Just like in the books

Chapter four : Strangers

"Where were you?" was the first thing my mother asked when I walked through the door. From the uninterested expression on her face she didn't really want to know, she was just asking for the sake of it. I shrugged out of my soaking coat and made my way to the staircase, "Just...out." The awnser satiated her enough for her to stumble back into the guest bedroom. I hadn't even been gone long and she's already drunk. I made my way into the bathroom and started pulling of the layers of wet clothing before stepping into the shower. The hot water pelting my freezing body felt wondrous. I washed the sea sand out of my hair and scrubbed myself down before exiting the shower and drying myself off. I looked in the mirror, unsurprised by my lifeless appearance. Dull black hair, mud brown eyes and acne scarrs scattered across my cheeks and forehead. I didn't like the way I looked, but I wasn't sure there was a single person in the world who fully accepted their looks and body.

Maybe some became satisfied with the way they looked after a drastic change, but it doesn't change the way they felt before the change.

"Elizabeth, hurry up! I need to use the bathroom too," my older brother grumbled from outside the door. He went to school every single day which only leaves me to believe that school hadn't started yet. I secured the towel around myself and opened the door. Wesley shoved passed me and slammed the door in my face. He's always so moody in the mornings. I hurried into my room trying to maintain my warm body temperature. I pulled on a matching pyjama set and returned to my bed with the intention of watching Netflix. I managed to watch some Brigderton before Weasely started banging on my door, "You've got ten minutes before I leave!" He shouted grumpily.

"I'm not going! " I called back. In an instant my door was flung open and he had stormed in. He was scowling. Wesley knealt beside my bed and roughly slapped his hand onto my forehead, "You're not sick so get your ass out of bed, pull on the school uniform and get in the kitchen." He pulled on my ear, stood and left my room. I let out a groan of frustration but threw the covers back and went into my closet. I pulled on the uniform, now in a foul mood. I stormed downstairs with the intention of screaming Wesley's head off when I saw two other familiar boys with him. Isaac and Micah, his bestfriends. "Morning, Ellie!" they greeted enthusiastically. They, unlike my brother and I, were morning people. My anger simmered down into mild annoyance, "Morning," I greeted back dully.

I stole Wesley's second slice of toast, he let me, and when we were done we all filled into his car. Micah and Isaac lived in our neighbourhood and so every morning they came to our house and we all went to school together. They were the only friends I liked of all the other people Wesley surrounded himself with. In fact I'd had a tiny crush on Isaac that lasted from the age of ten to fourteen. I remember how Wesley chased me around the house with a knife threatening to cut out my heart so I stopped liking one of his bestfriends. That aside they knew about our disastrous home life and didn't once judge us

The car drive was filled with the boys chattering, I occasionally contributed something to the conversation when needed and it went on like that until we reached school. I made myself scarce as soon as the car stopped. One thing about Wesley, Micah and Isaac is that their ridiculously popular. Resident f**k boys and star soccer players. As I walked through the halls to my locker, I heard the whispers. People stared at me with either disgust or pity and I heard all sorts of vile things being shared amongst my class mates and upper-classmen. 'I heard they've been f*****g since he started giving her private lessons.'

'Well I've heard they been f*****g since she was a year eight. After they met at the town's annual charity ball.'

'I never expected her to to something like that. She looks so innocent.'

'Maybe that's what he found appealing.'

I blinked back tears. I hate how often I've been crying. I hate how people can wholeheartedly believe something just because someone popular said it. I hate Julian Mayweather. I hate my brother for making me come to school today.

An arm wrapped around my shoulders, "Don't listen to them, Elizabeth. I don't believe them, and I'm sure there's others that don't either." The owner of the voice rubbed my arm comfortingly and I lifted my gaze from the floor. Brianna Montgomery. She was accused of sleeping with one of her father's business associates, a married man, but it was quickly revealed that he made a move on her and she immediately shut him down so he started to spread rumours. Of her trying to come onto him and all sorts.

"You're going to be fine, okay?" She picked my class schedule out of my hand, "We have almost identical schedules. I'll walk you to and from class and at the end of the day when I don't have the last lesson with you, you don't pay them any attention." I nodded, so extremely grateful I wouldn't be left to deal with today alone. "Thank you." She smiled, "If us girls don't support eachother, who will?" True to her word Brianna never left my side, she bit of the head of anyone who said anything to me and she distracted me from the constant whispers. Whilst sitting at the stone benches during lunch I realised something, "How come I've never seen you during lunch before." Brianna smiled mischievously, "I sneak out through the back gate to go see me friends at Huntersville."

Brianna transferred here from Huntersville Academy during her ninth year because her father remarried. She's been very open about her dislike to her father's new wife but I didn't want to touch on a topic that was clearly sensitive. It wasn't my business anyway. "What about you, Evans? I didn't know our resident dickhead even had a sister before this morning." I laughed, "I feel so accomplished knowing I'm so good at avoiding attention that people don't even know I exist." She laughed aswell before popping a grape into her mouth. "Wesley receives enough attention for the both of us. I don't want to be....known."

