Chapter ten
Back to school
Sierra stood outside the car, in the school parting lot, she was wearing her clean new jeans, a light blue sweater, her eyes starting to Hailey still in the front seat, and everything was weird to Sierra. Hailey was looking nervous. "How about, next week…" Hailey whispered to Lincoln standing by he door open, Hailey didn't want to come back at all, but Sierra had to help get Hailey out of bed, but then Hailey was better.
"Come on Hailey, if you don't go to school they will take you away, so get out the car!" Lincoln tried not to yell, people were starting to stare at them.
Michael on the other hand stood by Sierra, she was looking more nervous than anything, Hailey had spent the weekend making bangles for her to wear over her bandages, but she could still feel like people were staring at her, even if it was probably staring at Hailey, no make up, her purple and black horizontal sweater, that looked like a dress, with black leggings and a belt around her waist, still with the army boots, curled on the front seat.
"No, please…" Hailey begged, but Sierra passed her things to Michael before standing next to Hailey, her eyes locked on her sister's.
"Your friends know, they are supportive, they miss you, so come on, you are Hailey Isabelle Damien, and you are scared of no fucker!" Sierra snapped, and Michael went wide mouth, Lincoln laughed, no one had really heard Sierra talk like that, but Hailey slowly got out of the car.
"Shall I walk you to the building?" Lincoln watched Hailey. She shook her head slowly biting her lip. She was now the protected; she was still Hailey but a different Hailey. Sierra would step up now if she had to. No one fucked with her sister. Sierra had changed and people had noticed but she was still the nerd.
"No. I can do it." Hailey sounded like a child. Sierra held her hand out to her sister and wiggled her fingers. Hailey hesitated her eyes looked up seeing the foot ballers watching the car. It made her paranoid. She grabbed into her pocket taking out a smoke fast lighting it. Taking a deep lung full of it, She let out a breath. Sierra dropped her hand.
"Come on... You're friends are waiting." She nodded seriously. She eye catch the footballers Hailey had noticed. Sierra glared at them.
"OI! YOU KEEP STARING STUPID LIKE THAT I'M GONNA WAVE!" Her voice had made Michael jump... Hailey looked at her sister like she'd lost it. Sierra retreated looking away from the footballers watching her now.
Hailey laughed before Lincoln wrapped his arms around her, he smiled before kissing her slow, and Sierra was quick to let her sister's hand go catching up with Michael, they had same classes, plus Sierra didn't feel like watching the PDA of Hailey and Lincoln.
"So I'll be picking you up after school, ok." He smiled brushing her hair from her face. Hailey nodded, her eyes starting to look the same again, the old non high Hailey.
"Ok, but tomorrow, I need to go to my mother's attorney, something about last willing testimony, also as her next of kin, I kinda have to deal with funeral arrangements, I told em, just dump her in the ground, but she wanted to be buried with my dad, so…" Hailey sighed, and Lincoln brushed his hand into her hair again.
"I remember, but now, school, study, learn." he kissed her nose before getting into the car.
"What do we have first?" Sierra asked holding her fingers together. Michael looked at her with a stunned expression like; did you just ask what we had first. He responded of course he wasn't that rude.
"Math." He nodded casually looking around the school it was different now but he couldn't place it. His eyes looked over the lockers taking in the details.
"Prefect grade twelve cluster..." She walked toward a pair of stairs noticing Michael wasn't behind her anymore she stopped watching him, watching the lockers. He was taken in by them. Sierra waited politely not minding to much. Michael zoned out of it his eyes finding hers.
"Sorry." He blushed and ran a walking pace to her. Sierra laughed but it was small. "No problems. It's cute." She nodded walking up the stairs counting the seconds in her head.
The grade twelve's, senior, whatever you wanted to call them. A lot of grade elevens hung out with them because most of the cheerleaders dated the grade twelve foot ballers. They like to stare at the grade nines. It was nerve racking.
"See-Are-Ah?" Someone questioned. Sierra froze knowing it wasn't Michael. Because one: The voice was too deep and two: Her name was See-Air-Ah! Not See-Are-Ah! Lord.
She turned her head slowly and stepped back seeing Geb in his usual blue jeans but now his foot ball jacket like his team. The school colours had been orange and blue the jacket itself was blue and the letters were orange. Sierra could only assume on the right side of the jacket was 'West Pine Cobras' with the logo and on the right arm was his last name. The back would have his position and number and as she could see the breast left pocket had the logo again and SV On it. Geb was in grade eleven but he played senior foot ball.
"Come on Sie." Michael snapped her out of analyzing him. Sierra looked at him but back to Geb.
"I heard... Your mom died..." His voice was too loud. It made Sierra wince.
"Mhmm." She sounded unmoved.
"Sorry about that." He stated it didn't sound mean or in your face. He waved then took off toward a group of cheerleaders and footballers.
Sierra was stunned now. "Oh ..." She couldn't think of words. She rushed to Math class, Michael right behind her.
