The Graduation List

11 - A School Day

Anna

A few days go by, school bringing me back to a reality that isn't just me and Eli. Me and Gwen walk into the lecture hall where we share a class, "I hope this class doesn't go over the time, I want to be on campus as little as possible" I laugh, "amen to that" we make our way down the aisle of seats going to our usual spots. "What a slut, she should close her legs, he doesn't need that kind of trash distracting him" the smile slides off of my face, I look over my shoulder and see that same two girls from the class I shared with Sierra staring at me with scowls on their faces, they look away from me quickly and I sigh knowing that they're completely wrong. "Hey you okay?" I look over at Gwen and smile as convincingly as possible, "yeah i'm great!" she squints at me trying to spot the lie, "if you think that smile is fooling me you're wrong, but I'm not going to grill you about it now because lecture is starting" I let out a breath as the professor starts the class.

As the two of us walk out of the room together I hope that Gwen has forgotten about the beginning of class. "So are you going to tell me what's wrong A" I sigh as I look down at my feet, "there are these two girls, initially they started being mean when Eli lent me his sweater that time i spilled the coffee, they made a comment behind my back about me being a hoe" she grabs my arm gently pulling me to a stop, "wait WHAT, when did this happen?" I look up at her, "last week" I see the fury in her eyes, "I told Sierra not to confront them, they aren't worth it, I thought it was over, but they're in the class we were just in, they were watching us walking in, and I heard they say i'm a distraction for Eli, and that i'm a slut" she looks at me with wide eyes, "Anna, you need to tell Eli, he can make this bullying stop" I shrug, "NO this is more than a shrug, those girls are calling you these things but you aren't anything but kind" I bite my lip, "I don't want to worry him, he's right in the middle of the season" she grabs both of my arms and looks into my eyes, "he should know about this, i'm sure these girls won't stop if you don't say something" I look down , "your boyfriend deserves to know, he cares about you and your well being" I sigh and look up at her again, "you're right, i'm just scared that they'll do something worse if I speak up" Gwen sighs, "that's a risk you'll have to take if it means getting treated right" I nod and she links her arm with mine before we make our way back to the house together. 

+

At the house I drop my things, "hey guys can I borrow the car? I'm going to go see Eli" I walk into the living room to see all of my friends giving me a thumbs up, I laugh before grabbing what I need and leaving the house again. I drive towards the athletes dorms, I park the car in the lot before making my way into the building remembering Eli's room and floor number. Once i'm on the right floor I step out of the elevator, biting my lip as I get to his room. I bring up my fist and knock on the door, a few seconds later i'm greeted with Eli in only a pair of basketball shorts, he grins before taking my hand to pull me into the room. "What are you doing here?" I look down at my feet and shrug, Eli interlaces our fingers gently tugging me to his bed on the left side of the room, "darling what's wrong?" I sit on the bed and immediately grab one of his pillows, hugging it to my body before looking up at his concerned expression. "There's these girls..."I start before telling him about them and their comments about me, his expression changes to one of anger by the end of my explanation. 

"Have they approached you?" I shake my head from side to side, "no" he scoots forward bringing his legs to either side of me as he takes my hands, Eli kisses them a few times, "you are NOT what they say, you are perfect and you aren't a distraction at all" I smile at his words, "yeah?" he nods, "can I go to class with you? I want to talk to these girls" I look at him worried, "don't look so worried, i'm not going to make a big scene" I nod before dropping the pillow so that I can climb onto his lap, my head resting on his shoulder and my arms around him. "I love you" I mumble into him, Eli tenses at my words making me pull away worried, "sorry was that too..." he presses his lips to mine cutting me off, one of my hands moves to the back of his head, his arms come around my waist bringing me into a hug. When I pull away he's smiling, "I love you so much Anna" I grin before dropping a kiss to his forehead, my lips lingering there for a few extra seconds before pulling away. "We need a nap" the hockey player tells me before pulling me down onto the bed, I giggle as he brings me to his chest, kissing my cheek before shifting a bit to throw his sheets over us. I snuggle into him, my arms wrapping around his torso, with my head on his chest as I sigh happily. I fall asleep seconds later with his fingers running through my hair. 

+

"YO ELI!" I jump at the yell hitting something above me, I hear a deep groan, I look up and see Eli rubbing his chin, "oh my god i'm so sorry" I bring my own hand up gently running my fingers along his chin. "It's okay darling, it wasn't your fault, it's my idiot roommates fault" he shifts before sitting up, I sit up too and see the other person in the room looking at us sheepishly. "Sorry didn't know you had company" I bite my lip shyly as I look away from the stranger watching us, "if you learned no to yell when walking into a room it wouldn't be an issue Cal" he exclaims as he tugs me to his side. "Anna, darling" I look up at my boyfriend, "this is my roommate and teammate Callum, but we all call him Cal" I turn my gaze to the brown haired guy who waves at me, "hey it's nice to meet the girl that he keeps talking about" I blush, "its nice to meet you too" he smiles at me, "what were you yelling about earlier?" Cal turns to Eli, "right! the guys are getting together tonight, was going to invite you, but if you want to hang with Anna, it's cool" I look up at my boyfriend with a smile, "you should go" he shakes his head with a pout, "i'm fine E, plus I have some school things to finish when I get home" I lean towards him pressing a quick kiss to his lips before sliding off of the bed, "love you" he smiles, "love you gorgeous" I grin before waving at the two boys as I leave the room.