CHAPTER NINE

I took my textbooks and required notebooks out of my locker and shut it. I felt a hand slide across my shoulder.

"Hey Ray", Chris greeted cheerfully.

"Hello", I responded, smiling.

"You're happy this morning. What's up?", he inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey! I get happy normally", I retorted, hitting his shoulder.

"Yeah sure", he replied sarcastically.

"You're being dramatic Chris", I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever. I haven't seen any happy write-up of yours before. Oh right, you don't have any", he folded his arms.

"Oh please, I just think that the happy sides of life shouldn't always be portrayed, like there's no dark side to life, when in fact, life's full of them. I am just presenting that part of reality", I pulled him along," Now let's get to class"...

"Are you sure you're fifteen? I'm sixteen, but that's a bit much to take in, even for me. You'll be fine kiddo", he smoothed down my hair repeatedly.

"You need to hear yourself when you're advising me or trying to make me stop shedding rivers"

He caught my accusatory tone.

"Spending time with you has rubbed off on me I guess...No, it's you I'm talking to! How else would you understand me?", he pulled on my hair.

"Hey! What gives?", I spun around to look at him.

"Shhh, Mr. Bart doesn't like noise, you know that", he struggled to hold back laughter.

I realized that we'd gotten to the door of our Biology class.

Doofus.

"Guys! Hold up!", a familiar feminine voice called out behind Chris and me.

A familiar voice that made Chris cringe.

I turned around to face Maeve. I opened my arms for a hug. She ran straight into them and hugged me back. I faced Chris, still hugging Maeve so that her back faced him.

He looked pissed, distressed sort of.

Poor boy.

"What's good?", I asked her when we separated.

"I'm alright. Just wanted to walk to the cafeteria together. Hey Chris", she punched him lightly in the shoulder.

He pulled in Maeve for a hug.

Awww...

"Hey Maeve", he ruffled her hair.

"I'm not a dog, stop that", she slapped him across his chest, smiling.

"You think?"

Chris made a run for it.

" No..you...didn't.."

Maeve chased him towards the cafeteria.

Chris, the poor guy, playing with her like a brother.. watching her like someone else, and getting all cozy with that person when he likes her so much.

Life's never been fair anyway.

Maeve running and Chris chasing after her into the cafeteria saved me the mighty stress of pushing the door open, they'd already done that for me, so I just walked in.

They'd already settled at the table, Maeve looking... don't even know.

"Got your revenge?", I directed to Maeve, sitting down beside Chris, ruffling his hair.

"Not to my satisfaction though, but it can hold off for a while I guess", she answered.

I lifted a hand to my smarting forehead, my face slightly contorting in pain.

"Shit"

"What's wrong?", Maeve leaned in towards me.

This again.

I have slight headaches at times, but this was out of the usual. Sometimes eye related, some of the other times it's stress, and the rest comes when I have a cold.

I didn't even know what this was.

"A headache guys. I'll head to the nurse's office now", I stood.

"I'll come with you", Maeve rose with me.

I quickly glanced at Chris, questioning with my eyes whether he'd like some time with her.

He shook his head, replying in the negative.

Okay.

"Sure, let's go", we headed to the nurse's office.

I placed my hand on my forehead, facing the floor, then I bumped into someone, not so gently.

"Umph", Kyle muttered.

Great.

"I'm sorry, so sorry", I apologized.

"It's f--Oh, hey Ray", he greeted warmly, normally, as if nothing happened before.

"Hey-- Ow", I yelped quietly.

Right. I had somewhere to be.

"Sorry Kyle, we're heading to the nurse's office. She's complaining about an uncomfortable headache. We're going to get it treated", Maeve chimed in.

"Alright. Don't throw the drugs away", he stepped out of our way.

"Take care", I heard him mutter.

**********

I had the pain relievers the nurse gave me. I was familiar with the nurse, she's my friend.

And for the record, I do not throw away drugs. I find it foolish.

Why go to the nurse when you don't want a solution? You're throwing it all away...

The nurse, Maeve, and I all relaxed in the school clinic, having a light conversation. I was welcome here.

"Why doesn't the Principal come down often to check on us?", I asked her curiously.

It's true. Principal Winston doesn't come to see us or check on us or show any kind of care. He just sits in his big ol' office in his big ol' chair, ready to receive bad news about his students.

"I wouldn't know", the nurse, Mrs. Griffin, replied. "If you were sitting in that " big ol' chair" ( she made air quotes with her fingers), in all that authority, would you even move an inch? When you've got people at your beck and call all day", she asked me.

"Of course, I would. It's a school, not some bank or something. I have children under me. Of course, I'll check on them from time to time", I replied, like it was the most obvious thing.

