Chapter Eight

Alessia.

"What is wrong with you, Pat?!" I yelled on top of my voice as Patrick launched towards Harden, punching him hard in the stomach.

The scene was making my head hurt, maybe it's from all the yelling but seeing them fight was making me so sick. I couldn't believe this was unfolding right in front of me. One minute I'm sitting there talking with him and the next, Patrick is beating him up.

I didn't know what to do anymore. Harden is on the floor now, Patrick aiming for him, running towards him. I did the first thing that came to my mind to do. I ran over to Harden, shielding him and facing patrick who was running up. He stops before me, his face contorted with anger.

"Stop this, patrick!" I screamed in his face. "What is wrong with you? Why do you go around beating up people?!"

"He was fucking talking with you, Alessia!" He yelled "and I fucking saw him talking with you in Chemistry class!"

"What the hell do you care?! You're not my boyfriend anymore and I'm not your girlfriend!"

The students gasped, turning to whisper into the ears of those closest to them. Okay, I just announced that I broke up with Patrick. I'm so dead, this news is gonna travel and reach my mother before the end of the day. But somehow, I didn't care much about that, didn't wanna care, couldn't even care. Surprisingly all that went through my mind was how Harden was feeling.

Just then, the principal's voice came on through the announcer, anger ringing in her voice across the entire hallway. "Harden Mcalester, Patrick Morrison and Alessia Winters. In my office right this minute"

I turned a glare back at Patrick. He looks behind me to Harden who's now standing behind me before turning and walking out with his friends. I turned back to Harden and surprisingly he didn't look like he'd just been hit, neither did he have a scratched of bleeding face but instead, he had a long smile on his lips.

"Are you okay?" I asked anyways.

"Yes. I'm sorry I fought with him"

"It wasn't your fault. Come on, we need to be at the principal's office"

_____________________________________________

"What were you two thinking?"Mr. Franklin, our principal asked as he looked from Harden to Patrick.

They're both standing before his desk table, me standing far behind them inside the principal's office.

"You think this school is a big joke?," He turns to Patrick "huh, Patrick?"

"He was talking to my girlfriend" Patrick blurted, causing me to scoff angrily.

"Is that a crime now?" Mr. Franklin asked him angrily before turning to Harden and adding "you're a new student here and you're already causing trouble"

"It wasn't his fault" I chimed in, causing him to look at me.

"Then perhaps it's yours, Miss Winters"

"I'm sorry sir" I replied, wanting to get this over with.

"Well you all know the penalties for fighting in the school premises," he said "Winters, go do the dishes in the cafeteria, and you two, clean up the basketball court. And after that, you can go home. You're suspended for today. Get out, now!"

I'm the first to walk out, not wanting to see either of them. I just wanted to get out of there. I hurried away and took the nearest sharp corner before Patrick could start calling me again.

I pumped out in the hallway, quickly opened my locker and stashed my bag inside.

"Leesha," Ashley calls as she stopped in front of me "I heard what happened! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine" I shut my locker closer and started walking towards the cafeteria.

"Where are you going?"

"Cafeteria. I need to do the dishes and go home"

"What? You got punished too?"

"Yes, Ashley, I did and I just wanna get it over with and go home okay? I'll see you later"

I continued to walk till I reached the cafeteria and walked in. I heard the door creek behind me and I turned to see Ashley walk in. I gave her a questioning look.

"I wanna help okay?" She replied my unasked question before walking past me and heading towards the kitchen.

We spent the next one and a half hour washing the dishes. We stayed in the kitchen during the break hour and waited for the dishes too and washed them. By the time we finished washing, my fingers felt numb and my body ached. I let loose of the apron and walked out with Ashley, exhausted.

"So you're going home now?" Ashley asks as we walked through the hallway.

"Yeah. I'm going back to my freaking home thanks to Patrick"

"I'm leaving too"

I stopped to face her and asked "don't you have any classes?"

"I do but they are pretty much boring. I'll just drive us home" 

"Thanks Ash, you're such a life saver"

When we reached our lockers, I saw Harden. I looked away, couldn't hold on to his pitiful stares. I didn't want him to apologise. But he's standing next to me in the next minute, saying nothing. I shut my locker close after picking up my bag to meet his face as he leaned his head against the next locker.

"I'm really sorry about today," he said, making me sigh "It's all my fault"

"No it's not, Harden, stop saying that. I'm the one who should be sorry for.....making your second day at school bad and......about Patrick"

When he did that smile with his lips again, I gasped silently.

"Go out with me tonight then and turn my day from bad to better" he said.

I was stunned at first and I just stood there, staring at him. I never expected that. I gulped hard, my throat suddenly seemed so dried and I tried to speak. "I....where would you wanna go?" Shit, I should've just said 'okay'.

"Anywhere,"he replied "let's say.....I'll pick you up by Seven?"

"Seven? Oh.....I can't.... tonight. I totally forgot, my uncle put me under a strict curfew. I can't leave the house after 6p.m"

"That's harsh"

"Pretty much. Lovely family" I gave him a small smile "but maybe we can do it some other time"

"'do it?'. Well I can totally do it with you" he said, scratching the side of the browse. Again. Isn't that just sexy? I caught on pretty much to what he was hinting at and it actually got me laughing.

