A/N: Thank you all for reviewing. Technically, I should be studying for finals, but... Here it is. Again, I did this in one day, so please forgive me for mistakes.
Stupid
I did my school work, kissed up to my teachers, took my pills, and acted like an ass boyfriend to Ivy. In between the time, however, my thoughts swirled around whether or not I should talk to Reed. My questions flitted between hi, how are you and hi, I've been such a dick. Want to call a truce?
Tap-tap-tap my pencil went. I was trying to focus on my time on AP Bio, but it was a lost cause. As I stared off into the distance, I saw a certain someone walking across the quad, getting ready to walk inside the solarium. My heartbeat increased dramatically, and now I felt unprepared.
She walked in, oblivious to my presence. Her hair was long and ethereal, begging to be touched. Reed was only inches away. This was my chance. I could do this. I could, couldn't I?
"Hey, Reed."
I stood up, wanting to give respect to Reed. She was so close . . . I could smell her wonderful scent, and it tightened my airways. Jesus, would my conversations with Reed always be like this?
Swallow, breathe, and–
"What's up?"
"Um, nothing," Reed replied. Her eyes flickered everywhere except to me. Instantly, a pang of sorrow hit me. I created this friction, this uneasiness. The wandering eyes were a result of my stupidity.
"What's up with you?" Reed asked, her voice sounding genuine. She didn't look comfortable, and it seemed like she was in a hurry. I only had a certain amount of time, and I was completely wasting it. My pits, as dirty as this sounds, was pouring out, and I was mortified, to say the least.
"Nothing." A flash of nervousness swept through me, and I gathered my hand to the back of my neck and unnecessarily scratching it. Being unsure of what I wanted to say, I said the worst thing ever imaginable.
"How've you been? I've been meaning to call you . . . I heard about St. Barth's . . ."
What I really wanted to ask was if she was going to the dance (but I already knew the answer). I wanted to ask her how her school work was going, and if she was happy that she was almost done with her junior year. But, of course, I wasn't thinking straight. Now, I was going to pay.
I could tell I pissed of Reed. Hell, I would be too. After all these months, now I was asking her all of the important questions? It was a travesty, not being able to initiate a conversation let alone maintain a healthy relationship.
Her blue ocean eyes went passed my shoulders, and her they went a bit hard. Finally, her eyes snapped back on me. "I'm sorry. I'm kind of meeting someone. I'll . . . see you around, I guess."
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
"Oh. Yeah. OK," I managed to muster out. And with that, she was gone, talking to a fashionable lady and leaving me to my thoughts.
I wish I couldn't think. Thinking took too much of my time.
Dances. I really hated them. They were always cheap and childish. I understood the dances and balls when I went to in the city, such as the Debutante ball, and other parties rich people liked to throw. But this? This was gay.
It didn't help that Hathaway was making us all go.
"Hey, I'm going to talk to the Headmaster. I had a couple of questions to ask him. Do you mind?" Ivy asked me.
It took every ounce of me to reply back. Watching fucking Sawyer put his fucking hands on Reed's beautiful body was not allowed. That idiot man was groping her, and it sickened me. How dare he?
"You don't need to ask me to talk to the headmaster, Ivy. Go, if you want to," I said, trying to be as nice as I could. Ivy was wearing a flimsy green dress and killer heels; she knew heels were my weakness.
"But, it's one of the Hathaways . . ."
Good grief, she was worried about that? A surge of pride and happiness followed. She was watching out for me and she wanted me to be happy. But, in the end, I was crushing her every second.
With a sad smile I said, "Ivy, it's OK. Go." She smiled back and left, lightly patting my arm.
"Damn, you're girlfriend looks hawt," Gage drawled out. He and Trey were standing next to me, by the door.
"Dude, try not to piss him off. Man looks ready to kill," Trey added. Our relationship was getting better, not that it was ruined, ruined. I was just spending more time with my emo persona, and I wasn't sure if Trey understood why.
I smiled, just to let them know everything was alright. "Yeah, you definitely don't want me to get mad," I joked back.
"Ha! Imagine him jumping on the tables and ripping his Goddamn shirt open . . ." Gage began. I tuned them out, acting as if I was paying attention when I really wasn't.
In reality, I was intently watching Sawyer and Reed. I was being crafty tonight, knowing the precise moment when Reed would turn around, so I could act like I wasn't staring at her. Then, all of a sudden, I captured Reed's head falling onto Sawyer's shoulder. And that sent me into a frenzy.
No, no, no – this couldn't happen. She couldn't be falling for that poor excuse for a boy. She couldn't be dancing with that oddball. She couldn't be dancing with him, out of all people.
And in that precise moment, Reed Brennen, the love of my life, zeroed in right through me. The air was sucked out of me, and all these emotions tumbled over. I reddened, finally finding the fortitude to turn away.
However, I would soon find out turning away from Reed wasn't going to be the hardest thing to do tonight.
