Chapter 7|You hit a tree?

After Ryan stormed out the rest of us just sat there staring at each other awkwardly. I didn't know what to do, and by the looks of it no one else did either.

"Should someone go after him or..?"I mumbled.

Kyle shrugged. "I wouldn't bother. He's probably out punching something." He said it so casually, snatching the jar of Nutella from Tara, dipping his finger into it, which earned a disgruntled noise from Tara. It made me wonder if it was a frequent thing, Ryan just going and punching something to let off some steam. I guess it was better to harm something that wasn't flesh and bone, but I have to admit, Erika with a broken nose would be hilarious.

Speaking of Erika, she was still standing there in her ridiculous high heels, with black rimmed eyes, all smudged from her temporary mental breakdown. She did seem semi recovered though, recovered enough to glare at me.

The rest of the student body had seemingly forgotten about Erika, with a little help from Tara. Who told everyone to continue on with their pathetic lives or she would hit them all over the head with her shoe. I actually wouldn't put it past her.

Lunch seemed to pass incredibly slowly. It was like everything around me was in slow motion and there was no fast forward button. When lunch did eventually end I was more relieved than anything.

I walked with Alex to art, seeing as we were in the same class and all. He was a quiet kind of guy so he made no effort to start a conversation, and by the looks of it he didn't want to talk anyway, so I kept my mouth shut. Talk about awkward.

We went our separate ways when we reached the art room. Alex went to sit with his art buddies and I went to sit with my buddies;the desk and the chair.

I fumbled around in my bag for my pencil, making a satisfied grunt as my fingers caught the wooden tool. I examined it, turning it over in my hands. It was red with crude letters cut into the side. I traced the letters with my fingertips, smiling as I remembered Caleb's words of wisdom.

"Every artist needs a weapon of choice" he said, placing the worn red pencil in my outstretched hand.

I studied it, coming to the conclusion that it was indeed just a pencil.

"C, this is just a pencil,"I said, looking up at him.

"No, no, no, you're wrong H. This isn't just a pencil. It's an imagination stick. You see, anything you could possibly conjure up in your little head can be brought to life by this amazing tool," he spoke, his eyes bright and his facial features lit up.

He wore his army greens that day, and every time I'd sketched since then I'd used that pencil. His pencil. That's why it was so special, because his name was carved into the side.

This was about the time when I would have pulled out my sketchbook, but obviously I didn't have it with me, so I settled on a lined sheet of paper ripped from one of my english books.

My drawing started out with two curved lines, then several shorter lines were added to the first curve. A circle inside the first lines, then a smaller circle inside that one. Shading. Adding texture.

I held the sheet of paper out in front of me. I gasped when I realised what I'd drawn. It was an eye, but not just any eye, it was Ryan's eye. I could tell by the shape and the slight crinkle at the corner as if he was smirking.

I quickly folded the paper in half and then into quarters, shoving it into my pocket so no one would see it.

I propped my elbows on the desk and observed the people around me. The teacher wasn't there, again. I was beginning to wonder why she'd gone to the trouble to be trained as a teacher because she really didn't seem to teach all that often. Not that anyone really minded, but it would have been nice of her to show up once in a while.

I started jigging my foot, a habit that I had acquired as a kid. I'm not sure why I did it, but it always seemed to annoy the people around me, especially when I didn't realise I was doing it and vibrated the whole row of desks connected to my own.

That day though, everyone seemed oblivious to my uncontrollable foot tapping. Except for Annie, who was sitting by herself, staring at me sourly like I'd kicked her puppy. I wouldn't say I'd been too harsh, more like I'd just deflated her ego a little bit. Annie was stupid, annoying and ungrateful, but she wasn't a bitch, the same couldn't be said for some other people. *Cough* Erika *cough*. I was still coming to terms with the fact that Ryan had dated Erika. I don't know maybe he found her attractive, although he probably didn't know what she actually looked like due to the sheer amount of makeup slathered on her face. It's like she was trying to disguise herself, but if that is what she was trying to do then she was stupid to use makeup. If she was trying to disguise herself then why just her face? She could've dressed up as a ninja, ninjas are way cooler than cake faces.

God, I'm starting to sound like Tara, I thought to myself. I made a mental note to spend less of my time with that weirdo.

A room shaking slam rattled through the entire class, causing me to be jolted sharply from my thoughts. I got such a fright that I swear I jumped a foot in the air. The hairs on the back of my neck bristled and a shiver ran the length of my body, creating a path of goosebumps in its wake.

I looked at the door, surprised that the single pane of glass, encased by the wooden panel, didn't smash into a gazillion pieces. Although it was the door that made the noise, it was something else, or someone else, who caused the disturbance.

His hood was pulled over his head, his eyes downcast and glaring. Small splatters of crimson blood peppered the knuckles of his left hand, which were white due to his fists being tightly closed. His usual smirk was replaced by a grim line, his jaw occasionally tensing. His strides were long and his steps were heavy, it was quite scary really, especially when practically threw himself at the chair next to me. he slammed is fists onto the desk, causing his recently sealed wounds to split open again, oozing drops of blood down his fingers.

