Avoiding The Bad Boy

Chapter Seven

Graciela’s POV

As I slammed the door behind me, I didn’t even pause as I ran back down the hall, the thin piece of paper clasped in my hand. I needed to get the hell out of here, I can’t believe he’s here! HIM! Archer Freaking Jones!

I reach out a hand as I come to the entrance, closing my fingers around the doorknob as a throat clears behind me.

Turning around I find the same red head looking at me curiously over the top of her computer. ‘You need to give me that slip hun’ she said cheerfully, pointing at my crumpled up sheet.

Glancing down at it, I nodded dumbly, walking back toward her with shaky legs and holding it out.

Taking it, Janet, as Archer had called her, read over the form before holding it out to me again, ‘you need to sign it here hun, then I can issue you with your payment.’

Taking it back, I reach for my bag just to realise I left my only pen in Archer’s office. Biting back the need to scream, I brought my gaze to the woman in front of me who was studying me curiously. ‘Uh do you have a pen?’ I asked lamely, ‘I left mine in . . . my last class.’

Tilting her head, Janet bit her lip before nodding and pulling open a drawer to extract a black biro that she handed over to me. Scrawling my name quickly I handed the sheet back along with the pen. Shaking her head, Janet smiled, ‘keep it, just in case you can’t get your other one back, I know what the cleaning staff are like around here, anything left on a desk goes straight in the trash.’

I forced a grin to my lips as I nodded in thanks, placing the pen into my pocket and shifted uncomfortably as the girl behind the desk opened a drawer, pulling out a cash tin that she placed in front of her before rifling through the drawer pulling a wry face.

‘Damn key, I swear it up and relocates every time I put it back in here’ she grumbled, ducking her head and starting to throw random items on top of the desk.

I gave a nervous glance back down the corridor, silently pleading with Janet to hurry up before Archer decided to come out of his office and find me still here.

‘Where are you, you little . . ‘ the red head muttered as a half full packet of gum landed beside the tin, followed closely by a ball of multicoloured string and an eraser shaped like a monster.

‘Aha!!’ Janet exclaimed triumphantly, holding aloft the worlds tiniest key as if it was some sacred artifact. ‘Knew it was in there somewhere, the pesky devil’ she added happily as she slid it into the lock and turned it slowly.

I bit down on my tongue as my mind screamed ‘come ooooooooon’ at the top of its voice.

Finally lifting the lid, she took out a stack of bills and counted them slowly into a small pile. Placing the spares back in the tin, she grabbed the collection and stood up, going to count them out again in front of me.

‘No no, it’s fine!’ I blurted desperately, giving the empty corridor another glimpse, ‘I trust you, honestly.’

Janet frowned as she reluctantly handed over the bills, ‘if you are sure’ she said as I pretty much snatched the money, shoving it into a random pocket and smiling manically.

‘Absolutely’ I replied quickly, ‘thank you so much for your help.’

‘Your . . ‘ the other girl’s voice was cut off as the door slammed shut behind me, my feet racing down the path away from the administration building and the memory of the worst time of my life.

Stumbling over a loose stone, my arms started to cartwheel as I tried to remain upright. Realising that the Gods were again against me, I prepared for impact just as two strong arms circled my waist, holding me up.

‘Woah there’ came a familiar voice as I opened my eyes and glanced over my shoulder to find Trey looking down at me in concern.

Righting myself, I pulled from his grip, brushing down my jacket as I schooled my features, ‘thank you but it wasn’t necessary’ I grit out, avoiding his gaze.

‘You were about to fall on your ass’ Trey replied, his fingers flexing as if he was thinking of grabbing me again.

Wrapping my jacket tighter around my body, I glared up at him, ‘so?’ I demanded, ‘it’s not like it would be any of your business.’

The jock flinched at my tone, ‘I was only trying to help’ he muttered.

‘Well don’t’ I snapped angrily, my emotions in turmoil, ‘I didn’t ask for you to help me and I’m sure you don’t want any of your friends to see you with me so do us both a favour and get lost.’

I turned around, ready to storm off when long fingers curled around my arm, ‘I didn’t mean . .’ Trey started.

