Fly Away With Me

I try my very hardest to focus on what the principal is saying about actions and consequences or something along those lines but my eyelids keep closing of their own accord. His words start to make less and less sense. I force my eyes back open for the hundredth time but it’s no good, I can’t shake my growing drowsiness. Lucien looks at me concerned and the principal is beginning to speak slower, less concerned with what he is saying and more concerned with my body which is slowly slumping forward.
Now I’m at risk of falling forward and bashing my head on the desk in front of me. I need a chance to rest, I need a chance to recoup and most of all I need more energy after damn Christian stole mine. The principal looks at me expectantly. Wait, I think he just asked a question. I should have been paying attention.
“Could you repeat that please, sir?” I ask in a drowsy tone.
I’m really struggling to keep myself up right now. The principal doesn’t get a chance to repeat his question before I lose my fight with gravity and I fall forwards towards his desk. Luckily, Lucien moves forward quick enough to catch me and lean me back in the chair.
“Are you alright, Lillian?” the principal asks concerned.
“Just feeling a bit, unwell” I reply trying to shake off my drowsiness.
“What happened to her today?” I hear the principle ask Lucien.
“The other student she insulted during science got some of his buddies to exact some revenge on her” Lucien replies, proving to the principal that I had definitely already suffered enough punishment for my outburst in class.
“Why didn’t she report this? The school doesn’t take bullying lightly” the principal goes on.
Lucien just shrugs.
“Take her to the first aid room and have the nurse call home for her” the principle sighs.
The thought of going home to Sophia makes my stomach lurch.
“Please sir, I’d rather stay at school,” I interject.
Well now I’ve got myself stuck, who wouldn’t question my motives to stay away from home after hearing that plea? Someone needs to think up a great lie and quick, “I have important stuff to catch up on in class.”
“Lillian, just let me take you to first aid then you can decide” Lucien says.
At least he’s smart enough to bail me out before the principal starts prying. I nod letting Lucien help me stand. I limp from the principal’s office and the bell goes as we make our way from the admin building. Just my luck, now it’s morning tea meaning there is a greater chance with running into someone I know. I lean into Lucien as he basically carries me since all I am doing is hobbling whilst resting my weight against him.
“Lillian!” I hear a familiar voice call and I groan.
Zach has no problem catching up with my pace. Lucien wraps an arm around me almost protectively.
“What do you want?” Lucien sneers at him.
Zach and I just ignore Lucien.
“Lillian, do you want help?” he asks, “I’ll skip the rest of the day to take you home if you want.”
“Thanks for the offer but Lucien’s helping me and you’ll get in trouble for skipping.”
“Who cares? Worst they can do is giving me a detention. I’ll,” Zach pauses, catching himself from saying anything as he looks at Lucien for the first time, “give you a ride home.”
Here it is again, everyone gives me the promise of home as if it harbours some magical healing properties. If I go home all that will happen is my injuries will worsen.
“Zach, you know what home is to me.” I reply with a measured tone.
He nods in understanding whilst Lucien looks at me confused.
“I’m sorry about today, I tried to talk Christian out of confronting you and I tried to keep you from coming to school today.” Zach tells me with his head bowed as if he is ashamed.
So that’s what this morning was about. The only way to tell Lillian to stay away from school and Christian is to make advances on her? Wow. So glad that it wasn’t because he was generally interested in me but instead it was just a whole charade; note the sarcasm. I’m so glad I actually have morals, if I had fallen for his tricks I would be left alone and humiliated.
“That’s what that was?” I ask quietly, too tired to get angry or upset about it, “you were tricking me instead of just warning me?’
“Wait, I didn’t mean it like that” Zach tries to hurriedly explain.
“No, you can wait. I’m so utterly stupid for letting myself even think that what you did was without ulterior motives” my voice is weak but hopefully my words hold enough weight to make Zach stop to think.
Lucien is past confused but stays by my side helping to support me. Zach is scrambling for words to try to explain what he actually meant. Too late to try and take back words now. My dramatic storm off doesn’t go quite as I wanted because it was more of a dramatic hobble off at a snail’s pace with a hiss of pain. Zach shakes his head and easily catches up with Lucien and me.
“Lillian” he says with an exasperated sigh.
I continue to stare ahead with a determined expression. Pain causes me to wince and stop mid-step. Zach rolls his eyes before suddenly scooping me up in his arms just as he did last night. Lucien bristles at my side and doesn’t give Zach any ground.
“Put her down and leave her alone,” Lucien hisses at Zach.
Lucien is showing real dislike for Zach and I can’t figure out why. Zach just stays focused on me.
“Look, give me a chance to explain” Zach almost begs and wave my hand signalling him to hurry up, “I knew I had to try and keep you away from school today and I knew you were too hard headed and stubborn to avoid school just because of Christian. I couldn’t come up with any strategy last night as I racked my brain.” His voice lowers now, trying to keep it from Lucien’s ears, “Just watching you sleep with the most peaceful expression, without the strong front you put up it was really beautiful even that cute snore you have.”
Lucien frowns at me.
“You slept together?” Lucien asks almost disgusted and I blush.
“He just slept over because it was too late for him to go back home alone” I explain.
Lucien just shrugs.
“Let me just tell you this morning was hardly a trick, sure I might have had the motive to keep you home but everything else was maybe sort of, kind of, possibly” now he was stalling and trying to be cryptic, “true, in a way I suppose.”
“You’re an idiot” I say and resist the teenage girl urge to giggle as a barely noticeable pink tinge creeps on to his cheeks.
I must have major mood issue for me to change this quickly.
“Well, uh” Zach has nothing to say back so finally he resorts to, “shut up.”
“Zachary, hand Lillian back to me and go away” Lucien growls, breaking his silence.
“What?” Zach responds shocked at the hatred directed towards him.
Lucien doesn’t reply, instead he leans forward and snatches me from Zach’s arms. I feel like a toy stuck between two three year olds.
“What’s your problem?” Zach asks.
“You, you’re my problem and you are also Lillian’s problem” Lucien tells him.
“Hold on, stop” I say trying to break up the staring match happening but I’m ignored.
“Sure you may have helped her walk but you also rejected her earlier, I’m the one who’s stuck with her” Zach argues trying to snatch me back.
This is ridiculous. I’ve only known either of them for a week. Neither of them have any grounds to stand on about this.
“Put me down, Lucien” I say.
“See, Lillian didn’t complain in my arms” Zach says before ripping me from Lucien’s hold.
“You can let go as well Zach” I say.
Zach shakes his head.
“You can barely walk and you aren’t going home, I’ll look after you today,” Zach argues refusing to release me.
“You two are both acting way too weird and I’m not some little kid for you to care for,” I struggle until I’m allowed to stand on my own two feet again, “And I’m not some sort of toy to fight over.”
I huff and storm off. To keep effect I refuse to limp. It feels like my body is going to fall apart around me from pain but I keep striding away from the two boys watching me go. This is possibly one of my worst days, and I have had bad days before.