The last bell rings, signaling that anyone that came in after it would be considered late. I stare at the rain on the other side of the window as the teacher drones on about first day of school information. I don't hear much for the first ten minutes, just the word syllabus and the fact that this was a senior class so any underclassman were going to have to work hard, which would include me since I was a junior. I jump as I hear a door slam shut, my eyes flick over to the classroom door. It was Harry, standing there breathless.
"Mr. Styles, starting a pattern already, are we?"
"Sorry, Ms. Waters, coach wanted to talk to me." He says, running a hand through his disheveled that not only got his hair out of his face but made the girls fantasies run wild. Not only did it work on the students but it very obviously worked on Ms. Waters.
"No problem, Harry! Just find your seat, please." She says before going back to her speech. I see Harry look around the room and spotting an empty seat next to me. Oh, God, no.
Harry and I have never really been friends. We say hi to each other to be polite but other than that, I really could not stand him. His obnoxious arrogance and my brother's possessiveness over his friend was enough for me to stay as far away as possible.
"Hey, Chels." He grins at me, setting his bag floor. I gave him a curt nod before my eyes wandered back over to the window. It was still raining, hard. Autumn was beginning which meant it would rain for a couple of weeks before it started getting cold. My favorite kind of weather.
I could feel eyes on me and I glanced to my right to see if it was Harry but he was staring straight ahead. I leaned back a little and saw Jacob, staring at me. He gave me a tiny wave and I scoffed in return. I turned back around and made it point not to give him a second glance.
The class lasted a long, agonizing hour. English was one of my favorite subjects but having to listen to Ms. Waters, Harry sitting next to me humming some annoying song, and having Jacob's eyes burning into the side of my head made the class much less enjoyable.
"Chelsea!" I hear my name behind called as I exit the classroom. I whip around and see my best friend, Violet waving at me with a big grin across her face. I make my way through the crowd of people and hug her tightly.
"I've missed you." I take comfort in her warmth and familiar perfume. Her family goes to their vacation house in Europe for the entirety of summer, ever year.
"I've missed you! How have you been? Want me to kick Jacob's ass?" She stares in my eyes, searching for a tell. I honestly didn't know how I was feeling. She was the only person who knew Jacob had cheated on me, people had asked but I said nothing, I'm not sure why.
"Come along, we both have bio together this year. I'm siked, we never have class together!" She wraps her arm around my shoulders, dragging me to class. Unlike me, Violet excelled in science and math classes, she planned on being a pediatrician. I, on the other hand, was stronger in English and history classes. I knew she would have to tutor me this year.
"You can tell me all about Europe." I smile at her, trying to show her I was happy and not all that bothered by being in such a close vicinity of Jacob. I'm almost positive she didn't believe me.
- - -
I stare at my salad, stabbing the pieces of lettuce as Ben, my other brother, and Violet argue over something their band teacher said to them in first period. Ben was a freshman, newly fifteen years old. He and I were definitely closer than me and Will. I was thankful for it, he always supported in me when I confided in him and he the same with me.
"Chels, back me up here." Ben whines and I look up for the first time in fifteen minutes.
"What are you two talking about again?" I ask, looking between the two of them. Violet sighs and Ben rolls his eyes.
"When are you going to tell me what Jacob did?" Ben asks me, searching my eyes for the secret I've kept so close to me.
"Uh, never." I tell him the same time someone clears their throat behind me. I turn to see who it is and I'm met with the devil himself.
"Can we talk, Chels?"
"Don't call me that." I snap, throwing my fork into my bowl. He sighs, scratching the back of his neck. He tries grabbing my elbow and I yank my arm away from him, glaring as fiercely as possible.
"Chelsea, please." He pleads, looking desperate.
"She doesn't have to do shit for you." Ben says, standing up to defend my honor. I sigh, not wanting my scrawny younger brother to be pummeled by a senior football player.
"It's fine, Ben." I raise my hand, signaling Ben to relax. He reluctantly sits back down. It was my turn to stand and I follow Jacob out of the cafeteria. We ended up next to the entrance of the cafeteria. I lean against the lockers as Jacob tries to find something to say.
"So? What do you want? Don't you need to be somewhere else? Like hooking up with another girl?" I bat my eyelashes and give him a sarcastic smile.
"I miss you, Chels. I miss us." He tries to run his hand down my arm but I jerk away.
"Too bad. You should have thought of that before you decided to hook up with Sydney fucking Johnson. You know I can't stand her." I narrow my eyes at her and I could see Jacob getting riled up. He always did have anger issues, I'd only seen it really bad twice before though.
"How was I supposed to act, Chelsea? We hadn't had sex in two weeks!"
"So that means you can cheat on me, you selfish fucking douchebag?" I shout at him, crossing my arms. Jacob grabs my arm roughly, pulling my closer to him. I could feel his grip tightening and it began to hurt.
"Get your hands off of me." I clench my jaw, staring into his eyes. I wasn't scared of him but I will admit I think he's bruising me but I wasn't going to tell him that.
"Peterson! You okay?" I hear that familiar voice yell and for once, I was thankful. Jacob and I both turned to see Harry walking towards us with furrowed brows.
"This isn't any of your business, Styles." Jacob tries to intimidate Harry but fails due to Harry's body mass and the fact he towers over Jacob.
"I think it is, Jakey. I also think Chelsea told you to get your hands off of her." Harry raises his eyebrows as he stares at Jacob's hand on my arm. He lets go of me and I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.
"I'll talk to you later, Chels." Jacob glances at me before walking away, hitting Harry's shoulder as he passes him.
"No thanks!" I shout after Jacob and he either didn't hear me or care what I had to say. I roll my eyes from his lack of a response. I try to walk past Harry but he cuts me off with a smirk on his face.
"I think I just saved you, miss damsel in distress."
"As if. I had it handled, Styles."
"Why is everyone calling me by last name? Have I been going here for four years and no one knows my first name?" He scoffs at me, shrugging his shoulders with a look of disbelief.
"Okay, Harry. Can you get out of my way, now?"
"Is that anyway to thank a friend for saving you?" He asks me as if he was scolding me.
"We're not friends."
He places a hand over his heart as if he had actually been hurt by my words. He knew we weren't friends, why was he acting like this?
"I'm making it my goal to become your friend now, I hope you know that." He tells me as I walk around him. He follows closely behind me.
"No, thanks."
"See you later, Peterson." Harry says with a cocky grin on his face before walking back to his table across the cafeteria.
