Chapter 12: Loners

Naomi's POV

The weekend came and went as quickly as it came, Hero and Riley didn't get caught thanks to my efforts.

And as for me I was miserable. All everyone online talks about online are the books that I faild to purchase.

Where does being a good person get you? I'll tell you, nowhere.

I leaned against my locker sliding down to the ground in the almost empty halls during lunch time. I pulled out my lunch from my bag and ate it silently.

Some gave me weird looks while others just mind their own business. Other loners like myself join and did the same thing I was. One of them even smirked at me.

"Eww your all so disgusting, can't you get some friends or get a life." A girl named Amber says giving all of us disgusted looks and she walked.

"Especially you. Pill popper." She scowls at me.

"Why don't you get a life and stop messing with people who don't give two shots about you Amber." The words slip out without me thinking I quickly clasp my hand over my mouth hope she doesn't figure out it was me.

"Who said that!" She growls looking back at me and everyone in the halls started laughing at her expense." Who the hell just said that! Was it you?" She says glaring at me.

I hold my head down avoiding her gaze hoping she'll give up be instead she stomps over to me. I quickly grab my bag and stand up.

"Was it you pill popper." She says glaring at me, when I don't answer she resorts to violence and slap my unfinished lunch out of my hand.

"Why don't you just leave us alone?" I ask her out a prue frustration. "We never bother anyone, we stay by ourselves but yet you still find time to go out of your way to bully us. Are you that desperate for attention?"

"Ooooooooohhhhh." The winter hall says as if a fight was going to break out.

"Your the one who's desperate for attention! Eating in the halls for everyone to see and moping around just because you want people to feel sorry for you." Her menacing tone and false accusations triggered something in me but I desperately tired to keep it under control.

"Can't reply can you?" She asks before slapping my bag out of my hand my books and medications scatter across the floor for everyone to see and I mind and body went numb.

I quickly scrambled to pick them up before anyone could see them then I suddenly heard a voice that was way to familiar.

"What the hell is going on here?" Hero's deep voice boomed through the hall startling everyone. But that didn't stop Amber from doing what she did next.

She stomped on one of the bottles of pills making it pop open and they fly out scattering across the floor.

"Hey what the hell is wrong with you?" Hero says grabbing amber by her arm and pulling her away from me, he than helps me off the ground.

"Hey are you okay?" He says trying to make eye contact with me but I refuse to look at him as hot tears burned like hot molten lava in my throat.

I pull away from his hold stuffing what was left of my pills in my back before walking away.

"Hey wait up." He says following closely behind me.

"No. Go away." I spat.

"Come on. The least you could say is thank you." He says in a joking manner but it didn't help.

When the girls restroom came into view I sprinted for it.

"Hey! Come on I jus want to talk." He yells as I push the door open but I instantly regret it when I see who's inside. Riley and her friends occupied the pace, she was sitter on the sink while they were standing facings her.

"Sorry." I mumble as I spin around to head back into the hall.

"Your cousin is such a creep." One says

"Tell me about it." Riley mumbles in agreement.

After hearing that I couldn't hold the tears back anymore, they started to slip out. A strong hand came around my arm and it began to pull me, soon I was in a dark room.

Strong arms wrapped around my shoulders in a tight embrace as I sobbed into his shirt.He didn't say a word, he just stood there hugging me as I cried my frustration out.

Only when I finally stopped crying he let go of me and went in search of something, I didn't know where we were until he switched the light on. It was one of janitors rooms. I grabbed a brand new box of paper towels and opened it before handing a few to me before turning away.

I wet damp a few off them and clean my face and nose before drinking the rest of it.

"I'm sorry I hugged you without permission ." He finally speaks.

"Its fine. Thank you." I tell him clearing my throat.

We stay in an awkward silence for about a minute before he spoke up again.

"Do yo want to talk about it?" He asks with one eyebrow raised.

"No." My reply came straight away.

There's no point in taking about it. Talking never help.

"Cool. You should go first, I'll hang here for awhile before I leave so no one thinks we were doing anything." He says with a straight face.

I suddenly feel a blush creeping my neck. How can he say something like that with a straight face?

"Um yeah. Later." I mumble embarrassed but I didn't miss the amused smirk on his face.

Little after I stepped out of the room the bell for next class rang so I hurried to my class.

The rest of the day when smoothly in contrast to what happened at lunch. By the time school ended word had spread about the encounter I had with Amber.

As I walked out of the school building I got mixture of reaction, some looked at me with sympathy, while others looked proud and most looked shocked that I was the one who stood up to Amber.

I hurried to the bus hoping to avoid an after school confrontation but then I spotted Riley next to her car by herself signaling me over.

"Hurry up dork! I wanna get home early!" She yells and few people around us giggle.

As soon as I get to her car I feel someone grap my hair and tug really hard.

"aaahh." I scream and everyone turns to look at me.

"Where's your little protector now Naomi!" Amber hisses in my ear.

"Let go!" I yell.

Riley walks over to us and grabs a handful of Amber's hair and bow it was hear turn to scream. She instinctively let's go of my hair.

"Back off before I rip your extensions out." Riley sneers at her before letting her go.

"This isn't over." Amber screams.

"Touch her again and I'll pull more than your extensions out." Riley threatens and Amber and her boy squad run off.

Without a second thought Riley went straight into her car, I quickly got in with her.

"Thanks for that." I say meekly.

"That was a one time thing. And I only did it to pay back your favor, so now I don't owe you one." She tells me as she starts the engine.

"Where's Hero?" I ask as I take note of his absence.

"Hes hanging out with Mina today." She grits out while gripping the stairingwheel a little too tight.

At the mention of Mina my mind went back to the day in the bathroom with her and Riley.

"You better be careful with her, she's up to something." I tell her.

Why would someone like her go that far out of her way just to get introduced to Hero, she says she just wants him to know about the Asian clus but there more to it than that.

Riley looks at me shocked by what I told her.

"I know." She says as she recovers from the shock.

"She's your biggest rival, you better watch out." I say jokingly.

"Your right. I had no idea you paid attention to that kind of stuff." She admits to me.

"I'm introverted not stupid." I deadpanned.

I'm surprised when she laughs at me joke. Maybe this could be a new start for us.