Crush

"Oh my gosh!" said a female student, who looked the fairest amongst her three friends.

"Have you all seen those pictures?"

"If any student of this school has not seen those pictures, the person is probably a newbie." said the tallest among them. She scoffed when she saw one of them looking as if she felt a bit out of place, while the fair girl and the other chuckled.

"Got something to tell us Anna?" asked the tallest with this intruging smirk on her face.

"Uhm, no, nothing." Anna said while fiddling with her fingers.

"Then what's with the face?"

"Actually, I haven't really had the time to check those pictures."

The two girls giggled and held Anna's palms in theirs. The fair girl brought out her phone and offered to show her the pictures.

"Thanks Cathy, but I think I'll pass." Anna said as she politely pushed the phone aside.

"And why is that?" asked the tall girl again.

Anna bit her lower lip as she cursed them in her mind.

'Damn them bitches. They go around badmouthing others, but when faced with such situations, they would want empathy from literally everyone.'

"I guess my mama brought me up well, and taught me not to speak ill of others behind them. Even if I am to speak ill of others, I would rather say it right in their face."

"How dare you bring my mama into this?" the tall girl said in anger.

"Oh please Penny, you go around cursing other's parents, make fun of their background and upbringing, and expect them not to retaliate. But when the same happens to you, you flare up."

"What!"

"I can't believe I even considered you guys as friends. You all are scum."

Penelope watched Anna as she packed her belongings and left her seat for an empty seat at the back of the class. Penelope turned to look at the other two girls, looking very angry.

"Does she thinks she gets to walk out of this unharmed? Does she think I would just sit back like an idiot and do nothing? How foolish she must be."

*****

Natasha stepped into the class, doing her possible best at ignoring the stares and words of literally everyone. She got to her seat and was not surprised to see an empty seat beside hers.

She noticed her classmates turn to look at her every now and then, but she was too tired to try to look tough.

Her pale and dull face, a huge contrast to how she used to be.

She placed the hood over her head, then placed her head on the desk.

Some tables in front, two boys sat on a desk, while a boy rested his back on the wall. And they all were looking at Natasha with sympathy.

"I kinda pity her, she's lost the only friend she had."

"I actually do think she's lucky."

"Lucky? How so?"

"She's lucky they didn't go after her."

"That's kinda true."

The boy resting on the wall remained silent all the while those two spoke. The two on the desk exchanged glances before looking at him.

"Hey Julian, you ok?"

He remained there transfixed, his arms crossed over his chest. It was obvious his mind was elsewhere.

"Julian." the closest to him said again, but this time around, he gave Julian a tap.

Julian blinked his eyes as he looked at him.

"I'm okay Max." he said with a reassuring smile that looked so fake.

"You don't look okay buddy." Max said with concern evident in his voice.

"I second that." the other guy said.

"Oh please, I'm fine, just a bit stressed out." saying this, he subconsciously turned his head to face Natasha's direction, and he let out a deep sigh.

"Why don't you go comfort your crush, who knows, she might end up falling in love with you."

Out of his sad pressed lips came a chuckle.

"Come on Tharn." and his face went back to a sad bored face "This is real life, not a world of romance."

Tharn and Max kept on looking at him with pity as he took a deep sigh again.

"There's no crime in trying you know, some lucky fellas also tried, and are now happy with their crush now turned lover."

Tharn chuckled and elbowed Max playfully.

"And are you among the lucky fellas, Mr crush turned lovers?"

Max left out a soft laugh and shook his head in the negative.

"I'm happy being single."

They both smile at themselves before turning their attention to the standing sad boy.

"Hey Julian." Max called out.

"Yes."

"So, what're you gonna do?"

"I don't know know. Probably sit back and let things play out itself, or..."

"Or what? " Tharn asked, sounding angry for a reason the boys could not understand.

"I'm not really sure, I don't know, I don't think I can."

Tharn got up in anger and grabbed Julian's shirt by the collar.

"Are you really gonna sit back and watch your crush get crushed. I thought you said you would do anything and everything to protect her if you ever get a chance to." he said through gritted teeth.

Julian on the other hand looked calm.

"Then would you prefer I get crushed. How will l I protect her if I can't protect myself?"

Tharn released his shirt and returned to his former position. He gave a hard look to all those who were looking at them with curious looks, and they all looked away, going back to whatever they were doing before the ruckus.

Julian looked in Natasha's direction to see if she had seen them argue. But no, her head was not up, her head was still on the desk. He could not tell if she was sleeping, or she just wanted to be free from the stares she got.

He took a deep sigh and sat on his chair while placing his head on his desk, making sure to face the wall.

Even he himself was tired. He was tired of watching his mates get bullied by the seniors, he was tired of being nothing but a pawn in the hands of the seniors. He was fed up of sitting back and doing nothing but watch.

"Guess it's time for a change." he murmured to himself.

*****

The bell rang. And Natasha who had been sleeping all day long finally got up and walked out of the class oblivious to her classmates stares.

"Was she really asleep or was she just pretending?"

Max asked Tharn as Natasha passed by their desk.

"Who knows. As soon as she came in today, she placed her head on the table, and didn't raise it up the whole day even during classes, and she also skipped lunch."

Tharn replied with his eyes fixed on Natasha till she stepped out of the class. When Natasha left, he turned to look at Julian, who was looking angry and tired, and probably hungry, since he refused to join them for lunch, and they also stubbornly refused to buy him some snacks. And all just for what reason? To watch over a girl who didn't even know his name.

"Hey." Tharn called out to Julian.

Julian turned to look at him with that angry, tired and hungry looking face.

Tharn chuckled, got up and picked up his bag.

"If you're gonna watch after her, why don't you do that till she gets home safely. You know, she could be attacked on her way home."

Hearing this, Julian's eyes widened. He packed his belongings in a hurry, and ran out of the class.

*****

He finally saw her. He took a moment to calm his breathing. He stood up straight, and proceeded to approach her, when he saw a bike stop right in front of her. He got angrier, thinking it was one of those crazy seniors, but seeing her stay still, and seeing the person on the bike remain on the bike, he figured she knew the biker.

He stepped out of the school gate and joined a group of students who stood close to Natasha, but were busy chatting among themselves.

*****

Natasha stood by the roadside, waiting for her uncle's assistant to come pick her from school, when that familiar big bike stopped in front of her. This time around, he didn't take off the helmet, but she could recognize him just the same.

"Riley is not in school." she said in a cold detached voice.

"I'm fully aware of that."

"Good, you should leave then." saying this, she folded her arms across her chest and fixed her gaze on the cars that passed by the road.

Richard shook his head slowly and gently, probably looking worried.

"Don't you want to see him?"

She could not tell if he was angry or worried. But she really wished he would hate her, so she could feel better and not so guilty. But with what he said next and how caring his voice sounded, she knew he didn't hate her, which only made her hate herself the more.

"And why is that?" he said in a soft, caring, and gentle voice that did spread more guilt and hate through Natasha.

"I'm too ashamed to face him."

She heard Richard sigh, saw him facepalm himself and raise his head up to look at her.

"Natasha,"

She saw a black jeep park right in front of his bike and she recognized it.

"I'll get going." she said, cutting him midsentence. "My ride is here."

"Wait." he stretched his hand out to grab her, but she was too fast. He watched her enter the jeep and watched it drive off.

He took another deep sigh before starting his bike and riding off.