Chapter 30

MY WEEKEND WAS fantastic. Yes, Saturday was a bit trashy because I regretted getting on the freaking bus and coming back home. Never have I wanted to stay in another town so badly, as I wanted to stay back that morning. But around noon, I started to shed away the sad feelings and thoughts and focus on the good ones.

We won Richmond High in the game and that'll go down in history. I wasn't single anymore and is now Ian's girlfriend. He's mine. My freaking boyfriend. While other students partied by the lake, I spent my time at a private carnival, just Ian and I. We got caught by a police officer on patrol – as Ian predicted – but he turned out to be a really kind person and he let us go after some lecturing. We had to run about a mile, nonstop, on high wedges only stopping to laugh and relive our luck. Ian had to give me a piggyback ride back to the hotel because my legs felt like jelly.

If all that isn't good karma flowing, then I don't what it is. I'll have to make a donations to keep it coming.

We've only texted twice but that's okay with me. I don't want to be the clingy girlfriend. And I consoled myself with the fact that I'll see him on Monday. Only Zoe, Finn and Christine knows I have a boyfriend. Finn found out in the during the bus ride. I had a sleepover at Christine's on Sunday, Jamie couldn't attend because her family had some religious vigil going on.

Monday arrived with a heavy pour down but that couldn't stop my excitement at all. Isn't December supposed to be really chilly and not pouring down? Whatever, I've never been good with the Climate topic or weather itself. I put an effort on how I looked today. I don't know, I wanted my appearance to match my mood. Like everyone should see I'm happy.

Mum and I hadn't bury the hatchet yet and from the way she left home really early, I knew that hatchet wasn't going down anytime soon. I brushed my hair to the side, braiding the tip and putting a maroon head band on top. A little concealer here, mascara, and lip gloss and I was set.

"Hurry up, fashionista!" Ellie shouts running into my room.

"Why are you still here? Didn't you leave with mum?" I asked her strapping my boots on.

"If I did would I still be here?"

"Ellie." I grumbled stomping my foot. Now I'm gonna be late and might miss seeing Ian at our lockers.

"What? Buy a car and I would leave you be."

I glared at her, grabbing my bag. "Let's go."

Throwing all rules and big sister act out the window, I literally raced to drop Ellie off. Ellie kept shrieking but I didn't care, my only care was for I not to get caught or pulled over or worst, get into an accident. Fortunately, none of that happened and when I dropped Ellie off, she did the unexpected;

"Bitch!" She yells at me and I'm sure that if she could give me the finger, she would. I stare at her in open shock.

My seven year old sister called me a...

"Elizabeth Richards!" I shout at her but she ignores me and runs into her school. I'll have to know where and when she learnt that but all that have to wait for now.

I arrive school in record time and arrive my locker a minute before the first bell rings.

"What took you so long?" Jamie asked shoving my books to me.

"Sorry, I didn't know I'd have to drop Ellie off." I tell them, smiling. "What's up?"

"Ian." Jamie says.

My heart leaps at the mention of the name. I scrunch my brow up, "What's it with Ian?"

"He's the topic of this morning. Everybody's talking about him." Jamie says pursing her lips.

"Why?"

Christine groans, pulling the book covering her face down. "Because your boyfriend looks like he's been hit by a train, multiple times."

"What?" I ask and Jamie asks in sync, "boyfriend?"

The bell goes off and Christine pouts bagging her book. "That's our cue to leave."

I give her a look that screams, 'you can't seriously expect me to go to class and concentrate, not after hearing that.'

Christine groans. "We have test Anna."

"It won't take long. I just wanna see him."

"Ms-"

I cut her off, shoving my bag into her hand. "Cover for me okay? Say something about my period or car accident." I don't wait for her reply before I sprint off, heading towards The Galaxy. He's always there and if he's not, then that sucks for me. I have no idea what his first class is. I see the red door and I just know he's in there. Its open a little and I don't knock, pushing it aside and stepping in.

