Twice Over

Chapter Fifty Three - Beseeching

beseeching

verb

1. ask (someone) urgently and fervently to do something; implore; entreat.

"Nope. You heard wrong," I denied.

"I'm going to tell him that." His grin is huge, like he's got something on me, casually flirting with me as if its no big big deal.

"What do you need, Mr Ferguson?" I hobble past him with a frown on my face. I don't like this guy. I don't want anything to do with him. He only brings self-righteous trouble.

"You sure you aren't the porcupine?" He mumbles.

"Seriously, great way to pick up chicks." I whine like a kid then point out his interactions with me. "You interrupt their day, stalk them, throw them to the mob and leave them high and dry. Oh, and then insult them to their face, behind their back. Huff..." I blow my hair out of my eyes then walk away as fast as my sore leg will allow.

"I heard what happened yesterday after school." He said seriously.

"Me too." I reply sarcastically.

"If you ever need any help, anything at all, let me know."

"No thanks, Mr Ferguson," I reply, then he growls in frustration and I know I've needled him where it annoys him the most.

"What's your problem, Lily?" He barks out.

"Nothing!" I bark back and keep walking away but he pulls up in front of me, just before we enter the cafeteria side doors and holds out his hands. I start looking for another way out of the quad.

"I'm trying here, OK? I've been a gentleman, I've given gifts, I showed you I cared, and I gave up my lunch time to find you. What more do you need?"

Woah, OK. Now I'm totally stumped. He's never given me anything, nothing. As for everything else? Who wants it, especially from him. I know what he did in the last timeline, how he acted all friendly towards me because of my looks, then joined in the mockery and bullying once he realised I wasn't on good terms with the Overmeyers. He turned coat faster than jackrabbit on skis. The memory makes me so angry.

"I have never, ever given you any indication that I am in any interested in any sort of relationship with you. I'm not your family member, I am not your team mate nor in any of your classes. We have no business partnership, and we are not friends. You are causing me more trouble that you are worth, with your selfish ideals and adolescent dreaming. I am not your girlfriend, and I don't ever want to be. Stay away from me. If everyone thinks I'm pursuing you, my step sister will start telling everyone how I'm throwing myself at you and how I'm only after your money and family name. For fracks sake, who needs it?" I shove on past him.

"That's not... it-its not like that. And, and your sister isn't like that. Come on!" He scoffs at me, trying to hid his embarrassment. When I see him rubbing his hands through his perfectly styled bed-hair, his ears pinks and hot, I realise I may have over done it. I want to apologise, but then he gets all huffy and confrontational. Typical male jerk.

"Your step sister isn't like that. Why would you pull her into this?"

"Oh, yeah? Then ask around, ask why everyone thinks that I threw myself off the third floor in the mall, even after the video was circulated? Attention seeking? Suicide? Guess who started that rumour. You visiting in the hospital – apparently I begged you to come see me. Guess who made that up? Yesterday after school? I apparently stole the estate car and driver and demanded they take home without Eyva, then apparently the car that I bought and driver that I hired - for myself - was done so with estate money. Good old step-daddy's money. You know what? Go frack yourself."

"Hey Lily, calm down. Wait," He grabs my arm and I nearly unbalance enough to fall on my sore leg. "Shit, sorry." He steadies me and I can't help the glare I give him back.

"I would thank you for helping me, but you've helped me enough."

"Come on, Lily, don't be like that. I only want to get to know you better."

"You want to get to know me? How about knowing what this little conversation is going to do to my social life once we make a move through the cafeteria in a minute. I dare you to go through first, then wait and watch what you so-called classmates and school friends will do and say once I follow you through. I then ask you to make calculations of the female and male ratios, then of those female that are hating on me so much because I had an argument with you... how many of them are in Eyva's direct social circle from the mezz floor." I point above to the mezzanine floor that we can barely see from here.

"Then watch and calculate how many people around us will actually come to my aid and help me through the mess. Just watch." I challenged him, then stepped through the doors into the crowded room.

"OK, I will, but I think you're being over dramatic." He huffed, embarrassed still.

"I've been here two days, Liam. Two days and my reputation is the pits. You'd be best to stare clear of me from now on. I make terrible friend material." I murmur to him as he steps on past and heads through the cafeteria to the exit into the school halls. I follow him slowly, watching where I place my crutches and my feet. I look up and watch as Liam disappears from the large hall, then I see him quietly step back and watch, just in time to see the same girls from yesterday target me as I pass the lunch tables.

"You bitch, I can't believe you are seducing Liam Ferguson. Who do you think you are?" And it goes down hill from there. Bitch. Scabber. Slut. Interloper. Thief. Skank. Filth monger. Ugly step sister. Oh it did stick. That one makes me smile. Then I get called ugly and threatened with bodily harm when they catch my smirk.

When I'm halfway through the huge room, a teacher walks in as the bell rings. The name calling and nasty words stop, but when everyone starts jostling past me, those girls move past me, hitting my shoulders and kicking my legs. When I nasty kick to my sore knee has me almost on the floor, I nearly scream. This was a dangerous and stupid exercise to undertake, just to prove a point.

A hand steadies me and leads me away from the kids who are rushing out of the cafe.

"Thank you kindly, Mr Ferguson, but you're only making it worse. My step sister is watching." I point with my chin towards the stairs to the mezz floor and sure enough, Eyva is livid. Her face is almost purple with rage. She schools her face once she realises Liam is looking over.

"I... I didn't know it was this bad," he mumbles, ignoring the seniors who have come down from their lofty lunch space.

"Yeah, but it is just going to get worse. If I don't get kicked out before the end of the year for cheating in tests, sleeping around, stealing or lying, then Eyva hasn't done her job right."

"It can't be that bad..." His eyes are wide but the uncertainty in his voice betrays his opinion.

"If I don't get suspended for theft or classwork plagiarism, or sleeping around and being a slut by the end of the week, I'll eat my crutch." I move on past him and leave him behind.

"Let me help you." His voice was almost beseeching in request.

"I think you've done enough, don't you think? Leave me alone, Mr Ferguson." I left him and hobbled away.