Fragments of Hearts: A Healing Romance

Chapter Two

There's no excitement when starting the last highschool year; at least not anymore.
The only goal for this year is to survive and go as invisible as possible. There's no way I can put myself into troubles again, especially not my aunt now that I live with her. To be honest I am a little scared, but giving in is not an option.

The way to school feels like eternity; the sun's shining, blinding my vision quite a bit. The streets look quite empty leaving me enough room to think without distractions and fortunately enough, my aunt's house is quite far from everyone else who goes to the same highschool. That is also the reason why I had to wake up way earlier than usual.

As I approach my school, I can't miss Sarah waiting for me at the gates. She's dressed nicely, suitable for today's hot weather, her blond hair shining like the sun did just a while ago. I can't keep myself from smiling when she spots me, her aura radiating from miles away. She always made the atmosphere seem lighter, and she's not failing at making me feel her energy. I needed this.

I approach her, we hug, and head to the hallways. We talk about the last few days, how she got to know a guy at some coffee shop and the way she got disappointed when he just acted like an ass on their date. I honestly feel bad about how she gets to know only troublesome guys and Sarah is a hopeless romantic delusional when it comes to guys. I know she will soon enough find someone suited for her, who will treat her the way she deserves.

The conversation is quite calm and comfortable, until I hear Sarah open the topic I've been waiting for the most. "Do you think Chris and his 'minions' will back off this year?" she trembles a bit when saying his name, tense as she asks me.

There's no surprise to this question. Last year was hell because of Chris bullying me; only because of some misunderstanding. Chris was known for his scrupulous actions towards those he thought needed "punishment" and those who were by his side -his minions as Sarah and I call them- are making it near to impossible to hide from the danger.
The fact that he has everything in control, no one dares to defy him and let the school know how high the bullying rate in this hell is. Some do it out of fear and those who are helping are doing it out of respect.

I sigh, trying to remain calm "No. What I believe is that everyone else doesn't care anymore to bother. He however will try his best to remind me of what happened." I respond, shrugging my shoulders. To my advantage, highschool students have an incredibly short interest span, which makes them forget anything that happened; or at least makes them care less in order to leave me alone. But this year remains Chris's chance for revenge given that I reported him last year and his school report is now destroyed.

Sarah seems to think deep about what I said. She will blame herself over the fact she can't help me, but we both know getting involved will only worsen things for her. I can sense her slight sadness when she realises that what I said is the truth, I myself feel quite thrown aback, but there's no reason to let this ruin our day.

I manage to talk her out of her thoughts and we change the topic. We continue talking about today's school subjects and I see how I'll be alone only in maths and science. This gives me hope that things are not going to be completely awful.

I notice a few stares on me, as I walk towards the first class, but most of the people seem to mind their own business. 'Where is Chris?' I wonder, while I try searching for his group, but it seems like they're not here yet; fortunately for me.

If I manage to spot him first before he does, I have the advantage of trying to avoid him. "Our'' sick game of hide and seek, run and catch, gets me on the edge everytime I walk in these halls. My senses are in survival mode, and I can't seem to get calm. Not as long as he's in the same building with me, ready to attack every time he gets the chance to. Maybe, I'm overly worried, but no matter how odds seem for me, he will be there making my life a living hell.

I am dressed as basic as possible, trying to avoid drawing attention to myself. It seems to work, but I will call this successful only when I will have a bully-free school day.

As I go into my first class together with Sarah, involved in some small talk with her, that's when I notice everyone stopping from what they're doing for a moment, only to see the school doors swinging open with great force. The moment I waited for the entire morning. I finally spot Chris entering the hallways, together with his two important friends, Jack and Cole, each one by one of his sides. I feel my feet giving in, stress accumulating, heart beating a tad faster, shivers coming down my spine.

Before I fully entered the class, I didn't miss noticing that he saw me. That's the last thing I need to know before my mind goes blank as I robotically enter the classroom, trying my best to not freak Sarah out. It was a matter of seconds before my life decided to bend towards hell.

I need to calm down. 'What is the worst that can happen?' He finds me. But before he can do that, given that we have only one class together for the rest of the year, the way it has always been, I still have the chance of "hiding" before he gets to spot me again. That's the solution.

We already started the class, Sarah noticing that something is off, but she decides against asking about it. I will let her know later. Now, I just need to focus on the subject and try my best to ignore everything else.

This class flies by within minutes, we only go through some basics and some information related to possible projects for this year. The first week of school won't worry me, as long as no major changes happen.

Regardless of that, I hurry and head to my next class, splitting ways with Sarah. I always hated science and this year won't be any different. I get to sit alone in one of the farthest rows, away from my teacher, waiting for her to start the class.

"As you may have heard," she says calmly, waiting to get everyone's attention, "we'll have a new student as of today. He should appear any moment so please don't cause him any problems." she says firmly, starting with the class as everyone ignores her announcement.

Long minutes later, the classroom door opens quietly. The person entering is genuinely something else. Our teacher stares at him as he speaks "Sorry for the delay, my papers took longer to process than planned." he says in a steady, rough voice. He looks at the teacher ignoring everyone else.

The teacher smiles warmingly "Ah yes, Mr. Quinn, you can present yourself to your classmate and then sit next to... Anne over there." She points at the empty seat next to me.

Quinn sounds familiar. He looks familiar. I take an attentive look at him, observing. He's quite tall and massive built. If I didn't know, I think he could crush someone if he wanted to. While he's presenting himself to the class, I see him eying me as intensely as I look at him. I see his icy blue eyes scanning the room, his dark hair making his face features look more prominent and dark.

Chris. That's whom he reminds me of. That's why his name was so familiar. He's related to the person who's been torturing me for the past year.
I try to hide my shock as I watch him heading towards the seat next to me, and if I thought he looked scary before, he's even more terrifying now.

I found out his name is Erik, a year older than me. He said he moved here, which is why he changed schools. Erik didn't seem bothered with the whispers going around the classroom as he sat down next to me. He watched me for a few seconds before ignoring me for the rest of the class.

I wasn't able to ignore the stares I was getting now, unwanted attention that can bring me more danger than before. I curse this seat and this class. I try my best to stop the shaking caused by the high anxiety I'm sensing. There's no way I'll be weak next to him.

I don't know how risky him sitting next to me is, but I get the feeling it will make things worse.

'Is he like Chris?' He surely looks like him.
'Does he know me?' It doesn't seem like Chris told him about me, lucky enough.

Similar questions go through my head, unable to think about anything else. There are lots of questions I need an answer to in order to know how safe I am.

Today's going to be a long day.