Silence (Silence #1)(8)

“Probably get some ice cream or something, right?” He glanced at me and shovelled another forkful of egg in his mouth. I smiled in agreement. That sounded like the perfect way to end the year, unlike some of my classmates who would be at the park downing cider.

“Okay, come on, we’re gonna be late,” Cole mumbled, grabbing my hand and pulling me off the stool. I gasped in surprise but didn’t pull my hand back. It felt too nice.

We parked outside the sixth form building as usual. It hadn’t taken long to get to school; unfortunately there wasn’t a lot of traffic.

“Look, if anyone says anything to you today just come and find me. You know what lessons I have, and if I have a free I’ll be in the sixth form block.”

The only reason I knew what lessons he had was because he constantly shoved his timetable in my face so I would know where to find him if I needed him. It was sweet but unnecessary.

“You could even text me, you know. I’d come and find you straight away,” he added quietly, staring out of the window.

I dropped my gaze to my lap. That couldn’t happen. Cole sighed and flopped back into his seat. “Okay, just come and find me then.”

I felt so horrible that I just kept staring at the floor. I hated disappointing him. “It’s okay,” he said reassuringly. “I’ll see you later, yeah?”

Finally looking up, I nodded and smiled appreciatively. We both got out of the car, and waved to each other as we went our separate ways. As always, I hugged myself and walked quickly towards my form room. One more day, that was all.

My hope for an uneventful day was nearly crushed when I saw Julian standing just ahead of me, in the middle of the corridor. He was messing around with his friends, pushing and punching each other. Thankfully, there was another way I could go so I wouldn’t have to bump into him, yet. Julian’s lip looked a little swollen and bruised, but I couldn’t see properly from standing so far away, and I certainly wasn’t going to get a closer look.

“Hi,” Hannah said from behind me, making me jump slightly. I half expected it to be Laura or one of her pathetic little friends. I smiled at Hannah, relaxing my shoulders, and we walked into registration together.

Luckily, the teacher was early today, so no one had a chance to say anything to me. The morning so far was going well, but I wasn’t na?ve enough to think it would continue that way all day.

The music teacher let us go five minutes early for lunch. I packed everything in my bag slowly so I would be the last one to leave.

“You coming to the canteen?” Hannah asked as she grabbed her bag and swung it over her shoulder. I shook my head and smiled, grateful that she had at least asked.

“Okay, see you later.” She waved over her shoulder as she walked out with her friends.

I made my way quickly along the corridor. After lunch, I only had two lessons to get through. The back corridor was deserted; everyone had already gone to the canteen or outside. Someone grabbed me from behind. I gasped, panic rose inside me. Before I even had the chance to struggle, I was pushed into a classroom.

My lungs stung where I’d held my breath. I felt like a scared little girl again. “Hey, Oakley.” I recognised his voice instantly. Julian. I felt only a tiny bit of relief that it was him, but I still needed to get away.

Gulping, I stepped back. My hands shook with fear. What did he want? “I was hoping to find you on your own.” he smirked.

I felt sick and dirty. My skin crawled; it felt as if a thousand bugs were running around all over my body. “Come on, don’t look so scared. I’m not gonna hurt ya.” His breath smelt strongly of tobacco. It almost made me gag.

Julian leant towards me, and I recoiled in horror. Was he trying to kiss me? “I just want to talk,” he whispered, tucking my hair behind my ear. Don’t be a victim again, Oakley, I screamed at myself.

I used every ounce of anger I had built up inside and shoved his chest. He stumbled backwards as I caught him off-guard, and swung his arm out to steady himself.

“Why do you have to be such a little bitch, Oakley. What the hell makes you better than anyone else, huh?” he bellowed and punched the wall.

I jumped back, my eyes widened in shock. What was that? Julian looked almost out of it. His eyes were dilated, and he was breathing heavily. He was high. He must be.

The door swung open, and I ran towards it. Mrs Stains, one of the teaching assistants stood in front of me, blocking the way.

“What on earth is going on in here?” she demanded, frowning in anger.

Julian straightened up. “Nothing, we were just talking about a project,” he said with a cocky smirk.

“A project on the last day of school?” Mrs Stains asked, raising her eyebrows in doubt.

“Not a school one,” Julian shot back.

She shook her head but knew there was nothing she could do, even though it was clear Julian was lying.

“Out. Both of you.”

I scurried past her and ran out of the building. It seemed like all I did at school was hide out and run away. I hated myself for that, but I just couldn’t take the constant bullying.

As soon as I reached the wooden shelter at the local park, I collapsed to the ground. Wrapping my arms around my legs, I started sobbing. My head still hurt, and I felt like crap. If they didn’t like me, why couldn’t they just leave me alone?

I squeezed my eyes closed as I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. It would be Cole. I really didn’t want to see him. Well, I didn’t want him to see me like this. I wished I could have been home-schooled by Mum, but she thought as long as I did well in mainstream school then that’s where I should be.