Atlas Grove, once a dancer with dreams of dancing under the stars, now lives petrified in the shadows of abuse. To escape her living nightmare she must keep her head down and work hard, being her senior year this is her last chance to get out. Altho...
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Walking into school always feels like I'm walking into the lions' den, ironic in the fact that our school are the 'Lions', I never know what's going to be waiting for me on the other side of those doors. Who's waiting to pounce on me or if I'll be able to just breeze through like an ant, so small that nobody notices me.
Well, that theory is blown completely out of the water when I feel someone tug me back by my waist the second I step into the hall. I go to scream but a hand covers my mouth.
Holy shit. Am I being kidnapped at school does this even happen?
I thrash against the arms around my waist as they drag me into a classroom but as a minty scent surrounds me so does a low voice against my neck.
"Calm it, it's just me Blondie." Blazes voice travels into my mind and I stop thrashing about, he lets go of my waist as we enter an empty classroom, well almost empty.
I open my mouth to ask him what the hell that was all about but he walks straight past me, encouraging me to turn into the classroom where Brady, Ethan, Rutherford and a few other boys off the team are stood around Connor. I shrink back against the classroom door
He's slumped on a plastic chair, Brady holding his shoulders up. His face is mangled shades of purple and green courteous of the bruises around his eyes and on his cheeks. His nose is covered in bandages but I can see the discolouration seeping through onto his cheeks. Brows furrowed in anger he glares at Blaze who crouches down to his level, inches away from his face.
"Say it." Blaze snarls complimented by a grunt from Connor, he tries to break free but Brady has his shoulders, "Come on now Scarotski. What did we talk about?" Connor tears his eyes away from Blaze's wicked smile and up to me, the rage in them makes me feel all liquid-like.
"I'm sorry," Connor mumbles through his busted lip.
"And?" Blaze prompts.
"What I did was disrespectful and nasty, I shouldn't have touched you nor thrown my drink over you." He sighs with defeat as all the boy's eyes land on me. I think they're waiting for me to say something.
"Oh...uh, it's... it's okay." I stutter looking down at the interesting floor tiles.
Blaze gets up and pushes Connor from the chair,
"Good, now fuck off." He says ushering half the boys out of the room, Connor at the front limping back out into the halls. After the door shuts I place my rucksack on a spare desk.
"Thanks... guys." I murmur digging through the contents of my bag, "I hope I didn't get you into trouble last night?" The boys let out a chuckle.
"Of course not Big A," Brady shakes his head, "Blaze has been wanting to get at him for years, you just gave him a valid reason." Blaze settles on the teacher's desk, balancing his elbows on his knees.
