Maple

Ch3

Two updates in two days, aren't I amazing :)

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Maple

Great job Maple, really, well done. Someone is finally nice to you and you manage to storm off after insulting them. And now you're going to be late for your part-time job because you're sitting in the teachers' lounge sorting through physics papers. I feel like life is out to get me. Actually, I've felt like that for more than a year now.

"Ouch!" I yelped, as a paper sliced through my thumb. Great, add that to my list of misfortune. I sighed and wallowed in depression. I jumped when the door flew open and a panting David flew in.

"Hey," he waved through gulps of air "I tried to get here fast as I could, but Mrs. Parks insisted I stay for detention because I was late to class." He said, rolling his eyes. I just stared at him, my jaw slightly slack and threatening to fall open. He pulled up a chair to the desk I was working at and started shuffling through the papers.

"What…What are you doing?" I finally managed to say.

"Helping you obviously," he said as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"Why?"

"Because I need an excuse to talk to you" He put down the papers and looked me in the eyes. "I meant what I said outside the teachers' lounge at break, you need to stand up for yourself."

"I know you meant it, but I'd rather just stay out of trouble and graduate peacefully. If I ignore them long enough they'll get bored and leave me alone."

"They won't," he sounded so sure that it scared me a little.

"How do you know?" He picked up the papers and started working through them again.

"A few years ago, I was bullied by my classmates as well." I gasped inaudibly, willing for him to continue.    

"It was at my previous school. It was different for me though. The boys would drag me behind the school building and beat the living daylights out of me. They made me their errand boy. I was so miserable I eventually just stopped going to school." He paused at the memory, recounting the details in his mind "My mom begged me to go back, she didn't even notice the scars because she was always busy with work. Eventually, I realized that if I want something done, I'd have to do it myself."

"So, I started working out, took lessons. I almost didn't have enough days to graduate. But eventually, I went back, stood up to them. They weren't so much then. They were more scared of me than I ever was of them."

As he summed up his story we finished sorting the papers. We left them on Mr. Damien's desk and made our way to the school gates.    

"Thanks David" I said, just before we parted ways, "for everything" and for the first time in a long time, I smiled a genuine smile.

"You're very welcome" then he appeared to think about something before he grinned "let's exchange phone numbers."

"No thanks" I said quickly. I mean, he was nice and everything, but I didn't need friends.

"Fine then" he pouted "but here, take my number in case something happens" without my consent, he took out a paper and a pen, scribbled down his number and shoved it into my hand.

"No really I-" I tried to protest, but he waved me off and made his way down the parking lot to his car. Well, as I always say, better safe than sorry, I shoved the paper in my pocket and took out my phone. I dialed my boss's number; I have to tell her that I'm going to be late. I made my way down the sidewalk towards the place where I worked. The air smelled of decaying leaves and autumn, a slight breeze blew across my short hair. The weather was beautiful.