Gravity Don't Mean Too Much to Me

Bandit put her hood over her head as she sat in her mother's car. She kept her head down and avoided Lindsey's gaze. She didn't want her mother to see the bruise on her left eye, so she had tried to cover it by parting her hair so that a strand would cover the left side of her face.

Her mother hadn't said anything about this new hairstyle yet, and she hadn't noticed the bruise either. Bandit had put her hood up as she was worried her hair might move out of place and reveal her eye. She was bearly listening to a word her mother was saying, she couldn't keep herself from thinking about Vicky.

It had all happened very fast. Bandit had just been minding her own business, reading a book with Angela, when Vicky had walked over to them with a huge grin on her face.

"What'cha got there?" She snarled, glaring at the book they were sharing.

"We're just reading, it's called 'A Night To Remember'. Have you read it?" Angela had responded rather bravely considering who she was talking to.

"No, I haven't. I've got a life." Her piercing eyes bored into the small girl, and Angela began to loose convidence.

"Well, it's really quite good." Angela squealed, closing the book.

Vicky's eyes met Bandit's, who was trying to stay out of the conversation as much as possible. "Sitting a little close to each other, aren't we?" Bandit's heart sank.

"Wh-what do you-?"

"I wasn't talking to you!"

"Sorry." Angela stood up and left the book next to Bandit. "I'll just go. See you later Bandit.. Take care."

Bandit stood up automatically, she wasn't going to be left alone with Vicky.

"Where do you think you're going?" She snarled, pushing Bandit back onto the chair. "We've only just started." She smiled, and with one last grin, she punched Bandit.

Vicky had been using less words to hurt Bandit recently, and more physical 'punishments'. She had stopped stalling and taunting Bandit, and now she just made it quick. Bandit rubbed her eye, remembered how she had run away in tears afterwards, and how she had had to go to the school nurse.

Bandit entered the brightly painted room and slammed the door behind her, out of breath. She has been trying to avoid any prying eyes, she couldn't afford to let anyone know that Vicky had hit her.

She hadn't been going to go to the nurse, but she had decided it was probably best. She could make up some lie, that way the nurse wouldn't tell her mother. She was going to keep this a secret from her mom one way or another, even if it meant being sneaky.

"Oooh, dear!" Cried the old nurse as she took in Bandit's expression and injury. Bandit had been to this nurse only on a few occasions, but she knew that she was a lovely woman. Bandit knew if there was one adult she could trust to not tell her parents, it was the nurse. "What have you gotten yourself into dear?"

"N-nothing." Bandit sat down on the small bed in the corner of the room. "Well, not nothing exactly."

The old woman brushed the hair out of Bandit's eyes and stroked the bruise carefully, examining it. "Ooh, this is very swollen dear. How ever did you manage that?"

"It was- my fault." She hesistated. "I fell- yeah. I fell over."

"Oooh, dear. You must be more careful." The nurse was now soaking a piece of cloth with cold water. "That's one of the most nasty bruises I've ever seen. What on earth did you hit it on?"

Bandit panicked. She hadn't thought this through too much. "I think-I think I hit it on a metal bar in the playground. I was on one of the big climbing frames. I couldn't see too well, but it felt really strong."

The nurse made a 'tut' noise and began dabbing at her left eye. Bandit flinched every now and then, the water was extremely cold. "I'll have to fill in an accident report for you, would you mind signing it for me?"

"An accident report?"

"Yes, dear. Your parents will need to sign it too, and then you'll need to return it to me. That okay?" The nurse smiled sweetly and was now unwrapping a bandage. It looked bigger than Bandit's eye, her mother would see that for sure.

"Oh, that's fine. Thank you very much, but I don't need a bandage."

The nurse's face wrinkled in confusion as Bandit picked up the form that the nurse had scribbled on. "Of course you do, dear, don't be daft."

"No, really. I won't be able to see with that over my eye. I'm fine."

So Bandit had left in a hurry, and had ripped the report up and thrown it in a garbage can. She didn't plan on visiting the nurse again any time soon, so she should be able to get away with it.

"So your father and I have decided it's about time we treated you to a night out, y'know, since he's going away soon to do a few shows with the band." Bandit snapped out of her daydream and looked up slightly at her mother in panic. Her father was leaving again already? It had only been a few months. Her mother saw her expression. "Oh, Bandit. You know he has to. It's part of his job, and it always will be. He won't be away for as long this time, only a few weeks."

"But doesn't dad have to stay to help you with the baby? What if you give birth whilst he's gone? What'll I do?"

Lindsey chuckled. "Bandit, it's only been two months. You won't need to worry about that for another seven."

"Days?"

"Months!" Her mother burst into laughter, and Bandit tried to laugh too. She still couldn't stop thinking about Vicky, and now her father was going away too.

Once they arrived at the house, Gerard came running towards Bandit. He swept her from the ground and spun her around until she felt sick, and Bandit had to keep pulling her hood back over her head. He put her down, shaking with laughter, and hugged her tight.

"How's my little Killjoy?" He grinned, tickling Bandit's sides. She squirmed and giggled, smacking his hands away playfully.

"Stop! S-st-stop!" She gasped, clutching at her sides. "You win!"

He let go of her sides and brushed back his red hair, which was now all ruffled. "You bet I do!"

"Why are you in such a good mood?" Bandit giggled, almost forgetting about hiding her bruise.

Her father pretended to be offended. "Aren't I always this much fun? Can't I just be in a good mood without you questioning it, B?" His grin faded as he pulled down Bandit's hood. She flinched, forcing more hair over the left side of her face. Her father grabbed her small hand gently, and pushed back the hair and placed it behind her ear.

His grin had completely left his face now, and his forehead creased in worry. He stroked her eye, examining it. Bandit could have sworn she saw his eyes water, and she gulped as her mother entered the room.

"Gerard, what's happened?" Her mother rushed over to Bandit's side and stared open mouthed at her eye.

"I think B needs to explain, don't you?" His expression softened as he took hold of both Bandit and Lindsey's hands. "Don't be scared, it's alright."

"We won't shout honey, just tell us who did it and we'll-" Her mother froze and gazed at Bandit's face, and Bandit's heart began pounding. She had figured it out, she just knew it. Of course her mother would know who it was, after last time. She had to think fast before things got out of hand.

"It wasn't who you think it was mom, there's no need to worry."

"Then who was it?" Her father asked, obviously understanding who they were reffering to.

"It was me. Well, I fell." Bandit waited for her parents to look reliefed, but they just continued to look angry. "I was on the big climbing frame, and me and Sam were messing around-"
"I told you to be careful on that thing-" Her mother started, but Gerard placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I tripped on one of the metal bars. Sam tried to stop me from falling, but she was a little too late. I must've hit it against another bar, 'cause it felt really hard when it hit me."

She could see her parents both relax now, and she even saw her father smile. "B, you need to be more careful next time."

"I know, mom."

"I bet you didn't even cry, you brave little girl! Come here!"

Whilst Gerard hugged his daughter in relief, Lindsey couldn't help but see how scared Bandit had looked when they had noticed the bruise, and she also knew that Bandit would never hide something like that from them, especially if it was just an accident. She didn't know why her daughter was lying, but she would find out.