He's handsome and bold, his honesty one of the best things Lydia liked about him. He held her hand down the hall, showed her off like a trophy he had earned. She loved the attention. Loved to call the boy her own. They would walk down the hall and have the eyes of the whole school. Everyone knew the couple, everyone wanted to be the couple.
"See you at lunch." He sighed, walking past her class to get to his own. She didn't even get to say goodbye, furrowing her brows as she watched him go away. Internally groaning, Lydia took a deep breath and walked into math, attempting to look as though it hadn't fazed her.
It was just one of those days, he was out of it and needed a little alone time. It happens to everyone, she understood. But as the minutes went by and she was drowned with formulas and equations she already understood, Lydia began to worry more. It's me, she told herself, it's me, it's my fault I know it is. She went through the morning in her head to see what she had done wrong. He seemed okay when he picked her up at her house this morning. Then again, he'd said something about her dress. She looked down at the outfit in question and recalled his words. "I don't want anyone looking at you, that dress is too short. You should change." But she had refused, arguing they would end up being late for school if she had to arrange a whole different outfit.
"Lydia," Scott broke her daze towards the end of class. She snapped out of it, turning towards her friend with a questioned look. "Are you okay?" He asked. She nodded. Nothing was the matter, she was alright. It wasn't a lie, she old herself, although it wasn't the truth either. The bell rang and Lydia shot out of her desk and down the hall faster than necessary. Desperate to know if he was okay– no. Not desperate, that made her sound obsessed, clingy even. She was worried to see if he was okay. She corrected things in her mind like that all the time, making sure she never overreacted over small things like this. He was probably just having family issues again or something about his grades. She could tutor him again, she thought, but then remembered he didn't like when she offered that. It made him feel inferior.
When Lydia found him already seated at their usual lunch table, she smiled and kissed him on the cheek which earned her a tiny smile in return, only for a second before his usual scowl was back. She pulled her lunch out of her bag and began to eat silently, tuning into her friends' conversations without adding any opinion to them. He stayed quiet, something not like him but she held back the urge to ask if he was okay. He was fine, she assured herself, and if he wasn't he wouldn't admit it anyway. Subconsciously, she began to pull down the hem of her skirt. Maybe it is too short, she thought, feeling a bit self conscious. She should have listened to him.
After school, he began to drive them back to his house like every other normal day. But today they passed by his house.
Lydia looked at him, confused. "Where are we going?"
He turned into a neighborhood that was about two blocks away.
"The lacrosse party is today." He answered.
"The lacrosse party that isn't actually exclusively for lacrosse players?" She pouted and he nodded.
"Yeah, that one."
She wasn't really in the mood for a party, he'll he hadn't even asked her if she wanted to go. The whole school would be there, no doubt. There'd be lots of alcohol and he would get drunk and she would have to drive them home. It had happened several times before, she knew it would happen this time. She could already picture the scene in her head; his arm around her waist as they arrived, everyone shouting their hello's and offering them solo cups. He'd tell her to stay close and she would follow him around all night like a pathetic little dog. Her stomach churned at the thought.
"I don't think I want to go, can you take me home please?" She mumbled, staring out of the window at the mansions they passed by.
"I already told the boys you'd be there, come on, they love you. You don't want to disappoint them." He prodded her.
"I don't feel too well, please just take me home." She asked again. Suddenly the car jerked towards the curb and stopped abruptly.
"If you want to go home, you can walk." His voice rose, not yelling but not his normal tone either. She stared at him in disbelief, started to say his name but he interrupted her by repeating what was just stated. So she grunted in frustration, unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the passenger door but didn't get out. She waited for a moment, wanting to hear him change his mind. But he didn't. In fact, he leaned over and pushed her out onto the sidewalk, closing the passenger door once she was completely out before skidding away.
