All The Pieces

---Viola---

Why did Hannah and Sierra both have to be in my English class. Separate, I hated them. Together they made my life hell. They always had.
Okay so that isn’t true, they just started making my life hell last year.

I walked out the back door of the school and saw some of the stoners sitting out on the benches ditching class. But I guess I am no different, in the skipping department not the stoner.

“Hey, aren’t you my neighbor?” some kid asked me, he had a black hoodie on with the hood on.

“I don’t know, I can’t see your face?” I said with a tiny laugh. He pulled the hood back and I saw a kind that was almost identical to Nate, except this kid had shaggy black hair with some green in it. Hadn’t seen that in a while. “Yeah, I guess we are neighbors, what’s your name again?” I asked.

“Zack,” he said as he light a cigarette. “Your Viola?”

I nodded. “Those are going to kill you,” I said as I took a seat beside him.

He laughed a bit then took another puff. “We’re all going to die eventually anyways,” he shrugged.

“True,” I said with a small nod and I folded my hands in my lap.

“So what brings someone like you out here?” he asked.

“Cant take it in that place anymore,” I said as I bit my lip. “Wait, what do you mean “someone like me”?”

“Someone who probably gets straight A’s, never does anything wrong, has all the most fabulous friends anyone could ask for, and then lives in the nice house,” he said without hesitation.

I was taken aback a bit. “Whatever, I have no friends,” I said and I leaned back against the wall.

“You? Have no friends? You’re whole essence just screams popular,” he said and light up another cigarette.

“Yeah, well that’s not me, at least not anymore,” I said. I was hoping he wouldn’t ask why. I hated answering that question. I didn’t like to rehash the specifics of last year.

“Do you miss it?” he asked, well I had not gotten that question before.

I thought about it for a moment. And I looked over at Zack, he seemed like a nice enough kid. Not as abrasive and annoying as Nate. “No,” I stated.

Then I paused for a long moment. “Well, yes. I did at first. I hated not having something to do all the time. But after sometime I got good at being alone. I almost like it now,” I said quietly.

“I know what you mean. Then everyone else tries to fix you and all your problems. Well maybe something’s are just supposed to be fucked up and not fixed,” he said and threw his but on the ground and he pulled his hood farther up on his head.

“Wanna come inside?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I nodded and he held out his hand and helped me up.

“Thanks,” I said,

“Yeah, everyone needs to talk to someone sometimes,” he said and he let go of my hand and we walked back into school together. As we walked down the halls together we got some interesting views from people. “I think being next to you is going to ruin my reputation,” he laughed.

“Yours? What about my fabulous popular friends, what do you think they will think that we are walking next to each other?” I asked and I couldn’t help but laugh, and it was a real one.

He laughed too. “Yeah, they won’t like it,” he said it sounded like he wanted to say something else but he paused and stopped walking. “What would my brother think?” he asked.

“Why does that matter?” I asked when he stopped and I looked up. Nate was standing right in front of us, and he looked really angry for some odd reason.

“Zack,” Nate said and he looked down at me.

“See ya, Viola,” Zack said before he took off down some random hallway.

“What’s wrong with you?” I asked.

“Me?” he asked. “Why are you hanging out with my brother?” he asked. “He is a bad kid to be hanging with.”

“Whatever, he was outside when I went to get some fresh air. And we just talked for a bit. When you have no friends its easy to talk to other friend-less people,” I said, and I noticed that I didn’t fidget once.

“You could have friends. I want to be your friend,” he said.

“Yeah, which is odd. I have no idea why the hell you are trying so hard to be my friend. I can only think that someone may have put you up to it. But I can figure out who since you just moved here,” I said as we stood alone in the hallway since classes were going on at the moment.

“Put me up to it?” he asked and he turned he head to the side, as though he were truly confused. This guy was good. “Why would someone do that?”

“Because people have no lives,” I shrugged and walked away.

“Is that what happened to you with those girls from our English class?” he as he as he fallowed behind me.

“No, nothing happened with them. I just don’t like them and they don’t like me.”

“I’m not an idiot, Viola. I know something went down between all of you guys,” he said and then looked down at the ground. “You can tell me, you can trust me.”

I looked him in the eye, sure he sounded sincere but maybe he was just a good actor. Why is he so persistent. “Your wrong,” I said and I headed towards my next class.

