Chapter 72

"Someone needs to do something." Rya said by my side. Adam always got into fights, it was kind of his thing, but this fight was different, this fight was with his best friend – someone who was basically his brother. It felt wrong.

I remembered the times where Adam would get into a fight so bad Taylor used to have to take him to hospital, frantically calling me to meet him there. I used to take Adam back to mine to change his gauze and bandages, clean him up, make sure he was okay. Taylor used to sort out the rest with whoever Adam fought, making sure he didn't get in more trouble. We were like a team. Yet, here I stood, only watching the fight, knowing I would do nothing afterwards. And here Taylor was, fighting the boy he's saved constantly.

Oh, how times have changed?

"I'm going in." Rya spoke by my side. I managed to snap back into reality and watched her slender frame squeeze through the remaining crowd.

"What? Rya?!" I called after her and pushed through.

She grabbed – and I mean grabbed – Taylor's arm and held him back. Yes, as in restrained him. Rya McCoy, a practical size-two, porcelain doll-like person with barely any muscle, managed to restrain Taylor Vermont. A 6ft basketball player.

 I always knew she was freakishly strong.

"Pack it up, redhead!" she snapped as Taylor tried to fight off her grip. Her fingers were most likely digging into his skin by now.

Adam was about to make an advance as someone else grabbed him. Christopher Knowles of all people.

"Huh, didn't know spaghetti strands had arms." He mused, struggling with Adam who did not seem happy. Rya shot Christopher the dirtiest of glares.

"Huh, didn't know Mike Wazowski had a twin." She retorted back, struggling with Taylor.

"Suck my dick." He smiled a little too sweetly.

"Let's be honest, honey, no one can find it." She also smiled back a little too sweetly. Adam tried to fight off Christopher, but he gripped him right back and restrained him. I never actually knew how strong Christopher was, but he must've been somewhat to restrain someone. Especially someone like Adam. 

"Jesus, dude! Would you calm the fuck down? I'm not trying to start some Romeo and Tybalt fight."

"What the hell is going on here?!" Principle Cunningham stormed down the halls to part the sea of students forming a massive crowd. Her eyes gleamed with fury at Adam and Taylor, and I noticed how Rya shrank back behind Taylor as the Principle's eyes beamed at her.

"Anyone care to explain?!" Principle Cunningham threw her hands in the air.

"There was a fight, ma'am." Christopher explained. "Don't worry, I restrained it."

"Actually, Rya stepped in before you did." Taylor argued defensively. Christopher gave him a glare.

Principle Cunningham tapped her foot on the floor and turned her attention to Rya. "Is this true, Miss McCoy?"

I noticed how she gulped before nodding quickly. "Erm, yes."

Principle Cunningham nodded her head and thanked her before turning to Christopher. "I don't appreciate liars, Mr Knowles. Especially not arrogant ones. Thank you, Rya." She turned to thank Rya again and I could see the smirked glued to Rya's lips as Christopher lowered his gaze to the ground.

"I expect none of this to happen again, do you hear me?!" she shouted out to the dozens of students still remaining. Everyone went into a quiet mutter of 'yes'. "Reeves! Vermont! My office." She then commanded. "Now."

Adam pushed off Christopher in an angsty mood whereas Taylor lightly pulled Rya off who was still clinging onto him.

"Sorry." He cringed, "But your nails are like really sharp." I saw the little crescents in his forearm and could tell they hurt by how red they were.

"Shit, sorry." Rya apologised.

Taylor brushed it off and chuckled, "It's okay. I mean, you saved me from getting into more trouble so thanks." He nodded sheepishly before walking after Adam and Principal Cunningham. 

As soon as the crowd was gone, I rushed straight up to Rya. "What the hell do you think that was about?"

Rya bit her lip and whispered, "I don't know, but it obviously has something to do with Leah."

***

After school, Rya had to go to Principal Cunningham's office to replay the events of what happened, meaning I was left alone.

As I collected my things from my lockers and walked to the exit, I noticed Roman chatting with a brunette by his locker. She twirled her hair and chewed on her lip, clearly flirting. Why the hell was she flirting with him? I guaranteed she didn't even know him that well.

