CHAPTER 9
The next morning Rose smiled as she got up and ready for the day. She wasn't avoiding her roommates so much anymore, they just weren't talking. But they could be in the same room without it being too awkward, which was a start, not that Rose thought they would ever get over their whole Drake problem. Nevertheless, she didn't let it ruin her mood as she did her make up in the bathroom mirror. Today was going to be a good day, she just knew it.
Drake rolled out of bed and chucked some uniform on from the floor that didn't look too dirty. Then he ran his fingers through his hair and he was ready. Not that he was in any rush to get up; he probably could have left it a couple more minutes. Today was going to be a crap day, he just knew it.
Drake looked around aimlessly as he ate his cereal far more aggressively than necessary. As usual, he was sitting with Caine and Diana. As usual, he was in his own little world. Just then Diana nudged him and he snapped out of his thoughts and glared at her.
"What?" He snapped.
"Love of your life at 12 o'clock!" She laughed and Drake looked up to see Rose approaching with her tray, she was smiling, his stomach lurched. He took in her tanned skin and long, curly brown hair. Her big chocolate brown eyes and her cute button nose. Her cuts and bruises were much fainter now and she looked positively radiant. Oh god, had he just thought that? He reminded himself why he had to do what he was about to do and glared at his kind-of-girlfriend.
Drake was staring at her, he looked kind of confused, and then he looked angry. Rose's face fell, what was wrong? What had she done? She hovered awkwardly on the spot for a second or two, and then made the last few steps to the table.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Drake asked angrily, raising his voice slightly so that the people on the nearest tables turned to look. Rose felt her face flush slightly, then she realised he must be joking; she laughed and pulled out a chair to sit down. Drake's face hardened even more. "Hey! Don't ignore me when I ask you a question! I said, what the fuck is your problem? What makes you think you can sit over here?" Rose blinked at him, not understanding.
"Um…are you ok…?" She asked nervously, did he think she was someone else or something? She looked to Caine and Diana for clues but they both looked as confused as her. Except there was something else there too, Caine looked angry, furious even at Drake, and Diana looked slightly amused.
"Of course I'm not fucking ok!" Drake exploded. "You won't leave me the fuck alone; get out of my space before I make you!" And now Rose felt the tears in her eyes, both of hurt and humiliation. She shook her head slowly, and then ran out of the room.
Drake's chest rose and fell as he breathed heavily, he could feel Caine's eyes boring into his, but he didn't look up. Eventually Caine spoke.
"What the HELL are you playing at?" He hissed, aware that people were still watching the breakfast drama. Drake, still not looking at him, picked up his bowl, still half full of cereal, and frisbeed it with all his strength across the room, where it smashed through the window on the other side and fell, broken into a hedge. Then, with the whole of the canteen now watching, he stormed out of the room. He knew he was going to get into trouble for that, but to be quite honest, right then he didn't give a damn.
Brianna found Rose in their dorm, lying face down on her bed, sobbing quietly. She went over to her and crouched down by her side, stroking her hair softly. Rose didn't look up.
"Come to say 'Told you so'?" She asked, her voice muffled by her pillow. Brianna shook her head, not that Rose could see, and sighed.
"Look…" She said eventually. "I'm sorry we weren't more supportive…it's just…we all knew this was gonna happen and…we were angry at you for not listening to us." Rose didn't say anything, her sobbing had lessened slightly. Brianna waited and eventually Rose looked up, sitting up on her bed and hugging her knees to her. Her face was red and puffy, her make up running down her face.
"Why…?" She asked, sounding like a little child, pulling at Brianna's heartstrings.
"Well…er, because we wanted the best for-"
"No." Rose interrupted, shaking her head, fresh tears falling down her face. "Why did he do this?" Brianna bit her lip, looking up at the new girl, her dorm mate and friend; she wished she hadn't been so mean. Rose didn't need her only friends to desert her, she needed them to be there for her, and none of them had been. Brianna felt angry with herself for not standing up to them; she'd never agreed with them but had stuck with them anyway. In all honesty, Brianna wasn't anything like them either. But, until Rose had turned up, they were all she'd got so she'd stuck it out. But she didn't care about boys and magazines either. She was actually quite a tomboy, a tomboy with a secret that no one knew about but she had the overwhelming desire to tell everyone. She promised herself that she would help Rose recover and stick with her, and when she was better, she would tell her the secret.
"Look…Rose, Drake liked you. You were his weakness. People like him…they don't like having weaknesses. It could never have worked…" Rose nodded slowly. And then she buried her head in her knees.
"Why did he have to do it in the canteen? EVERYONE saw…I'm never gonna be able to show my face again…" Rose moaned. Brianna took her hands.
"Hey…Rose, look at me." Rose reluctantly raised her head and looked into the girl's midnight blue eyes, normally so happy and full of energy…although not recently, Rose thought to herself. Recently they'd been sad…and guilty. Now they were sad but determined, kind. "Look, you are going to be able to show your face again. You think you're the first to be humiliated by Drake Merwin? I bet you every single person in this school…except maybe Caine and Diana have, and do you see any one of them walking round with a paper bag on their head? You're better than him. Show it. Act like you don't care and people will believe it. Now, we've almost definitely missed 1st period, but we can still get you cleaned up and re-made up before 2nd. Deal?" Rose looked at her friend. Before she'd come in, Rose had vowed that she wouldn't leave this room ever again. But now…she wasn't alone. She had Brianna. She smiled a lopsided smile and gingerly nodded. Brianna took her hand and led her to the bathroom, turning on the tap and opening her make up bag. "Right…let's see what we can do…"
