"There bitch, I'll pay for my uniform to be cleaned and you can pay for yours. Watch where you're fuckin' goin' next time, look up when you're walkin' instead of down at the ground!" Micah snapped.
I was so disgusted with what I was seeing, but when Alannah sniffled and rubbed her face to try and stop her tears from falling, I became furious.
"Who the fuck do you think you are?" I snapped and rushed forward, shoving Micah in the back and knocking her and Alannah onto the ground.
I quickly reached down and helped Alannah to her feet. She was crying and had paint everywhere, her hair was messed up as well, like it had been pulled on, and I instantly knew who caused that. I turned to Micah, who was getting to her feet and brushing herself off.
"Mind your own business, this has nothin' to do with you!" Micah snapped at me.
I glared at her and didn't move an inch. "It is me business when you hurt me friend."
"Your friend? Since when do you have a friend?" Micah scoffed.
I was about to reply when I felt a hand on my shoulder.
"Since now," Alannah's voice answered.
I looked over my shoulder and smiled at her tear and paint streaked face.
"Isn't that touchin', a loner and a book lover are friends. Excuse me while I puke."
I shook my head when Micah brushed passed us.
"Leave us alone, Micah. We won't bother you, and you won't bother us from now on. Deal?" I said to her when she paused by the main hall entrance.
She looked at me for a long moment before nodding her head and saying, "Just stay out of me way and we won't have problems."
I didn't know why but in that moment I knew she wouldn't bother me anymore and not because Dominic warned her not to but because I stood up for myself. She didn't know how to react.
It was a great feeling, not only would she be staying away from me but Destiny hadn't so much as looked in my direction since our spat in the hall a few weeks ago. Both girls had been problems over the last few weeks, and I could breathe easy now knowing that those problems wouldn't come about ever again.
Even dickhead Jason hadn't muttered an insult my way in ages. Sure he still glared at me and probably thought all sort of horrible things, but he didn't voice them anymore, and he didn't bug me which was just Heaven. I knew him staying away from me was completely due to Dominic but whatever; once he kept to himself I was happy.
When Micah went inside the hall the noise of the door shutting got my attention. I fully turned to Alannah and sighed. "She is such a bitch, she got paint everywhere."
Alannah surprised me then by wrapping her arms around my body and pressing her cheek to mine. "Thank you."
I felt a huge wave of emotion suddenly hit me, so I hugged her back. I felt like the last layer of the brick wall I had built up so long ago around my heart just came crashing down, and it felt good, really good. "No problem, that's what friends are for, right? We look out for each other."
Alannah pulled back from me and smiled. "Right."
When she got a good look at me, she burst out laughing. "I got a bit of paint on you."
I looked down to my uniform and laughed as well; she got more than a bit on me. I reached up to my face, touching my cheek then looked to my now blue fingers. I laughed as I looked to myself and to Alannah. "We look gorgeous."
"Stunners is what we are," she sarcastically replied then bent down to pick up her things.
I helped her then went with her to the art room so she could refill the paint bottle and mix the new colours we needed for the rest of the posters we had to do. I was looking around the art room while Alannah was busy and read the label on some of the new paint bottles.
"It says that all the paint is clothes friendly and can be washed out of fabrics," I said aloud then looked to Alannah.
She nodded. "I know, I tried to tell Micah that but she didn't listen. She just pushed me down and pulled my hair."
"What a cunt," I grunted making Alannah laugh.
I chuckled along with her then helped her carry the paint and some clean brushes and palettes back to the main hall.
"Girls what happened?" Miss McKesson's voice shouted when we entered the hall.
This got everyone's attention to fall on us.
Alannah looked at me with a panicked face, so I put on a playful one and said, "Things got a bit wild in the art room while we were mixin' some paint but don't worry, nothin' was damaged. Well, not beyond repair anyway."
Miss McKesson shook her head and waved us on as she chuckled.
Alannah and I blew out a breath and headed back over to our section where our posters still awaited us. We were sorting out our things when I felt a presence beyond me followed by a shadow falling over my worktop.
"Is there a reason why Micah is covered in paint and has a mad look about her?" Dominic's voice asked.
I turned around and smiled widely at him. "I have no idea what you're talkin' about, boyfriend."
Dominic smiled at me and flicked his eyes over my face then down to the front of my uniform. He looked to Alannah as well; who made a big show of looking around like Damien wasn't standing directly in front of her asking why her eye was swelling.
I grabbed Alannah's hand and tugged her to me then murmured, "You said she just pulled your hair! Did she punch you in the face too?"
"Just once but it's fine," she murmured back.
"You know we can hear everything you're saying," Damien's voice interrupted our murmuring chat.
I looked to him then to Dominic, who stood like he was waiting for an explanation.
I glared at him. "Don't give me that look. Micah was hittin' her over a stupid accident, like I'm goin' to stand by and not help me friend out when she needs me!"
Dominic fucking beamed at me as he said, "Friend?"
I felt myself flush. "Yeah, we're friends, it's not that shockin'!"
Dominic laughed, reached forward and pulled me into him.
"I'm gettin' paint on you," I gasped.
"It's school paint, it will wash out," he replied.
"If only Micah had that logic," Alannah mumbled making me laugh.
I glanced at her and watched as she blatantly ignored Damien's attempts at flirting to get her attention. I grinned when he frowned at the back of her paint stained head; he looked so confused as to why he didn't have her attention. The poor sod didn't realise he wasn't going to get her for the dirty romp he wanted.
"I'm going to finish helping with hanging up the posters," Damien said to the back of Alannah's head.
"Bye," Alannah chirped and began lowly singing along to the song that was playing through the speakers in the hall.
Damien grunted then turned and walked off. No, more like stormed off.
"What's eating him?" Dominic murmured as he watched his brother walk away.
I tugged on Dominic's shirt for his attention, and when I got it, I flicked my eyes Alannah's way. "He wants someone he can't have," I whispered.
Dominic looked to Alannah and then to Damien, who was already straight into flirting with girls across the hall, probably to make himself feel better about Alannah ignoring him.
Dominic fully smiled when he looked back to me. "You made a friend and stood up to Micah; Damien got shut down by a girl; I haven't gotten into a fight this week. What the hell is happening around here?"
I chuckled and hugged him tight. "Things are changin' for the better," I said as I flicked my eyes to my new friend then to Damien, who was watching her from across the hall with a look of determination about him. "Definitely for the better."