Whirling back, my temper broke, I was too fragile, to raw right now to listen, instead letting my hurt and pain unleash on the teenager in front of me. ‘What?’ I growled, ‘you didn’t mean to look at me like I was an embarrassment? Didn’t mean to try and pass off to your friends that you didn’t know me? Or maybe you didn’t mean to sit there and remain mute as I walked around with my hair in curlers? Allowing me instead to be a laughing stock of the college.’ I yanked my hand from his grip, stumbling back slightly from the force of the movement, Trey reaching for me but stilling, his fingers inches from my wrist.

‘I didn’t know what to say’ Trey replied desperately, ‘you could have been trying a new fashion statement!’

Straightening up, I stared at him coldly, ‘is that how I come across?’ I asked bitterly, ‘as the girl who wears rollers in her hair to try and start a new trend?’ I waved my hand down myself theatrically, ‘do I LOOK like a trend setter?’ I continued, ‘Versace is battering down my door just wishing for a crumb of my artistic licence to put on the catwalk?’

I snorted derisively, taking a threatening step toward him despite him having a good 5 inches and one hundred and twenty pounds on me. ‘I don’t need your help’ I growled, enunciating each word as I spoke. ‘I do not want your help, so just run back to your meat head mates and plastic cheerleading entourage and leave me alone.’

Pivoting, I ignored the footballer calling after me and ran back to the dorms, almost slamming straight into the glass door as I tried to stop, tears running down my face.

Punching in the door code, I shoved my way through the entrance and ran for the lift, thankful that the doors opened to reveal an empty cart.

Stepping inside, I pressed the fourth floor, leaning against the wall as the doors slid closed. Once I was encased in the metal cube, my shoulders started to shake and I slid down the wall, dropping my bag by my feet, wrapping my arms over my head as I screamed as loudly as I could.

‘Bastard!’ I yelled, fisting my hair, ‘I hate you, why are you here? Why are you HERE!!’

The ding of the elevator had my looking up to find four girls standing outside the now open doors, staring at me silently.

Wiping my ace with my sleeve, I hoisted myself to my feet, straightening my shoulders as I met their gazes, ‘sorry, I’m auditioning for the play that the drama club is putting on, the acoustics in here are excellent for projection practice.’

Taking a deep breath, I swiped my bag from the floor, pulling it tightly against my chest and strode past them without a backwards glance.

‘Wow if that was her practice, I can’t wait to see the play’ one of the girl’s murmured as they made their way inside of the lift, the doors sliding closed behind them.

Stumbling toward my dorm room, I fumbled for my key, missing the lock three times before I managed to slide it into the lock and turn it.

I fell forward into the room, the door swinging closed behind me as I hit my knees on the carpet, my bag falling from my arms as I curled up into a ball and let the tears flow.

The sound of the door opening woke me, a groan leaving me as I stretched uncomfortably, trying to see focus through the shadows that now stretched across the room.

‘Are you OK?’ came Addison’s worried voice as her bag dropped to the floor near my head and she turned me over to face her.

‘Oh hey!’ I croaked, trying to discreetly wipe my eyes as my roommate studied me in concern.

‘Have you been crying?’ she asked, helping me to sit up and shuffle back until my back hit the edge of my bed.

‘Me, crying?’ I replied shrilly, ‘nope, just . . .allergies. The flowers you know, really messing with my sinuses, didn’t have my hay fever medication on me.’

My friend raised an eyebrow disbelievingly, ‘allergies’ she repeated, ‘in this climate?’ She gave an open perusal of my thick jacket that I had grabbed to fend off the colder weather, used to the much warmer climate of home.

I pushed myself up on to my mattress, nodding, ‘yep, family thing, hereditary, doesn’t even need to be humid for our allergies to play up, even a small sandstorm is enough to get the eyes streaming.’

‘Uh huh’ Addison replied, walking to her own bed and sitting down to kick off her shoes before dragging her bag toward her and pulling out her books. ‘Well if your allergies ever need someone to talk to, you can tell them that I am here.’

Giving a dejected nod, I reached out and pulled my own bag over, extracting my homework and opening my books to start the mountain of work I already had to complete.