“Wrong?” he asked as he wrinkled his brow in confusion.
I nodded at him like he was an idiot. “Yes, wrong. You have given me no reason to trust you.”

“What can I do then Vi?” he all but pleaded.

“I don’t know, and I don’t really care,” I shrugged.

Suddenly he grabbed my hand and pulled me towards a door that led out to the parking lot. “What the hell Nate?” I yelled.

“I’m going to get you to trust me,” he smiled and he continued to hold my hand.

“By kidnapping me?” I scoffed and shook my head.

“Yes,” he began. “I mean no, well kind of yes. Whatever, I am trying to spend time with you.”

“We can do that after school,” I said, but I don’t know why I said it cause I certainly did not
want to spend anytime with him at all.

“Okay, sweet. Then we can hang out the rest of the day!” he said as we came up to his car.
He walked over and opened up the door for me. And I got in. I got in… why?

“Whatever, I’m not even sure if fighting you is worth it anymore,” I said and I leaned my head against the window.

“Oh, watch your head. I need to roll down the window,” he said. He leaned over me and cranked down the window.

“You don’t have power windows?” I laughed.

He gave me a look that said shut up. “It’s a jeep, such an amazing vehicle does not need something as boring and as normal as “Power windows”,” he scoffed, but then he laughed
and I laughed a bit too.

“If you say so,” I said. “Where are we going?”

“To get some ice cream!!!” he said and threw his hands up and waved them around.

“Hand on the wheel!” I yelled and reached over.

He put his hand on his chest. “Do you not trust my driving expertise?” he pouted.

“I don’t even really trust you, so how am I supposed to trust your driving?” I asked.

“Touché,” he nodded and placed a hand back on the steering wheel.

As we pulled up to the ice cream shop he leaned over me. “You could just as me to roll it up,” I said as I smacked his hand away.

“Yeah, but its okay,” he said.

“I can do it,” I said again. “I am not an idiot.”

“I know you aren’t, Vi.”

I huffed and hopped out of the car the second he parked. “Would you stop calling me Vi, please!” I asked.

“Why?” he asked with a huge smirk on his face.

“Because it is so extremely annoying. You barely know me, so you must call me Viola still,” I
said as I rolled my eyes.

“So does that mean that someday I might get to call you Vi?” he asked and his smirk was now replaced by a big smile.

“No,” I said as I walked inside. I walked up to the counter and ordered a bowl of vanilla.

Then Nate came up and stood beside me, and he placed his hand on the small of my back and I quickly wiggled away. “Excuse me,” he said and the girl behind the counter looked at him.

“Yes,” she smiled and batter her eyelashes. “How may I help you?” she winked.

“Can you change her order to a waffle bowl of chocolate? And I would like a cup of superman. Maybe some choc chips on top of hers?” he asked and the girl looked at me and wrinkled her nose. She graduated last year and was a friend of Hannah’s. I choose not to remember her name.

“Oh is this your cousin?” she asked me. And I shook my head.

“No, she is my date, now get us our ice cream,” he said. “Please.”

“I’m not your date,” I said. “This is in no way, shape, or form a date.”

“If you say so,” he said and raised his hands up in defeat.

“I do say so,” I said and I crossed my arms over my chest. “I don’t get why you always have to change my order,” I said as I glared at him and then I grabbed my cone from the girl behind the counter.

“You need to learn to have variety in your life, Vi,” he said as he paid her, and then fallowed after me.

“Variety, my ass. You just like pestering me,” I huffed as I fell into the nearest booth.

“True,” was all he said before he dipped his spoon into my ice cream and took a bite of it.

“Hey!” I yelled and swatted his hand away.

All he did was laugh at me. “You know what?” I asked as I placed both my hands on the table and stood up.

“Hmm?” he asked very quietly and lifted an eyebrow.

That was just about enough to throw me over the edge. I Picked up my bowl and dumped it over his head. The chocolate was all over his nice blond hair and it was running down his face. I quickly turned around and stormed towards the door.

““Come on, Vi! You have to relax a little,” he called after me and he got up out of the booth and ran towards me.

“Leave me alone, Nate!” I groaned and ran my hand trough my hair. “I don’t get why you are so persistent in being my friend.”

“I like you,” he said with a goofy grin. It took all I had in me to not slap him, so I quickly turned and stormed out the door. And he fallowed me of course.