You'll Fall For Me, I Promise

18; 'A Giant, Juicy Pickle With No Exit'

"Where the hell were you this morning?" Paige questions as she and Liam sit down on the opposite of our regular table.

"And what happened to your arms!" Liam exclaims, lifting my arms to inspect the cuts and bruises scattered along my pale limbs.

"It was a long morning," I hum, rolling my eyes as I snatch my arm back in order to continue to eat my sandwich, in which both of them rudely interrupted.

Just as I'm about to take a bite, Paige's voice chips again, causing me to pause in my action. Again. "That isn't going to suffice as an explanation."

I huff, dropping my sandwich on my plate in disappointment. I was really hungry, and I'd only gotten to eat half of my apple as I dropped it when I was tripped by one of the bad boys. "Blake, or one of his goons, tripped me in the parking lot, his goons laughed, he glared. Some guy came over and asked if I was okay, then introduced himself as James Darren, the new Sociology teacher. I realized that every girl in the school is going to have a crush on him. He's really sweet and nice and caring and was worried if I was hurt. I said I wasn't, but clearly am," I pause to gesture to my arm before continuing, "then we got talking, Blake interjected with a cough and a glare, I told him to grow up, offered to show Mr.Darren where his room was, finally introduced myself, walking him to his class then the bell went so I couldn't meet you guys as I rushed to homeroom, trying to make sure I wasn't late on my first day. Happy?"

Both stare at me with flabbergasted expressions on their face, obviously trying to take everything I said, quickly, in. "Blake was so jealous," Liam says, waving his hand with his voice squeaky, trying to impersonate a 'typical white girl'.

"Yeah, whatever," I shrug, speaking through a mouth full of sandwich as I had quickly taken a bite, glad to finally be eating.

"But seriously, he is," Paige agreed, looking at Liam before looking back at me. "Typical boy talk for, 'my girl' and 'you're mine'. You've really gotten yourself in a pickle, haven't you?"

I verbally groan, squeezing my eyes shut. "A giant, juicy pickle with no exit," I agree, taking another bit of my sandwich.

The bell rings, signalling the end of lunch. I look down in disappointment at my half eaten sandwich and my untouched fruit salad. I decide to wrap it all up and put it in my bag, hoping to eat it during free period at the end of the day.

"See you later!" Paige and Liam call in unison as they walk out of the cafeteria, side by side as they wave behind them to me.

"Uh.... okay, bye then," I mutter to myself, rolling my eyes as I was left alone by my friends. I make my way out of the cafeteria and down the hall, heading to my locked to swap my English supplies for Sociology books.

Once I've pulled my last book out and placed it in my bag, I close my locked and turn on my heel only to collide with something, or, should I say, someone. "I'm so sorry! I'm so clumsy!" I mumble, apologizing again before I look up and see the familiar green orbs staring down into my sky grey eyes.

"Shut up, Green," he chuckles, half a genuine smile on his lips. "Where ya headed?" He asks, eyeing me wearily.

I watching him hesitantly, furrowing my eyebrows. He hadn't spoken to me in weeks. He refused to be in the same room as me. Watched me suffer on the floor this morning while his goons laughed. He's up to something. "I've got Sociology," I mumble wearily.

His eyes flash for barely a second before he returns to normal, his shoulders a little more tense than before but his gaze on me the same. "You don't need to you. You're a smart girl," he hums, grinning lopsidedly.

"I really do need to go, though. I'm sorry."

"Whatever," he grumbles, his whole demeanor changing in a second. His whole body his tense, his jaw and fists clenched, his eyes icy cold. "Run off to lover boy. You're good at that." I'm taken aback by his words, my breath hitching and eyes widening. "First that weirdo, Jared, now James Darren. He's a fucking teacher for God sake!" His voice bellows through the now empty halls, anger completely evident.