I'll Take A Bullet For You

Chapter 2

Elsen High is a very popular high school in my city. September is a good month for making new new friends, reuniting with old ones. The start of grade twelve, I didn't have any friends. I worked alone in my classes, got some of the highest marks. One day, at lunch, Hailee came up to me and I remember exactly what she said: You like the Fever series, don't you? Girl, I don't know you're name, but I love your taste! That was all it took. We became friends. 

        Hailee is one of the prettiest girls in the whole school. With lip gloss on her perfect lips, to-die-for curly blonde hair, fashionable clothing, and flawless make-up, one might think she isn't friendly enough to be friends with me. She is. I'm not great on looks, and don't wear makeup everyday. Hailee tells me I should straighten my hair more often, but I don't like it that way. In fact, as long as I had clean clothes, take showers before school, and comb my hair out of its tangles, I am prepared. 

        I head to the commons, an area just outside the cafeteria doors. It's where most students wait with their own groups until the first class begins. Hailee, Lena, and I wait under the large TV screen etched to the wall in the commons. I see both of them talking there.

        "Look, Amy's here," Lena says when she sees me. I stop near them, smiling as a greeting. "Amy, do you think Hailee really needs a boyfriend?" My mind goes blank. I don't know much about romantic relationships. I haven't kept a good one myself.

        People talk about these kind of things all day at school, and I try not to get too involved in it. Chatter flies aimlessly in all directions above my head, words and gossip and rumours. They never change. I have heard about the 'Floyd and Paula having s*x at a party' weeks ago. Not to mention, the school's smartest student, Joanna Honey, commit suicide because of the insults and bullying she has to face everyday. That rumour is at its peek before plummeting down the hill because I see her walk into the commons and  right by us. She stops at a lonely corner, standing against the wall. 

        Her face is baby-like, small and round, eyes large and framed with glasses, the tips of her blonde hair falling around her neck, and wearing the same clothes and expression almost everyday. We were best friends before, years ago. She was pretty--and still is now in a different way--had the boys' attention, was lively and got consumed in her fame. She used me to her benefits, threw me away when she didn't need me, and here I am, watching her tremble towards the end of the line. If I go back there to be there with her, I will lose my reputation. If I don't, her pleading eyes as they fall on me will make me feel guilty. She's made me go through worse, so I look away.

        But still, I don't know why her popularity took such a low plunge through the summer of grade eleven. I do pity her, she seems scared, alone, and terrified with the people in Elsen. It's hard to believe I've been friends with a girl like that before.

        Three minutes before the bell, one of the most popular guys at school walks towards us.

        "Yo, Hailee. You comin' to the party this weekend?" Leif says, putting a palm on the wall and leaning flirtatiously towards her. Hailee narrows her eyes but doesn't say no. "My house. Don't forget sweetheart." Leif winks, flipping his brown waves to the side of his head. 

        "She doesn't want to get laid," Lena says, glaring at him. "Lief, get the f**k out of here." 

        He doesn't listen. Instead, he leans abnormally close to Lena, startling her as he gazes directly into her eyes.

        "I sure hope you're coming, too, baby doll," Leif says in a deep, seductive voice. Lena gulps and nods obediently, making Leif smirk and straighten. "See you girls then." My blood freezes when his eyes land on me. "Good day, Amy Curley. Don't say no to my offer." 

        "No," I say. I don't go to parties. The fear of drinking, hanging out with spoiled teenagers, having someone touch me all over--it's a bit too much. 

        "I know what you're thinkin' about." The smirk doesn't leave. "I understand. I need you there so you're two girl friends would come as well." Wow, what a bait I am. 

        "You really don't underst--" I begin.

        "Sweetheart!" he grins, placing his hands on his hips. "Nothing will happen to you. If it will, someone is sure to get hurt. And I won't be the one hurting. Remember that, eh?" He winks at me and saunters away. 

