A High School Story

“Why have you been acting so weird today?” Keyla asked curiously as we walked out of English together.
“I’ll tell you on the ride home,” I muttered as Nick walked by.
“Does this have anything to do with a certain someone?” she probed and followed my eyes to where Nick was joining up with Mike and the other minions.
“Let it go,” I begged and she pursed her lips before falling silent, “I’ll tell you later, I promise.”
“You better,” she smirked at me through her threat and I laughed drily.
“Hey Keyla, wait up!” a voice called from behind us and we both stopped and turned around, “Hi Mollie!”
“Hey Dan,” I laughed while shifting my weight to one leg and smiling brightly at him, “How are you?”
You know how there’s always that one kid in school that’s insane but everyone loves them anyway because they’re so nice. Well, that’s Dan.
“I’m doing pretty well,” he answered cheerfully, just like always, “I actually wanted to ask you something Keyla.”
“Ask away,” Keyla chimed just as brightly as Dan.
“Well, I was sort of wondering if you wanted to go out some time?”
“Oh…well…um,” Keyla stammered and shifted her books around awkwardly, “Why don’t you give me your number and I’ll text you later after I think about it some?”
“Yeah, okay,” Dan agreed although some of the enthusiasm had dropped from his voice, this was obviously not the answer he had been expected.
“I’ll meet you at the car,” I whispered to Keyla before shuffling off towards my locker.
I hated to leave her alone in that awkward situation, but I needed to get some books from my locker and I wanted to actually get home on time today.
“Now now, what did I tell you about those jeans?” a familiar voice whispered from behind me as I bent down to unload all of the things I didn’t need from my book bag.
“Go away,” I hissed in a monotone voice before standing back up and slamming my locker shut.
“Why would I do that when the view right here is so enjoyable?” he questioned and I heard a series of laughs sound in response.
My heart nearly broke in half when I heard Nick’s hypnotizing laugh mixed in with the all of the others.
“Whatever,” I scoffed before starting down the hallway.
“Not so fast sugar,” he chuckled as he grabbed my wrist and forced me to face him again.
“Let me go,” I hissed through my gritted teeth while trying to stare him down.
“I don’t think so,” he said as he smiled menacingly and wrapped an arm around me so that I was pressed up against his chest and his hand rested on my rear-end.
I could faintly smell alcohol on his breath and I knew that he had put a few away again before he came to school this morning. Before I even had time to begin to figure out what kind of liquor he had chosen to splurge on this time, the palm of my hand was coming in contact with his cheek, leading him to push me against the lockers roughly. I let out a small cry of pain as my spine came in contact with a lock and bit down on my lip trying to hold back a few tears.
“You haven’t even started to feel anything yet,” he growled at me while rubbing his cheek.
I looked over at Nick pleadingly but all he did was stare back at with indecision in his eyes.
“Look at me when I’m talking to you!” Mike yelled and I felt his retaliation smack hit me full force across the cheek.
I landed on my knees when I hit the floor and I knew instantly that this wasn’t going to end well for me unless someone stopped it now.
“That’s a warning, take it,” he spat at the floor that was next to my feet before stalking off with his crew trailing behind.
I stood back up before tossing my book bag over my shoulder and then heading towards the girls bathroom that was on the way to the exit I needed. I checked to make sure that Mike wasn’t following me before I ducked inside to check myself in the mirror. One side of my face was significantly redder than the other but besides that there was no evidence to this afternoon’s incident. That was always the problem, he never left any evidence. In the beginning, when he first started this harassment I would always report him but, he was the leading athlete at the school and I was always called a liar by his cronies. Eventually, it wasn’t even worth reporting due to the fact that the office didn’t even take me seriously.
“Ouch,” I whimpered softly as I placed a damp paper towel onto my cheek in a poor attempt to bring the swelling down.
“You really shouldn’t provoke him like that,” Nick whispered as he leaned against a locker and I walked out of the bathroom.
I walked past him without uttering a word, sound, or any other form of communication.
“Why do you always act like you’re better than I am?” he asked and I stopped dead in my tracks, “You act like you’re better than everyone except Keyla.”
“I do not!” I yelled while trying to resist the urge to slap him too, my hand was still stinging from Mike’s.
“You just slapped Mike-“
“Are you kidding me?” I interrupted him as rudely as I could manage, “You nearly murdered Travis on Saturday for groping my rear-end but when Mike does that and throws me against a locker and slaps me, its suddenly okay and you defend him?”
“This is completely different-“
“You are such a hypocrite!” I hissed at him.
“I’m the hypocrite?” he asked in surprise, “I’m not the one who claims not to be a spoiled brat and then goes around slapping everyone!”
My hand left my side before my mind had any time to protest and I felt yet another stinging sensation shoot through my hand as it came in contact with skin.
“You mean like that?” I asked harshly as he stared at me with upmost shock.
“Why would you even-“
“I like to slap people sometimes Nick, but only when they deserve it. I can assure you that much,” I whispered.
“What did I do?” he demanded and I felt white hot anger start to boil in the pit of my stomach.
“You’re pathetic,” I scoffed before turning away from him and starting towards the exit again.
“Mollie!” he yelled desperately while jogging after me and then stepping into my path, “Just please tell me what I did.”
“Forget it,” I mumbled before looking down at the tile floor.
“Would you please look at me?” he whispered before gently cupping my face in his hands and tilting my head up again, “Now, what did I do?”
“Do you really have to ask?”
His eyes were pleading and I sighed before giving into his stupidity and cluelessness.