Hailey walked the halls, her bag dangling from her side, she walked alone, her eyes glancing around the lockers before finding hers, she opened it seeing the photos she kept in there, a hanging Barbie doll dressed as a West Pine cheerleader, her books, the bottle of booze, her eyes starting at it, her fingers played with the bottle before letting go, he hands played around in the locker taking out the things she needed.
"Hai, you're finally back, everyone's been worried sick girl…" Bruno spoke softly as Hailey shut the door to he locker, her eyes finding his with a small smile. "You look good…" he brushed a hand over her cheek.
"Thank, but I look like crap, feel like crap…" Hailey felt her hold an arm around her shoulder, they were in the same classes, plus it felt nice not to be alone.
"So I heard about your mom, you dealing better than we thought." his eyes found hers, but she shrugged. "Hai, come on, she's gone, you're free, wanna, you know catch up." he winked, and Hailey took a deep breath.
"Bruno, I, I'm going clean, for Sie, I can't touch anything!" he voice panicked, but the Bruno laughed.
"No, I mean, Sinead, she said about us going to catch a movie, go diner, catch up…"
Hailey was frozen for a long minute. She didn't know how the answer that. Hailey was scared to go out now all the drugs, the outside world was full of them. She didn't even like it at this school right now. Everything was taunting her, she didn't like it one bit. She sighed.
"Can I ... Think about it?" She muttered. She started feeling like old Hailey, the Hailey she forgot all about and she didn't know if she wanted her back our not. Bruno rolled his eyes and laughed.
"Come on. Movie... Dinner... Coffee?" He trailed off adding more things to the lost as he watched her shaking lightly.
"Uh." Hailey wished there was some kind of magic ball that would guide her to the right answers. "I'll see after this first day okay? Is that okay?" She let out a brush. Bruno laughed again.
"I guess so. Gosh Little Hai you have changed." He poked her nose lightly, Changed. Hailey changed ... Hailey didn't like change... She wanted a puff. It was five minutes to class and she was breaking into small pieces already.
"What was that about?" Michael asked sitting down beside Sierra in the second horizontal row of the first vertical row as you walked into the class room. Sierra unzipped her book bag feeling the itching on her arms start. "You know what Hai said. He is bad news!" Michael sounded just like Hailey now. She swallowed taking out her Grade Nine red covered math text book along with a pink scribbler. Her name was written neatly where 'Name' was written.
"I know what Hailey said." Sierra looked at him seriously. Michael looked away getting his books out. Sierra put the pencil into her mouth. The bad feeling returned in her stomach but it was enjoyable.
Michael taking his own things out was feeling nervous, in the end, he learned one thing from Lincoln, well two things. One, Jocks are never to be trusted, they only want to play sports and fuck pussy, and two never have sex with a cheerleader without a rubber. Michael shivered remembering his brother's words, but Sierra was opening her book to the right page, her eyes glancing to Michael.
"I think Hailey is just over reacting, I mean, he seems like a nice guy…" Sierra now thought about it more, but Michael just pulled his chair closer to the table with a huff.
Hailey sat in Bio, her eyes kept glancing around the lab, set lab partners, she hated it, and Bruno was partnered with Sinead. "Hey, you know, your sister's a cutie…" Geb said calm sitting down next to Hailey, her eyes rolled before she started to tap her hands on the table. His hand placed over hers stopping the drumming. "I wonder if she's anything like you…" he purred close to Hailey's ear making her cringe.
"You will stay away from my sister!"
Geb laughed his deep laugh. "Well Hais I'll take that as a no." His fingers brushed over the top of her hand and shook again.
"I said stay the hell away from my sister!" She repeated glaring. Geb snickered opening his note book.
"You know I would. But oh I don't know there is just something about her." His eyes sparkled. Hailey hissed.
"She is almost fifteen, a freshmen and MY sister! You're a seventeen year old, junior! Stay away from her and go fuck a STDed Cheerleader!" She snapped. Geb shook his head.
"Nah. I'm having fun. Your sister seems to like it to."
Sierra was copying down questions from the board. She usually finished copying first because of her capability to look at something once and remember it. She noticed Michael glancing at her. "What?" She asked carefully pausing in her copying. Michael shook his head slowly looking back to the board writing down the next part of the question. It made Sierra narrow her eyes. "I don't see why you have to be an ass hat about this Michael. The guy was being nice!" She snapped in a whisper. Michael stopped copying putting his pencil down.
"Like no one could see you drooling over him!" He snapped back.
"Yeah! Maybe I was." She turned away from him answering the questions. She looked pissed off but a smile came over her face as she thought about Geb.
"Lincoln said his nothing but trouble as well!" Michael placed his pencil down, his eyes found Sierra who was rolling her eyes; maybe this was getting a little too annoying.
"Michael, do you want me? Cos this jealousy act is getting old fast!" her eyes kept on her work, but she could feel him tense in the chair next to her, it was a moment she wish she could take back, but she couldn't, and her hand covered her eyes slowly.
"Sierra, I'm just trying to make you see, his a Jock, they are all the same, so stop thinking his nice, he wants in your pants!"
Sierra froze, but her eyes slowly looked around to Michael, her eyes glaring to him.