Graham had somehow managed to worm his way next to Ivy, dancing and throwing his head back as if nothing was wrong. As the music pumped louder, he got bolder, and I had enough. I had simply enough.
For the first time in a year, my vision went black and I barreled my way through the thick crowd. Step by step, I came closer, only to find Sawyer and Reed there also. Idiot kids were blocking my way, and it took every ounce of me not to beat the shit out of them right there. God, I was angry.
I briefly saw Sawyer trying to keep Graham at bay, but the man obviously had an agenda with him. I was hot. This fucker was being an ass. The more he continued to antagonize me, the more infuriated I got.
"Hey, man. Is that really necessary?" I asked, fighting to control my voice. I could feel the gazes of Ivy, Reed, and Sawyer on me. That only spurred me on. Let them watch – let them watch Josh Hollis get rid of Graham the humane way.
Graham sighed as if he didn't have a care in the world and moved back, but still held onto Ivy's hand. My eyes flickered over to hers, and she clearly seemed confused.
"Back off, Hollis. She doesn't belong to you," said Graham, his eyes glinting.
I was officially and completely pissed. How dare he treat Ivy as if she was a possession? And to think, this man thought I was an ass to his sister.
"I don't belong to anyone, thanks," Ivy shot back. She yanked her arm away, and I was grateful for her feisty attitude.
"Hey. The song's not over," Graham whined. He made a lunge for Ivy's hand. I stopped him before he could get any closer. In a dumb move, I planted my hand on Graham's chest, reacting on instinct. I couldn't let him get within a centimeters distance of Ivy. He needed to back off.
"I think we're done here."
Graham smiled wickedly, as if he knew something I didn't.
"See, that's where you'd be wrong."
With his last parting words, he drew his fist back and let it collide with my jaw.
That fucking hurt. I was immediately thrown back on the floor, and Graham continued to pound me with his fists. I couldn't even fight back. It was impossible to do so. He wasn't stopping, and I had a sickening feeling he wouldn't.
Eventually, someone, or rather someone's, got Graham off of me. God, I was throbbing everywhere. My body and my whole face hurt like a mother. My mouth tasted like copper and salt, and the only thing I could do was spit it out. It was disgusting.
During that time, Hathaway came over and asked me if I was alright, and the only thing I could do was shake my head. I liked the man – I really did, and somehow, him asking me if I was alright made me feel downright shitty.
Ivy came over and gently tried to assess the damage. As I looked up, my eyes locked into Reed's. I'm sorry, I wanted to say. I'm sorry for hurting you, I'm sorry for lying to you. I'm sorry.
I couldn't handle this. I had to leave now. So, forgetting everyone and all the drama, I ran my out of the building. I ran and ran, letting the cold air wash over me. The ice burned my lungs, and I welcomed the blunt pain.
How did this happen? What was going to happen? Why me?
All these questions, and a million more, were going to take a while to answer.
I had slept in the infirmary for the night. The poor nurse went crazy after seeing my face. She then proceeded to give me an entire lecture of how irresponsible high school kids were.
Once she had cleaned me up, I fell into a deep slumber. I didn't remember my dream. But I did remember Headmaster Hathaway's face looming over mine.
"Get up. Now. You and Graham are going to learn how to act like a proper gentlemen." Seeing how serious he was, I sat up. A loud groan escaped me, and Spencer helped me up. Roughly, that was.
I ended up walking behind him into Hell Hall, and fear gripped me. Was he going to spank us? What about torturing us?
I went inside a door, and it was completely dark. It was silent. Finally, the lights flickered on, and I was greeted with a stoic Graham and tons of furniture, among other items. I surveyed the area. What was so important about this?
"That sort of behavior will not be tolerated. You two need to think about this, and talk with each other. Miscommunication can lead to horrible consequences, as the whole school saw tonight." Here, Spencer paused and faced me. "Josh, I have already spoken with Graham. The rest is up to you two.
"Clean this pile of crap. I want it done by the end of the day. You won't be leaving until I say so. You got it?" His stern, cold eyes bored into ours.
"Yes sir," Graham mumbled.
I dumbly nodded back. My mouth was still hurting.
"Now get to work."
Spencer shut the door behind him, and the silence was deafening. Graham had already turned away from me and was moving some chairs. They rustled and made screeching noises. He made his choice clear.
Well, one thing was certain: Graham and I would not be sorting anything tonight.
My back hurt, my arm hurt, my legs hurt, and my entire fucking body fucking hurt. I was stripped bare of any energy. I had none left. I was in my room, lying down with a sleeping Trey across from me, but my bed wasn't helping.
But despite feeling tired, I had an itch to go somewhere. Preferably, Reed's.
It was horrible of me do think of going to her dorm first, rather than Ivy's. But I had to talk to her. I wanted to explain to her everything. And I definitely wanted to ask her about – Sawyer.
So, grabbing my coat and quietly slipping my shoes on, I left on a mission. And hopefully, this one wouldn't bust.
Yeah. Sorry about that. But not really. :)
