29.

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Edit by: janawael678


I've pretty much had the worst day of my life.

I try to hold onto the best parts. Jake coming to me, admitting to the guys we're together, standing up for me. All of that was incredible. But Guy finding out, what he did to me and then what happened next...

"How are you feeling?" Ma asks me quietly, rubbing soothing circles over my back.

I shake my head. "I don't quite know how to describe what I'm feeling."

Jake has been expelled and Guy only suspended. I don't know how the hell that works. Maybe because Jake wasn't at school that day and he did the most harm. But Guy approached me. He would have beat me up, more than he already did, if Jake hadn't shown up. I've convinced Ma to go to the school and fight for Jake. She's agreed but I think it's mainly because I'm kind of a wreck right now.

I left school in an ambulance and it was the most embarrassing thing ever. The rumours would be running wild.

"What do you want to do?" Ma asks.

"Sleep and never wake up," I mutter.

She sighs softly. "I'm sorry about this whole situation."

"Me too."

"I'll call the school, see what I can do."

She gives me a soft kiss on the side of my face, before leaving. I lay back into my pillows and stare up at the wall. It's crazy how fast everything changed. With Jake, with Guy finding out. I need everything to pause.

Turning my phone off, I bury myself under the blankets and close my eyes, hoping I can sleep away the pain.


***


Something tickling the side of my face wakes me. I feel groggy as I blink slowly, my eyes adjusting. Light fills the room. My vision finally focuses, to see Jake lying beside me, shirtless, his hair ruffled and a lazy smile on his face.

"Hi."

"Hey," I mumble.

I look to the window. It was light when I fell asleep, too. I'm so confused.

"I came over last night but you were passed out," Jake explains. "You slept right through. It's almost ten a.m."

"What?" I croak, rubbing at my eyes and slowing moving to rest on my elbow.

"Yeah," he grins. "You must have been tired. I've been awake since six. I'm bored."

My brain slowly tries to figure out how many hours I've slept. I feel like I've been hit by a truck.

"Why weren't you at school yesterday?" I ask quietly, sinking back into the mattress and letting my eyes flutter closed once more.

"Wasn't quite ready to face the world yet," he admits. "Went to counselling instead."

"Right. How was counselling?"

"Much needed, I think," he lets out a soft laugh.

"I needed you there."

The silence settles uncomfortably between us. I needed him and he wasn't there. He was, yet again, backing out. It's always the same. Perfect when we're out of school and then he's back to how he always is.

But he defended you and admitted it to Guy. And when you called, he came.

I repeat that over in my mind.

"You weren't ready to face the world," I eventually say when he fails to reply, slowly opening my eyes and rolling my head so that I'm looking at him. His eyes are directed to my blanket as he traces a pattern on the cover. "Explain."

He half-shrugs. "It's a big deal."

"Being my boyfriend?"

"Yeah."

I chew at my lip. "So, what happens now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you don't go to school now, so I guess that rules all that complication out," I exhale and a huge part of me is disappointed. I want him there. I want to sit with him. I want to hold his hand down the hallway. I want to kiss him between classes. I want this whole high school experience and he's the only one I want to share it with.

"What do you want me to say?" he asks.

"I don't know anymore," I shake my head. "I'm tired."

"Tired of me?"

"Tired of everything."

I roll to my side, my back to him and close my eyes once more, wishing yesterday never damn happened.


***


When I wake next, Jake isn't here.

I shouldn't have expected him to be, but I'm still angry. I don't even know what part I'm angry about. All of it, I guess.

I spend the day doing house work with Ma and catching on my homework and assessment. I need to switch off my emotions for a while and get myself back on track.

Grant and Katryn come for dinner and Ma makes a roast. It's nice having warmth back into the place. Without Ellie here and Ma out a lot, it makes the house feel empty. Katryn's loud laugh fills the large spaces and brings a smile to my face. I never would have thought I'd ever have my two best friends in the one room, let alone eating together with my family. I'm so glad this has happened.

