A Not-So-Simple Life: Part 4_(0)

The cafeteria died, figuratively of course, but it did feel like I was staring at bunch of ghosts after that. Everywhere I looked I was met with pale, awestruck faces that I tried my best to ignore as I weaved through the crowd. Keeping my head down, I managed to break free from the mass and escape the cafeteria, leaning up against the wall to try and gather myself momentarily before heading towards my class.

When I was about halfway there, I heard stampeding footsteps behind me. I turned to check who it was when Shawn suddenly tackled me to the ground.

“Are you insane!” he shouted in my ear, strangling me in the process. “Do you have any idea what you just did!?”

“Shawn relax,” Jason wrenched him off me.

“Relax? Did you not hear what he said?”

“Yeah, I heard him. So what?”

“So what? He just said no to Heartbreak Hailey! He’s got to be insane!”

“He’s probably got a good reason Shawn. Jeez you’re his friend remember? You can’t go tackling him when he’s already banged up like that. What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“What’s wrong with me? There’s nothing wrong with me! There’s something wrong with him!” he pointed at me as I sat up and rubbed my already bruised ribs.

“There’s no point talking to you is there?” Jason helped me to my feet, “You alright man?”

“Yeah, just a little shaken up at the fact that my own fucking friend did that,” I replied looking at Shawn.

I tried to take a step forward but was met with a wall of pain that almost caused me to collapse. Luckily Jason caught me and held me up, “Christ bro! Thought you said you were alright?”

“Well I didn’t exactly plan on getting my ribs smashed in again,” I clutched my side. “Nice catch by the way.”

“Don’t mention it. C’mon, we need to get you to class so you can rest before this shit storm catches up to you.”

With his help, I limped my way to the classroom with Shawn grumbling his annoyance the entire way. It was a pain to listen to the blubbering’s of a jealous horn dog the entire way but I was more focused on breathing properly then telling off someone who I thought was my friend to quit being a bitch about it.

When we got to the classroom, Melissa dropped the coffee mug in her hand the moment she saw me. It splattered like a bug on windshield once it hit the ground, the coffee and shattered remnants of the mug flying in directions, but she ignored it all as she rushed to my side.

“What happened to you?” she asked worriedly.

“Long story short, Tucker got in a fight a couple days ago and Shawn decided that it’d be a good idea to tackle him to the ground.” Jason explained.

“Why on earth would you do that Shawn?”

He mumbled something under his breath, making sure to look away now that the spotlight was on him.

“I think what he’s trying to say is that he hit Tucker in a jealous rage because the love of his life asked Tucker out and he said no.” Jason said after helping me to my desk.

“Are you ok?” Melissa asked, leaning down to look at me.

“I’ll be fine,” I tried to reassure her, “Just wasn’t expecting to get hit by my own friend.” Resting my head on the desk, I sighed softly, “I just need a couple seconds to recuperate is all.”

“Alright, but if you want to go to the nurses office just let me know ok?”

I nodded my head softly as everything slowly but surely started to calm down. Eventually the bell rang to begin class and everyone filed into class, although any idiot could have guessed that there was something wrong. The elephant in the room became clearer as the day went on because no one actually paid attention to Melissa as far as I was aware. There was constant whispering and I caught the occasional glances from my classmates that quickly snapped their attention back towards the front whenever I turned to acknowledge them.

Hailey was the worse as far as I could tell. Since she sat near the front, it meant that everyone could see her statue like body. I’m not even kidding when I thought she had turned to stone because she didn’t move an inch all through first session and break, and only after some friends got her attention did she finally get up to go get lunch.

“Jeez, she’s taking it pretty rough,” Jason said. “Can’t really blame her though. I mean, she never takes a chance on any guy, and the first one she does, shuts her down in front of a crowd of people.”

“I didn’t invite those people did I?” I countered while bringing out my lunch.

“Exactly,” Shawn said, sitting down in the desk in front of me, “It’s about time someone broke Hailey’s heart instead of the other way around.”

He went to grab my lunch and I latched onto his wrist angrily.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve jackass,” I growled. “After the shit you pulled this morning you’re lucky my hands are wrapped up because if they weren’t I would’ve hit you so hard you wouldn’t remember all the hypocritical shit you’ve done.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Dude,” Jason shook his head, coming to my defense. “You deserve an award for all the hypocrisy that shoots out of your mouth. Seriously man, fucked up.”

“Oh come on,” he sounded desperate. “You’re not seriously gonna get mad at me right Tucker? Right?”

“Mad? Shawn I’m at the point where I’m wondering why we even hang out,” I said.

“Jason talk some sense into him man.”

“Hell no. I agree with Tucker. He took a fucking beating protecting one of the billion girls of your dreams and instead of thanking him you just reinjure him. I’m starting to wonder why I hang out with you too.”

