His Guilty Pleasure (FIRST DRAFT)

Honey, I'm Home (11)

YOOOOO so I copied and pasted this to a google doc and guess what...this is already 73 pages long!!?!?!?! should I try to publish this? idk cuz I'm kind of embarrassed by this? like the sappiness and also would not want my parents to know....idk!!!! lmk!

ALSO this is like PG-13/R...there will be smutty scenes I think idk why I just kinda dig them and think it allows for better development so...sry if you'e not into it!!

Without further ado....chapter 11!!!!

GABBY

It's Friday and Leo and I have just turned in our project. My shoulders slump with relief, a burden lifted. And then, as if the universe wants to punish me, Ms. Greenburg opens her mouth. "I didn't want to tell you this until the day of, but you will be giving the class a brief overview of your projects today."

The class lets out a collective groan, but I hold my breath. 

"This is why I didn't tell you." Our teacher chuckles. "Now I can see who is really informed on their topic and who copy and pasted it. We can start with...Leo and Gabby!"

No fucking way.

Leo eyes me, shrugging. There's not much I can do about this, so I reluctantly stand up. In the process of walking up to the front of the room, my wide hips accidentally bump into Noah Lions and his desk. 

"Hey, watch where you're going, fatty." Noah sneers.

"Aw, Flabby Gabby can't help it." Pete Goldstein chortles. "She's a wide load, not much she can do about it. Unless she diets, but God forbid she show any self restraint, right?"

Leo is at the front of the room, listening to what his buddies are saying about me. His lips are pressed in a thin line, almost like he wants to add on to their taunts. The asshole. 

Ms. Greenburg is sitting at her desk, typing something on her computer. Oblivious. Or she just doesn't care enough to help.

"Honestly can't see what that Chris kid saw in her." Katie Acholtz giggles. "He could have had anyone yet he tried to get with her? And she cried rape--as if anyone would risk jail for..." she looks me up and down, "that."

"Hey, shut the Hell up." Leo snaps suddenly, taking a few strides forward so he's standing next to me. "The fuck is wrong with all of you? She was just walking to the front of the room, for Christ's sake! Why are you attacking her? And for your information, Katie, she didn't cry rape. He did try to rape her. You wouldn't know if he did or didn't because you haven't been invited to a party since the tenth grade, correct?"

Leo is red in the face as he continues. "Why don't you all stop worrying about Gabby's perceived flaws and start worrying about your own? God knows you all have plenty of them."

Ms. Greenburg is paying attention by now, staring at Leo, obviously flustered. 

"I think..." she begins.

"No, Ms. G, I'm not really in the mood to present right now on account of some jackasses bullying a peer and you doing nothing about it. How about, since my dad is practically writing your paycheck anyways, you give us an A and we call it a day? I'd really hate to bring this up to the school board. Your blatant disregard for a student being bullied, I mean."

Ms. Greenburg opens her mouth and closes it, like a fish. I do the same.

Is Leo Hamilton seriously standing up for me? In public, no less? In front of his peers?

Has Hell really frozen over?

"Go back to your seats, Mr. Hamilton and Ms. Hampton. See me tomorrow after class." That's all our teacher offers before she calls up the next group to present.