Bad Luck Hannah

"And then Robinson said I had the best time so far, " Jason beamed, our parents looking enthralled with the story.
Yeah right, I'd overheard that he'd had the worst, not the best.
I didn't say anything, just picked at my food silently.
"So how's all the new students?" Mom asked. "Any of them nice? Hannah?"
I lifted my eyes, and shrugged. "They're okay."
"Anyone friend material?"
Not this again.
I knew I was weird, and even little I'd had issues making friends. I wasn't sure why, other then the fact I stood there like I was stupid when people talked to me.
They probably thought I had issues.
I winced as I thought about how I'd tripped twice over the same person, and fallen in his lap.
Why had that happened?
"Hannahhh?"
I jerked my attention back to my mother, and then just blinked, unsure what she'd even been saying. "What?"
"I asked if there were any cute new boys."
"Please," Jason snorted. "Like they would pay her any attention."
"Jason ---."
"Yes, Sherryl?"
Mom frowned.
Technically I was Jasons half sister, us sharing the same dad. He'd left Jasons real mom for mine, and he'd never gotten over it despite he was only two years older then me. His mom lived two towns over with a new family, which only made him more bitter about the situation because he felt replaced.
That was my guess anyway.
Dad glared at Jason. "What have I told you about being a little ass?"
"I'm not, I ---."
"One more smart comment about Hannah, and your car is gone, got it?" he snapped, and my brother bristled.
"Why do you always take her side, huh? Why am I always the bad one?"
"You're not, honey, it's just ---."
"I wasn't asking you!"
"Jason Martin, don't raise your voice at her!"
"Don't yell at me!"
God.
I let my fork drop into my plate and stood without a word, leaving them to squabble at the table.
Every freaking time.
We couldn't have one peaceful dinner without something going wrong.
I sighed, shutting my bedroom door and leaning against it, listening to them scream and shout at each other.
I frowned, and flicked the lock on the door, making sure it was locked before I walked over to my bedside table, picking up my phone and my head phones, quickly shoving them in my ears.
I wasn't that hungry anyway.

I tapped my pencil impatiently against my notebook, gazing out the window.
I wanted out of here so bad.
I didn't want to go home, not after the major calamity last night had turned into, but I was absolutely done with school.
I was on the second level of the library, by the windows, my legs curled under me as I looked outside, seeing the trees move with the breeze.
Where was I gonna go?
School was close to my house, within literal walking distance, but town was a couple miles out.
Jason had a job after school, so he always drove, and I was always happy to have him out of the house so he wouldn't...
So he wouldn't be there.
I looked down at the paper I was working on, Jasons essay.
Maybe I should fail him.
Just to be the twat he keeps accusing me of being.
I sighed, and tossed my pencil down, leaning back in my chair and pressing my hands over my face.
I listened to the pencil roll off the table and hit the carpet.
Not even the pencil wanted to be around me.
I groaned, and let my face fall against my notebook.
Why couldn't I get any peace?
I heard a clack, and I raised my head slightly, seeing my pencil had returned.
And there was a hand with it.
I let my eyes drift up, and they met a bright blue pair.
I straightened immediately.
"Lose something? " Josh asked, nudging the pencil so it rolled across the table against my notebook. He glanced down, but I closed it quickly, not wanting him to see my notes.
"Romeo and Juliet? Isn't that a senior paper?" he frowned. "Why are you writing on it?"
None of his business.
I looked down, taking the pencil and twisting it nervously between my fingers. Why did he insist on talking to me?
This was weird.
As stupid as I acted yesterday you'd think he would steer clear.
I'd literally fallen on him.
Like it had been embarrassing.
"You don't talk much, do you?" he sighed, sitting down on top of the table, and I frowned at him.
There were plenty of chairs.
And other tables, for that matter.
I moved my books farther back so he wouldn't sit on them, pieces of my hair falling in front of my face.
I saw his hand move to my face out of the corner of my eye, and I jerked automatically, nearly falling out of my chair to get away from him. He froze, his hand hovering, and he let it drop with furrowed brows.
I stared at him, then dropped my gaze, embarrassed again.
"Okay, no touching, got it. Sorry." he dropped his hands into his lap, eyeing me like I was some kind of wild animal he wanted to tame.
