Against the Wall

Walking in the Rain

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Dedicated to Vbarth-CKCSLuver because she has voted and commented for every chapter :) Thanks, Love, it means a lot!

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"Duck!"

The warning came too late, and I felt something slam into the back of my head. Pain exploded in my head, and I cursed loudly. I spat out the half-chewed chunk of bagel and grabbed the spot where I felt a lump forming.

"Are you okay?" asked Norah, but I didn't respond. I was too busy trying not to cry because it really hurt. I turned around to find whatever had hit me, and I found a lacrosse ball sitting in the grass. I picked it up in my hand and frowned. I started to ask Norah if she knew who throw it when someone tapped on my shoulder.

I turned around to find myself face to face with that Griffin guy from Olive Garden. My eyes narrowed when I saw the word lacrosse stick gripped in his hand. "Is this your ball?" I asked accusingly.

"Yeah," he replied, running a hand through his light brown shaggy hair. "Sorry about that." Then, his eyebrows knit together as he seemed to take a closer look at me. "Hey!" he said, recognizing me, "You're that girl from Olive Garden! Sawyer, right?"

"Bravo, Genius," I replied sarcastically, and I slung my backpack over my shoulder and handed him his ball back. "If you don't mind, I'm going to get a bag of ice from the nurse for the giant bump on my head." I turned to walk away, but Griffin put his hand on my shoulder, stopping me.

"I'll come with you!" he declared. "You're new, so you probably don't know the way to the nurse's office."

He had a valid point, but I wasn't interested in his help seeing as it was his fault. "No, I've got Norah's help," I said quickly, and I pointed to my friend who was sitting underneath the tree where we were eating lunch, a straw between her lips. She was staring at Griffin like he was some kind of rock star, and I honestly had no idea why.

Norah looked from me to Griffin and then said, "Yeah, she's got me."

"Oh," Griffin said, and he looked disappointed for some reason, "Alright. I'll see you around I guess." I nodded, and then Norah and I started towards the school. Just as we reached the door, Griffin called my name, and I groaned before turning around.

"Yeah?" I called to him.

"Did you get over whatever made you upset?" he asked, completely serious. Even though this kid seemed to be popping up everywhere, and both times, he'd managed to piss me off, I felt a smile creep across my lips.

"Yeah," I replied, "I did." Griffin nodded and then he turned to go back to his friends. A pang of pain at the back of my head reminded me that I needed to get some ice before my next class, and I grabbed Norah and hurried into the school.

As we walked through the hallways, I looked over at Norah to find her staring at me like she was looking at me weirdly. "What?" I asked, and she blinked.

"It's just..." her voice trailed off as she looked for the right words. "How do you know Griffin Parker?" she blurted after a moment.

I frowned. "We met at the Olive Garden. I was sitting outside, and he just butted into my business." Her jaw dropped, and I raised an eyebrow. "Is knowing Griffin Parker a big deal?"

"Yes!" she cried shrilly, making me and the people around me jump. Norah noticed this, and her cheeks turned bright red. She gripped my hand and dragged me into the nearest girls' bathroom. Without bothering to check if anyone was in any of the stalls, Norah started to tell me why knowing Griffin Parker was a big deal.