The whole time that I have been sitting here at this lunch table, I have been quietly listening. I am sitting in between Niall and his friend Liam. I have not said much, but I have been using my time just observing the actions around me. Which is not very much. I have noticed that Niall and Liam's table is not as popular as I was expecting. It is basically just Niall and Liam talking to each other. It actually turns out that Niall's "friends" at the lunch table do not really take part in conversations. They basically sit over there, eat, then go to the library. I did feel surprisingly comfortable at this lunch table. It is definitely better than sitting alone. Niall's friend, Liam, is a very nice guy; he seems like a very caring person, he was so welcoming.
As I finished my carton of juice, I heard something from Liam that caught my attention.
"Do you remember Zayn talking about his cousin?" Liam asked Niall.
"The one who thinks he's all big and bad?"
"Yeah, him."
I glanced at Niall as he let out a sigh and nodded his head yes.
"He's an ass." Niall replies.
"Yeah I know, he can be, Zayn said he had to leave early. He said that he is coming to move in with him." Liam says. He didn't seem to be bothered by this as much as Niall.
"You have got to be kidding me." Niall says with an annoyed sigh.
"Yep." Liam answered, popping the 'p.'
"I don't get why he would be moving in with Zayn. That one time he visited, he got on my nerves."
"I don't know man; something probably came up for him to just move here."
I am very curious about Zayn's cousin. Is it the same cousin he was texting in art? If so, what reason could there be for him moving in with Zayn?
My thoughts are soon interrupted by the bell. I go throw my trash away, then make my way to the gym for gym class. I hate gym class. I'm not a very athletic person, and I hate how hot it gets in there. I always wear sweats, not shorts like everyone else. People think I am weird, but I have chosen not to care anymore. Another reason why I dislike gym class is because the biggest jerk is there.
Luke.
He is so full of himself, it's sickening. He picks on me all the time, mostly about my clothes. I silently pray that he trips and falls on the hard gym floor.
"Why do you always wear them ugly sweats, they are hideous." I roll my eyes at Luke's annoying voice. I try to ignore him but he steps in front of me, making me cower back a few steps.
"Hey, I'm talking to you Amy!"
"It's Avery." I answer very quietly.
"Does it look like a care?" Luke says in a harsh tone.
Luke takes a step to me as I back up until I feel my back hit the wall. My heart is racing and I'm thinking of every possible scenario. Is he going to hit me? He wouldn't hit me here... would he? Just before Luke reached me Coach Johnson blew the whistle, indicating it was time for warm-ups.
"Better be glad I have to go now." Luke says in a deep voice. His eyes are narrowed and his voice intimidates me greatly.
I watch as he walks on through the double doors to the gym. I stay by the wall right outside the locker rooms, still shaken up by the encounter. I stay there against the wall for the longest time. This isn't the only time this has happened, but it still scares me each time it does.
After a few minutes I see Liam walking towards me. I forgot he was in my gym class, and I automatically feel a little better seeing him.
"What are you doing out here?" Liam asks as he makes his way to the water fountain.
"Oh, um.. nothing, just don't feel like running around much, that's all." I reply. I hope I don't look as nervous as I feel.
"Oh, well I hope you feel better." Liam says as he walks back to the gym.
"Thanks." I call to him with a small smile. I still feel like I am setting myself up. Why am I meeting all these people today?
For the rest of gym I sit on the bleachers and think. I told Coach that I had a headache and he excused me from the activities. He isn't a very strict coach, which I am grateful for.
Everything that happened today leads back to Zayn. Zayn needing a pencil and help on his homework. I sit there I start going through the events of today in my head.
Zayn was on the bus when he started to talk to me. Zayn is Louis friend. That must be why he knew my name.
Niall. I met Niall in math. Niall is friends with Louis and Zayn. Niall is very nice to me and eats quite a bit for someone his size. He invited me to sit with him at lunch. How sweet.
Liam. Liam happened to be friends with Niall and sat with us at the lunch table. He seems so sweet and caring. He also seems to have a different outlook on Zayn's cousin than Niall. He almost acts like he knows that there is something more to it than you would think.
As I keep thinking, they all go back to Louis. Louis, and the fact Zayn needed help on his homework. If I didn't have Louis, I would be nothing more than a speck of dust covering the top of an abandoned shelf.
*******
I step off the bus and get a cold shudder run through me at the sight of Jacks car sitting in the driveway. I want to run away, I want to get back on that stupid yellow bus, I want to go anywhere but through that front door.
I step up to the door and rest my ear to it. I listen for any movement, or sounds that might indicate that he is close by. I hear nothing on the other side of the worn door, so I take a deep breath and crack it open.
