Chapter 98

I had been walking down the hallway after leaving the staffroom, scrolling on my phone with the intention of asking Austin where he was because my neediness to be around him was still rooted deep within me. I had never understood why sometimes I woke up with the insane desire to just keep him as close to me as I could. I wanted us to be tied together in every way possible. There had been these two students standing next to the wall, talking . Just casually engaged in a conversation.And I neither knew them nor had any desire to do so, but then I noticed that one of them had his backpack open and his things were seconds away from falling out. And I acted out of instinct, tapping his shoulder and holding onto whatever I could so that the things would remain in place.

They both turned to face me, and as I was about to explain the situation, the backpack's owner basically jumped to the side. His books, along with a sweater and some other things fell out but he seemed to be more worried about the fact that I had touched him than anything else. 

" Whoa! What the hell dude?! "

I had the ability to sense things when it came to situations such as those. I didn't have to be told what was going on because I could see it in his eyes, and in the expression his friend was wearing. The guy was still holding onto the spot where I had touched him as he eyed me up and down with eyes that were overflowing with judgement. 

" Sorry, it's just that your--"

" No, you can't go around touching people like that. " he said and I was left utterly speechless. I had heard tales of things like that happening but experiencing it first hand was completely different. It made it clear that the world was as cruel as some people claimed it to be. 

I glanced from one to the other, neither wanting to do or say anything else because I was uncomfortable enough as it was. All I wanted to do was get out of there as fast as I could before things got worse. 

" Sorry, " I muttered once more. I don't even know what I was apologizing for, but in my mind, I figured that if I stated there any longer, there were chances of those guys raising their voices. That would naturally need to some sort of crazy argument. And word travelled way too fast in an established such as that school, so there were equally high chances of Austin learning about what had happened. And once he did things would just get out of hand because he had been born without the element of self control. And often times, when it came to me and my feelings, he wanted to protect them at all costs. His preferred method was violence. He didn't care if he got badly injured in the process, as long as he hurt the other person then he'd be okay. And as I was walking away, I heard one of the guys say...

" I don't get how the school could be okay with guys like that just walking around. " 

A thought that his friend supported wholeheartedly. 

That unique feeling of anger combined with hurt took over. I tucked my phone back into my pocket and quickened my strides. It wasn't about me being easily affected by what strangers thought but rather about me being human and reacting to a comment that had been made about me. One I didn't find too appealing. I knew myself. I knew I was most likely going to hide somewhere and cool down, and when Austin finally approached me I was either going to ice him out or pretend I was fine. That's what I had done when I got mad as a kid. I got to the stairs and stood at the foot of them, holding onto the railing and hanging my head. 

That feeling sucked. I didn't like it one bit.

And as I blew out a breath, I decided to do something different for once. To react the way Austin always wanted me to. He had always reminded me that he was and would always be there for me whenever I needed him. That if I was angry or bored or anything all I had to do was reach out. He actually hated it when I closed off. I had to force myself to call him because I still felt the need to be alone. But he picked up like five seconds after and there was no going back. I asked him whether he was busy, offering him a chance to flirt and say he was never too busy for me. And so I asked whether we could meet under the bleachers. 

" Can't hold on much longer, can you?.." a chuckle, " When?" 

" Now. Like, right now?" 

He said nothing else but rather cut the call. I knew he was most likely rushing to get there. So I made my way outside and headed there as well. I was closer so I got there before him. But not by long since a couple of minutes later he showed up as well. I had been seated on the floor, my knees up and my arms wrapped around myself, just waiting for him to show up because now that I had called him I needed to see him. He dropped his almost empty backpack on the ground and crossed his arms, moving closer until he was basically standing over me. 

" We're starting to feel like that one couple that's always sneaking around at school so they could make out, " he joked. The light in there was kinda dim, but if I focused on him I could clearly make out every small detail about his features, the same way he could about me. And so I slowly looked up, my eyes piercing his. And even after my heart began to pound for reasons I had never understood as a child, I didn't look away. I blinked a few times because I felt like I was doing something completely new and somehow scary, but I held the eye contact with everything I had. 

The smile he had been wearing disappeared in a flash to be replaced by a look of pure concern. 

" Stevens?" 

He went down on his haunches, placing one hand on my knee and narrowing his gaze at me for a much better inspection. 

" What's wrong?" 

That tone which told me he knew something was wrong and only needed me to tell him what. He never bothered to ask me whether I was okay because he knew I wasn't. All he needed was my explanation so that he could start working on making me feel better. I slipped my tongue out to swipe over my dry lips, then I placed a hand over the one he had on my knee and flicked my thumb over his soft skin. 

" Hey, " he called out softly. A type of softness that others wouldn't believe he possessed, yet one that he displayed so often when he was with me. He moved even closer, standing up on his knees and wrapping his other hand around my nape. 

" Why are people so fucking mean?" Was the first thing I asked. My voice still harbouring bitterness for those two strangers. 

" What do you mean?...Did someone--" His eyes turned dark. A glare that made even me a bit fearful. 

" Who did what?" 

It was a short question, straight to the point. And his entire face was screaming the words revenge and violence. It was a relief the issue wasn't that big. 

" You'll tell me, " 

" It's not that big a deal, just --"

" Don't you fucking say what I think you're about to say. 

Just let it be. That's exactly what I had been about to say. I looked away and sighed. Starting to regret having even called him in the first place because he would make things bigger than they were. 

" It's just some students I came across, I don't know them or anything. "

" What did they do?"

With more force that I expected him to use, he made look at him again. Such actions were the same ones that had made me view him as my protector while we had been growing up. He was literally only a week older than me but in my head, it seemed like much more than just a week. Knowing he wasn't going to give up until I told him, I decided to do just that. And after I was done, I watched his face to see his reaction. I had honestly expected him to be enraged or furious...but had been wrong. He closed his eyes for a moment and then shook his head. Cupping my cheek affectionately before he held my hand in both of his. There was only a tiny trace of anger, nothing else. I wondered whether he was actually plotting something sinister despite his relaxed reaction. But then he spoke and I few even more surprised. 

" Oh Kyle, " he gave me a subtle smile, then he shifted to sit next to me, stretching out his legs and silently urging me to lie against him, which I did. 

" You can't pay attention to those kinds of people. You'll lose yourself if you do. "

He was speaking sternly. All serious and shit. Like he wanted me to note how much he meant what he was saying.

" I hate having to tell you this, but you have no choice but to get used to things like that happening. However, it's up to you how you choose to react. " 

Since when was he so calm and collected when it came to such situations?