"Well, maybe he does, maybe you want to get in them too, but all I know is he was nice, and I'm not going to jump to assumptions cos of what Hailey says, cos if you don't remember, she's a junkie, so yeah!" her eyes snapped back to her work, he stomach tighten with the guilt, she didn't mean to speak like that, worst was, she called her sister a junkie.
It was lunch time;
Hailey found it awfully hard to be sitting outside on the benches claimed by her people. But then Hailey didn't feel like a 'her people' she looked it, but she didn't ... do the drugs, not anymore she was thankful for the small breeze that blew the smell of pot smoke away from her. She had the smoke between her fingers taking another puff. She was leaning back against the picnic styled table. Her elbows on the table part she could see all the happenings of the other groups she hated so much. "HaiHai." Someone said tapping her shoulder. Hailey was busy.
"What Michael?" She knew the voice off by heart.
"Look..." He sounded sad. Hailey rolled her eyes expecting to see a Bon his report or something but she got Michael's finger pointing. Hailey blinked but followed the finger. Michael was pointing at the popular table. But it was more then that. Sierra was with Geb in close range on their benches. Michael hadn't properly spoken with Sierra since math class she refused to talk to him after calling her sister a junkie and when the bell had rang letting them from double American history Sierra had left in a rush ... It was apparent why.
"I tried to tell her what Jocks are and she just ..." Michael broke into the conversation remembering it perfectly. "Cause if you don't remember she's a junkie, so yeah!" Michael repeated.., looking back and forth from Hailey to Geb, Sierra and back to Hailey staying on Hailey.
"Well if that's what I am, and then fuck it…" Hailey got to her feet looking to Bruno snatching the joint, she took a deep inhale holding it in, her throat burned from the smoke, but it hit her brain quickly, she could see Sierra eyes staring from across the quad, they were wide, but Hailey stuck her middle finger up at her little sister, Michael glancing to Hailey panicked.
"What are you doing?" he hissed, but Hailey started to laugh hysterical.
"Mike, Mike, Mike…" her hand patted his face, "Go tell my sister, get fucked, his a cherry hound, and I wish her all the lucky!" her pupils started to dilate her voice too calm.
"I can't believe this…" he stormed off to the library, Hailey's eyes kept a stare at Sierra wrapping Geb's arm around her shoulder before ignoring her sister completely.
Sinead now laughed, holding her hand out, "Greg, told ya she would make it past lunch." A boy with bright blonde Mohawk handed over Sinead a few notes, and Hailey started to giggle taking more of the joint, her eyes scanning around, she didn't give a fuck.
After school was a disaster. Lincoln was waiting in the parking and the sight of it all scared him. Michael was standing alone, looking at his shoes. There was no Hailey or Sierra. His first thought was that CPS can come and taken them to another place. But then he saw Hailey. He saw her sharing a rolled joint with Bruno while getting piggy backed by a taller man in a tank top. Lincoln thought his name was Neil or something. He wasn't sure. That broke him. His eyes shifted as the tension got thicker. His eyes shifted over. Sierra was standing against Geb who had his arms around her, his hands on her stomach. Oh Christ. Hailey got off Neil's back walking over to Lincoln she tried to act casual. But the large grin on her face and she giggle gave it fully off. Lincoln went to speak.
"Shh, this is a public service announcement!" Hailey giggled like a maniac before waving to Bruno, "Oh look Geb!" She pointed over the lot, his eyes lit up with his smirk, but then Sierra glared. "Fuck her, it be statutory rape!" she called out, Lincoln rolled his eyes, but glared to Bruno.
"Real cool, dude, she'd been two weeks sober, and you have one thing!" he held his hand up before holding Hailey around the waist. "Time to go home…" he said calmly to her, but she giggled.
"Like a boss!" her voice going deep as Lincoln tried to keep calm, it wasn't just weed, and he could tell by the way her hands moved up his jeans.
"Burrows, your girl wants to go at me about rape, tell her to look at her boyfriend, you make her call you Daddy!" Geb laughed darkly, but Lincoln was quick across the parking lot.
"Linccccc!!!!" Hailey followed after him her voice was a moan in a 'Hot' and 'Come on ignore him' way. Lincoln was glaring to Geb.
"You wanna say that again to my face!" He hissed.
"Linc don't!" Sierra said as Geb moved Sierra to the side of him.
"Yeah. You like to make her call you daddy..." He sniped. Lincoln didn't need a second guess he punched Geb in the face. Geb tackled him and they started rolling around on the black top, Lincoln over powered Geb hitting him in the face again. "STAY AWAY FROM MY FAMILY!" He stood dusting his jacket off. Hailey had been staring fixed on it.
"LINCOLN!" Sierra glare at him attempting to help Geb up but she wasn't that much help. He dried the blood off his lip.
"Sierra get in the car now." Lincoln was so pissed off he was calm. Hailey squeaked. "Lincoln Madddd...." She whispered.
"No." Sierra shook her head.
"Go." Geb nodded to her. He lent down kissing her. Before whispering something into her ear, Sierra nodded and walked to the car like she was something ... Hailey glared at Geb, Before Lincoln pulled her back toward the car feeling the blood on his nose.