Piper raced her car to school, she had been tempted to take the Mustang, but her fear had been bigger than the urge for speed.
She parked the Ford carelessly into the parking spot in front of the schoolyard, grabbing her backpack that lay on the passengers seat and ran towards the grey run-down school building. She didn't want to be late again at all costs.
Luckily there was no need to pass her locker to get her school books, since she would probably never open that thing again, not unless she wanted her life to end miserably under a pile of books, crushed by printed knowledge.
She slipped through the door right before the teacher entered the classroom. Letting her fall on her chair, Piper praised the fitness all the running had given her, she hadn't even broken out in a sweat. But just the second before she could exhale in the relieve that she hadn't been late, she saw the words somebody had smeared across her table with a pencil.
'2nd floor bathroom after lesson. -A' It said. It sounded mysterious but frightening and, worst thing, it left her no room to say no, and saying no was something she desperately craved for.
The words rung in her head, spoken by a low raspy voice, whispering them into her ear in a sexy, seducing manner and Piper really asked herself what was wrong with her.
This question kept her busy for the rest of the lesson so when the schoolbell made it's usual annoying sound, she barely noticed it. She hadn't get anything the teacher had said, like so often these last days, bye bye Harvard, bye bye future.
'2nd floor bathroom after lesson. -A' Should she really go there? What if the other Nichols were waiting for her as well and Alex was just the baitfish? But she knew she had no choice, Healy was on her tail and if her concentration while lessons wasn't about to get better than the last days, she would need the extra credit for her applications more than ever.
She was leaving the class room as the last student again, carrying her head low like a sheep going to the slaughter, she crossed the school halls. And she became awfully aware of her mysery life.
Every day was the same, every day from the start again, a endless circle. She hid herself as carefully as possible from all the gruelsome idiots who where making her a victim of her own fears, she locked herself away everyday for the little safety she got for it, it was barely living anymore but Piper was already living in a future in which everything was better and easier, because there were no bullies at College, in her dreams.
And now, after all this, she was voluntarily surrendering herself to the bully. Her heart was pumping the blood through her veins like she was running again, fight or flight, her nerves were so tightened that when someone grabbed her wrist on the stairs to second floor, she was close to screaming, her free arm scooped up in selfdefense protecting her face from what might come. Then she saw the pair of warm brown eyes looking at her combined with the nicest smile you could imagine.
"Sorry Piper" the way he said her name soothed her, there was so much sympathy in his voice "I didn't mean to scare you!" he let go of her hand and Piper immediately felt the cold at her skin where his soft warm touch had just left her. They stood in front of each other like the other day and just when Piper thought she couldn't feel any less comfortable, Larry said "You didn't answer my text yesterday!" just like that. There was no blame in the way he said it but Piper suddenly felt bad about it, he had probably been waiting for a text back all evening while she was busy ignoring him and thinking about Alex.
On the other hand she couldn't really believe that it mattered so much to him if she came or not.
After a short silence, Piper still hadn't said a word, Larry took her hand again. It took Piper aback at first, but at the same time it felt strangely familiar for the fact they only had ever talked once and she allowed herself to savour it instead of suspecting harm. His hand felt warm and dry and his thumb was stroking the back of her hand, nearly imperceptible.
"So you're coming?" his voice sounded honestly hopeful and his eyes pierced her's like he wanted to hypnotize her.
"Coming?" Piper asked stupidly, totally confused by his eyes.
"The party!" Larry stated the obvious "You got my text, didn't you?" now Larry seemed as confused as Piper was. - The text, the party - .
Suddenly Piper realized what she had forgotten for a few heavenly seconds. They were standing in the crowded schoolhalls, where everybody was able to see them and she wasn't Scarlett Johansson who just got invited to her 250th party this year, she was Piper Chapman and she couldn't just go to a party like the cool kids.
Plus she should be in the bathroom by now. She pulled her hand back from his and the light in his eyes immediatly disappeared, replaced by a look of disappointment. "Ehm. I can't!" she stated, her eyes pinned on her shoes, she couldn't stand seeing the sad look in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I have to babysit my little brother" this excuse just had flashed through her mind and she clinged onto it like on a liferaft. It wasn't even 100% a lie. She actually babysitted Cal on most fridays while her mother was out drinking and her dad was 'working'. But it wouldn't have been a problem to pay a babysitter for the night.
"Oh you have a little brother?" Larry's voice sounded a bit too happy to be honest, but when Piper looked up, his eyes were warm again and he actually smiled at her.
"Yeah" Piper smiled back "Cal. He's five!"
"Cool!" Larry said and it seemed like he really meant it "So another time maybe?" Piper nodded.
It was already 10 minutes since lesson had ended and the next one would start in another 10. Piper hurried up the stairs towards the womens bathroom that was barely ever used by anyone. As soon as she stood in front of the door she remembered how scared she was, not only because of Alex but because she feared the presence of the rest of the Nichols'.
For a second she considered leaving again, ignoring the problem until it disappeared by itself. But the door was like magnetical or maybe it was what was behind the door. She really contested her senses before walking through the door. Her heart beat in her throat from fear and she felt just a little relieve when she saw that in the bathroom was only one person.
