Dependent on You

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Third Person

From the moment Adrian heard the word 'court' her already down mood plummeted that much farther. Elliot Wilds has her tummy churning, her lungs burning, and her heart hurting. It was only the beginning of the day and he was already impacting her emotions to a noticeable degree. Seeing him again brought her solace, but knowing why he was gone in the first place brought the opposite effect. Worry.

She was worried about a boy who brought nothing but tribulation to himself, he got himself into his own problems, surely knowing exactly what he was doing too. One thing was for certain, Elliot Wilds was no saint nor would he ever be. With that being said, worrying about a boy who had bad intentions was downright absurd, and still, she did nonetheless not being able to stop herself.

When gym came around, Adrian became that much more miserable. Changing in front of other girls brought insecurities of all kinds to Adrian, she wasn't comfortable around people with her clothes on, let alone with most of them off. She felt it was inappropriate for others to see her near-naked with minimal attire on, not to mention she had never been confident in her own skin.

Trudging wordlessly down the claustrophobic hall, Adrian dreaded each step that took her closer to the terrifying locker room. Her anxiety was skewering her insides, prickling the surface of her pale skin. Her cheeks and body temperature seemed to be skyrocketing, that's how nervous she was. Already Adrian was thinking the worst and she wasn't even in the locker room yet.

People brushed by, nudging her shoulders as they did, as narrow as the halls were people kind of squashed by each other. Eventually, Adrian made it to her destination, mentally unprepared and a little unstable but at least she was there. Timidly, Adrian strolled to her gym locker, eyes averted down as she did so trying her best to pretend the girls weren't looking at her though she knew they were.

Self-consciousness clawed at her unsettled stomach. Adrian didn't know any of these girls. They were taller than Adrian, more confident, and way more beautiful. Some of them even wore makeup. Adrian's dad didn't like her wearing makeup but it didn't bother her because she never really had an interest to. But these girls, they made her feel ugly, small, and meek.

She didn't want to change nor did she even want to participate in gym. Not because she wasn't athletic but because of the fear of being judged. Thankfully both Red and Oliver had this class with her, so at least she wouldn't be alone, they would keep her company and hopefully help with her nervousness. All she had to do was suck it up and change quickly, then everything would be fine.

Putting in her locker combination with unsteady hands, she turned the dial until the lock clicked open. Adrian dropped her book bag on the bench and stared at her gym clothes awaiting her, black Nike shorts and a blue oversized t-shirt. Unintentionally her eyes darted to the side to see if anyone was looking her way, instead, she saw two girls staring at her with just their panties and bra on.

Warmth saturated Adrian's cheeks along with the rest of her body as she quickly brought her eyes down. This was so embarrassing, she just wanted to go home and shut herself in her room and lay under the blankets where no person could see. She wanted to inhale Elliot's scent that still faintly lingered on her comforter, smoke, and mint, and citrus. She wanted that comfort that right now she couldn't have.

"Aren't you going to change?" One of the indecent girls asks, approaching Adrian at her gym locker. Adrian keeps her beyond nervous eyes down, her fingers going to pick the loose already picked skin around her nails. Her heart doubled its pace, beating twice as fast. Silently, she shook her head hoping the girl would give her some much-needed space and leave her alone.