MSC (Rewritten)♡•~

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: An Unexpected Trio

When I left the class I spotted Aki being cornered by some larger boys in the corridor. I saw one of them shove him to the ground, making his glasses fall onto the floor, before walking away and laughing with his friends.

I rushed over to him, as he got to his knees, and handed him his glasses. "Why are they so mean to you"? I asked him, helping him stand up. He didn't answer, and instead gestured for us to go out into the playground.

As we walked towards our bench, I noticed Alana with her group of friends, as they laughed and chatted under the playground canopy. I always wondered what the big deal was about those guys. They seemed to be a pretty normal group to me.

"Why are you looking at them like that"? Katie asked, as she walked over to us.

"Nothing," I muttered, turning my attention back to my lunch.

"Why don't you come and hang with me and Amber? Scarlett and Jay are there too". She asked me from four feet away. I shook my head. I didn't even remember who Scarlett and Jay were.

"Thank you, but I like eating with Aki". I told her, as politely as I could. Of course, it was just because those people were getting on my nerves. "But I will walk with you guys back home".

Katie sighed. "Wait, so you don't want me to take care of you in school? You don't know anyone or where anything is. I can help, and my group of friends are yours' too. So why not chill in a place where you can be protected"?

"What do you mean"? I narrowed my eyes at her, "I don't understand what you're protecting me from".

Katie's eyes widened. "Oh, so you're still mad at me? Look, you're new here. I'm just trying to help out".

"I know..." I lied, "but I've made a good friend. I might come later, though". Another lie. I wasn't keen on being in a group who would ignore me again.

Katie raised her eyebrow and muttered something before walking off back to her group. I went to sit next to Aki on the usual bench, and took out my phone to talk to him.

AKI: You were good there,but I could see you were getting angry. U should let loose once in a while.

ME: You're one to talk

AKI: You're lucky. You have a voice, I don't. Pls don't waste it.

I looked up at him, and found him looking at me too. "You're right..." I said to him.

Suddenly, a scrunched up ball of paper landed on the ground from behind us. I looked over my shoulder, where the school wall and fencing was. Someone was peering over.

I recognised the mess of frizzy honey coloured curls sticking out from under a red woolly hat. I smiled and picked up the paper, beckoning a questioning Aki to follow me. We both walked up to the fence and I chuckled. "Hi, Beatrice". I said.

"Oh, hi, Jemimah. Nope, no creepy weird girl spying on you from the other side of the fence and littering your school". Beatrice grinned. Sorry, I wasn't sure how I was supposed to get your attention".

"It's okay, and you are not creepy". I assured her. "Why aren't you in school"?

"Oh, I got suspended, actually, which is a darn shame because today is the only day I don't have chemistry. I mean chemistry four days a week? These people want to kill me".

Aki snorted and I shook my head. "Why did you get suspended"? I decided not to express my surprise at her being so relaxed about it.

"Haha, um, funny story, actually. In fact, I owe it to my fatness, you know, I sat on someone's face and broke their nose, so of course the teacher got angry and sent me home".

Aki and I exchanged glances. "Um...why"? I asked.

Beatrice had a thoughtful look on her face for a few moments before answering my question. "You know what, I guess I can tell you. He threatened to kill my brother, and I know he's psycho enough to carry out that plan..."

"Wait, hold on". I stopped her. "He threatened to kill you brother? Like a serious thing"?

"Well, he told everyone he'd pour coke over our maths teacher's desk when he wasn't in, and then when nobody believed him he actually did it. So I know what he's capable of".

Aki had his pen and notebook out and scribbled out a few words.

I don't think pouring coke on a teacher's table is the same as killing someone

I nodded. "Um, yeah...there's bigger punishments".

"Believe me, I'm aware of that, but that guy gets on my nerves anyway, and after I told him I wouldn't let him go near my small bro, he was like shut up dough face, and that was the last straw. But of course I ended up getting suspended, because yeah, a broken nose is way more important than my brother's life".

Aki wrote something else down before showing it to me.

Where did you find this psycho?

I laughed, then looked at Beatrice. "My friend thinks you're strange".

Beatrice looked at Aki and then narrowed her eyes, but with a smile on her face. " Hey, why do you write in that book, by the way"?

"He's mute," I replied, and she raised an eyebrow.

"Okay". She shrugged, "But nobody asked for your opinion, did they"?

Aki smiled back, cheekily, and then showed her what he had been writing in the book.

Of all the fight techniques in the world, you sat on his face to prove your point?

Beatrice's jaw dropped and I snickered. Then she snickered too. Aki's lip twitched. And in a few seconds, all three of us were laughing uncontrollably at something that wasn't even that funny.

"Hey!" The supervisor's voice from behind us was close. I whipped my head around, and saw him coming towards us. "Away from the fence. Talking to people outside isn't allowed". He glared over at Beatrice who was giving him an innocent smile, which he didn't buy. "Why aren't you in school, kid"?

"Sorry, sir, I was sent home. Later". Beatrice jogged off before the supervisor could say anything else.

He sighed, then turned to us. "What did she say to you"?

"Um, she just wanted to say hi because I'm her neighbour". I told him, honestly. "I'm sorry, I didn't know we weren't allowed to speak to people outside.

"Well you know for next time".

Aki and I walked back over to the bench, and settled down. I smoothed out the paper which I didn't get to give back, and looked at the squiggle drawing on it.

It was a smiley face beneath the words "hi, it's the weird girl from next door".

Aki leaned over to read and then smiled. She seems nice. He wrote.

"Well, I don't talk to her much because Katie said not to. But I'm definitely going to talk to her more now".

He raised his hand for a high five, and I slapped my palm against his.

"Sometimes the most unexpected friendships are the best"