Tweetie

17

As Hazel moved around the cafe, clearing tables and taking trays that were finished with from students who chatted, she felt eyes on her back. A lot of eyes.

Everyone looked at her, attempting to see her face as best as they could and anxiously, she took a tray back to the counter, her head lowered out of habit. She had learned to avoid the watching eyes of a crowd because of the necessity to be unknown, but what could she do when she was left without a choice? People were leaning out of their seats just to catch a glimpse of her.

Stewart worked like he usually did, zoning in and out when he needed to as he made coffee that made the cafe smell like a blend of vanilla and coffee beans. Turning to the table of boys, Hazel noticed that they watched her too, but, they glanced around every so often, acknowledging the watching eyes that followed her around. Unlike the others, their eyes weren't as intimidating.

She sighed, moved back towards a table that seemed finished and stopped, about to ask if they were done. But, the three girls who sat around it got their words out first, beating her to it as they stared up at her, their lips parting and their eyebrows raised in concern.

"Is it true?" one asked, her voice sweet but hushed so she wasn't heard by anyone around them, "did Ryan James really do that to you?"

"Huh?" Hazel stepped back, surprised to have a customer actually talk to her, "do what?"

"Y'know... Beat you up...? I mean, he keeps looking at you with that glare..."

She stopped, her lips falling open in shock as her fingers lifted up to her lip and the question clicked in her mind. She still needed to answer.

"No, no definitely not," Hazel shook her head, lifting their tray and stepping back. "I fell. My own mistake, it had nothing to do with him."

Truthfully, the question made her feel a little uncomfortable. It made her wonder how violent Ryan was if people were so easily persuaded into believing he had beaten her up. She didn't believe it herself, sure, he seemed a little aggressive towards Ricky, but there were reasons behind that, only, she didn't know the specifics of those reasons.

What about Jason Barber? Was it possible that he was just as aggressive towards him too?

"Oh, good," the girl breathed out in relief, thankful the boy she liked wasn't actually going around beating up girls like Hazel.

"Uh," Hazel went to speak again, realising she should probably ask her own question before leaving the table, "where exactly did you hear that?"

"Loads of people have been talking about it," she shrugged as if it was is just common knowledge, "they've been saying you annoyed him so he just, y'know, got angry and beat you up."

"Oh," she furrowed her eyebrows. She had no idea where that sort of rumour would originate from or why it would spread, but at least she knew it was going around and why she was being watched so much by the students there. "Well, thanks for letting me know."

"No problem," the girl smiled back before turning to her friends and beginning to gather their things.

Hazel moved back to the counter, placing the tray down as Stewart lifted his head to meet her gaze, a tray in his own hand filled with five hot drinks.

"Could you take these to the boys?" He asked.

She took the tray, nodding her head before she approached. She was happy to take the opportunity to speak to them as she handed out their drinks.

As she approached, some of their eyes followed her along until she stopped just beside them at the empty space used for Ryan's foot. She smiled, earning smiles in return as she placed the tray down and put the drinks in front of them all, already getting a good idea of the regular drinks they each ordered every day they visited.