The dark haired girl stood there, facing the row of mirrors, the whole room smelled of the cigarette she had between her thumb and index finger and which she pressed into the white porcellan of the sink in front of her the second Piper entered the room. Then she turned around, in her green eyes lay anger. Piper had never realized how beautiful those eyes were, even when piercing her's like that.
"You're late" other than Larry's, Alex's voice was full of blame. Piper noticed that she compared Alex to Larry again and she didn't understand why, Larry confused her to no end, but ok he was a boy who showed interest in her, she thought it was normal enough to be confused by that. But Alex... Alex was confusing her even more, and she was a girl. She wasn't used to be confused by a girl, intimidated yes, frightened also hurt but confused? While her brain was trying to work this out she had been silent and Alex's expression had changed from being pissed to being really angry.
"You're playing hard to get or what?" Alex's voice cut through the air like a sharp knife.
"What? No!" Piper couldn't believe what Alex just said, she and playing games, that was just absurd, she always had been grateful for every person who didn't treat her like shit. But the look in Alex's eyes told her that she didn't believe a word she said, she stood there with her arms crossed, glancing at her and for a second Piper felt overwhelmed by the feeling that this girl may care for her.
But Alex shook her head angrily "First you let me stand in the hallway, then you don't answer my text and now you let me wait for you like an idiot?" Piper hadn't been realizing that maybe Alex could see it this way. "Fuck it!" The tall girl groaned "If you think you're too good for this, I'll find someone else!" she rushed past Piper, hitting her shoulder hard with her's on her way to the door. But Piper grabbed the girl's wrist right before she could leave, a flash shooting through her body at the touch, it didn't feel warm and familiar like with Larry earlier, it rather felt like electricity shocking her nerves and she pulled her hand back as if she had burned herself.
She really should stop comparing them, she thought.
Alex had turned around at the touch and was facing her now, standing way too close. Piper looked away, staring at the dirty floor. But Alex was waiting for an explanation and Piper just couldn't let her go like this, she would never admit it but Healy and her college applications weren't the only reasons.
"I'm sorry ok. I'll do it!" she rather whispered than said, but Alex stayed and Piper knew that she had heard her. Now they stood in front of each other and Piper forbid herself to compare anything to anything else.
When the schoolbell rang in the next lesson they still stood there, the open door still in Alex's hand. When the first students passed them, Alex seemed to got nervous and with a low voice, so only Piper could hear, she said towards the bathroom floor "Here after school?" She didn't wait for Piper to answer and disappeared in the fraction of a second, letting the door fall close behind her.
Piper stood there in the empty bathroom with the strong feeling of sickness. Alex didn't want to be seen with her, that's why they had to meet in this abandonded room instead of in the schoolhalls, that's why Alex seemed so nervous when people started passing them, she was ashamed to take tutoring from the most hated girl at school.
It hurt Piper, she just realized now how much she had hoped Alex would be different than the others, but at the same time she understood her. She would probably fear the same thing if she were in Alex's position. Destroying one's reputation for a little private coaching just wasn't worth it.
The grumble of her stomach woke her up from her thoughts, she hadn't eaten since the chicken nuggets the day before and those she hadn't kept in for long. She thanked god that she had a free hour now, she wouldn't have survived another hour with Alex sitting behind her, staring holes into her neck while she failed trying to stay focused on the lesson.
She spent her free time in the prop room with an apple, orangejuice and her thoughts circleing around the events of the day. She still felt Larry's warm hand in her's, his thumb stroking her and she really tried to stay focused on that feeling but then the elektroshock she had felt while touching Alex struck her mind again.
This time Alex let Piper wait in that grubby bathroom, 10 minutes after the last lesson she was still alone there and reading the inspiring messages the walls were plastered with. She had just reached 'Here I sit and hestitate, shall I shit or masturbate' at the inner side of an open bathroom stall when the door opened and Alex slipped in with an apologizing look on her face. "I'm sorry" she said with that voice that made Piper forget to breathe "Can we start?" Alex sounded light-hearted and the anger from earlier was gone completely.
"In here?" Piper asked rather doubtfully causing Alex to look around in the dusty grubby room as if she was a hotel critic checking out the newest object then she started laughing. It was the first time Piper had heard her laugh and her heart skipped a beat. Alex seemed so harmless and likeable when she was laughing and so different from when she was with her gang.
"Do" Piper pulled herself together "do you know another place?" she really didn't want to have Alex at her home. Even this different Alex was too dangerous to give any munition to her.
"Yeah. I know something" She left the bathroom and Piper followed her silently while they were taking the stairs to the first floor again. It was four o' clock and the schoolhalls were nearly empty, just a few chess club nerds were hanging around, waiting for the club to begin. Piper had called her mother in her free hour telling her about the tutoring and that she'll be late today so Carol could find a babysitter for Cal. When Alex turned left behind the last row of lockers on the very end of first floor Piper caught her breath and she started to have a dark premonition where Alex was leading her.
I'm sorry, I know I'm a super slow writer but I'm really doing my best.
Please let me know what you think :)
By the way it's incredible how you always have the feeling of having written a lot and then you see it on the screen and it's like ... 5 words :D Do you know that feeling ? :)