be, but I will not tolerate bad behaviour in this classroom." He says and holds up a finger.

He turns to the blackboard and starts writing famous authors and poets.

Both George and Rose know better than to pass notes or break those two rules in Mr. Davis' class. Last year, they had two boys writing very inappropriate notes between each other and Mr. Davis caught on and made them read the note out to the class. It was pretty funny, but most embarrassing for Rose because most of those notes were about her. For weeks after, she fell asleep crying, wishing she had George to talk to. Until he came through her window about two weeks after the incident and held her in his arms while she cried into his shoulder, cooing softly to her and rocking her gently back and forth.

At the thought of it, Rose now sat slumped slightly over her desk, head down towards her hands on her desk.

For the rest of the class, Mr. Davis never called on Rose, possibly seeing her depressed state, even though she was paying attention. She was one of his top students, and was always the first one to raise her hand, and it was rare to see her not. But despite being a prized possession of his, he left her alone.

Soon the bell rang and the two had history, where George went in the opposite direction of her, waving her good-bye halfway down the hall.

After History, they both had the same lunch period, and eventually found themselves a table along the wall in the cafeteria.

For the entire time, they are and talked, frequently laughing at jokes they told each other.

When lunch was done, they dumped their leftover lunch in the trash and set the trays on the ledge and made their way to the gymnasium change rooms.

When Rose walked in the change room, she found girls laughing and talking, but instantly stopped when they seen her. One of them spoke up when she passed them.

"Hey, isn't that the girl who is tied to the hip with that boy?" She says as she places her hands on her hips. Her friends giggle.

One girl comes up to Rose. Her facial features are soft, with caramel coloured hair.

"What's with you and that boy? Is he cute? Are you together?" She asks, a wide smile spread across her face. Almost as if she was mocking Rose.

Rose stands there and stares at the girls. "That's all you think about? Other people's' business?"

The girls stand there, mouths all agape.

"Um, excuse me. We were just asking a harmless question, so you don't need to be a bitch about it," the first girl says. The rest of the girls, all but one start laughing.

"Well, it takes one to know one then." Rose says and walks to the next room and opens her locker, leaving the girls with shocked faces.

Rose noticed the girl who didn't laugh at her, sitting on the bench, tying her runners. Her hair was in braids and her cheeks were covered in freckles. Her body was skinny, but not too skinny to look starved.

"What?" The girl asked, suddenly staring at Rose.

"Oh, nothing. I..." Rose starts, but doesn't know what to say.

The girl just ducks her head and speed walks to the door, warning rude comments and faces from the girls.

Rose changes and heads out into the gym, thoughts of the girl in her head. She didn't seem to be the type to be rude, so maybe Rose could interact with her.

She instantly found George, stretching his legs out. Only he wasn't alone.

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HELLO!!! Again, no comment lol