Stained

Chapter 81

I turn toward the voice at the same time as the stranger. It's Alejandro with Adam and Richard from my second high school.

Richard... is Hannah's ex. Crap. Just as it occurs to me, Hannah's body grows rigid from my peripheral.

Alejandro steps in front of the stranger, blocking our view from him but not his from ours.

"I was just apologising and offering my jacket," he tells them, his voice suddenly grave, his demeanour sharp. It's as if the person I'm looking at now isn't the one who was apologising and offering his jacket a couple of seconds ago.

"She said she's fine," Alejandro growls. Where before I was able to suppress my shock at the guy's sudden personality change, it's difficult to mask it at seeing this side to Alejandro. Guess a year changes you. Or maybe he's always been like this and kept it hidden from me.

What does it matter though, it never stopped him from leaving me.

The stranger glares at him, cocking his head to the side in a way that makes him look scary, dangerous. "And who the fuck are you?"

Yeah, who are you, Alejandro? You're not my best friend or brother anymore? So who?

"I'm her big brother," Alejandro surprises me by saying.

You were. Before I can stop myself, I scoff.

Heads immediately turn toward me. Oh crap... I try to play it off as a cough, but I've never been good at lying or acting. I mentally pray to the god that hates me to make them believe me or turn back time so I can stop myself.

"I've got a sore throat," I lie cupping my neck.

"You should go," Adam, the sweet, kind guy always checking up on me in high school tells the stranger in a civil but stern manner.

Wait, why am I mute? I can stick up for myself. Should stick up for myself.

"I can speak for myself," I say. No one hears me. Really? So they hear me when I scoff, but can't when I say that?

"I can speak for myself," I repeat, much louder this time.

That has their heads turning my way.

Alejandro frowns. "I — we never said you couldn't." There is a defensive tint in his voice. "But this pussy clearly needs to clean his fucking ears because he kept pestering you even after you said you were fine, and I couldn't just stand back."

I nervously suck my lower lip into my mouth and nod my head yes. He's right. Ugh, why'd he have to be right?

Alejandro gives me a tight-lipped smile, before turning back to the guy. "Fuck off."

The stranger shoots Alejandro one last glare and steps to the side to face me. In the brief second where his face disappeared behind Alejandro's head he's gone from looking angry to apologetic, his expression soft. "I'm sorry." He turns around and walks away.

Foot Asylum is behind — All thoughts evaporate when Alejandro, Adam and Richard face us.

"You ok?" Alejandro asks me, purposely avoiding looking down at my t-shirt. Richard doesn't share the sentiment, he shamelessly stares at my t-shirt as if it's the funniest thing he's ever seen.

I wordlessly nod my head yes. I haven't talked to him or seen him in over two years. He's grown taller, his face more masculine and defined. The same goes for Richard, where he looked like a tall little boy before, he's got a slight stubble now that makes him look his age. Although, Adam looks like a man among teenagers despite being the same age as them, he's bigger, with more muscle and I'm not surprised because, in our last year of high school, he turned into a gym junkie after getting his heart broken and seeing him now shows he kept it up.

"You look good Hannah," Richard croons, giving her a once over. Hannah's also wearing a skirt, but hers is a tight pink plaid high rise one with a white blouse half-tucked in. Unlike me, her legs are bare.

"Thanks to you," Hannah retorts with a bitter grin.  Alejandro presses his lips together to stop himself from laughing, and Adam conceals a laugh behind his fist. I gape at her, and Richard surprisingly smiles.

Hannah and Richard had an on again off again toxic relationship that lasted over three years... well until her ex Amanda and then a little while after her and Amanda broke up, before Hayden. I just hope history doesn't repeat itself now that Hannah and Hayden have broken up. The smile on Richard's face tells me he would love that.

I'm so engrossed on Richard and Hannah, that I don't even notice Adam approaching me until he moves to pull me in for a hug. "Long time, Hazel. What you saying?"

I stiffen and place a hand against his rock hard chest, stopping him. He looks at me, confusion marring his expression and a little hurt.

"My t-shirt," I chuckle nervously.

"Oh shit. Do you want my jacket?" He pulls his bag off his shoulder.

I smile. Adam, ever the kind gentleman. He was always so kind and sweet and caring I developed a crush for him but I for obvious reasons never acted on it.

"No, it's okay." I place my hand on his bag. "My car is not far from here."

"Hazel, your t-shirts see-through," he says low enough for only us to hear.

I place my hand over his and smile, even as my cheeks heat. "Thank you, but I'm fine. Really."

He gives me a look that says, are you sure? I nod my head yes.

Hannah is bickering with a flirting Richard as Alejandro laughs his ass off. As usual, Hannah's rage doesn't allow her to see that she's giving him exactly what he wants.

I roll my eyes at all of them.

"You little—" Hannah begins to say to Richard, but I interrupt her before she can say something vulgar. "It was nice meeting you guys, but we've got to go now."

"It wasn't nice," Hannah denies rather harshly.

I turn to her, ready to give her a look that says, 'not now, please' but decide against it when I see she's red with rage, her hands balled to her sides as if she was about to punch Richard before I came.

"We were on our way to McDonald's..." Alejandro hesitates for a second. "Wanna join us?" He asks, hopefully.

Sadness washes over me like a huge tide. He chose girls over me. He chose finding a girl over the girl he called his little sister. I remember the words as if he uttered them yesterday, "I need to focus on my education and finding a girl."

Education I understand, but a girl... am I that much of a burden?

I force a smile. "We can't, I'm sorry."

He gives me a sad smile and it takes everything in me to mask my hurt, anger and despair. He has no right to be sad! I'm not the one that left him when he needed me the most! He did. I would have never done that to him. Never.

'She knows she's a fucking burden, yet she always gets upset when people get tired of her shit and leave.' 

"It's fine. Bye Hazel."

"Bye Hannah," Richard sing songs. Hannah takes a step forward, ready to pounce but I grab her arm in a vice-like grip.

"Bye," Adam shouts over his shoulder, and Richard winks at Hannah.

I pull on Hannah's arm as she continually repeats, "I'm gonna kill him. I'm gonna kill him. I'm gonna kill him."

"Calm down," I tell her, but my focus is entirely on my bra. Unable to resist my anxieties compulsions any longer, I push my hand into my t-shirt and pull up the bra cups. My anxiety has been incessantly badgering me for the past five minutes that my nipples are poking out. And, I couldn't just shove my hand into my bra in front of the boys.

"Do you want to wea— You have got to be kidding me!" Hannah shouts. I look at her, confused, then follow her gaze to...