        "What an overrated d**k," Lena says harshly, slamming her fist to her palm. "I'm so not going to his party. Cruz will surely think I'm cheating and that's the last thing I want." Lena looks at Hailee, and disbelief colours her face. "Oh, no. Don't tell me, Hailee! You do not want to go!"

        "Oh come on, Lena!" she whines, and I sigh. "I haven't had a boyfriend yet and I really want to look for the right one! You and Cruz are like Romeo and Juliet but what about my Prince Charming?" Lena rolls her eyes. 

        "So you want to date an ass? Look, Hailee, you don't go to your true love, you wait for it to come to you," Lena says, restating one of her laws of love. Lena is smart and very professional. She even found a guy she believes is her soul mate. Cruz and her have been together for three years, showing no signs of breaking up. Hailee should really take advice from such a girl. 

        Hailee nudges my shoulder. "You had a boyfriend before, right Amy? I'm the one that has never been kissed, never dated, and I don't want to be boring anymore." That's not entirely true, I've never been kissed either. But Hailee will not listen to me if I tell her. She's independent, but at the same time, a c***k loose. 

        "Who told you that you're boring, Hailee?" Lena almost shouts in irritation. "You're probably the prettiest girl in the entire grade and boys flirt with you almost every second. On top of that, you've been asked out before and you rejected the poor guys. Shame on yourself and don't whine for not being in a relationship."

        Hailee whines again. This is what I have to listen to everyday for being friends with them. I don't mind, but too much of that talk can get boring and frustrating. Just when Hailee turns to me and opens her mouth, someone catches my attention. 

        He always makes an entrance when he comes to school. He does nothing special, but his looks, style, everything is attractive. I'm not attracted to him, though. Everyday, I wait to see if something will change. If he will ever talk to somebody other than his own group of friends. The Black Cat pack are all a bunch of hot, sexy boys. But everyone is scared of them, and wouldn't dare go near them. The noise isn't gone but it does lessen as the Black Cat pack enter the commons. They stand at their regular spot near the water fountain, all the way across from where we are. All start talking again, breaking their gazes from them.

        "Those four boys...holy s**t," Hailee says, bringing her manicured nails close to her mouth. "They are so darn cute! And especially Alistair. Oh, God he's attractive. He has friends but he's mostly a loner, isn't he?" Lena shrugs.

        "He's strange, but not a loner. He's like that I-don't-give-two-shits-about-anything kind of guy. Girls swoon over him in private. Bitches be too chicken to confront him. Better to stay away," she says. 

        "But this dude is a genius! He's so annoying," Hailee says, shaking her head. She takes a peak at Alistair, who is looking ahead as if distracted. "Although, I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I flirted just a little bit--"

        "Kill that thought, Hailee," Lena snorts. "Girls have asked him before only to get rejected flatly. If you allow him to be flirted with, he might break you heart. Inside that speechless figure, there can be a player hiding in the shadows." 

        "Have I ever told you that you're goddamn great at poetry?" Hailee says, slapping her shoulder in amusement. Lena smiles with pride. She is quite good in literature and talks with automatic poetic language. Cruz loves that about her.

        The bell rings and all  the students part to go to their home room classes. Hailee, Lena, and I have the same home room class for math. Though the door is open, the teacher is nowhere to be seen. Students chat loudly in their seats, waiting for the second bell to ring to signal the final start of class. 

        At the last second, in a hurry, a short woman with flats, greying hair, sharp glasses, and bright pink lipstick stumbles into the classroom with a bunch of papers in her hands. She smiles apologetically after closing the classroom door. Something about today seems different to me. Ms. Mark is never late for class, neither does she smile like this. 

        "Students, I know this is short notice but it is very important I tell you about the change Elsen High is doing for this semester," she says, standing straight in front of the white board. She waits, and we wait. "Well, this is the third week of school, and it's not very long into the school year. So this change shouldn't affect you much." Mr. Mark shifts the papers to her left side. "You're schedules are changing. And don't worry, the new teacher you will get is going to pick up where you left off." 

