Skin Deep ✔️

Chapter Twenty - Six

I' m sitting on my own in the canteen when it comes. My own fault really for coming to school early. After that day in English where I stood up to Cecilia, I could feel it in my bones that something was coming. Something was always coming.

The hairs on the back of my neck prick up as I feel the presence of someone behind me. Before I can even register who it is, they grab me by my hair and pull me out of my seat and towards the gender neutral toilets. I try to fight them off and beg for help but no one even bats an eyelid.

You have got to be taking the piss.

Cecilia let's go of me and two of her friends hold both of my arms as she goes to lock the door. I quickly note that Katie isn't here. Interesting.

"Mud." Cecilia purses her lip and I think about how good chopping off all her blonde hair would be. "I don't like being embarrassed."

"Eat shit." I roll my eyes at her.

"Funny." She grins, holding up a bag that I hadn't noticed until now. "Actually, you'll be the one eating shit."

I feel the bile rise up in my throat and I try to fight out of the girls grip but they are inhumanly strong.

"This feels like some American high school bullshit." I spit at her. "You've been watching too much TV."

Cecilia muses spinning the bag around on one finger. "I don't watch TV."

She walks towards me and grabs my jaw in her hand, forcing it open. I elbow the other girls in the chest and they groan in pain but don't let go. I weigh the options in my head and decide I'm not eating whatever crap is in that bag for no one. I bite one of Cecilia's fingers and she gasps letting go of my face.

"You really are a fucking animal." She stares at her finger and whips her eyes back up to me but I just smile sweetly at her.

"You really are a psycho." I taunt back.

That gets her really mad and she reaches over and slaps me straight across the face. My head turns at the impact and I try my best not to cry. I can feel the girls loosen their grip on me so I use that as an opportunity to escape, throwing their hands off me.

Just as I step forwards and unlock the bathroom door, Katie walks in with a bored expression on her face.

"What the fuck is this?" She looks between Cecilia and I.

"Your best friend tried to force feed me literal shit." I say.

"Grow up you big baby." Cecilia sneers. "It's not actual shit." She glares at me and looks back at Katie. "I was just teaching Mud a lesson on respect."

"Get out." Katie says to everyone but me.

Cecilia laughs, folding her arms across her chest. "You don't tell me what to do."

"I do now." Katie glares at her. "Get the fuck out. And none of you touch Tonoya unless I say so."

I watch in shock as all three girls exit the bathroom, leaving Katie and I alone.

"Why did you do that?" I ask her warily.

She steps forward and grabs fistfuls of my hair, playing with it. "Because," She yanks hard on my hair and I yell out in pain. "If you ever come between Ezra and I, I want to be the one to fucking drown your ass. Not Cecilia."

"Why do you even want him?" I blink back tears and she rolls her eyes.

"He's rich, Tonoya." She shrugs her shoulders. "Why wouldn't I want him?"

"He'll find out." I tell her.

She lets go of my hair and steps away from me. "Who's gonna tell him? You?"

"Maybe." I shrug.

"You do that and watch how fast I make your life a living hell." She smiles, turning away from me and sauntering out the bathroom.

My face stings from the slap and I make my way over to the mirror. The bitch must've slapped me hard because there's a slight red tint on my cheek.

I try to hold back the tears but instead they just keep falling until they turn into full on sobs. I don't know how long I stand there crying but after a while Ezra bursts through the door with wide eyes.

"You didn't show up in the canteen earlier and I walked past your Photography lesson but you weren't in there. I was worried about you so I came looking for you." He rambles, pushing the door closed behind him.

I don't even register his words and before I know it the crying turns into a full blown panic attack and I'm struggling to breathe. Ezra panics not knowing what to do and decides to lean over and kiss me. As soon as his lips make a connection with mine the panic stops.

After a moment he pulls away and I wipe the tears from my face. "What did you do that-" I start to ask but he cuts me off, pressing his lips to mine again.

This kiss is different. This one is indolent, shiftless, both heavy and weightless at the same time. Either we could fly through the air like butterflies, or we could lay in a sun-drenched sleep in a lazy pile.

  I don't care which one; I want both.

  I let him kiss me until I forget my own name, and when he draws back, he at least has the decency to appear to be apologetic. That, or he's just ready for a nap. Probably the latter.

"What happened?" He asks, dragging his thumb across my lip and I shiver.

I shake my head and refuse to answer him. He sighs, lifting me up and setting me on the sink. He grabs my face, inspecting my cheek and I wince as he places a delicate kiss on it.

He doesn't say anything as he inspects every inch of me for some kind of cut or a bruise. He doesn't find anything other than small scratches on my wrists where the girls nails had dug into me.

He lifts both hands towards himself and keeps his eyes on me as he places delicate kisses on each scratch.

The moment is too soft and too tender for me and before I know it I'm snatching my hands away and looking away from him.

I'm ashamed and he knows it too. I'm ashamed that this happened to me and there's fuck all I can do about it.

"Tonoya what happened?" He asks again.

I ignore him and jump of the counter, barging past him and heading for the door. Ezra grabs me by the arms and makes me face him. He asks the question over and over again but I don't answer him, I just keep trying to struggle out of his grip.

Eventually he lets me go and I barely look at him as I storm out of the bathroom. As I'm walking away, I hear the shattering of glass and curses but I fight the urge to turn around.

I'm late for Photography.