The Gang Leader And His Library Girl

Jessica's POV: I need to get out of here. It's the last class of the day, which is math for me, and I'm basically suffocating! I already have math done, and that doesn't exactly help me. It was a hard assignment for everybody else today, but I went through it already.      Some girls in the front snicker when a crumpled up paper lands on top of my notebook. I know that I shouldn't read it, but I can't resist it. They always have something to say about me everyday, and for some reason, a part of me wants to know what it is that they're saying. I slowly uncrumpled the piece of paper, then brought it close to my face to read the small handwriting.      Got cheap enough clothes, skank? I suck in a sharp breath and let the paper float back down onto my notebook. Chelsea, the girl with brown hair that threw the paper at me, laughs again at me.      It's not like I have a choice in what I wear! My parents are kind of rich, but not a lot. Let's say there's a scale. One end says "poor" and the other end says "rich". Me and my family would be between the middle of the scale and the rich end, but leaning more towards the rich end. Chelsea doesn't even make it on the scale though! She's way past rich. Anyways, my parents don't like me not being "ladylike", so they make me wear dresses and skirts. That's all I get. Honestly, I like what I'm wearing today. It's one of the very few days that I got to wear something that I actually like.   The bell suddenly rings, making me jump at the sound. Everyone else in the class gets up and rushes out the door. I quickly closed the notebook with the paper Chelsea threw at me. I always keep the papers that are thrown at me that have things on them like that. It kind of reminds me of my place so that I don't dream of something too spectacular.      Shoving everything into my bag, I rush out of the room. I sprint down the crowded hallway, getting shoved into lockers here and there, and finally make it to mine. I switch out the books that I need with the books that I don't, then shut the locker. I barely get the lock securely back on before I start running down the hallway again.     I would be waiting at the locker for my friend, only friend really, Kayla. Me and her always go over to the library after school. There's a secret room there that we go into to hang out and read or do homework in. But today, she's sick, leaving me alone in this dreadful place.    I dash out of the school, luckily avoiding all my major bullies, but just in case, I don't stop running until I'm a good two blocks from the school. I stop for a little bit and take in huge breaths, then start walking regularly. I take my phone out of my bag and check for any messages.  One from Kayla: Hang in there!! I'll see you soon!!!! I smile and slip my phone back into my bag. That made me feel a little bit better. I hear a car pull up beside me, so I turn my head to the left. Brandon, Chelsea's boyfriend and one of my physical bullies, is driving his car with his other friends in the car.  "Jessica!" Brandon screams. "It's a bit hot outside, don't ya think? Want to cool down a bit?" Okay, I'll admit that maybe wearing this on a day that was going to be warm was a bad idea, but I sure as hell wasn't going to be trusting Brandon and his friends.      "No. I'm fine." I pick up my pace in walking, and I think that they're going to leave me alone. I hear the engine cut a little bit behind me, then some door opening and closing. Before I can even register what might be happening, him and his friends are dumping ice cold water on my head. Not only that, but they put huge ice cubes in it, and they all start to hit my head. I scream and try to get away, but Chase, one of his friends, grabs me and makes me stand still. I scream again and try to yank away, but it's no use. They're all laughing at me, and then Chase finally lets me go when the water stops coming down on me. I fall to my knees and grab my head, groaning in pain. I can hear them laughing and giving each other high-fives. The car doors open and close again, then Brandon speeds away, his tires squealing.      I sigh and slowly stand up. I grab my now soaking wet bag and throw it over my shoulder again. Just my luck, the warm sun has decided to hide behind some clouds, leaving me in the cold shade. Great. I begin my slow walk to the library. When I finally get there, I'm still soaking wet and my head is still throbbing, but not as much.      I open the door and walk inside. I look for Iris, the old woman that owns the library, but she's not at the front desk. There must have been a new shipment of books today then. I think more people are in here, though, because I can hear murmuring towards the back. I shrug it off and walk into the janitor's closet. This is the way that me and Kayla take to the secret room. I turn the light on, then swing the mirror above the big, old sink away from the wall. It's like a door. I smile as the smell of popcorn fills my nose.  Me and Kayla had some snacks the last time we were here, and yes, Iris knows that we come here. I step onto the sink, then climb into the small tunnel on my hands and knees. When I get in far enough, I swing the mirror closed behind me, then continue on my way down the tunnel. It takes a little bit to get to the other end, but I finally do, and I lightly push the painting that we decided to put there. It swings open, revealing my favourite place. I smile and drop my bag on the couch. It makes a 'plop' noise when it lands on it. I swing my feet around and sit on my butt, then let myself fall onto the couch. I reach out and swing the painting back into place, then jump off the couch. There used to be a door in here that was connected to an old parking lot, but people took that out for another building, so the door was taken out. There's no way that couch was going to fit through that tiny tunnel!      I start humming a tune to myself while picking up a book. I rest my hand on the bookshelf we have in here, tapping my finger to the tune of the song I'm humming. I smile as I realize this is a book that I haven't read yet. I start to walk towards the chair, but someone knocks on the shelf behind me. I jump and spin around, my eyes wide.      "Hello?" A voice calls from the other side. "Is someone in there?!" He knocks again, probably looking for a hollow spot. Ha. He stops, and it sounds like he's calling someone. I narrow my eyes a little bit and walk closer to the shelf. I still can't hear him, so I lean my ear against the shelf, trying to hear what he's saying. Then, BANG! I scream and jump back, dropping the book onto the floor. "I knew it!" I sigh and move some books out of the way to look through a small, rectangle hole in the shelf that he's obviously missed. I look at him and it takes my mind a little bit to respond. He's cute. "U-um, I'm sorry."      He stops looking for the opening in the shelf and smirks. "So, there's a girl back there?"      I roll my eyes. He's obviously more interested in the fact that I'm a girl. "Ever since I was born!"      He laughs a little bit. "Would you mind coming out of there then? Maybe I can see the beautiful face that belongs to that beautiful voice."      "Hey!" I scream, crossing my arms. "What if I was some 13 year old girl?! You just flirted with a 13 year old girl!"      He raises one eyebrow. "You don't sound like you're 13 years old. How old are you?"      I bite my lip and look down. "Seventeen." I mumble. "What about you? You look that same age as me."      "Well, close. I'm actually 18. My birthday was last week."      I smile. "Well, happy late birthday."      "Ashton. My name's Ashton."      "Happy late birthday, Ashton. Now," I lay my arms on top of each other and rest them on the shelf, still looking at him through the small hole, and rest my chin on top of my arms. "What brings you to bookshelf number 98?"