Reconstructing Amelia (unedited)

Chapter 7

October 9th, 2019

After taking an entire week off from school, I knew I had to go back today. I'd have to push through it.

I carefully got up from the mattress, rousing Javi, who rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"Come on, time for school," I said gently, forcing a soft smile. He nodded and began to get dressed. I gingerly tugged on leggings and a jumper, being careful to not aggravate my injuries. My shoulder still ached with each movement, and I was sure my ribs were bruised. I made sure to apply a layer of concealer of the cuts on bruises on my face, so no one at school would suspect anything.

Once we were finished, I put my ear to the door, listening for any sounds to alert me that Ben was still home. But I heard nothing and so I opened the door freely. After brushing my teeth in the bathroom, I limped down the stairs, my leg feeling stiff and sore.

I poured Javi a bowl of cereal and just sat at the counter with him, feeling too sick to eat. As soon as he was finished, we donned our coats and school bags and rushed out the door.

***

I walked up to the school, seeing the hundreds of kids milling about before class started. No one bothered to look at me, as I was new and had been mostly absent so far.

"Mia!" Janie called brightly, coming over to where I stood. I smiled, glad to see a familiar face.

"Ciao," I replied. She studied me momentarily, her blue eyes full of concern.

"How are you feeling?" She asked. I shrugged.

"A little better," I answered, hoping she wouldn't delve too far into it. Luckily, she didn't due to the bell.

"I'll see you at lunch, m'kay?" Janie called. I nodded, smiling again as we went separate directions to our classrooms.

I quietly slipped into my English class, hurrying to a seat in the back, avoiding the groups of people standing and talking by their desks. I kept my head down, shying away from the rest of the students.

"Hey," someone whispered harshly, appearing beside me. "Mia," I looked up only to meet Alan, his green eyes burning into mine. "Are you okay? Where have you been?" I couldn't tell if he was upset or if he actually seemed concerned.

"I was sick," I mumbled. It wasn't technically a lie. His gaze seemed to soften.

"Are you okay?" he repeated. I nodded.

"Sorry for missing our project," He shrugged, making a face.

"It was easy, no big deal," Alan was smiling - almost grinning at me. I wasn't sure why.

The second bell rang abruptly as the teacher sauntered into the room, dumping a pile of papers and a coffee mug onto the desk. All the students quickly fled to their desks. Alan lingered for a moment before sliding into the desk closest to me.

During the lesson, I kept sneaking glances at him. I couldn't figure him out. The very first time he'd met me he'd hated me, and now he suddenly wanted to be my best friend. He hadn't changed to anyone else; he was still sullen and mean and he made people tremble. But why change for me? I was nothing, and I was nothing to him. Maybe he liked me? I made a face, instantly pushing the thought from my mind. No, that couldn't be why. There was something else.

Every time I looked at him, Alan hadn't really moved. He was lounging in his seat, lazily leaning on his hand that was propped up on the desk. He wasn't even paying the tiniest bit of attention to Mr Frederiksen, more interested in scrolling through his phone.