They are waiting for Isaac like they always are. Jake was the biggest guy in the sixth grade but that wasn't even why he had so much power in school. No he was also very bright for his age (or so the teachers say), and he won everyone over with his false charm and good looks. Jake had black hair that swooped over his forehead. He had a square head that Isaac though made him look as dumb as he was but that all the girls in their class swooned over. He had long skinny eyes that made it seem like he was squinting. His best friend was, ironically, the shortest gut in their class, Mackey. Mac had stringy red hair and a stout build. Mac was always by Jake's side. People thought he was jealous but Isaac saw him for the leech he was. Jake was popular; Mackey wasn't. Jake had influence with the teachers; Mackey didn't. Jake was his damn shield and Mackey was the true evil of the two. Well, him and Katrina.
Katrina was aggressive but like Jake, not very bright. She looked down her pointed nose at anyone who talked to her, as if her hand-me-down clothes and dirty blonde curls could be better than anyone at their school. She got by on it because of Mac. While he had stuck to Jake like glue from the very first day, he'd only adopted Katrina into their circle last year. As she shoved Isaac to the ground he could help but think that she would do anything to earn her keep. They were in the hall that leads into the cafeteria for lunchtime. Isaac knew he wouldn't be allowed to eat in peace but he sighed any way having confirmed that they weren't going to let him be. Mackey squatted beside him.
"Hello Lahey." They only ever called him Lahey.
"Hello Mackey." Isaac said rolling over to look him in the face. "How's it going?" he asked trying to keep things light despite knowing they would make him pay for it. Jake kicked him in the side. He already had some big bruises there so the blow had him crying out in pain.
"You're such a wimp." Mackey said. He made a gesture with his hand and Jake kicked him again. Isaac had tears in his eyes. "What are you?" Mac asked him. His eyes were sparkling with power; with the pure desire to have his victim be submissive.
"A wimp." Isaac bit out. Mackey smirked.
"And?" Isaac wasn't sure what he wanted now. He got another kick.
"And?" Mackey demanded.
"A coward?" His dad usually liked that one, maybe that applies here too. Mackey smiled and gave an appreciative nod before striking him across the face.
"And my little bitch." He stood up and took a step back, a clear signal to let Katrina and Jake have at him. Isaac once more sighed internally. Every single day and not much changed. He curled up on himself to limit the damage.
"HEY!" Now Isaac definitely did not know that voice, but by some miracle Katrina and Jake backed off of him.
"Stay out of this." Mackey said coolly. Everyone knew Isaac's public tortures were normal, what was this girl's problem?
"I think you should leave him be." Isaac looked up and saw a girl. She was towering over Mackey and Katrina, and she almost could have looked Jake in the eye. She was wearing a stripped long sleeve shirt that was pink and purple, with jeans and pink running shoes. She had shoulder length auburn hair and fierce honey colored eyes. Her hands were balled at her sides and she wore her determination as if it were a weapon she could wield against Isaacs assailants. She was exchanging words with Mackey but Isaac didn't hear what they said. He was too busy staring at his mystery savior. He only came back to reality when he noticed her stalking towards him. Instinctively he prepared himself for the blow and he watched her whole demeanor change.
"Hey, it's okay." She said softly, taking his shoulder. "Can you stand?" her voice was beautiful when she wasn't angry. She helped him to his feet throwing a challenging glare back at the Devil's Three.
"Do you eat here?" She asked.
"Yeah." Isaac breathed trying to ignore the ache in his abdomen. She got them in line and by the time they got to the front Isaac was able to stand on his own once more.
"I wouldn't." Isaac warned as the girl reached for the soup. He picked up a chicken sandwich and gestured for her to do the same.
"The soup is not edible not matter what they say. The mac & cheese is iffy too, so only go for that if there's nothing else." He informed her.
"Thanks." She smiled at him brightly. She picked up a chocolate chip cookie and walked to the register. She handed the lady some money but as she walked away Jake walked up to her. He picked up her cookie gave it a once over and then took a huge bite out of it and strolled away with it in hand. He sat at his usually table with Katrina who was smirking at the girl. Mackey strolled up to her.
Mackey had words with her before he chuckled and walked away to join tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum. Fuming the girl picked an empty table to sit. Isaac grabbed another chocolate chip cookie and added it to his tray. He paid and then made his way over to her table. He hesitated but then set the cookie down by her side.
"Thank you for helping me." He said softly and turned to walk away.
"Hey!" she called him back. He looked at her. "What's your name?"
"Isaac."
"I'm Rowan."
"Cool name." he said stupidly, and blushed.
"Would you like to eat with me?" She asked. Relief washed over him; at least he hadn't scared her off.
"Alright." He set his stuff down cautiously as if Rowan might suddenly throw her corn at him and walk away to go have a laugh about it with Katrina.
"I'm not like them you know." Rowan told him after a time. "I'm not gonna hurt you." Isaac gave a shy smile.
"I believe you." A moment later he inquired, "Why haven't I met you before?"
"Just moved here." She said looking down into her milk carton to affirm that it was empty. Isaac didn't feel the need to push for more information. Rowan looked over at Jake, Mac, and Katrina.
"Do they pick on you a lot?"
"Not really." He said with a shrug.
"You're a liar." His mouth dropped open a bit. How had she known?
"I've been bullied before. I know what it looks like." She leaned in like they were sharing a secret. "If we're gonna be friends you gotta trust me, okay?" Isaac nodded. He had to stop himself from beaming because friend? He hadn't had a friend since Peter and they'd never been that close before he shut him out entirely. She was talking but he wasn't listening. They'd been friend for about fifteen seconds and Isaac was already failing miserably.
"I zoned out," he admitted quietly. She laughed.
