Sorry it took so long for me to update :)

Chapter Five

In my experience school sucks.

I’m so weird I don’t even fit in with the weird kids. It doesn’t stop me, but it isn’t fun.

I have had a string of ‘best friends’ all of whom eventually get sick of me.

My first was a small girl who was Nigerian and was incredibly nice, but she found someone with a better doll. We were young, and I got a new best friend also, but that’s not the point.

My latest best friend was the new girl in school she was called Minnie and had really dark eyes and wild brown hair. She seemed really friendly and we sat next to each other in maths. I didn’t tell her about what I am, but I came close, then she became distant, stopped sitting with me and only speaks to me in maths, and even then she is restrained.

One day I confronted her.

“Minnie,” I said, “What’s wrong?”

“What do you mean?” Minnie replied smiling innocently.

“Why are you avoiding me?” I asked.

“I’m not,” she said sharply.

“Yes you are,” I cried.

“Look, Lola, you’re really nice and everything and you have been really great, but I just don’t think we are suited to being best friends, why don’t you go over there?” she said pointing at the empty table in the corner.

And it hurt; a lot.

Looking back I should have realised that Minnie would rise to the ‘popular’ group at some point, but still.

The worst part is that I have maths first.

I sit in the car. There are only five of us who go to school still James, Zara, Claire, Jack and I. James is in his last year of school, Zara and Claire the year below and Jack and I the year below them. Jack and I have just turned sixteen, 28th of January.

James is driving his brow in a deep frown. Claire is sat beside him her gaze focused on the houses flying past us. Zara is biting her nails and Jack is trying to sleep. I sit and face forward trying to dismiss the past few hours from my brain, it’s not working.

Soon we are at school. The brick exterior makes it look like an old manor house. James parks the car and we all climb out silently.

Once people notice us they can’t help but stare. I sigh deeply and Zara gives me a comforting half-hug. Jack refuses to meet my gaze.

We part ways and I walk alone. I feel everyone’s eyes on me, my scar burns from the attention it is getting.

Stepping into any classroom is unbearable, thankfully it’s over soon.

Once I reach my locker I open it. My head feels as though it has been covered in an impenetrable haze, I am in a trance like state as I gather my books. The hallway is silent except for my footsteps, everyone else is getting registered, but due to the fact I was away with the fairies Mr. Dulwich let me go early.

I drag my feet as I walk, my head has too many thoughts in it and I am getting a headache created by them all bashing into one another. I sigh. Tripping, over my own foot, I drop all my books. A low hiss escapes my lips. I bend down to pick them up.

“Here let me help,” a voice says, another pair of pale hands reach for my books. My eyes widen as I match the voice and face, one quick glance up and my suspicions are confirmed.

Cedric Spectica.

“Oh cr-“ I begin but I’m cut off by him suddenly choking me, I gasp for air. My feet are no longer touching the floor, I dig my nails into his hand.

“Well that was easy,” he laughs. I scowl at him and try and remove his hand.

“And to think you are the tenth child, to think you beat me!” He says looking at me pitifully, “But look at you now.”

“I still got some tricks,” I gasp, kicking him in the stomach and privets. He keels over and releases me.

“Nice one,” he breathes staggering back, “Make me infertile.”

“That’s the idea,” I smile rubbing my neck, “What do you want?”

“Do you accept?” he says.

“What?”

“The challenge,” he sighs as if it is obvious, he has recovered now and is standing on the other side of the room.

“We are still mulling it over,” I say.

He laughs, “Knew you were wimps.”

“No, we’re just not stupid.”

“Whatever.” He begins to walk away. I turn and start to pick up my books.

The coolness of the lockers is suddenly being slammed into my body, I can feel the feeble metal bending under my shape. I hit them again and again until my attacker finally turns me around and allows me the pleasure of seeing his face.

“Cheater,” I spit.

“Bad loser,” Cedric laughs.

“Go to hell.”

“I’ll save you a seat,” he responds.

“Any place with you in it is hell,” I sneer, my feet once again can’t touch the floor and my top is stretching.

“So should I say that you accept?”

“Do we have a choice?” I scoff.

“Always.”

“Sure.”

“Ok, I lied you don’t,” Cedric sighs, he slams me against the lockers again, I am shocked that no one has come out to see what the noise is.

“Knew it.”

He drops me and I hit the floor with a thump, “I thought cats always landed on their feet, wait! You’re not a cat, you’re a dog.”

“Screw you,” I breathe my words biting.

“Please do,” he smirks.

“You wish.”

“On every star.”

“Argh,” I groan.

There is a silence that spreads between us. I move slightly and wince in pain. Cedric’s harsh expression flickers as he watches my struggle, I see his outer facade fall and he helps me to stand.

“Where did this come from?” I ask, slightly frightened.

“I don’t know, you seem quite helpless,” he said gripping my arm to keep me upright.

I sigh, “Well I can barely stand on my own.”

“You’re making me feel slightly guilty you know.”