Ian looks up from the desk littered with papers and turns to the door, looking at me. Then returns back to the desk. "Don't you have class right now?"

I don't reply him and instead walk around the table, standing right in front of him. He keeps his head low, refusing to look at me. I place a hand on his shoulder and another on his chin forcing him to look at me. The gasp escapes before I can control it and Ian smirks, grimacing slightly.

"That bad?"

I nod, taking in his once perfect face. The spot under his right eye is throbbing red and a little swollen. His lip is cut, which caused the grimace in his smirk. He has a few other cuts on his face and apart from all that, he looks like he hasn't slept a wink since the last time I saw him.

"What happened?" I breath out, my finger reaching out to trace the cut on his lip.

Ian turns away as soon as my finger makes contact. "Just the usual boy fights. Nothing more."

"Liar!" I call out, seeing a peek of red on his neck. I yank on his collar and I really see red, like finger marks or something. "This isn't just the usual boy fights. Did someone try to strangle you?"

He pulls away from me, adjusting back his collar. "Leave it, Roxanna."

"What do you mean leave it?" I ask in disbelief, my heart pounding faster than usual. "What the hell--"

"I said, leave it!" He snaps, throwing the papers in his hand out to the ground. I don't flinch, although I'm surprised, I'm also not. A small part of me knew this was coming. Ian turns to glare at me. "Why don't you listen? I said to freaking leave it be."

"I can't. You're injured. There are freaking marks on your neck." My voice cracks. "I can't leave it be Ian, because I care about you."

A vein on his neck pulses as he watches me, jaw set and lips in a line. "Then don't care. Mind your own business."

"I cannot. You're my boyfriend for Christ sakes, your business is my business." I yell at him and my heart is thumping with emotions, building up behind my eyes.

Ian looks at me, then slowly looks away picking up the papers on the ground. I watch him for a full minute. "You're ignoring me now?"

He roughly dumps the papers back on the table, taking in deep breaths. "I don't want to be your boyfriend anymore."

The words hit my like a slap. "W-what?"

"Leave me alone." He says icily and that shuts me up. He doesn't even has the guts to look at me at he leaves, shutting the door behind him.

I stand alone in the small office, the sound of my heart beat loud in my ears. Ian's scent and that of fresh papers all mix together, taunting my nostrils. After about a minute, I walk out, shutting the door and going over to my English class – I have a test.

This is bad. Very bad. I got dumped two days after being in a relationship. This is my penance for being a bad sister and daughter. I hastily scribble down on my test papers, Christine trying to quietly bug me with questions asking what's wrong. I don't know what happens but halfway through the test, I see a tear drop hit my paper and that's all it takes. I burst out crying, crippling the silence of the class with my loud sobs.

I don't care that everybody is looking at me like some alien. I don't care that'll I'll probably have mascara running down my face. I don't care that I'm being pathetic, crying because of a boy. All that matters is that my chest and eyes weigh a ton, it's painful and I need release.

After I've sufficiently freaked out the history teacher and my classmates, I was sent to the school nurse and my test was postponed. I heard some students whispering about how it was all an act just so I won't write the test. Some thought somebody had died and others though the break down was as a result of some mental illness.

The kind nurse gave me a pass to go home when I regretted the offer to talk to her about my problem but I denied it. I had to be strong. What kind of girl would I be if I run away from school because a boy broke up with me? He should be the one to leave because of me. Break ups happen everyday, it'll hurt for now but eventually I'll stop hurting. Ian and I didn't work out. We wouldn't have anyway... We're just too different.

"Are you sure you don't want to go home?" Christine asked and I replied, pouring out everything that was going through my mind.

No way... We wouldn't have worked out anyway... We're just too different... Better now than later.

She smacked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, "You're hurt and in denial."

"Me?" I asked placing a hand on my chest. "Hurt, yes. Denial, no."

