Cassandra grabs my arm and whispers harshly, “Are you crazy, Lanie? What are you doing?”
I pull my arm from her grip and frown as I take in the fear in her brown eyes. I straighten my stance. I have to appear brave. “Someone has to stop this, Cass.”
Roger’s gaze darts from me to Wendell. His eyes are so brown they almost appear black and the pure venom in them causes my legs to shake. A deep laugh bursts out of his mouth and holds me in place. “What do we have here? Is this your little girlfriend, four-eyes? Is she here to save you?”
“N-n-no,” Wendell stutters.
No one should be able to get away with treating people like this. “Stop it, Roger!”
Roger flings his gaze at me. “Or what, Shirley Temple? You going to make me?”
I stare down at the pink sundress I’m wearing. While very cute for my first day of school, it doesn’t exactly scream badass. But this guy doesn’t know what I’m capable of, so I can’t let him rattle my nerves. “I might. Now, leave him alone.”
Roger sneers while opening his large hands and makes a show of letting Wendell go. As soon as Wendell is free, he takes off running, without so much as looking back to make sure I’m not the one getting pounded now.
Thanks for the back-up, Wendell.
The bully turns to me and taps his lip. “Happy now, Shirley? I let him go, but it seems we have a small problem.”
I lift my chin as Roger stalks towards me with slow steps, like a tiger stalking its prey. “What’s that?”
“Someone is going to have to pay me. You see, I need money for a new tire and since you chased my little buddy off, I guess that leaves you to pay for it.” He grins at me in a way a serial killer would…right before he murders his victim.
I grip my books tighter and my hands turn clammy. If he comes at me this Geometry book is going to make one hell of a weapon. “Fat chance. I’m not giving you any money.”
He shakes his head as he steps in front of me. “That’s where you’re wrong. Guy, girl…doesn’t matter to me. I’ll still beat you into submission in order to get what I need, and what I need from you is money. You’re going to get that for me. A nice girl like you seems good for it.”
I narrow my eyes. “No, I’m not.”
“Listen, bitch…” Roger slaps the books from my hands and leans in to me like he’s about to attack, but a voice stops him.
“Pick those up.” My neighbor and childhood friend, Noel Falcon pushes his way through the crowd. Once he’s through, he narrows his eyes at Roger, daring him to cross him. “Pick those up, or I swear to God, you’ll pay.”
The guy in front of me takes a step back and smirks as Noel steps between us, using his body to shield me from Roger. At first I’m scared for Noel’s safety, but I soon notice he’s nearly an even match for the guy that’s much older than him.
When did he get so tall and buff?
I guess I never noticed Noel’s muscles before. The way they stretch his black t-shirt, and how broad his shoulders have actually gotten, has somehow slipped past me all summer long. Granted, I haven’t seen him as much as I normally do over the summer. Noel was always busy every time I asked him to come over and go fishing off the dock behind my house like we always did, which was…strange, considering we used to spend all of our time together.
His hair is longer too. The shaggy hair he sported last school year as he got into rock music would probably touch his shoulders now if he didn’t have it pulled back into a low-set ponytail. I admit, he’s looking pretty good.
Roger straightens his shoulders and rocks his neck like a trained fighter before he sets his eyes on Noel. “You’ll walk away if you know what’s good for you. This is between me and Shirley here.”
Noels fingers fold into fists at his side. “I think you got that backwards, fucker. It’s you that needs to beat it. No one messes with Lane. No one.”
“Brave words. You’re going to wish you’d walked away when I gave you the chance after I beat your face in,” Roger sneers.
“I’ll never walk away from Lane. You fuck with her, you fuck with me.” There’s a growl in Noel’s voice I’ve never heard before. It’s low and threatening. I never knew Noel could be so scary, or badass, or…hot.
Oh my God. What am I thinking? Noel isn’t hot. Noel is…Noel, my friend—best friend since kindergarten.
I can’t ponder on that last thought too long because Roger’s laugh pulls me out of that bubble. Without warning Roger draws his arm back, launching it full force towards Noel’s face. Two things happen so quickly that the scream building in my throat doesn’t have time to come out. The first is Noel dodges the blow with ease and the second blasts Roger in the face first while simultaneously pushing me out of harms way.
I fall to the floor just as Roger tackles Noel and they crash to the ground. At first it appears that Roger has the upper hand until Noel uses some quick UFC style movements and turns the tables. Noel flips Roger onto his back and straddles him before gripping a handful of Roger’s shirt in his hand and blasts a right hook into the monster redhead’s face.
My mouth gapes open as the boy I’ve known most of my life defends me like no one else ever has.
A hand grips my shoulder and pulls me up off the floor. “Jesus, Lanie. Are you all right?” Cass asks. “Thank God Noel showed up when he did.”
I’m about to agree with her just as the guys roll around in the hallway again and this time Roger’s in control. Hell. No.
This weird urge to protect Noel comes over me. I fling myself on Roger’s back without thinking about what I would do next. I wrap my arms around his neck and hold on tight. Not getting anywhere, I get desperate and grab a handful of red hair and yank as hard as I can. “Get off him!”
I ignore the distinct sound of tennis shoes scuffling on the tiled hallway as I tighten my grip on his hair. There’s no way I’m letting anyone hurt Noel.
I’m pulled back but I refuse to release my hold on Roger. “Young lady, let him go!”
My head snaps in the direction of lanky man with thinning brown hair I recognize as being my English teacher, Mr. Jones. Then it dawns on me. Oh crap! I’m in deep shit. Dad isn’t going to the let the fact that I’m involved in a fight on the first day of school go without some sort of punishment. There’s always the argument I was helping someone else that was getting bullied…even though that someone ran off and would probably be too scared to side with me against Roger. Surely one of these witnesses would attest to the fact this all began over Wendell, and that Roger isn’t the innocent victim here.
I loosen my grip and Roger’s hair falls free from my hands. “Crazy bitch,” Roger mumbles under his breath. “Umph!”
I snicker as Noel brings his knee back down from Roger’s groin, shutting him up completely. Roger falls over, cupping his crotch in the universally recognized, I’ve-just-been-nailed-in-the-balls style.
Noel stands and kicks Roger in the stomach one last time for good measure. “Don’t ever talk to her that way again.”
Mr. Jones sets me on my feet and turns to scolds the boys. “Knock it off and get to the principal’s office.” I turn to head in the opposite direction, thinking I’m in the clear because I’m a girl. “Not so fast. That means you too.”
I stop dead in my tracks and turn slowly on my heel.
Damn. Can’t blame me for trying.
Noel smoothes his hair back, tucking the loose strands behind his ear. He touches his tongue to the corner of his mouth and I notice a small cut on his bottom lip.