Forgive Me

Forgive Me Ch. 14

Chapter Fourteen

Julie

The week of school started like it did every week. I had walked with Lacey through the halls, though we only had lunch together, and would try hard to ignore the whispers of the people staring at us. "Is that Julie?" One would hiss, "Like a sister of one of the Hemerson brothers?" Yes, my brothers were very popular in this school. James was the only one who didn't do sports, but he was still loved in the many clubs.

"Julie, what happened to your shoulder?" Someone asked, as they noticed my bandaged shoulder.

"Just a skateboarding accident," I lied.

"How is that possible?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"It's possible, alright?" I sneered, grabbed Lacey's arm, and rushed with her down the hall.

"What really happened?" Lacey whispered moments later.

"Nothing important," I grumbled, "But it's all in the past now." Lacey nodded, and I was glad she dropped it. Sometimes I loved having Lacey as my best friend. When I didn't want to talk about something Lacey just dropped it. I loved that sometimes.

We continued down the hall to our last class. "Last class of the day," I sighed.

"Hey, are you riding the bus home?" Lacey asked.

"Nah, Jordan's coming to pick me up," I told her, "I can get him to give you a ride. Free of charge." I gave her a smile, and waited for her to laugh at my little joke.

"No thanks," She muttered, "I'm not feeling good today. Tell Jackie that I send my love."

"We can just drop you off," I reasoned.

"No," She grumbled, "I'll just take the bus."

"But riding home is quicker," I argued.

"I need time to think," She told me.

"About what?" I challenged.

Lacey closed her eyes tightly, and let out a breath. "Please Julie," She growled, "Just let it drop."

I stared at her, and then slowly walked into the classroom. "Bye Lace," I murmured.

She gave a slight wave, and then was out of my sight. I stepped further into the classroom, and then sat down in my normal chair. I sat next to Hailey and Riley. Hailey was a sweet girl, but when you got her angry, she was extremely loud. She also lost her temper easily, and was set off by the smallest thing. So I guess she wasn't always so sweet. Riley was a nice boy, but he wouldn't even look at me sometimes. At first I thought there was something wrong with my face, but then I realized he just might have a problem.

"What happened to your shoulder?" Riley asked, looking at the top of his desk.

I sighed, because this was the 100th time someone asked me. I had to wear a sleeveless blue shirt, because my shoulder was all wrapped up, and it would have made it hard to move with extra fabric there.

"Knife fight," I sighed.

Riley actually looked up at me, and smiled. "Did you win?" He asked, with a small smile.

"I'm here, aren't I?" I smiled.

"Well I heard it was a skate boarding accident," He told me, "And then I heard you fell down a flight of stairs. Then I heard you were just playing volleyball, and pulled a muscle. THEN I heard someone punched you, and you had a bruise on your shoulder. All the people I heard this from said they heard it from you. So, which one is true?"

I winced, and this time it was me who looked down at my desk. I had made up so many lies today. I was just so tired of people asking me. "If I told you," I said slowly, "I'd have to kill you."

Riley blushed, and looked down at his desk. I shrugged my jacket on, and held it tightly around me. "Don't hurt your wound," Riley warned, and I looked at him with a warm smile.

"I'll be alright," I smiled, "But thanks." He nodded, and opened his text book.

Hailey leaned close to me, and whispered, "Wow, he hardly talks with anyone. Everyone thought he was mute."

I looked over at Riley, and saw him blush. He was listening to every word Hailey said. "I mean, he's smart and all," Hailey continued, "But he doesn't answer any questions, and if he does, he doesn't look anyone in the eye. I mean, what's up with that?"

I looked back at Riley, and then back at Hailey. "Well obviously he's not mute," I snapped, "If he's answered questions before he talked with me! Maybe he's just shy."

Hailey leaned back. "Well excusseee mee," She snapped, "For voicing my opinion."

"Well no one wants to hear your voice," I growled, "Or your opinion."

Hailey's eyes widened and she stood up, slapping her palms on her desk. "You know what Julie?" She shouted.

I looked around, and didn't find a teacher. Great! "No, what?" I asked, "Why don't you share with me?"

Hailey's face got red. "I'm going to kick your butt," She threatened. It was probably an empty threat but she made it because there was a crowd gathering around us.

"Empty threat," I sang, and heard some snickers.

Hailey narrowed my eyes. "I can't believe I ever thought you were nice," She hissed.

"I haven't done anything wrong," I laughed humorlessly. "You are just taking things out of proportion."

Hailey lifted her fist as if she was going to punch me. "Don't touch her," A new voice growled. I turned around, and saw a Riley. He was standing behind me with an ugly frown on his face.

Hailey faltered a little. "Just leave her alone," Riley continued, "And that way no one gets hurt. Got that?"

She pouted her lip, and sat down in a huff. The crowd slowly started walking back to their seats. I glared at Hailey, and then slowly turned to Riley. "Thanks," I whispered, "If I came home with a black eye, my brothers would have freaked."

Riley gave me a small smile, and said, "Actually, I think I owe you the thanks. No one's ever stuck up for me that way before. It actually means a lot to me. I don't have many friends."

"Well you can always look for me and my friend Lacey to sit with at lunch," I smiled, and then opened my book as the teacher walked in.

"Thanks," He repeated, and then turned back to his book. I smiled, and was so happy the day was almost over.

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