"Want to talk about it?" She asked placing a hand on my arm.

Just then I see Ian walking pass us. He has a hand stuck into his pocket, the other one holding unto his school bag that's slung on one shoulder. He has his head bent down, the long locks covering half his face. I watch him walk pass without noticing or acknowledging me.

"Do you know what hurts?" I start saying watching his back walk away from me. "I trust him. I can tell him anything but he doesn't trust me or even like me enough to share things. I want him badly and he doesn't feel the same way. What's wrong with me?" I turn to look down at her. "Do I have this 'unworthy' look on my face?"

Christine reaches up and wipes a tear I didn't know was falling. "No you don't, Anna. You're wonderful and anyone that can't see that is a jerk. Ian's a jerk."

"Hug me?" I ask and she smiles, hugging me. "He's a big jerk." I tell myself, trying to convince me.

**

I piled my plate up with spaghetti ignoring the looks fellow students were giving me. I have to eat, so I don't have room to over think things. That's it for me, I'm done with dating boys, girls, catfish, mammals and non mammals. See I'm already thinking. I pause on the line and fork some food into my mouth.

"Whoa, whale-meal so much?" Jamie asks and I smile with a mouth full, moving in the line to grab a water bottle. "What's wrong with you?" She asks eying me suspiciously.

I swallow, "why do you think something is wrong with me?"

Her eyes shift to my plate. "Apart from that?"

Before I open my mouth to respond however, I hear a really loud - siren like - voice, call my name. With a frown, I turn to see Evelyn and her guppies walking towards me, tiny hips flying here and there.

"So it was you all along?" Evelyn asks, a clear look of disgust written all over her face.

My brows narrow, "what are you talking about?"

"She's talking about you being a boyfriend stealing whore." Patrick spits out, an equal look on her face.

I sigh, dragging my eyes to my food and back to them. "Look, I'm kinda busy now. Can we do this another time?"

"How do explain this?" Munroe sneers, using her phone to block my vision. "Perfect Anna."

I squint at the Samsung, trying to clearly see the dim picture. After much struggle, my tummy does a little jump as I see that its a picture of Aiden and I at the lake party, kissing. My face can't be seen clearing but anyone can tell its me and my eyes don't show that they are actually open. I drag my eyes away from the picture and back to Evelyn, putting on my best meh face.

"What, have nothing to say?"

Patrick laughs bringing out her phone, "maybe she'll have something to say when everybody see it too." After a few types, the cafeteria starts buzzing as everybody gets a text. "Now, we're all on the same page."

As if drawn by some magnet, I raise my head to see Ian sitting on a bar stool near the window. He has a camera hanging on his neck and I vaguely remember him texting something about how he's supposed to take pictures of the cafeteria for the yearbook. I didn't remember that and has he been there all this while? This time, he's looking at me and we lock eyes.

I look away first.

"What's going on here?" Aiden asks, entering into the unfolding drama.

"You son of a bitch!" Evelyn yells surging forward pushing Aiden back. "You're a cheating bastard."

"Cheating?" I ask speaking up, "you think he was cheating on you with me?"

"How else do you explain the picture, Anna?" Evelyn taunts, stressing my name. "You should have just told me you wanted him back. Not to go behind my back and steal him."

"You're delusional, I'd never do that."

"That's not what the picture says. Whore." Patrick says.

"And, so what?" Aiden asks, "so what if Anna and I kissed?"

I don't think anyone saw it coming. Hell, I doubt Aiden even imagined something like this happening to him. Nobody expected Ian's fist to instantly connect with Aiden's face sending him to the floor.

What?

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Drama! Is this book living up to it's tags or what?

Why do you think Ian punched Aiden? What do you think about the breakup and Anna's reaction?

Vote and comment.

I'll see you guys... Next time!

Peace x.

(If you can't tell ^, I LOVE the Dolan Twins! ❤)