"That's okay, I don't really talk to a lot of people so when I do I tend to ramble." Isaac smiled at her. "What?" She asked.
"It's just been awhile since I had a friend."
Rowan was bored. There was nothing about this hours long tour that was interesting. Not the school (For gods sake it was a school! Just like any other. Brick, books, whiteboards, hooray), not the principal showing her around (maroon was a fine color… unless literally everything your wearing is maroon. Was there ever a more bland color?), and not the lecture. Good lord that was practically the worst of it. The school was old and the woman who founded it was significant and look at this old piece of junk and that old piece of junk.
B.O.R.E.D.
The bell rang.
"That means it's time for lunch." Mrs. Dixon told her.
"Can I go to lunch?" Rowan begged. Mrs. Dixon looked at her with pity probably thinking that Rowan was on the brink of starvation not bored out of her mind.
"Do you remember where it is?" Rowan nodded.
"Okay." Rowan was already booking it down the hall. She was hungry but mostly she didn't want Mrs. Dixon to walk her back and repeat any portion of her lecture. Ava had given her money for her lunch anyway so this was perfect. When she came upon the cafeteria, most of the kids had already gone in. There were only three kids still in the hallway. As she got closer she realized there were four. There was a boy on the floor and two of the kids were kicking him. He cried out in pain and Rowan rushed forward. Her blood boiled; She hated bullies.
"HEY!" The kids backed away from the boy guiltily before they realized who was actually speaking. The red-haired boy stepped forward.
"Stay out of this." He said with his hands up like he could stop her from coming any closer just with the gesture. She surely didn't stop. She got right in his face. She had to look down cause she towered over him. Only the black haired boy was taller than her.
"I think you should leave him be." She said addressing the same boy, as he seemed to be leading the other two.
"What should I care what you think?" he asked. She pressed closer to him and smiled when he took a step back.
"He's had enough." Rowan said looking down at the boy. He had soft blue eyes that were staring at her wide-eyed. He had messy curls falling into his angular face, his lips were thin and his mouth was hanging open as he looked at Rowan. Apparently people didn't aid him that often.
"I'll be the judge of that." The same boy said.
"Do you know who I am?" Rowan asked. He shook his head. "Exactly, I'm new to the neighborhood. What kind of a welcome is this? Leave him be and we might be able to call it square." The girl laughed at that.
"Alright." The red-haired boy said. "Alright, take your trash then as a welcome gift from me to you. Name's Mackey." He said holding out a hand that she ignored.
"Pleasure." She replied kneeling down next to the boy. He cringed in ward on himself as she got closer, and Rowan internally winced.
"Hey, it's okay." She said softly, taking his shoulder. "Can you stand?" She helped him to his feet. He let her take a lot of his weight.
"Do you eat here?" She asked.
"Yeah." he breathed, obviously in pain. She got them in line and slowly the boy started to take his own weight again. That was kind of quick, she thought. She got distracted by the prospect of food.
"I wouldn't." the boy warned as Rowan reached for the soup. He picked up a chicken sandwich and gestured for her to do the same. She did.
"The soup is not edible not matter what they say. The mac & cheese is iffy too, so only go for that if there's nothing else." He informed her.
"Thanks." She smiled at him brightly, picking up a chocolate chip cookie. She handed the lady at the register some money and looked around for a spot to sit. One of the boys who had been in the hallway sauntered up to her. He picked up her cookie gave it a once over and then took a huge bite out of it and strolled away with it in hand. Mackey strolled up to her a smirk plastered on his creepy little face.
"Tough luck there. You might want to think about this when deciding who you want to be your friends." He chuckled at the look on the girls face and walked away to join tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum. Fuming Rowan walked over to an empty table to sit. She was thinking about revenge when someone placed a cookie on the table beside her. She looked up and saw the boy she had helped. For some reason his presence was comforting. Probably their common enemy.
"Thank you for helping me." He said softly and turned to walk away.
"Hey!" she called him back. He looked at her. "What's your name?"
"Isaac."
"I'm Rowan."
"Cool name."
"Would you like to eat with me?" She asked, hoping he'd say yes
"Alright." He set his stuff down cautiously. She knew that feeling too, the not trusting anybody.
"I'm not like them you know." Rowan told him after a time. "I'm not gonna hurt you." Isaac gave a shy smile.
"I believe you." A moment later he inquired, "Why haven't I met you before?"
"Just moved here." She said looking down into her milk carton to affirm that it was empty. Sort of moving requires a home, which I've never actually had. Rowan thought bitterly. She glanced over at Mackey's trio, and back at Isaac.
"Do they pick on you a lot?"
"Not really." He said with a shrug. The phrase was to calculated. She looked at him carefully avoiding her gaze.
"You're a liar." She decided. She was right if the way he floundered was any indication.
"I've been bullied before. I know what it looks like." She said in way of explanation. Leaning in closer she said, "If we're gonna be friends you gotta trust me, okay?" Isaac nodded.
"If they come at you again, at least you won't be alone anymore. I know what that's like. Getting wailed on when your alone. But I stood up to my bullies and I got away. I'll stand up to your bullies with you and they'll go away. Gosh I hate them already, though I am quick to hate. Quick to love and quick to hate. That girl though looks like she ain't ever smiled in her life. Pinchface. That's what I'm gonna call her.
"I zoned out," he admitted quietly. She laughed.
"That's okay, I don't really talk to a lot of people so when I do I tend to ramble." Isaac smiled at her. "What?" She asked.
"It's just been awhile since I had a friend." She smiled back because, yeah she was pretty much in the same boat.
And just like that, two lonely souls found solace without really looking. It's funny how you never notice when someone is about to change your life; It's something that could you only see in hindsight.