Fight Or Flight

Chapter 4 - Physics

Chapter 4 - Physics

Jade Ainsworth hated Layla. Really hated her. Right from the very start. Although, I hadn't really noticed it at first. But as those first few months of Year 11 progressed, I saw it more and more.

In our Art lessons, especially, Jade went out of her way to confront and intimidate Layla. At first, I thought it was because she was jealous of Layla's obvious artistic talent. No doubt Jade would disagree and claim that there were many other reasons she had taken against Layla. She was always full of bitchy comments and nasty remarks, and that was when she was talking to her best friends, so imagine how she was with Layla?

One day I overheard her say to a member of her clique that Layla shouldn't be allowed to just waltz around the school as if nothing had happened.

"What about poor Kelly Stone?" she said. "Should her death just be forgotten about?" she argued. "I'm not being funny, but..." she would say. "I'm not being horrible like, but..."

In my experience, when somebody starts a sentence like that, you know straight away that they're being both funny and horrible. Two things Jade excelled at.

Anyway, Jade had her excuse - Layla's supposed involvement in Kelly's death - and she was sticking to it. As far as I'm concerned, she didn't know or care about Kelly, or even how and why she died. I doubt she ever read more than a headline about the story, but it was something she could use to make Layla suffer.

In comparison to Jade, Layla was smaller, thinner and from outward appearances, more timid. And if you'd seen Layla around school during those first few weeks at The Brook, you'd hardly say that she was waltzing around the school, either. Some days it looked like she had a black cloud following her about. Not only did she seem to carry everyone's suspicion that she was free from blame in Kelly Stone's death, but there was something else, something unknowable gnawing away at her, too.

One day during Art, I'd been off on a bit of a wander around the classroom - looking for some decent pencils was my excuse, but I was just a bit bored and Layla didn't really seem in a mood for talking. She was often like that.

When I eventually found a pencil and began sharpening it at the bin, I turned and looked to the other end of the classroom and I saw Jade Ainsworth screaming right up in Layla's face.

The class went dead quite.

"You ugly bitch! You ugly, skanky bitch!" shouted Jade.

"Can I just use it, please?" replied Layla, standing next to Jade's desk.

"Get out of my face. Your breath stinks! And don't ever come over to my desk again and take my stuff."

"I didn't take your stuff. It's mine, I was using it, now can I have it back?" Layla said, calm and unafraid of Jade's aggression.

Jade held the rubber up to Layla, before quickly snatching it away from her grasp again.

"How about some manners, skank?" said Chloe, a friend of Jade's. "Are you gonna let her talk to you like that, Jade?" Chloe continued, stirring the shit.

Jade then heaved Layla hard in chest, pushing her back towards her desk. "Stay away from me, you minging bitch or I'll do you."

Layla was backing towards me. As I moved forward, closer to her, the rest of the class crowded around the incident. Waugh and Beattie, and a few other loud-mouthed lads were egging Jade on, daring her to dig her. To slap the bitch. Jade began moving towards Layla, arm down by her side, her fists clenched tightly.

I moved between them.

"Jade, can you just leave it, please. You're acting like a little kid. Just give her back the rubber."