My Deer Girl

Chapter 9: The Warning

                                                                                           Aria

“You heard what Denise said,” Charlotte seconded, eyes drifting to my veggies. She scoffed at it. “Eating like a goat, aren’t we?”

I did try to eat meat since I could remember, but it wasn’t just for me. I hated the taste of meat in my mouth that everytime I tried, I retched. Really bad! My mom then adjusted my diet, so I became a vegetarian, which went well for me.

Abdalla and Denise tee-heed in a taunting manner. Charlotte then tipped my lunch box, scattering the veggies on the table and my shirt down to my pants.

“Oops! Clumsy me!” Charlotte acted surprised, putting a finger on her lips and laughed.

In the corner of my eye, through the gap between Abdalla and Charlotte, I saw Dominick get up maybe to rescue me, but he was restrained by Sawyer and the others. Perhaps it was to not make the scene bigger and blow off out of proportion.

I calmly reached for a tissue from the box on the table and wiped the veggies off me, smirking to Charlotte’s and others’ confusion. Even Maddison was shocked that she could not do or say anything. She just stared at us and was not a help at all—not that I expected anyone or her to do so anyway.

“I’ll let this pass, Charlotte. As you’ve just said, you’re clumsy,” I told her, meeting her dark blue eyes that were filled with malice. “I can’t retaliate with anyone who’s clumsy. They just can’t help it. I mean, you can’t help it.”

“She’s stupid!” Denise sneered and tittered.

“Believe me, I can act one, so don’t stretch it too much, girls.” I slammed my two hands on the table, sending Maddison’s fork clinking against the plate and making the girls jump.

I noticed the entire cafeteria go silent as they watched on. Some even took videos.

I stood up, straightening my back before cleaning up the table. “You know, I don’t mind doing this. I can hold back myself. I quite have this practice of stretching my patience. My mother told me it’s important, you know? To live in the society in peace, we need to be civil and everything. Normally, if I’m not holding back right now,” I paused, raising my eyes to Charlotte and to her two companions’ faces, who were anticipating what I would do next. I palm heeled my plastic lunch box that Denise and Abdalla stepped back. The plastic lunch box was broken. “You would see blood around here. And do you know where that blood comes from?”

“S-she’s a psycho!” Abdalla whispered, fear registered in her flickering dark eyes.

I palm heeled the lunch box again, creating another breaking sound and making Maddison’s fork jump on the plate once more. “It will come from your pretty faces!” I whispered, enough for them to hear, and gave them a chilling smile.

“She’s crazy! Let’s go, Charlotte, Denise!” Abdalla almost dragged the other two girls.

Charlotte wasn’t afraid of me. I could see it in her eyes. However, her two companions were daunted bat sh*t. The students separated when they made a move to get out of the cafeteria. When I glanced at Dominick, he gave me a congratulatory look as if I achieved something. He pushed Sawyer away, as well as the two others who held him back and strode toward me.

“Are you okay?” he asked with concern though. He was about to touch my face, but he held back, as though checking himself.

“Of course I am. Thanks for asking,” I answered and shrugged. I tossed my broken lunch box to the nearest garbage bin.

“Wait, you’re bleeding.” Dominick touched my hand.

There it was again. I could feel the warmth spreading all over me, overwhelming me that I stared at him in awe. “I-it’s nothing. It’ll heal fast,” I assured him, taking back my hand. I barely even felt the pain caused by the wound.

 “No, it’s not nothing. Come on, I have something in my locker. I’ll treat it for you.” He looked at me with determination and stubbornness in his light blue eyes.

Oh, I could drown in them! They were so gorgeous!

I was barely aware that he held my hand firmly and began to stride fast. “W-wait! My bag!”

He let me go and waited for me to get my backpack. I just gave Maddison a warning look, and she giggled.

“Just go, girl!” she cheered with a wide smile.

***

Dominick held me by the hand as he led me to his locker in the building next to the cafeteria, on the west side. The lockers were in silver color, lining up on each side of the wide hallway. Many threw glances at us as we walked by, curious and wondering what was happening. They murmured some things like why was he dragging me to his locker, and he was quick to get a small first aid kit.

He cleaned the wound near my wrist with hydrogen peroxide before applying some ointment and bandaged it. All the while, I stared at his handsome face.

“Thanks for doing this, but I could have gone to the clinic. It’s not really a big deal.”

“The clinic is another block away from here. It’s closer here,” he said, raising his eyes from his craft to look at my face. “Besides, I wanted to have you all to myself.” He smirked after closing his locker, leaning his shoulder against someone’s locker. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you this entire week, but I didn’t get a chance.”

