Falling in love with the bully * Awsten Knight

7)

I walk into school with Kai, pondering whether or not I should tell him about Awsten.
"So how was yesterday?" He asks me, as we walk to maths together, a lesson which I sit next to him in.
"Umm, yeah, yesterday was... good," I lie. I have never been a good liar.
"Really?" He says, raising a blonde eyebrow at me.
"Yeah!" I smile, trying to persuade him.
"I can tell when you're lying. You're a terrible liar. What happened?"
I sigh, "umm, there's this guy, Awsten Knight -"
"Oh, I know him. He's on the football team," he tells me.
"Hmm, well he, uh, bullies me, you see and, uh -"
"Wait! He BULLIES you?" He asks in rage.
"Yes, but don't worry about it, I'm used to it," I say dismally.
"No! Why does he bully you? What have you ever done to him?" He persists.
"I don't know. It's just him, anyway. Hun and all his friends- Otto and Geoff... honestly, Kai, there's nothing you can do," I say.
"That son of a bitch!" He says in disgust, "how dare they all pick in you for no reason whatsoever! It's horrible, hoe they all gang up in a defenceless girl like that, why don't they pick on somebody their own size?"
"Oh, I don't know. Anyway, I was walking home, and I felt a hand on my shoulder, and he took me up to the football- slash - rugby field, and he - he -"
"He what, Lilly? Coke on, tell me"
"Well he asked why we'd been sitting at his lunch table: and he asked if it was anything to do with you, and so I ignored him, and even he started shouting and I went to walk away so he tripped me up and I fell back on the bench. Then he called me a bitch," I explain.
"So he gets you when you're in a vulnerable position, does he? When you're all alone? Ok, 2 can play this game. Wait until I next see him," Kai says, striding in to maths with me trying to match his brisk pace.
When the teacher, Mr jones, has finished explaining, I start to talk him to again. "Kai, you can't. Don't do anything or Awsten, or any of them"
"Why not?" He asks. Obviously he doesn't understand what he would be getting himself into.
"B -because Awsten is stronger than you. And older than you," I add.
"Please, Lilly. It's only a year. Besides, I work out," he grins for a moment, before putting the frown back on his face.
"So does he!" I say, exasperated, "I know awsten better than you do! He'll set all his friends on to you!"
"Then they can all come and get me," he says, certain now.
"No! They're stronger than you, trust me. Geoff's a member of the boxing club, and he's really fast, they all are!"
He turns towards me and stares at me with his dark eyes, "Lilly, listen. I'm going to have a word with this Awsten guy and tell him to leave you alone, ok? I won't beat him up or anything, if that's what you want. But I can't let him carry on bullying you. Honestly, if you had told me earlier you would have done something sooner. Now we"ll speak no more about it, ok? Don't worry about him, just stay with me and I won't let him hurt you alright?"
I nod, but inside I'm panicking. Awsten doesn't like being told what to do. In fact, he hates it. And it'll be particularly bad for him when that person is somebody he already dislikes.
Next is chemistry, which I also have with Kai - thank goodness. Then it's break. I persuade Kai to come to the library with me so that I can do some homework. The real excuse, of course, Is so that it minimises the chances of Awsten seeing us.
After break, I have R.E, followed by geography. Nothing much happens in these lessons, luckily. Then I meet with Kai for break, and manage to get him to go to my usual bench, where I went before I knew him.
When I have finished my lunch, we start chatting like we usually do. All of a sudden, I see several shadows towering over me from behind.
"Smart girl," says an all too familiar voice. I freeze, here comes the moment I have been dreading- when Awsten and Kai get acquainted. I slowly turn around. Christ. All 3 of them are here! "Well done for not sitting at our table today," he smirks. Kai see's who it is and gets up from his seat in a second and rounds on Awsten.
