Love Me Like You Hate Me (Edited Version)

Chapter 32

My dad was a liar. There was no way I was going to be fine. If anything, I was going to end up having a panic attack before I made it through the school doors. As the gates drew closer, my feet slowed, unwilling to carry me any further. Noticing this, Zack grabbed my arm gently, but firmly before I could make a full stop, dragging me along with him. We were almost to the gates when my legs started feeling wobbly and my stomach dropped. "I don't think I can do this after all..." I said, trying to pry Zack's hand away. "I think I'm just gonna go home for today..."

He shook his head and continued to pull me forward. "No, you're not," he said. "You're going to go to class, and we're going to eat lunch together, and then you're going to walk back to my house after school for an evening of video games."

I groaned and dug my feet in slightly, feeling like I was gonna be sick. I didn't want to do this. As we enter the school grounds, everyone's eyes seemed to turn towards Zack and I. I saw a girl whisper something to her friends and my mind blanked. I turned around quickly, trying to make a clean exit before anything got too serious. Zack's arm blocked my way as he grabbed onto my shoulders, keeping me where I was. "Relax," he said softly so just the two of us could hear. "You have nothing to be afraid of."

He turned me back around and interlaced our fingers tightly, sending me a comforting smile. As he began walking again, I took a deep breath and cautiously began making my way towards the doors, side-by-side with Zack. It felt like we walked a mile in front of a crowd of thousands, but when we finally went up the steps and into the school, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

Zack rubbed my arm with his free hand as he gave my shoulder a little nudge. "See? You did great. Just remember, no running out in the middle of classes," he said.

I ducked my head as whispers floated past us. "Easy for you to say," I grumbled. "They're not looking at you like you're a freak."

Zack chuckled and pulled me along down the hall. When we made it to my locker, he asked, "Do you remember your combination?"

I nodded, opening my locker with shaky hands and stuffing my things inside. Unfortunately, our first class was not together, so when we heard the bell ring, we had to part ways. Zack kissed my hand before waving and booking it to his first class. I sighed and turned towards my own. No going back now, I decided. However, the moment my foot crossed the threshold, all eyes were on me. I tried not to look at anyone as I found my seat and sank into it. To my disappointment, this did not deter the stares and whispers as people watched me. I pulled my sleeve down over my bandaged arm, wishing I could just turn in visible. This was going to be a very long day.

The classes I didn't share with Zack were torturous. Every person in the room seemed completely satisfied with watching me like I was some sort of walking exhibit. Even the ones I did share with him weren't much better. If people weren't staring, they were whispering or asking Zack what was going on. Zack did stick up for me, which I was grateful for, enabling me to almost painlessly get through the first half of my day.

I was pulling my lunch out of my locker when Zack came up behind me. "Boo," he said, wrapping his arms around me. I relaxed into his touch, sighing contently. He smiled. "How you holding up?"

I closed my locker. "Okay, I guess..."

He circled so he could see me, holding my hands. "Anyone give you any trouble?" he asked.

"Not verbally," I mumbled, omitting the incident in English when a student threw a crumpled piece of paper at my head with the name 'Freak' written inside. "It's just the staring that's getting annoying..."

Zack thought about this for a second before making a suggestion. "Just stare back," he said.

I shoved him with a scoffed. "You know I can't do that," I said, turning red just thinking about the embarrassing idea.