Chapter Twelve
Hooligans, Heroes and Hearsay
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Leah Fox
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When I'd made it back to my room, Rhy had already set his blanket on the floor. He'd also stolen my pillow.
"You took your time," he said grumpily as I shoved my barely used board back under my bed.
"I ran into someone, a friend." A new friend, I added silently. Not only that but a new boyfriend too. My stomach was fizzing with excitement. My last boyfriend had been a douche and I'd always loved the idea of having a boyfriend in college. I was cynical but I still had an overwhelming romantic side. We could meet up in the hallways, sit next to each other in classes.
"LEAH!" Rhyley's voice snapped me out of my daydream. "Geez, don't ignore me. Who's this friend? You haven't told me about anyone yet."
"Uh, his name is Greg. He's a third year and a pretty cool guy."
"A third year? Like Blake?"
I winced at the mention of my nightmare and the reminder that my new friend was best mates with it. That did not go down well with me.
"Yeah. They know each other," I said evasively.
"Would I like this guy?"
Geez, I felt like I was in the spotlight at an intense interrogation. "I don't know. Why don't you hunt him down, tie him up and apply water torture to find out all his secrets."
"Hey, I'm just trying to do the brotherly thing here. I mean, after Rupert you can't really blame me."
I yanked the pillow out from under his head. "Argh! Would you just forget about Rupert?! I made a judgment error and I learnt from it. I haven't gotten involved with anyone like him since!"
I'd first met Rupert at one of my rare school friend's party. He'd been polite, dressed conservatively rather than having chains draped over him and multiple piercings like the rest of the party goers. Apparently my friend had been goth punk and I hadn't known it. He'd had innocent blue eyes that had drawn me in... And fooled me completely.
We'd hung out for a couple of weeks, at the park with my friends or at the arcade with his. We got close enough to share a few sidelong glances and shy hand-holding. And when the gorgeous Rupert asked me to be his date to his friend's eighteenth birthday, I'd thought that I was in a dream. Rhy had been against it, not trusting Rupert enough to let me go with him out at night. But I'd swayed him, saying I'd call as soon as there was any trouble.
Rupert had picked me up, shown me around to his friends, introducing me as his girlfriend. After we'd had a few drinks, he'd pulled me along to the back room of the house where a group of his friends were hanging, snorting lines of cocaine. I had a no drugs policy. I didn't turn my nose up at those who did it, it was their life, but I would not allow those strange chemicals into my body. The way it affected people made me wonder what it was actually doing to the brain and if there was any long-term effects that were unforeseeable. Like mental retardation.
So when Rupert had grinned, lazing back on a bean bag, and gestured for me to go ahead, I had frowned and shaken my head vehemently. He'd taken it the wrong way, saying things like, 'think you're too good for drugs' or 'are you a pussy? I thought you were tougher than to back out'. Of course, I'd gotten angry. He got really worked up. We fought.
I tried to dodge the fist that he sent my way but still got grazed on the side of my face. His friends, completely high, had thought that it was hilarious. I ran off into the strange neighbourhood, halfway between shock and rage and it had taken me half an hour to remember to call Rhyley. When he found me, sitting on the curb, sobbing, with my cheek red and slightly puffy, he had begun his 'protection' regime. None of my friends were safe. If he didn't like them, I wasn't allowed to go to their house or anywhere alone with said person. I was grateful and resentful for him at the same time.
