Okay, so the whole gang isn't in this chapter, but I promise they're coming.
The girl hit the ground much harder than I had intended. Soon she was up again, wildly clawing at my face. I sidestepped and swung my fist into her face for the third time. Just as I was about to kick her gut, I felt an arm wrapped around my waist and a chest against my back. I struggled, hitting the arm around me as it lifted and carried me down the hall. When it put me down, I whipped around and yelled.
"What the hell was that!?" The boy in front of me was only an inch or two taller, thin but obviously strong. His hair was curly and light brown, slightly hanging down. He also had dark sideburns running along his cheekbones. Aviator sunglasses covered his blue eyes, while a tight AC/DC tee-shirt covered his chest, tight jeans covered his hips and legs, and old looking boots covered his feet.
"You were about to get caught by a teacher." He raised an eyebrow and rested his hands on the belt wrapped around his waist.
"So what!? She started it…" My voice lost its backbone when I heard how childish it sounded. I noticed my lip felt wet and wiped it on my sleeve. Blood.
"Looks like she got one hit in. How did it start?" I didn't understand why this guy cared. I just wanted to be left alone.
"She told me that I was either gay or my mother had a stroke before she bought my clothes." Glaring at him, I wiped my lip again. I didn't even get what was so wrong with my outfit. Jeans, an Aerosmith t-shirt, and worn-out tennis shoes. It wasn't that bad.
"Well, she's a cheerleader. It's her job to be a bitch." Nameless Joe leaned against a locker and continued to look at me.
"My momma died less than three months ago. If little Betsy-Bitch over there thinks she can insult her without an ass-whoppin'…" I noticed my dialect getting extremely thick as my anger started to bubble up again, and quickly cleared my throat. Apparently he hadn't been expecting that response. His eyebrows shot up. "Sorry. Thanks for keeping me out of trouble. My name's Lilly Clark." I held out my hand. He took it in his and shook. His hands were broad, slightly calloused. His handshake was firm, but not overpowering. You could tell a lot about someone from their handshake.
"Steven Hyde. My friends call me Hyde. What's your next class?" We started walking down the hall side by side.
"Doesn't matter. I'm not going." I kept my eyes forward.
"She's hot, she kicks ass, and she skips class? Are you an angel?" Hyde joked, throwing an arm around my shoulder.
"Anything but." I laughed. "So do you know of any place where I can get a good, cheap burger?" I glanced at him as we pushed through the front door. Apparently he was coming with me.
"Cheap, yes. Good, now that's debatable. Let's go to the Hub; it's not too far of a walk."
As the cold winter air hit, I shivered but tried to not let Hyde see. The winters in Arkansas had never really been cold. Yet here I was in Wisconsin. Snow was on the ground, something I really wasn't used to. I absentmindedly followed Hyde towards the Hub. With my mind elsewhere, and not being used to the climate, I slipped on a piece of black ice on the sidewalk.
"Shit!" I yelled as I went down, quickly grabbing Hyde's arm to help steady myself. The act failed miserably. Instead of righting myself, I managed to pull him down with me. We both landed hard next to each other. "Sorry…" I moaned in pain as I sat up and rubbed my tailbone. "I'm not used to icy sidewalks."
"It's… okay." He grunted, standing and offering his hand out to me. I gratefully took it, careful not to slip again. "Where are you from, by the way? Your accent's weird."
"It's not an accent because I'm not from a different country. It's a dialect. I'm from Arkansas." I brushed the snow off of my bottom, wincing at the bruise that was forming.
"Might as well be a different country." He laughed, and I punched him in the shoulder playfully. We continued our trek until finally we reached the Hub, luckily without further incident.
"I'll have a two sodas and two burgers, please sir." I smiled to the strung-out looking man behind the counter. I paid and then went to sit with Hyde at a table next to a pinball machine.
"Ohhh, you trying to get in my pants? Wining and dining?" Hyde wiggled his eyebrows, leaning back in his chair and sipping his soda.
"Yeah, I always feed my whore before sleeping with her." I laughed, I seemed to be doing that a lot around him. Taking a bite out of my burger, I looked him up and down. He seemed like a smartass, but overall he was nice.
"So why'd you move to Point Place?" He was staring me down too, obviously trying to analyze me just as I was him.
"After my momma died the court tracked down my dad. His name is Tony James…" My explanation faded as Hyde's face turned grave. "What?"
"I'm sure you know his trade by now?" He ground out.
"Well… Yeah…" Why were we talking about this? We were having a good time.
"He's my mom's drug dealer. I'm usually going by there at least once a week. Haven't been over there in a while because Edna's been gone." He tried to act nonchalant as he munched on his burger, but he had a new look in his eyes. He was watching me cautiously.
"Oh… So you know how he's… Well, an asshole?" I scratched the bruise in the shape of James' hand on my shoulder, conveniently covered by my t-shirt.
"Yeah. I've gotten into a few fights with him." Finally he looked away.
"I guess we'll be seeing more of each other, then." I forced a smile, finishing my burger and sipping my soda.
"You wanna go hang out in my friend's basement?" Hyde asked, glancing at me from across the table. I couldn't help but burst into a fit of laughter.
"That's the creepiest thing I've been asked in a long time." After I calmed down I answered, "Sure, why the hell not?"
Alright. Questions, comments, concerns? Anything I missed or messed up? Let me know! Thanks for reading!