bare [h.s.]

Tension

Beige walls,
covered in unorganized heaps
of propaganda for upcoming
events that no one will
be present at.
Circular tables,
crowded together in uneven rows
along hideous tiled floors.
Loud noises fill the air;
mixtures of laughter, gossip,
and unintelligent chatter.
The eye-watering odor of
stale bread,
spoiled milk,
and teen perspiration
tie the scene together:
the school cafeteria.
But I almost forget about
all of it happening around me
when I look at him from
across the table.

As Niall adds humor to our
boring lunch conversation,
every so often I get a glimpse
of Harry's eyes that makes
my cheeks turn a prominent scarlet.
And the worst part is
he notices what his brief
eye contact does to me,
and he smirks,
slowly dragging his index and thumb across his bottom lip.
I shift uncomfortably in my seat,
peeling my eyes away from him.
He lets out a short laugh,
satisfied by my reaction.

But his triumph is quickly ended
by a tense Elijah,
who practically sits on top of me.

"Something funny, Styles?"
Elijah speaks up, causing me
to slouch in my chair.
I glance up at Harry once more,
and notice he's looking to me
for help.

"Just enjoying myself, is all,"
Harry shoots him a quick smile,
darting his eyes from Elijah
back to me.

"I bet you are," Elijah shakes his
head, placing his hand on my upper thigh.
I jump at his touch,
resting my hand on his own
to stop the cruel action.
"You've been staring at her
for a good twenty minutes."

"Is that a problem?" Harry presses,
almost wanting Elijah to make a dangerous move.

"Do you want it to be a problem?
Because I can make it one," Elijah
threatens, narrowing his eyes.
I feel a tight squeeze on my thigh
and Elijah rubs his fingers against
my jeans.
I grip his wrist, silently hoping
he'll stop this game.

"That's enough," Niall protests,
standing from his chair.
"You're both being assholes now.
Sawyer, let's go."

I quietly nod, and Elijah removes
his hand as I stand to follow
Niall out of the lunch room.

"I'm sorry," Harry and Elijah
say in unison as we exit,
and I'm afraid to leave
them alone together.

As if reading my mind,
Niall pushes the violent
thoughts away.
"They won't do anything.
Not in public, anyway."
He leads me up the stairs,
staying close by my side.

Not in public, I repeat to myself.
But the time will come.

\\\\\\\///////

Not only would I like to say thanks to my main chick
x17Black for putting me in her story "Troubled" (which you should go check out, its 10/10 k)
BUT also to my side chick Claire, who told me to say:

"SHOUTOUT TO MY GIRL CLAIRE SHE IS FANTASTIC THIS STORY WOULD BE NOTHING WITHOUT HER AND NEITHER WOULD I".

You're welcome.

I hope you're enjoying the story thus far. I have many plans and hopes for it, so thank you for being such a big part in helping it grow. x