I hated it when people looked at me like that.
Why couldn't they just leave me alone?
I looked down again, and then hastily began cramming all my books into my messenger bag, hearing the bell ring.
Now I could get out of here.
I slung my bag over my shoulder, lifting my math book into my arms.
"Hey, Hannah, wait a sec ---," Josh started, hopping to his feet, and I hesitated.
What did he want already?
"What happened to your arm?"
My arm? I looked at him blankly, then down at my arm, seeing I'd shoved my sleeved up to my elbows when I'd gotten too warm. There were a couple fading bruises where someone had grabbed me a couple days ago too tightly.
Nothing happened.
I tugged my sleeves down in response, and turned away, tightening my hold on my books. I almost ran away from him, rushing for the stairs that would take me to the lower level and get me out of his presence.
People made me so nervous, always trying to get me to talk and asking questions.
I made it to the first level and out the doors, shoving my headphones in my ears. I paused a second by the flagpole, looking down at my music as I decided what to play.
Pvris would work.
I started to press play, but someone was abruptly holding my arm, and I took a step back, raising my gaze to Jasons.
My stomach sunk.
"How's my paper coming along?" he asked, gripping my arm in the exact same place the bruises were fading from.
I shrugged, dropping my gaze to the ground.
"You better have it done by Friday, got it?" he glanced away and greeted some of his friends as they swept by, most of the school deserted now.
I tried to pull away again, but his grip tightened. "I'll drive you home."
No way!
I shook my head, straining to pull away from him now.
"I --- I'll walk."
"It's gonna rain, just get in the car."
"No!"
"Hannah, stop being such a little bitch and get in the car. If you get sick from being in the rain it'll be my fault again, and I don't wanna listen to Dad and Sherryl."
No!
I ground my heels into the concrete, refusing to move when he pulled on me.
"Stop it! I'll walk!"
"No you fucking won't!"
"Let go!"
Please let go, it hurt.
"Hannah?"
I jerked slightly, turning my gaze over to the side of the building.
I recognized Chris instantly, and Josh, but I didn't know the names of the other three boys with him, or the two girls, and I really didn't care too.
What were they doing behind the building again so late?
Everyone else had already left.
I felt Jasons grip go slack at the sight of them, and I jerked away from him, stumbling back a few steps.
"Who the hell are they?" my brother hissed softly at me, and I shrugged, averting my gaze from his angry face.
No one.
"What's going on?" I cringed as Chris spoke, him and Josh striding toward where we stood with narrowed gazes.
What was their issue with me?
Seriously, why we're they always suddenly everywhere I went?
I frowned as I looked over at them, and Josh caught my gaze for a moment before I looked away.
"You guys must be new," Jason said as he looked at them, having to strain to look Chris in the eye. "Transfers, right?"
"Yeah. Who're you?" Chris asked him, crossing his arms.
"Jason," my brother was surprised they didn't know who he was, I could tell. He wasn't as popular as he liked to think.
"Is there a reason you're pulling her around?" Josh asked, about Jasons height. My brother eyed him, obviously wondering how threatening he was and deciding that he wasn't.
"She's my sister, I can do what I want," he told them, his hand curling into the back of my jacket. "It's none of your concern."
"Hannah," Josh looked at me, "do you want us to drive you home?"
"She doesn't need any of you fuckers anywhere near her," Jason snapped. "Now come on."
He pulled on my jacket, forcing me to step with him, and I dug my heels in again, panicking. I knew what he would do the second we got into that car, and I didn't want to deal with it.
I didn't wanna go with him.
"Hey, dude, let go of her," Josh was suddenly stepping between us, forcing Jason to let go of me, his face startled. "She doesn't wanna go with you."
He put his arm in front of me protectively, and Jason stared.
He clenched his fists, and started to speak, but stopped himself. He suddenly snorted, shrugging.
"Fine, you wanna deal with her, be my guest. I'll see you at home, Hannah Banana."
I hated that nickname so much.
I watched as he stogged over to his car, shaking his head.
I blinked.
Had he just backed down?
Jason never backed down.
"You okay?" Josh asked, turning around to look at me, his hand brushing my sleeve.