I was unaware of this, but Katryn and Grant have been working on a petition, with Ma's help, to reinstate Jake back into school, saying he was defending me from a serious act of bullying and discrimination. Ma has been working on an essay and it's extremely powerful. I don't want to get my hopes up, but her words are strong and can't be ignored.

We spend the night smothered in blankets, stomachs full of popcorn and soaring through a pile of must-watches that Katryn compiled. We stay up until two a.m trying to get through the list. I end up falling asleep with my head in Kat's lap and my feet sprawled across Grant's, my mind finally side-tracked from Jake and the drama at school.

Everyone is gone by the time I wake the next morning. Grant and Kat are at school and Ma's at work. I take my time going about the house, showering, eating breakfast and enjoying, for once, not having anything planned for the day. I take Charlie for a run, smash out the 800 words I had remaining on my essay and do a mini-work out I found online.

I'm sprawled out in the backyard across a blanket, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in my hand, when I hear someone shouting. I jerk out of my daze, the book almost falling from my hand.

"Out here!" I yell back after Charlie's deafening barks finally cease.

He stands beside me and growls as Rhett comes around the corner. Upon seeing a familiar face, Charlie bounds over to him and showers him with licks.

"Rhett!" I say in surprise, leaning back onto my hands, enjoying the hot sun on my skin. "What are you doing here?"

"Heard through the rumour mill something went down," he tells me. He then lifts a basket he's holding. "I brought food."

"You know the way to a guy's heart," I grin.

He wanders over to me and I make room on the blanket. He withdraws to bottles of water, some freshly baked bread rolls and a roast chicken. My mouth waters at the smell.

"You're skipping school to check up on me?"

"Had a double free this afternoon, I'm not missing anything," he smiles. "But yeah. Basically."

"That's sweet."

"I didn't know you like to read," he points out. "That's my favourite one," he nods at the book.

"Me too," I agree. "I've read the entire series twice, but I've read this book itself about five times."

Rhett raises his eyebrows. "Didn't peg you as such a Harry Potter nerd."

I laugh. "Who isn't in this generation?"

"True that," he nods. "So, what exactly happened? I heard Guy and you had a run in and you both left the school in ambulances and neither of you have been back since."

"That's basically it," I answer. "Guy found out about me and Jake. Cornered me with two others in the bathroom. Jake came in before they could do too much damage, but now, he's expelled and I'm meant to go back to school with them and what? Sit in class and act like it never happened?"

"Yikes," Rhett mutters. "Guy is a proper prick. Never liked him."

"You along with everyone else."

I take a big bite out of my roll. I was hungry an hour ago but couldn't put my book down. This is a sweet deal getting it hand-delivered to me.

"Anything new with you?" I ask.

"Not really. I'm boring. The most exciting part my life was you," he points out with a laugh and I feel a stab of guilt hit me again. I never got to give Rhett the chance he deserved.

"Untrue."

"Very true," he rolls his eyes. "So, you're dating Jake, or?"

I sigh and chew for a few moments, trying to gather my thoughts. "It's complicated."

"When isn't it, with you two?"

"He is confident about it all when it's just us and then when we're around other people he can't handle it. Although he did basically admit to Guy and the others that we're together, so that's something. But he's expelled now, so, I guess I'll only see him of a night and on the weekend."

"He makes me so fucking angry," Rhett suddenly explodes and I startle in surprise at his tone. "He has everything in the palm of his hand and he's throwing it away because he's scared."

"Everything?"

"You," he quips back, throwing the rest of his food onto his plate. "Doesn't he get that? Why would he risk losing you, over something so stupid?"

I shrug. "Don't know."

"You know what you deserve?"

"What?" I ask.

"Someone who is willing to do everything for you, to make sure you're theirs."

He's suddenly is on his knees. I don't have time to catch up with what's happening. He leans down and his lips meet mine. They're warm and soft and totally, completely wrong. I jerk back but he follows, kissing me again, his hand on the side of my face.

I press my hand to his chest and push him back gently.

"Rhett..." I trail off before a flicker in the sunlight over us catches my attention.

Jake stands there, looking down at us, a look of pure fury on his face.

"What the hell is going on?"


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