A few brave souls turned to peer at Ryan, but they were greeted with a glare cold enough to freeze hell over, so the swiftly went back to their own conversations.

I sighed, looking over at him. He really did look scary. All the times I'd seen him, been around him, he'd been grinning, joking, saying stupid sexual innuendos. It was strange just seeing him so quiet. I looked down to his left fist, where the blood flow had increased to a steady trickle.

I made a decision and ran with it, making sure Caleb's pencil was safely stored in my bag, before standing up and hitching my bag onto my shoulders. I grabbed Ryan's arm and gently tugged, showing him that I wanted him to get his ass out of the chair. He complied, not even changing is blank facial expression or questioning my motives. I dragged him out of the classroom and down the hallway. Partway through our trip he must've gotten sick of me dragging him because he caught my wrist in his hand, the non bloody one thank god, and intertwined out fingers. My face felt very hot at that moment, but he didn't seem to notice and kept staring forward. I didn't know what to think of the sudden move, but I didn't want to pull my hand away from his.

With my spare hand I pushed open the door that read 'nurses office' in faded lettering, gently tugging Ryan behind me as if he was a small child.

"Hazel!"the small dark haired woman grinned.

"Hey Mrs T,"I smiled at her enthusiasm.

"What brings you to my humble office?"she asked, still smiling, but she could clearly see Ryan standing behind me, our fingers still intertwined.

"Bloody knuckles,"I said, nodding my head towards Ryan.

"Ahh, I see,"she nodded,"you remember where where everything is right?"

"Of course."

"Then I'll leave you to it,"she grinned, sending me a sly wink.

I shook my head. Mrs T was one of my favourite staff members, she was one of the happiest people I knew and she trusted me. She taught me how to dress cuts and sterilise them. Why did I spend so much time in the nurses office? Lets just say P.E wasn't kind to me.

"Come on,"I said, pulling Ryan toward a soft looking chair in the corner of the room.

"Sit,"I ordered, unwinding his fingers from my own, heading over to the white cabinet behind Mrs H's desk. I raked through the masses of medical equipment, locating some alcohol wipes and a bandage.

I took his bloodied hand in my own, taking an alcohol wipe. I started at the tips of his fingers, where the blood had dried, marking his skin. He still hadn't attempted to talk to me, but he was staring rather intensely at my face. Maybe he was just trying to explode my brain, I don't know.

"Fuck,"he hissed, flinching as I reached the torn skin on his knuckles.

"He speaks!"I cheered, continuing to clean his hand.

"Jeez sunshine, go easy on my beautiful hands,"he winced.

I snorted. "It's your own fault for punching without gloves. What did you punch anyway? A brick wall?"

"A tree."

I burst into a fit of laughter. "You hit a tree?"I asked, bursting into another round of laughter when I realised how ridiculous that sounded.

"I punched it, multiple times actually sunshine,"he corrected, his frown turning into a grin. "Fuck, that does sound stupid,"he said in realisation, chuckling at himself.

I started wrapping his hand carefully with a bandage. Sobering up a little, but every time I pictured him punching a tree I started laughing again.

Eventually I finished wrapping is hand and my giggle fits stopped. I pulled my hand away from his and he examined it, extending his fingers a few times.

"Are you okay?"I asked seriously.

"I think I'll survive,"he smiled, holding up his bandaged hand.

"I wasn't talking about your knuckles."

His smile vanished. "Oh."

"So?"I said, raising an eyebrow.

He sighed, running his uninjured hand through his blonde locks.

"It's complicated."

"I get it. You don't have to explain yourself. Now get up, we have classes to be at,"I half smiled, offering him a hand.

~*~*~

"Hazel, don't you think you have enough potatoes?"My mother asked as I spooned more mashed potato onto my plate.

"Hmmm, nope,"I replied, adding another spoonful to my plate just to annoy her.

I attacked the pile of mash with my fork, as she watched on, disgusted by my actions.

Jasmine followed my lead, practically inhaling the mixture of chicken and vegetables spread across her plate. But of course mom didn't say anything because Jasmine was her favourite daughter.

Mom opened her mouth to say something to me but dad was quicker.

"Sarah come on, just let them be kids for once in their lives."

She closed her mouth, but glared at me across the table.

My butt started buzzing, signalling that someone wanted to talk to me. I basically already knew it was Caleb before I even looked because he was the only person who ever rung me. Every time he rung it gave me a sense of relief because I knew it was one less phone call until he finally came home. My mother however, didn't seem to see it in that perspective. After Caleb left he rung her at every possible chance he had, hoping to hear his mothers voice. She never answered. Not one phone call. Eventually he just stopped calling her altogether. I got the feeling she thought he was abandoning her, by leaving to serve our country. She didn't get it. Caleb had told me once, when I asked why he wanted a fight another countries war, that it didn't feel right if he wasn't doing something to help someone else. That showed a lot about his character, about the type of human being he was, but she never saw past her own problems and never stopped to ask him why he wanted so badly to join the army.