"Listen, mate, I'd appreciate it if you left her alone, ok? She hasn't ever done anything to you, and she told me what you did to her last night, taking advantage of her like that. I'm swear to gif, if you EVER get her alone like that again, you will pay, do you hear me?" The smirk is wiped off awsten's eyes. Here we go.
"What did you just say to me?"
"I said, to leave Lilly alone. Stop bullying her!"
Awsten let's put a dark chuckle. "Nobody tells me what to do. Maybe we should teach him a lesson, guys," he grind, starting to walk towards him.
"What? No!" I say, rushing to Kai's side.
Awsten rolls his eyes when he see's me there. "Geoff, take care of the bitch, will you?" He asks.
"Don't you dare touch her!"says Kai, and he comes behind me and holds me close to him. The moment would have felt so romantic if only Awsten and his click were not there. I feel safe in Kai's arms. But then Otto comes behind him and rips him off me, leaving me feel exposed because I have nobody to protect me. Geoff makes a grab for my wrist but I quickly move my arm away.
"Run away from him!" Shouts Kai, struggling in Otto' grip.
"I can't!" I shout out at him, "I can't leave you!"
I turn around and look at him. But then when I'm least expecting it Geoff grabs both of my arms. "Get the fuck off her! Don't touch her! Kai yells, livid now. I've never heard him swear, and I don't like it either. I try to fight Geoff, but it doesn't work. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me back. I see a look in Kai's eyes. Jealousy.
Awsten laughs, "how sweet of you, Lilly, to not want to leave your little boyfriend." He starts to approach me.
"Get away from her you dick head!" Shouts Kai. Awsten turns around.
"Silence him, will you, Otto ?"and so Otto wraps his tanned hand around Kai's mouth.
"Thank you," says Awsten, satisfied. "Now, Lilly, you know why I'm here, don't you, hmm?"
I shake my head to say no. "Then you're even duller than I thought. I'm here for you to realise that lover boy over there can not protect you. You told me yesterday he gave you more confidence, and he's quite a cocky, arrogant cow, in my opinion"
"Like you!" I scoff.
"Excuse me?" He asks, arching an eyebrow.
"Just like you! You're the arrogant one here! Well, you and your sidekicks!"
"Ooo, did you hear that, Boys? She thinks we're all arrogant!" Awsten says in surprise.
"Slap her, Awsten!" Says Otto in glee.
"Oh, I don't know, Geoff m, maybe we should bully her in some other way. What about if she watched dick head over there get beat up?"
"Noo!" I shout hysterically, "don't you dare touch him. It's all my fault," he says, pointing to Kai, stil in Geoff's' grip.
"Please just leave him alone, you can do what you like to me just leave him be!" I plead, a few tears trickling over my eyes and dropping on to Geoff's hands below.
"Ugh, does she ever stop crying?" He asks in disgust.
"She's an emotional wreck, Geoff," says Awsten flatly.
"Argh!" Says Otto. I see Kai has bitten his hand.
"Let her go you bastard!" Says Kai. Otto quickly makes a grab for him as he tries to escape.
"Right," says Awsten, marching towards him, "every time you say something out of line, she gets slapped, ok?" Awsten strides towards me and slaps me VERY hard across the face. I'm crying more than ever now. Then he walks back over to Kai, "and as for you, boy, you need to be taught a lesson. Several, actually. Lesson number one, don't talk back to me. Lesson number two, don't call any of us names. And lesson number three, don't bite. Just because you're a dog doesn't mean you have to act like one"
"Leave him alone!" I scream, fighting Geoff to try and get away from him. All of a sudden, Awsten lands a punch in Kai's stomach. I scream at him.
"Don't say anything. There's nothing you can do to turn awsten's, love," Geoff whispers in my ear softly. Oh, so there was about 1% of him that was kind. Wow.
And then I watch Kai get punched 3 more times, and you can HEAR it. When he's done, I rush poor Kai's side. Awsten and the others saunter off, with Geoff flashing me a look of sympathy. He doesn't seem to care much about Kai though.