The Heart Of Friendship

Part 3

Daniel

I had to figure out a way to avoid the bullies. The wink and smug on Ken's face was still in my heard.  I had to avoid any bullies, so I came up with an idea. I was in my maths class the period before afterschool, and it was Mrs Simphiwe's class. I noticed that everyday afterschool, she works at the school library.

I wasn't planning on doing anything important and to be frank, I'd rather be stuck at the school's library afterschool than get bullied and return home with bruises which would make mom assign the bodyguards to protect me again.

As soon as the bell rang, I waited for all the kids to get out of the class, which happened in less than fifteen seconds. I then approached the teacher's desk. She stared up at me and smiled.

"Daniel, what are you still doing here? You're usually one of the first to leave running out of here."

That was true. I was usually one of the first to leave running in order to avoid the bullies.

"I was just wondering." I said "If I could help in the library today."

She looked at me surprised. She was probably wondering why I would like to go to the library when I could be at home watching T-V or something like a normal kid would do. She then looked at me with a smile, looking like she was happy or proud of me for wanting to help. If only she knew I was just trying to get away from the bullies.

"Off cause you can help. I'm going there right now actually." She stood up from her desk and grabbed her stuff. After that, she walked with me out of the classroom to the library.

When we got out of the classroom, I noticed three bullies standing out of the room, one of them being Ken. They must have been waiting for me. They had never waited for me outside of the classroom before.

But before, I had the bodyguards even though they weren't always glued to me, it made them a bit afraid to bully me. The teacher didn't notice anything as we walked past them to the library. But I caught their wicked smirks.

When we got to the library, Mrs Simphiwe explained to the library workers how I had volunteered to help making them also give me one of those proud smiles which I absolutely despised.

I was told to pack some books into shelves according to their categories. When I entered to the shelves were I should pack the books inside some trollies, I saw Alec there busy taking out books and packing them into shelves.

How did I manage to get in contact with him? Was he following me? Considering the fact that he was already at the library when I got here, maybe he wasn't and it was just a coincidence.

I walked near him and after he discerned by presence, he looked up and his eyes looked surprised and befuddled as I started taking out the books in the trollies and packing them.

"Are you following me?" He asked

"That's what I should me asking you?" I whisper yelled

"Why would I be following you?" He on the other end didn't seem like he cared about making noise in the library so his voice wasn't a whisper, but a loud enough to hear from even five feet away.

"I don't know." I kept my voice low as I continued packing the books, checking which went on which shelve.

I watched Alec as he packed. He was just putting the books on any shelve, without checking were they went.

"You're supposed to check were they are going, you know." I rolled my eyes.

He was going to get us in trouble if he didn't do it right. But off cause trouble was like his middle name.