I nodded, squeezing my book against my chest, keeping my gaze down.
Tonight was going to be awful.
He would take this out on me.
"Where do you live, Hannah? I'll drive you back," Chris said, stepping to my side, but I shook my head.
"It's --- it's not far, I, I can walk." Yes, Hannah, sound like a stuttering idiot.
My face flushed.
"No way," one of the other guys with curly hair frowned, his girlfriend clutching his hand. "It's too dangerous to walk like that."
I do it every day, it was fine.
"Thanks, but --- no, I'll walk." I still sounded stupid, but I didn't stutter.
"Then I'll walk with you," Josh told me, and I frowned at him. I didn't need him to babysit me, or pity me or whatever he was doing, I was fine on my own.
"No thanks."
"Dude, with a brother like that," one of the other guys started, "at least let one of us go with you. I know you don't know us, but we're not complete assholes."
That didn't convince me whatsoever, and I think it was clear on my face, because Josh huffed.
"You guys meet me back at the house, I'll walk her."
"But ---." one of his friends started.
"Go on," he ordered, and I frowned at him.
"That's Not necessary ---."
"Fine, see ya," Chris and his friends started off to the parking lot, and I stiffened, realizing he was serious when he didn't walk off with them.
"Really, don't ---."
"Which direction do you live in?" he interrupted me, stepping away. "It looks like it's gonna rain."
I hesitated, looking at him, my hair falling in front of my eyes.
No one had ever walked me home before, and I wasn't sure I wanted him to know where I lived anyway.
"I'm not gonna hurt you, you can stop looking at me like that, " he muttered, and I blinked, quickly looking down again.
I didn't mean to insult him.
I started walking, and after a moment he walked with me, sighing.
"So your brother is an asshole, huh? Is he always that mean to you?"
I glanced at him, keeping to the grass beside the road. "No."
He wasn't always like that, but about when he'd started middle school and his mother had remarried was when everything had started going downhill with him; I wasn't sure if it was because he felt replaced or abandoned, or why he was so resentful and cruel I just tried to stay away from him.
"Is he the one who bruised up your arm? Why don't you tell your parents?"
Because I didn't want to make it worse on him then it already was.
"It's... Not that bad."
Why was I even talking to him? I didn't know him, it wasn't any of his business; I'd only known him two days, I wasn't sure why he was being so nice to me.
I was weird, everyone knew that.
Why hadn't he picked up on that yet?
I glanced at him again, but looked away quickly when his eyes flicked to my face.
"Why don't you talk more?" he asked after a minute.
I didn't have anything to say.
I didn't answer, tugging my jacket tighter around me.
My arm was kind of hurting.
I took a step to the left as my gravel driveway came up, and I paused by it, flicking my eyes over to him.
"This is you, Then?"
I nodded.
"Well, you really don't live far, huh? You're right beside the park," he looked over where the large park took up most the woods. "I live just through it on Wayland Street."
"In the haunted house?"
"It's not haunted," his lips twitched in amusement as he looked at me. "It's old, but not haunted. I don't get why everyone says that. You could always come over and see that for yourself."
No way.
I'd seen the house through the trees before when we'd been driving by, it was very old and probably one of the only houses with that creepy architecture in the entire area.
It gave me the creeps.
I shook my head. "Thanks, but..."
"I get it, you don't like people."
Well.
I grimaced, taking a step back onto my road, wanting to leave. It was times like these i wished I had a car, I was sixteen after all, but I was so nervous I was afraid to drive.
It wouldn't end well for me.
If it had a car I wouldn't have to go home, face my parents prying questions. I could go into town or just anywhere.
Anywhere but here.
"Hey, look, I'm not --- fuck, here," he pulled a pen out of his pocket, and tugged on my book, taking it from me. He flicked a piece of paper out and scribbled on it before handing it back. "Text me if you need something, alright? I only live like fifteen minutes from you."
I looked down at his number.
Did a guy really just give me his number?
That had never happened before.
Why was he being nice to me? I didn't understand.
It wasn't like I oozed friendliness.
"Well, see you later," he gave a half wave as he took a few steps back, then darted across the road and into the woods, apparently going to cut through the woods to his house.
What was going on?