Not so innocent

eight

As i walked into class I just hoped that no one would ask about the bruises. I didn't wan't to come up with an excuse. I hadn't been in school the rest of that week. It wasn't so much to spare me, or let me recover. To quote Mason: they didn't trust me. They simply didn't trust me. I had spent the rest of the week in my room, which had quickly turned into the most intense form of isolation I had ever experienced. Quickly after my conversation with Joe, Mason and him had gone through my stuff. All of it. They found a few of the other stuff. Mason had gone completely off, but as he said he wasn't surprised, just angry and disappointed. They had taken most of my stuff. Not just my phone and computer. They basically took anything that could or couldn't entertain me. They took all my clothes, and put it in Joe's room so I have to go ask him for it now. To humble me, they said. They took this old blue and white teddybear I don't even sleep with anymore. But for some reason that hit the hardest. I don't even know where they put it. I don't know where they put anything. They didn't eat with me, and they definitely didn't talk to me. They let me use the bathroom, but I wasn't allowed to lock the door. They treated me like a fucking addict on rehab. Well a really shitty, inefficient rehab, but I wasn't about to tell them though.

As I sat in my seat behind Harper, I didn't want her to turn around. I didn't want her to see me. I didn't want her to feel bad for me. But in some way I really did. I wanted her to turn around and care. I wanted her to be concerned. I wanted her to ask if I was okay. I wanted her to promise me that it was okay, and that it wasn't my fault. I just wanted someone to care. But she didn't.She didn't turn around. And I spent the rest of that class to tell myself that that was okay.

Lunch came around, and I didn't want it to. Joe and Mason had forbidden me from talking, sitting or being with Nick and Boomer. I hadn't exactly been in the mood to argue with them at the time, and to be honest it probably wouldn't have changed their minds. I weren't really in the mood to break it to them, but as it soon turned out I didn't have to.

"Hey, man, are you okay?" Nick said as he came over to me. 

"Yeah, bro, but like everything is a bit shitty right now."

"But what happened to you? Where were you last week?" Boomer asked with a concerned voice.

"It's a bit complicated but - "

I was quickly interrupted by Sergio and Aiden, dragging me away from them.

"What the fuck, you guys?" I whisper-yelled as I pulled myself out of Aidens grip.

"Look, you know you can't talk to them," Sergio calmly explained.

"So? Why do you guys care?" I was getting angry now. 

"We care because we have to!" Aiden said, slowly raising his voice. "Or else you'll just get yourself in trouble, and you know it!" 

We were still standing in the middle of the cafeteria and people were starting to look our way.

"Look, you guys are just kissing Joe and Mason's ass, and it's fucking pathetic," I spat.

"We don't wanna let them know, and it would be so much fucking easier if you would just cooperate," Sergio said, trying to get the situation under control.

"Yeah," Aiden chimed in, "and unless you want another one of Joe's infamous 'conversations' I would suggest that - "

That was all it took for me to lunge out after him, and that was just stupid. Aiden was at least ten times stronger than me, and even though I was getting there, he was definitely still taller than me. And before I knew it, Aiden was sitting on top of me, my arms pinned above my head, as he was punching me, and a large crowd stood around us, cheering us on. Mainly Aiden probably. Boomer and Nick, knew not to get involved. It was a family matter.

"You stupid fuck! You think they're gonna like this, huh?! You think this helps you?!" He screamed as he punched me over and over, until Sergio and an angered teacher pulled him off of me.

And there we were. Sitting outside our principle's office. Waiting for Joe, to come kill us. Aiden and I, sat with one chair in between us, and I could still smell the hatred. Aiden was probably the person that probably hated me the most at that moment. Maybe not as much as Mason and Joe though. But he was a solid top three. 

I was sitting with a bag of ice to stop the bruises from swelling, and one look at Aiden's completely unharmed face you would instantly think of me as the victim. But we both knew that I had been the instigator. And I felt absolutely terrible about it. My world was falling apart. In every single way. Everybody hated me. Harper clearly forgot everything about me. My family didn't even wanna talk with me, and when they did it was only to tell me how much of a screw up I was. 

"Alec, are you crying," Aiden asked with a concerned voice. I hadn't even realized and I angrily wiped the unwelcome tear who had escaped my eye.

"No," I said with a shaky voice, clearly crying.

"Hey, it's alright," he said, as he scooted closer to me, putting a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"No, no, it's not," I said, now fully weeping. "I am so sorry, I shouldn't have hit you, I'm so so so sorry, please don't hate me."

"Oh Alec," he said, putting an arm around my shoulders. "Nobody hates you."

Just as I was about to argue him on that, Joe stormed out of the principles office.