“Oh.” It was all I could say at that point, our eyes holding each other.

“Come on. How can I reach you? If you’ll let me?” He gave me a kind of shy smile now.

 Oh, Holy Mother of God! Is he playing me now? He just looks even more adorable!

I found myself reciting my number with him grinning widely. “So, you got it all in your head, huh?”

“Definitely!” he confirmed and raised a finger to indicate for me to wait. He took his cell phone out of his jeans back pocket and entered my number. A few seconds later, I heard and felt my phone vibrate inside my bag.

I immediately fished it out and read his message.

Interested in coming with me to the welcome party? ;)

I bit my lower lip, raising my eyes to him and scrunching up my small nose. “I’ll think about it.” I turned on my heels and started to go to my first afternoon class, which was Algebra.

“Wait!” He took my hand again and led me to the washroom, which was to the left from at the end of the hallway.

“Why are we here?” I asked him, confused.

He took a light blue shirt from his black bag and put it in my hands. “I’m giving you this. Go, change,” he urged me and gave me a gentle push.

My jaw hung as I looked at his face. “But this is yours. It’s not going to fit me!” I protested.

“Well, suit yourself. Others will see your stained clothes. Do you want the professors to see them and ask you? They might, you know? And then, what are you going to say? Are you going to tell them the truth you were bullied by Charlotte?”

“I was not bullied. I never was, and I wouldn’t let that happen to me. I just had a… fight.” I shrugged.

“Which could not sound good, could it?” he pointed out.

I sighed in defeat and closed the door. If I’d think it rationally, Charlotte and her friends did act to intimidate me. Still, I thought it was not enough to get them suspended or, worse, expelled. I didn’t want it to happen to them and maybe destroy their future. I wasn’t harmed, at least physically speaking. Yet. Otherwise, maybe I wouldn’t hold back or think about their future anymore.

Sh*t. I smelled Dominick’s scent in his shirt when I put it on. And, sh*t again. It was too big that I was like wearing a loose dress!

I glanced at myself in the mirror, grimacing but thankful that I had the washroom all to myself. I folded the shoulder parts as the sleeves were past my elbows. I looked like a scarecrow if not a walking hanger. My lips curved sideways at my funny look, reading the statement on the shirt:

Hockey player’s routine

Wheel.

Grease.

Snipe.

Celly.

Repeat.

I chuckled at it. My eyes were focused on the biscuit (puck) and the stick on the side of the words. I sighed heavily. I did miss playing hockey.

I took a deep breath and moved to go out of the washroom. Some girls gave me a once-over before they went past me to use the washroom, but I didn’t mind them as they started to murmur. Well, obviously, they had seen Dominick outside, waiting for me.

I found him leaning against the wall, across the washroom. His wide grin appeared readily when he saw me in his huge shirt.

“I never thought someone could look ravishing in that shirt!” he commented and whistled to my embarrassment.

Even with reddening face, I gave him a cutting look. “I look like a child playing dress up. It’s humiliating!”

He chuckled softly. “Here,” he said and started to unbuckle his belt to my surprise.

My eyes widened, and I frantically looked around us. Some did see him in the act. “What are you doing?” I hissed.

He did not answer but just hooked an arm around my waist, which made me gasp. I could smell him even more at this close proximity. Our bodies were only some inches away from each other that I could feel the heat emanating from his. I looked up at him as he gave me a charming smile. Then, I felt him put the belt around my waist.

I was even more dumbstruck when he tore the sleeves of his shirt. When I looked down at myself, I thought it wasn’t so bad. Maybe if I would just take off my jeans, it would be better. And, I even did it in front of him.

What’s wrong with me?

He chuckled as I did it, and some guys hooted and whistled.

“Hey! Look away!” he demanded, pointing at them.

It made me cackle. “Hmm! Now my embarrassment is complete, thanks to you!” I stated, shoving my pants in my bag, whereas he tossed the sleeves in a nearby bin.

He laughed and followed me when I started to march down the hall. “So, are you going to kill me in suspense the whole weekend and the week after that?” He was fast to keep up with me. With his long toned legs, it was a no-brainer.

“We’ll see, Dominick.” It was the first time I called him his name, smiling up at him mysteriously.

I winked at him, which was not me at all that I blushed. He chortled a little and caught my left hand, which was free of wound.

“Can I send you home later?”

I definitely did not expect to hear that from him.