Brianna snickered, "Well now you're known alright." We both burst into laughter and when it died down I spoke again. "I'm sorry I'm keeping you from your friends, Brianna." And I truly was sorry she had to sit with my lonely self because I only had one douchebag friend. She stared at me for a few seconds with a quizzical expression on her face, "It's Bree for you. And you're not terrible company, Evans. Maybe when you're comfortable you can come meet my girls at Huntersville." I wasn't too sure about that idea, but I nodded not wanting to be rude. The rest of the lessons we had together went by with us chatting. I hadn't had a girl friend to talk so animatedly with since Julian and I forgot how much I missed it.

The bell for our biology period rang and my heart hammered in my chest. My anxiousness must have shown on my face because Bree smiled sympathetically, "You're going to be fine." Let's hope I am. "I'll see you by the gates after school?" I asked while tightening my hold on my books. "Of course! See ya later, Evans!" With that she walked away to her next class leaving me at the door for mine. I took a deep breath and started counting mentally, '1, 2, 3, 4, 5,' I stepped into the classroom relieved that no one was looking at me. I started for my usual desk at the back and froze when I saw a familiar blonde seated there. It had completely slipped my mind that Oliver was in this class. So I changed course and sat down at a desk in the corner, but still at the back of the classroom. Oliver frowned sadly at me as if I owed him the opportunity to explain himself. I owe him nothing. He tossed away years of friendship leaving me to fend for myself.

I started taking out my books and stationery pointedly avoiding looking in his direction when a paper ball hit my head. I tilted my head upwards and managed to catch a glimpse of Doniellie Fairess snicker. I opened the note having an idea of what was inside.

KNOW WONDER YOU NEVER PAID JOSH ANY ATTENTION. YOU WERE TOO BUSY PLAYING ROMEO AND JULIET WITH A TEACHER!

Joshua Foster had asked me out on a date the beginning of twelfth year. I rejected him in the most gentle way possible and he didn't take it well. I guess he wasn't used to someone turning him down. Maybe.... I could stick up for myself. Just this one time. I fixed the spelling error. Changing 'know' to no before scrunching the letter up into a ball and lobbing it at the back of Doniellie's head. He turned around, confused and picked the paper ball and opened it. He scowled at me seeing my correction and turned around. He didn't turn back around after that. I turned my attention to my shaky hands. They always seemed to shake when I was in school, not really sure about why.

Someone filled the seat next to me causing me to look up. My breath hitched when Dylan set his bag down on the desk. "What's up, Babe?" He said conversationally. I was too deep in shock to reply. He smirked evilly and scooted his seat closer to mine. I took a deep breath trying to keep my fear from doing what it's done far too many times before. Maybe I can change seats before the lesson starts, I placed my pens ontop of my books and went to stand but he pulled me back into the seat. "Don't be like that, Elizabeth." I closed my eyes and breath in deeply, "Take your hand off me," I said firmly.

Dylan leant in until his lips were right next to my ear. My throat itched with the need to scream. "Or what?" His words triggered something. Something surged throughout my entire body and my skin started to tingle. I looked him dead in the eye and said in a voice I didn't even know I can make, "Or I'll break it." His face was filled with fear and he yanked his arm back, scrambling to get out of the chair. I blinked at his retreating figure in surprise. What's going on with me? I suddenly had a massive headache. Someone settled down in the seat next to me, and for some reason even without looking in that direction I knew who it was. Ethan had a bored expression on his face, like he did most of the time but in his hand was a ring. Twin to the one he wore on his left hand. This one was just smaller. It was beautiful. Metal twisted and curled to form intricate patterns. In the middle there was a shiny black gem. Exactly like his.

"Are you going to take it or not?" He asked indifferently. I slid my gaze from the ring to his godlike face. I furrowed my brows, "You brought me a ring?" His eyes darted to mine and it was almost as if they were laughing but the rest of his face wasn't, "Yes. Now take it." I hummed, "No thank you," I declined. He rolled his eyes, "I wasn't asking you to take it. I was telling you to take it." I licked my lips nervously, taking note of how different this nervous, the one that came with talking to your crush, and the nervous I felt not five minutes ago were. "I'm not allowed to accept gifts from strangers."

Ethan turned so that the entire top half of his body faced me. Suddenly the space between me and him felt constricted. "What's my name, Elizabeth?" He asked softly. Trying to cut through the s****l cloth covering my mind I laughed, "Are you asking because you genuinely don't know or because you don't think I know your name?"Ethan leant in, and placed his hand on my chair next to my thigh. Electrical sparks danced between us. "What's my name, Elizabeth?" His voice was so much deeper and his eyes seemingly glowed. I felt...compelled to awnser. "Ethan," I awnsered softly. His eyes glowed brighter and a flame ignited between my thighs. He inhaled deeply, his eyes closing and his head tipping back slightly. "See we're not strangers. You know my name and I know yours so take the damn ring." He shoved it into my hand and abruptly pulled out of our little bubble.