As I peak in I see him sprawled out on the couch, beer bottle in hand. I felt my heart ram against my chest, until I realized he was passed out. There was a good amount of empty bottles laying on the coffee table and a half empty one still in his hand. I gulped as I quietly made my way upstairs, trying not to make any sounds that would wake him up. If I woke him up, and him being drunk, all hell would break loose for me.
Thankfully, I make my way to my room, and make sure my door is locked. I quickly change into a t shirt and a pair of shorts. I would get my shower tomorrow morning when Jack is already gone doing whatever the hell he does with his so called "friends."
I sit down on my bed and decide to write some in my diary. I open the tiny lock and turn to a blank page in my life story. I write about everything that happened today. I mention all the people I met today, Zayn's cousin, and of course Luke's encounter.
I hear a loud crash sound from downstairs that sounded like glass breaking. My heart leaped to my throat. He's awake.
"AVERY GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!" I hear his deep slurred voice yell. I quickly shut, lock, and hide my diary before timidly making my way down there. I can't stay up here, I'm scared of what he might do.
As soon as I make it to the bottom of the steps, my arm is grabbed roughly. I wince at the pain from Jacks grip as he drags me over to the coffee table.
"How long have you been home?"
"About thirty minutes." I reply. I keep my head down so I don't meet his hard gaze.
"You weren't going to let me know you were home were you kid? I should have known you were trying to sneak by me!" I flinch as his grip tightened. I should be use to it by now, but sadly each bruise leaves a scar.
"You see this mess?! You should have cleaned it up as soon as you got home, but your lazy ass decided to go watch cartoons huh!?" He's not making any sense, I do not even have a television in my room. He threw me against it and shattered it when I was 13 during his drunken rage one night after I didn't finish washing his clothes.
"What are you standing there for? I said clean this shit up!" His voice boomed in my ear as I followed his gaze to shattered glass from a beer bottle all over the floor. The smell of beer lingered in the air and all I could do was stare at it at first. What did he do smash it on purpose?
Knowing him, he probably did. I didn't realize I was still standing there motionless, until I felt a harsh pain cut through the middle of my back. I had felt this before, many times, I just tried to avoid it at all costs. I guess I wasn't as lucky tonight.
The impact of Jack's fist surged through the middle of my back, causing me to stumble forward with a gasp. I collide with the coffee table as a felt a sharp pain run through my foot. Glass.
I suck in my breath as tears threatened to escape. I blinked them back, I refused to show weakness, it would give him more power. I couldn't let him get that satisfaction. I look down and notice a red liquid smeared on the floor.
"Clean that up, and keep it quiet. I don't want to hear another sound!"
A flood of relief came over me as he stumbled to his room. The hell was over, for tonight at least.
My back ached and my foot stung. I cleaned up the broken beer bottles and the blood that was smeared from my foot. I hadn't looked at it, I was scared to.
As I examined my foot in the bathroom, I found that it wasn't as bad as I was thinking. I was able to pick the glass out of my foot, and wrap it up. It could have been a lot worst.
I was so grateful to finally get back to my room. I had, once again, fingerprints on my arm where Jack had his grip, and I'll defiantly have a bruise on my back. My foot stings, but not as bad as it did when it first happened. I'll jut have to tell people, if they ask, that I stepped on a piece of glass out in the yard. Technically I wouldn't be lying, well at least not about the important part. I finally lay down after locking my door and eventually fall into a deep slumber.
********
The poor excuse for a father is never home when I wake up, and I'm not complaining one tiny bit. This morning I ate some cereal, and was able to get a shower before the bus showed up in front of my house.
I sit down in my usual seat as the others around me fill in farthest away first then gradually fill in closer around me.
I find myself looking forward to seeing Zayn today. It's nice to have someone to talk to, I just hope nothing has changed from yesterday. We finally get up to there house and I squint my eyes out the window.
A bundle of nerves set in my stomach as I take in the sight right outside the bus. Standing with Zayn was another boy, about the same age as Zayn. His dark skinny jeans and black t shirt hugged his lean figure. He help a single notebook like Zayn but it looked like it contained a lot less papers. His curly, dark brown mop of hair whipped around in the wind. He had tattoos up his arm. Unlike Zayn, his whole impression seemed quite intimidating. I couldn't see much detail from him, I was to far away.
As he started walking down the aisle with Zayn, I could see his annoyed expression and his bright green eyes piercing through his surroundings. He almost looked kind of scary. Yeah, Zayn has the bad boy image, but this guy topped that reputation. His features was the definition of trouble. This was Zayn's cousin, this was the guy Niall doesn't like, this was the guy with "issues," this was the guy that moved in with Zayn.
This was that guy.
And I couldn't help my curiosity grow as he took a seat beside Zayn, and looked over at me with those disturbingly beautiful emerald eyes.
_______________________
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