Like a scolded puppy, he turned around and put his head down but I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t pissed off at all the crap he was inadvertently putting me through. I wolfed my lunch down quickly before putting my head down and trying to pretend that I didn’t just make headline news at the school again. It was pretty hard though. And by pretty hard, I mean fucking impossible. The doorway out had people looking in…at me, and the classmates that were inside had eyes glued to me like some kindergarten arts and craft project, and it was taken to a new level when I glanced outside and saw people actually standing right outside the window to look at me. My only option was to close my eyes, so that’s what I did until the bell to end school rang.

Thanks to my injuries, I couldn’t dart out of the school like last time, so instead, I opened up the window and went out that way. Jason laughed so hard he cried, but being the good sport that he was, he followed me out the window and helped me sneak out of the premises before anyone could stop me. We parted ways at the park and I dragged my gimp ass to the restaurant, which was the lone silver lining in all of this.

My apron as well as my old pair of keys was waiting for me inside my locker. I got dressed and looked at the list to see what I’d be doing today. After lucking out with kitchen duty, I joined Rocky in the kitchen.

“Feeling better?” he asked.

“Turned down the most popular girl in school in front of a couple dozen people. So…no.”

“Could be worse.”

“How so?”

“You could still be looking for a job.”

“Good to be back Rocky.”

“Good to have you back.”

That was the extent of our conversation, and it brought a smile to my face as I continued to cook without a hitch. It was almost like I hadn’t left it all. No one came in and welcomed me back either. Everything went on as if the last couple weeks didn’t happen, and if I had to be honest it was just what I needed to relax.

Time flew by and before I knew it, I was already done with my shift. When I went into the locker room to change, Lexi had just finished up her shift as well and was waiting for me to get off. The tension between us had lessoned a bit so I agreed to walk home with her.

“How was school?” she asked.

“Pretty terrible,” I kicked a rock down the sidewalk.

“Did something happen?”

“Just school drama. I don’t really want to talk about it.”

“It can’t be that bad can it?”

“It can actually.” Rearing back, I punted the rock as far forward as it could. We both followed it with our eyes as it hopped, skipped, and jumped down the side walk at a surprising speed until it bumped into someone’s foot. My gaze slowly started to lift up as I got a good view of a very sexy, and very familiar body. “Um, hi Ms. Benson.”

“Hello Tucker,” she smiled at me before looking at Lexi and I watched as her smiling face slowly morphed into that of a professional poker player’s, “And you must be Lexi.”

“Um, yes I’m Lexi,” she replied giving me an uneasy look. “Who is she?”

“She’s my homeroom teacher.”

“Oh, well it’s nice to meet you Ms. Benson.”

“Likewise.”

“So,” I cautiously began, “Is there something you need Ms. Benson?”

“Yes actually, I was wondering if I could speak with you two.”

“Both of us?” she nodded. “Uh, sure, let’s go inside I guess.”

A tsunami of uneasiness swept over me as I walked over to my door and unlocked it. I had no reason to feel like something bad was going to happen but with the day I was having, I was starting to expect the worst possible outcome with everything I did. Maybe the reason I felt especially wary at the moment was because I’ve had sex with both of them.

Yeah…something tells me that might be why.

After setting my things down, I went into the kitchen, “Can I get you anything Ms. Benson?”

“No I’m fine.”

“Lexi?”

“I’m good thanks.”

They both strangely followed me into the kitchen, taking a seat at the table across from one another as I leaned up against the counter and cracked open a soda.

“Well?” Lexi began, “What can we do for you Ms. Benson?”

“I’m here to talk about Tucker and his behavior over the last month.”

“And,” Lexi looked at me but I shrugged. In all honesty I didn’t know where she was going with this either. “What has his behavior been like over the last month?”

“To be frank, it’s bad. Over the last month his normally good attitude has shifted drastically. He’s always tired, his grades are starting to slip, he hardly talks in class anymore, and when he does it’s only to argue with one of his friends. Not only that, but from what his other classmates have told me he even turned down a girl that he had crush on for no reason. And let’s not forget the fact that he got into a fight as well. This all started the day you walked into my class as well, which, I might add, was extremely disrespectful and caused a lot of backlash for Tucker by the other students too.”

Lexi’s eyes slowly narrowed, “So you…think it’s all my fault?”

“I do actually.”

“You really think I’m the sole cause of all of this?”

“There’s no other explanation as to why he’s been acting so irrationally, so yes, I do. He also told me that you two had a little bit of history and I know that you forced yourself into his home so it’s obvious that you’re having a negative impact on him.”

“Is that so, Melissa.”

That sentence threw up more flags then the U.N..