I set my fork down on the table, standing up to pull my phone out of my back pocket.

"Young lady there are no phones at the table or in the dining room."

Fine then, I thought, stepping into the kitchen.

"Brother!"I yelled into the phone as I answered the call.

"Sister!"he called back enthusiastically.

"Whatcha doing?"I asked.

"Oh you know just the usual, getting my hair done, painting my nails-

The phone was roughly ripped from my ear.

My moms icy eyes bored into my own, then flickered to the screen of my phone. Before I could protest, she ended the call.

My mouth dropped open and I stared at her in disbelief.

"Why would you do that?"I gasped.

"I told you not to answer the phone, but you didn't listen, you never listen to me!"

"So you just end the call? Are you high? You know that was your son right, my brother."

"I know who it was, you talk to him far too much anyway,"she scowled.

"How could you say that!? He's your own flesh and blood. He sends you money that he's earned at every chance he gets. Don't go thinking that I don't notice, because I do, and yet you can't even say his name," I exploded.

"Don't talk to me like it's my fault that he left-"

"It is your fault! Do you ever wonder why he left as soon as he finished his senior year? Do you wonder why he spent so much time at the gym? He wanted to get away from you because all you care about is yourself,"I growled, stepping towards her,"He left because you're an insufferable bitch."

She stepped forward, a glare masking her facial features. She swung her arm, her outstretched palm making harsh contact with my cheek.

I could hear my own blood pumping as I clutched my stinging cheek, my eyes blurred from the pain and betrayal I felt, but I wouldn't let my tears fall, I wouldn't give her the satisfaction.

"You're sick,"I spat, storming past her.

I successfully made it outside without letting my tears fall, but soon my chin started to quiver. The droplets of salty water slid down my face and I didn't even try to wipe them away, knowing there was no point. At that point in time I had decided to drive to Tara's, knowing she'd make me feel better. That was the plan until I remembered that my jeep wouldn't start.

I really had no conscious idea of what I was doing. I slammed the door of my jeep and sat down in a heap on the concrete of our driveway, letting the tears flow freely with my head in my hands.

It wasn't even the fact that she slapped me that was upsetting, although that was a little extreme. What upset me was the way she talked about Caleb. It was like she didn't even care that she might never see him again. To make it worse, no one even followed me to see if I was alright, so I just sat there sobbing.

Eventually I heard a car door open and close, footsteps.

"Hey Sunshine, you okay?"his voice sounded concerned.

I lifted my head, tilting it upwards to see Ryan. He seemed genuinely worried about me.

I shook my head, my bottom lip still quivering. Then I did the strangest thing, I basically launched myself at him, throwing my arms around his waist. He tensed at first, but slowly wrapped his arms around my frame. My head was pressed against his chest due to our height difference. I was still crying, which was creating a wet patch on his shirt, but he didn't seem to mind because he didn't pull away and instead rubbed my back soothingly. I could hear his heart beating in a slow but steady rhythm, which oddly enough was comforting.

I loosened my grip on his waist, pulling away slightly from his warm arms. I wiped my eyes, clearing away the moisture left as a result of my tears.

"Are you okay sunshine? Do you want to talk about it?"he asked, using his thumb to wipe one last tear from my cheek.

I shook my head.

"So you're not okay?"

I shook my head again.

"So you are okay?

I nodded this time.

"Okay, good good."

I chuckled at him and the fact that he was basically talking to himself.

"Are you laughing at me, sunshine?"

"Maybe,"I replied, still chucking.

"Rude,"he huffed, but there was a hint of a smile curling onto his lips.

Once I'd stopped laughing he looked at me seriously.

"Seriously though, are you okay?"

I sighed. "Yeah I'm okay."

"Alright then, I guess I'll see you tomorrow,"he said, turning to walk toward his house.

I copied him, turning back to my house.

I remembered something just before he reached his door.

"Ryan,"I shouted, catching his attention,"thank you."

He smiled. "No problemo sunshine, if you ever need me, I'm a good listener too."

"I'll keep that in mind,"I replied, turning the handle of my front door and stepping inside.

~*~*~

Done, done, done, done, done, done, we are done...with this chapter.

This chapter might be crappy, might not be. I don't even know because I haven't read over it. Been so busy lately, school is exploding my brain. A piece of advice; don't take French, it's a killer. All of these verbs, je veux, tu veux, il veut, elle veut, on veut, nous voulons, vous voulez, ils veulent, elles veulent, je doi, tu doi, il doit, elle doit, on doit, unicorns, lollipops, ice cream, skittles, rainbows. I think my brain is going into hibernation mode.

Yeah... I think that's enough said.

Until next time.