“Oh I’m sorry!” I huff snatching my arm away from him, I quickly land back on the floor.

“Too bad really,” he bends down so that his face is level with mine, I restrain from slapping his hard as I doubt I would still be conscious after another locker beating, “You are pretty for a McRaven and had we not been sworn enemies we could of-“

“Dated?” I laugh, he runs his fingers through my hair and I hate myself for letting it send my heart racing. This sudden change in mood shocks me. Just being this close to him thrills me, I want to punch him, slap him, kick him, kiss him, wait I didn’t say that.

“Sure, I mean you’re my type of girl,” he chuckles, “Too bad eh?”

“Too bad,” I agree sarcastically, he pulls his mouth up at one corner and I feel my chest flutter, damn him for being so attractive, it’s not my fault, it’s his.

We sit there staring at one another for what feels like hours, my face is swelling and I can feel blood trickling down my scalp, I think my wrist is sprained and my shin hurts like hell, but it doesn’t matter. I stare at his red eyes and he stares back, the only sound is our breathing. His hair is a dark mess and he has one of the fringes that half covers his face and it is poker straight.

The bell rings and alerts us both about our whereabouts and how bad I look.

“Shit,” Cedric swears, “You fell into the lockers ok?”

“Six times?” I say.

“You got anything better?”

People start to walk out of the classrooms and Cedric runs to me and pretends he has just seen the poor girl who fell into the lockers.

“Oh my!” he cries, “Are you ok?”

“I don’t know, I think my scalp is bleeding and my wrist is sprained and my shin is fractured,” I list my injuries, Cedric winces at each.

“Ok I’ll take you to the nurses office,” he says, his voice is edging on melodrama. People are gathering around me in stunned silence, the boys at my injuries and the girls at Cedric. He lifts me into his arms and searches for a way through the crowd.

“Please don’t ever try acting,” I whisper in his ear.

“Note taken, I am sorry about those injuries I didn’t realise I had done so much damage, I got a bit carried away,” he apologised.

“I would have done the same thing had I been a heartless Spectica,” I respond. Cedric smiles. The crowd opens as we walk through.

“Lola!” Jack calls and he is suddenly by my side, his gaze fixed on me, “What the hell happ-“ He spots whose arms I’m in, “Jesus Christ.”

“Don’t make a scene,” Cedric mumbles.

“Bit late for that buddy,” Jack snarls, “You should have thought about the exposure factor before slamming my sister into the lockers.”

“Like you wouldn’t do the same to mine,” Cedric challenges.

“Just hand her over,” Jack growls. Cedric looks at me, as if he was unwilling to let me go, not completely repulsed by my presence, “Now,” Jack’s voice is low and menacing, “Or do I have to call the rest of us? Her top is correct you know.”

Cedric reads my top, “I need one of those,” he jokes.

“Do not even joke now Spectica,” Jack scowls, “Hand over my sister.”

I am gently slid into Jack’s waiting arms.

“Take care,” Cedric smiles, “I want a real fight next time.” He winks at me

I feel annoyance bubbling toward Cedric, and something else, but I don’t want to think what that is, “Bye Cedric.”

“Yes, Bye Cedric,” Jack says. Cedric slips through the crowd and it is just Jack and I. We head past the thinning crowd and to the nurses office.

“What the hell happened?” yells someone else, I turn my head to see and notice James running over, leaving quite a bewildered girl behind.

“I fell into a locker,” I sigh.

“Yeah,” Jack spits, “Six times.”

“Already?” James gasps in disbelief, “We only went to their house yesterday.”

“They wanted to know if we accept.”

“What did you tell him?” James asks.

“That we were still deciding.”

“What did he say?” Jack persists. I flick through the memory in my head and decided to skip to the end.

“That we didn’t really have a choice.”

“Damn!” James yells and punches the locker beside him.

“Hey!” I exclaim, “As if we have damaged enough of those already.”

“Come on Jack let’s take her to the nurse,” James sighs.

“Shouldn’t we go home?” Jack asks.

“No, Dad said he’d kill us for skipping, even if the reason is that I’ve just made a mould of myself on the lockers,” I say.

“You’re right.”

“Always am.”

We head to the nurse, and she is horrified by my appearance. She dismisses Jack and James. A while later a boy and girl who I don’t know bring my books in. Whilst cleaning my head wounds she asks how I did it, fell into the locker I say and even she doesn’t believe me.

My head thumps as she bandages up my wrist and checks to see if my shin is fractured. All the issues in my head continue to collide and Cedric has just climbed in and joined them. I should hate him. I don’t hate him and that’s the problem, although he just beat me into a pulp, that wasn’t him, it was our families’ decades of hatred toward one another. The Cedric after the beating was the real Cedric. I sigh and rub my forehead. The nurse gives me an ibuprofen to relieve the pain. I thank her and get up to leave just as the bell rings.

Well at least I missed maths.

I liked this chapter :)
What do you all think about it? Please review and let me know.

=D
Tily