"Yeah, we'll definitely 'do it' some other time" I replied back, winking an eye at him. He laughs and just like that, the sound of it took my heart away with it.

"I'm heading home" I told him.

"Okay. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then" he liplined his lips in a way that made two hollow dots to appear on the sides of his chin, just below the ends of his lips, like tiny dimples.

"Bye"

I felt his eyes watching me as I walked over to Ashley who was now packed and ready to leave. We walked out to Ashley's army green B-segment car. 

I caught sight of Patrick walking towards the parking lot, a terribly pitiful look on his face. I looked away, reaching for the door to pull it open.

"Kitty" he said as he got closer to me. I ignored him, going ahead to pull the door open. He caught my hand and pulled it away from the car. "Kitty, I'm sorry"

I looked him in the eye now and tried to cut my hand from his, saying "can you just let go?"

"I said I'm sorry okay? I didn't mean to do that and put you in trouble"

"Well you did, now let go of my hand!"

He slowly lets go of my hand before saying "I'm really sorry, kitty. I know I messed up my chance again"

"You don't even have any chance to begin with Patrick, you always ruin everything and I'm really.......I need to go okay?"

I pulled the door open. He watches me for a while before nodding and walking away, towards his parked car.

Ashley gave me a knowing look before reaching for her side of the door too.

Just as I was attempting to sit inside, I heard Ashley's name being called from the school's exit door. We both turned the exit door to see Tephanie hurrying down the long steps, her hands tucking at her backpack straps around her shoulders.

She stops in front of us, dramatically panting.

"What are you doing here with your.......bag?" Ashley asks, tilting her eyeglasses.

"Take me with you" she said, trying to catch her breath.

"We're not going for a shopping spree, Tephanie" I informed her. "I'm under a punishment to go home"

"I know, I'm going home too. I'm sick of this school" she pulls the back door open.

"What about your car?" I asked her "didn't you tell me you were driving your car to school in the morning?"

"Yeah, I did. But I didn't drive it. Can we leave already?" She said, sitting at the back and shut the door. Ashley and I exchanged looks before sitting at the front before she drove out of the school.

"I heard the fight between that new guy and patrick," Tephanie spoke as we got onto the streets "men, I can't believe I missed that because of some stupid history class"

"I know right?" Ashley replied "missed it too for the same stupid history class"

I snickered quietly at their jokes.

"Is it true you broke up with Patrick?" Tephanie asks, leaning her jaw against my headrest so her face was popping out between Ashley and I. I didn't know what to say. The whole school probably knows already so it wouldn't hurt anything to admit it to one of the dumbest girls in the school.

"Yeah, I did" I replied.

"Men," she said, leaning back into her chair " I always thought you guys were so in love with each other. Turns out it's only been one sided. Only patrick loved you"

"He doesn't love her" Ashley shot back.

"Uh, yes he did"

"Did not"

"Okay can you two stop talking about me like like I'm actually not here? I'm just wondering how I'm supposed to go home right now. It's still an hour before closing time and I'm going home. I'm gonna be in so much trouble if mom even as much as finds out I had a fight in school"

"Which you didn't" Ashley said.

"You're damn lucky Franklin guy didn't put a call to your mom," Tephanie said "he called my mom the day I painted the bathroom"

"But your mom never came cause she's never around" Ashley replied.

"Yes, that's what I'm talking about" she replied.

"That's just the life" I replied, annoyance slowly creeping into my voice.

"You know what?" Ashley said, matching the brake and glancing at me through the rearview mirror "let's go some place and chill out. We don't have to go home an hour early" she turns into another street.

I turned to give her a smile, appreciating her brilliant idea.

"I don't know...."Tephanie said "go out with you two? We're not exactly friends or close"

I chuckled and replied "well you're still my across-the-street neighbor"

"Plus, "Ashley added "I can always pull over for you to get out"

I gave Ashley a smile before asking "so where're we going?"

"Let's eat under the sun," she replied "Ammie's place"

I loved the place. Ashley and I always went there on her birthdays and have treats. They made the best cakes and ice creams of so many flavors. 

Ammie's place stood out as a bright yellow mini shop. Ashley pulled up in front of it and we went in to make our orders. Afterwards, we sat outside under the yellow and white stripped umbrellas. It was almost the best day of my life. I never hang out with Tephanie, she wasn't my friend, we barely even say anything to each other but hanging out with her turned out to be fun. We made jokes, talked about Patrick. I laughed when they said hateful things about him, he should've been there. 

We ordered so many sweet snarks until we couldn't eat anymore. Then we continued to talk about school. About our favorite teachers and favorite students. Who would've thought Tephanie liked Bruce Arturo, the hot Spanish jock she took dancing classes with. Tephanie is wired.....in a cool way.

We hadn't realized how fast the time ran until i glanced at my phone and saw that the time was 5:27pm! We spent nearly four hours at Ammie's!

We rushed out into the car and Ashley sped off. Now I'm late for home. Ashley dropped Tephanie off before driving to my house and dropping me off too.