"I'm not so sure about that for myself", Maeve piped up.

"Of course, you're lazy", I replied.

"No, I'm not. I just enjoy comfort", she smiled.

Stupid.

"Yeah sure."

" We've got a class, let's go. Thank you Mrs. Griffin", Maeve directed to me, then the nurse.

"Anytime. Encourage the students to always come to me when there's a health problem instead of hiding it away the way they do", she laughed.

"Definitely. Bye!", I said and shut the door.

Nice woman...

"Yay! School's over", Maeve side hugged me.

"I'm aware Maeve", I rolled my eyes.

I was happy too. I couldn't wait to get to my bed. I was really tired. I didn't know someone else was behind us. Well, people.

"I'm telling you, man! Lasers are way better traps than ambushes", Jack argued.

"Get over it. Ambushes are cooler", Kyle responded.

I didn't understand how this argument started in the first place, I won't ask.

I didn't bother turning back, apparently, they were engrossed in their "argument".

"You're not sleeping this afternoon Ray-- Hey!", Maeve's book fell out of her bag, beside-behind me.

I turned sideways to bend and pick it up.

"Rayna! How's your head now?", Kyle inquired, smiling a teeny bit.

Ugh. Fate, go figure.

"It's better, thank you for asking. Hello Jake", I directed my eyes to him.

Jake's like his friend, really good-looking, but he has a kind of badass look. I can't wait to see what full-blown puberty and adolescence will do to the boys I know. My brother is... Damn.

"Hey Rayna", he responded, slightly bowing.

"Hey, you both. Kyle, thank you for the care", Maeve said, pulling me along with her.

"I always do", he muttered.

I caught that. Settle down you stupid butterflies.

"What was that?", Maeve turned to look at him.

"Uh...I said you're welcome", Kyle responded, a teeny bit too quickly.

"Oh.. alright! Bye! We're going to the park for a while", she ran out of the school halls, pulling me with her.

"Bye", Jack called out after us.

KYLE'S P.O.V

"You're losing it man", Jack turned to face me.

What? I always care about her...

"Instead of criticizing me, help me. I mean, she's turned me down already. Why can't I stop...all this?", I rested my head on one of the hallway lockers.

I knew for sure I didn't love her.. yet maybe, but I did know I was drawn to her... She's got me hooked somehow. How I feel isn't strange right? I want her to know I care, to show her I care... To be a boy she can lean on, even though she's got Chris and the crew.

I want to know what she's up to, what's going on in her...

"Well...I don't even know. Just calm down when she's near you. Don't be so nosy... I don't even know what I'm saying anymore", he sighed.

"That's a really helpful speech man, thanks", I said sarcastically.

"Anytime", he patted me on my shoulder.

"Ugh, let me alone Jack. You can't understand. Your heart's sealed", I looked over at him.

"I'm sixteen. Maybe she'll come around later, but right now? You're right", he affirmed.

Not that he went through any experience in particular, but that's just him.. just Jack Patterson.

I'll keep trying. We both have long years ahead of us...

RAYNA'S P.O.V

I opened the door of my house and walked in. I didn't let Maeve have her way of course. Sleep beats anything she had in mind for us to do. I met my mom in the kitchen.

"Good afternoon mother", I greeted.

"Afternoon Rayna. How was school?", she asked, while setting some freshly baked loaves of bread on the kitchen counter.

Sigh. One of my favorite things in the world. Bread.

"School was alright. Can I have some Mom?", I pleaded.

"No. I want to give them to someone. If I let you at them, all the loaves would be gone in a heartbeat", she closed the oven.

"Moooommmm! Please, Mom... Alright, give me by yourself so I won't take more than I'm supposed to", I tried to bargain.

Mom cut out a quarter of the bread and handed it over to me.

Really?

I sighed.

"Thank you. Where's he?", I was referring to my "father".

Mom knew.

"He went out somewhere", she replied, leaning on the counter.

"Where?"

"He didn't tell me, as usual."

Great.

"Thank you for the bread", and I went upstairs to my room.

I flung my bag into a corner of my room. I took my shoes off and threw myself on my bed. I took my phone out and looked for a suitable song to fall asleep to. I pushed the power button on my phone, and a group picture of Dreykhald smiled back at me.

I smiled big.

These seven men were therapy for me. I love them all so much.

Of course, Dreykhald!

I searched for a Dreykhald song in my offline songs, set it to repeat, and the lyrics sent me slowly drifting off to sleep...

You've been crying, hurting,

Your smile's not as bright as I've known it to be...

They make life difficult for me to live,

But the whole of you comforts me...

How can I be happy when I know you're not?

What can I do to fight them all off?

Don't cry anymore, don't give it any thought,

I need you now, my little Miss Tough...