        Students look at each other. I wait for Ms. Mark to tell us more. She starts to hand us our new schedules, and everyone starts to talk at once. Hailee whines about the possibility of not being in the same class with Lena and me anymore. I don't really mind being in a different class, as long as I get a good teacher.         

        When I get my new schedule, I notice three of my four teachers are changed. Lena and Hailie compare their schedules together, and I ask who their teachers are. I don't have them in any of my classes.

        "With that settled," Ms. Mark checks her wristwatch, "there's going to be an announcement soon. You're to go outside and look for your new classrooms."

        Like she said, there is a following announcement over the PA. Students rush out the classroom, some in joy and some in despair of the schedule change. Looking down at my schedule, I still have math first but on the second floor. Taking the stairs, I look at the room number. My nose is in the schedule the whole time until I reach my new math class. It's at a hallway I've never been at before. I take a peek inside the classroom, noticing that a couple of students already came and took a seat. 

       To my dismay, there is Leif, Floyd, Paula, Greg, and Carla all in the same class. They're sitting together, talking and laughing. On the other side near the window, I see two Black Cats. One is Mathias and the other...is Alistair. Our eyes meet for a split second before I look away, a sudden nervousness creeping into my body.

        "Hey yo, Amy!" Greg calls at me. I look at him as he he flashes a grin at me. He's got bleach blonde hair and dark chocolate eyes, and he's the definition of obnoxious. "You wanna sit on my lap?" Carla, Paula, and Floyd laugh. I shake my head to decline the offer and put my schedule down on one of the front row desks. 

        I hear Leif try to shush Greg. "You know what happened to Oren and Matthew. Keep your mouth shut," he hisses. I clench the schedule in my hands after hearing those two names. They were my two ex-boyfriends. I don't know what happened to them, but they both stopped going to this school; one in grade ten, and another in grade eleven. I don't know the story as well as Leif does. 

        The teacher that comes in looks very friendly. She looks about the age of Ruth, shorter than her, soft blonde curls, two pearl earrings, a collared blouse, and ankle boots. 

        "Hi everyone! I'm Ms. Ally and I'll be your new home room math teacher," she says, putting a folder on her bureau.  She slips out a paper. I assume it's an attendance sheet. "If I can please get you to all stand up and line at the front of the classroom, that would be wonderful." We do as she says. Some students begin to murmur and I hear them. Mr. Ally's giving us a seating plan. 

        I get tense when she pats each desk and calls out a name. One by one, the line of students get shorter as they're assigned seats. I know I'm on top of the attendance list, and the teacher is going vertically up and down as she assigns seats. She calls Alistair's name and he walks to the very back of the classroom. 

        "Amy Curley?" Ms. Ally squints at the list. She taps the desk right next to the window, and right next to Alistair's. My stomach drops as I stay rooted to the ground. Alistair is looking at me. The schedule is crushed in my hand. As Ms. Ally calls off more names, I walk to the desk between the window and Alistair's. 

        I go around and slide the chair out, praying not to be clumsy as I sit and fiddle with my crumpled schedule. I also have to realize that all the desks in the classroom are in pairs. I tuck my hair behind my ear, tapping the desk and not daring to peek at Alistair. 

        "Alright! Now that this is settled, let's start from where all of you left off in your previous classes," Ms. Ally says. "Take out your textbooks and flip to page 234."

        Alistair and I both bend for our backpacks at the same time. My breath catches in my throat when our heads are inches from touching. His eyes flick up to mine and I realize how clear they really are. It's a colour between blue and grey, clear and crystal-like. I also smell mint. And even...sage and oranges? 

        I quickly break the gaze and pull out my textbook, putting it on my desk and taking a deep breath. From the corner of my eye, I see Alistair brushing a hand through his dark hair as he opens to the page Ms. Ally told us.

        This seating arrangement is only for a week. After a week, I can move out. I always wonder why the Black Cats appear scary to the students of Elsen High. But scary is not the word. Intimidating is. Being this close up to Alistair, I get that feeling. And for the first time, I find it extremely hard to get used to.