“You kissed me less than twenty-four hours ago and yet you found it possible to stand by and stare as your ring leader physically abused me,” I explained as I stared into his deep chocolaty brown eyes, “And then you basically tell me it was my own entire fault.”
“I…” he started and let his mouth hang open for a moment before closing it again.
I scoffed lightly before bringing his hands back down to his side and leaving him where he was as I walked away. If I always had to explain to him why I was so upset, than nothing would ever work out between us. I would never be able to look past the fact that he kept taking Mike’s side and claiming that I brought everything on myself.
“There you are!” Keyla yelled cheerfully as I stopped at the driver’s door of my convertible, “What happened to your cheek?”
“Mike,” I answered and her eyes widened, “He slapped me back.”
“Back? You mean that you slapped him first?” she asked as her eyes started shining ever so gleefully.
“Well, he was groping my backside so I kind of did it without thinking,” I answered while backing out of the parking spot and ignoring the familiar roar of a motorcycle from nearby.
“But didn’t Nick-“
“Didn’t even flinch,” I scoffed and I saw her shake her head, “You’d think that after last night he’d stick up for me.”
“Last night?” Keyla questioned as her eyebrows pulled together in the middle of her forehead.
“He sort of showed up at my house last night,” I explained hesitantly.
“What did your dad have to say about that?”
“Nothing considering he didn’t know. Nick ditched the front door and used my balcony one instead.”
“And?” she probed.”
“And he kissed me…and I kissed him back,” I whispered.
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” she demanded and I shrugged, “Mollie!”
“It’s not a big deal! A big deal is Dan asking you out and you saying that’ll you’ll think about it!” I said in an attempt to change the subject.
“It wouldn’t be fair to either of us if I didn’t think it over!” she complied while blushing lightly.
“Joe hasn’t asked you out yet so you wouldn’t be doing anything wrong,” I assured her and she bit down on her bottom lip in thought, “It might even give him a wakeup call too. Make him realize just how much he wants you.”
“But that would be using Dan,” she protested, “He’s always been so nice to me and it wouldn’t be right to do that to him.”
“Maybe you’re right,” I sighed while turning down her street, “It may just complicate things further if you go out with him.”
“I don’t know, I’m going to think about it some before I do anything,” she rubbed her forehead as I pulled into her driveway at the same time Joe pulled into theirs.
He climbed out of the front seat of his car and without even a half glance in Keyla’s general direction, walked inside.
“He hasn’t even been looking at me lately,” she sighed and I looked at her sympathetically, “Not even a glance.”
“He’ll come around,” I promised her and she smiled before starting to get out of the car, “Call me if you need anything.”
“I always do,” she chuckled and I returned her smile before backing out of the driveway.

“I’m home!” I called while making sure my still bright red cheek was hidden under my hair.
“You’re father is in his office,” Angelica said as she walked down the front stairs with a basket full of dirty clothes in her hands, “He said he wanted to speak with you when you got home.”
“Thanks Ang,” I said while heading up the stairs, “Do you know what he wanted to talk to me about?”
“Something about your Physics grade,” she answered and I gulped, I was completely and utterly busted.
Of course he would have called school to see how I was doing! How could I have forgotten that?
“I’m not coming in that early Bill,” I heard dad’s gruff and stern voice protest from the other side of the oak door, “That’s the day after my wife comes home! I refuse to come in any earlier than nine. The company can surely survive without me for a few extra hours.”
I hesitated before knocking lightly on the door.
“I have to go Bill,” dad said after a short span of silence, “Come in.”
“Hey,” I whispered as I slipped through the door.
“Hey sweetheart. How was your day?” he questioned while putting his Blackberry off to the side and smiling up at me from his over sized office chair.
“Same old, same old,” I lied.
“I know how you feel,” he laughed while shuffling some papers around on his desk.
Dad was the one who always preferred to work from home…you know; when he was actually home.
“So what did you need to talk to me about?” I asked even though I already knew the answer.
“I called the school this afternoon,” he started and then paused as he gazed up at me as if expecting me to confess to a wrong doing, “And they gave me the latest update on your grades.”
“Oh?” I commented while playing with the ring that was almost permanently attached to my skin by this point.
“Yes,” he dragged out the word and I bit down on lip nervously, “I take it that you’re aware of the B plus that you currently have in your AP Physics class?”
“Yeah, I know about it,” I sighed and let my eyes fall to my feet, “I’ve been studying my notes as often as I can so that I can get the grade I need on the next chapter test that will bring it up to an A.”
“I doubt that you’ll be able to take this test before you’re mother comes home this weekend?” he asked and I shook my head slowly, “Alright.”
He took his reading glasses off before rubbing his eyes and sighing deeply.
“I can handle your mother when she gets back,” he assured me as he stood up, “Just try your best to bring it up and keep your others up too, okay?”
“I promise,” I chuckled while forming my fingers into the scouts honor sign.
“Alright then loopy,” he laughed while pulling me into a tight bear hug, “Do you have homework?”
“It’s high school dad, there’s always homework,” I reminded him jokingly causing him to let out another deep set laugh, “I’ll see you at dinner.”
“See you then,” he agreed and pulled back to smile at me, “Mollie, what happened to your cheek?”
“What? Oh, nothing,” I lied while trying to hide the large red mark again, “I walked into an open locker again, that’s all.”
“You have got to stop doing that.”
He bent down and kissed my cheek lightly like he always did when I got hurt before he turned around and headed back to his desk.
“I make no promises,” I joked while walking out the door and then closing it behind me. If he only knew…