I strolled right over there and plastered a fake smile onto my face.

"Casey!" I chirped. "So sorry about your yest infection, but next time, don't stick popsicles up your vagina."

Her face went bright red as she looked back at Roman who was evidently disturbed. "But I didn't –"

"I know, I know. Some girls just like the cold... rush, and I know you used to use carrots but stay away from the food from now on please."

Casey – I presumed that was her name – had tears in her eyes as her face reddened and she ran away.

Roman stared after her before placing his focus back on me. "Does she really...?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "But from that reaction, I'm guessing yes." Roman shook his head and cringed a little. I swear there was always some weird girl in school that stuck whatever up their who-ha.

As I gazed back at Roman, I noticed the bag heaving under his eyes in tears of purple and blue. How long had it been since he slept? Was he okay?

"You didn't tell me you were coming in today." I finally confessed.

He glanced down at me and sighed, "I didn't realise I was either, but my mom made me. Thanks for dropping off the work though. I don't know what I'd do without you." I don't know what I'd do without you.

"How's she doing?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Alright." He frowned. "But she wants to see you."

"When can I?" I knew they weren't allowing anyone but family to see her in fear someone would come in and supply her diet pills as well as the fact they didn't know if she was – as Roman said the doctors put it – 'stable' enough.

"Not sure." He replied. "Maybe in a couple weeks or so. If I say you're a family friend, you should be fine."

I nodded and hummed in agreement before I realised, "So, are we tutoring tonight?"

Roman's eyes went wide, and I instantly knew he had forgotten. I couldn't blame him. He's been so worried about his sister everything else seemed to slip from his mind.

"Shit, I totally forgot." He blurted. "Sienna, I'm so sorry, it's just –"

"It's okay." I waved it away. "I've got my textbook and so you can always give me something to do whilst you go and sleep. You look like you haven't slept in days." Could he even sleep? With the worry of his sister running around his mind, did he have capacity left to even take a second to relax?

"Thanks, but we can't come round my tonight. My parents have family over to visit Skye and the whole house is buzzing with my nosey relatives. Can we go to yours?"

"No." I answered before I could think. Even if I did think about it, I still would have said no.

"No?" he cocked his head to the side, "Why not?"

"Can't we just go to the library?" I nervously chuckled. "It's alright there. I don't care if anyone sees us." I don't think I've cared of anyone seeing us for a while and I didn't even realise.

"You didn't hear?" he seemed surprised.

I narrowed my eyes in puzzlement. "Hear what?"

"The library's under repair. During the storm, the roof collapsed." The roof... collapsed? The library owned tons of books, I couldn't even imagine how horrible it was for so many of them to be destroyed. My heart ached.

"So, is it alright if we go to yours?" no, it's not alright.

"We can leave tutoring for next week. I don't mind." I turned on my heel to walk away when Roman stalked after me.

"Um, why?"

"Because I said so." I replied, not looking back.

I heard him chuckle in annoyance behind me. "That's not even a proper excuse." I knew it wasn't, but I couldn't think of anything else. Anything I genuinely wanted him to know.

"Just leave it, Roman. We can tutor next week." He ran up behind me and gently grabbed my arm to stop me from walking away.

"Stop pulling away from me." He complained, his voice laced with authority.

"I'm not!" I argued. "You can't force yourself to come round my house."

"I'm not forcing!" he protested. "I'm only asking since we can't go round mine and the library is shut but something is obviously bothering you about the idea, but you won't even tell me what!"

"Maybe some things are just none of your business!" I exclaimed, feeling my blood anxiously pulse through my body.

"I have let you in." he quietened his tone. "I have let you in to see all the good and all the bad. I have let you into things I'd never tell anyone else but you. However, you don't trust me enough to let me see those things in you too?I thought we trusted one another, weren't afraid to let one another see the ugly. Obviously not."

He was right. I hated it but he was right. He had shown me everything, he had let me in and shown me things he's terrified to show others and yet, I push him further away the closer he gets to me. Not because I don't trust him but because I'm... scared.

That's what was what led me to burst. "Fine!" I gave in. He looked back at me and didn't say a word. "We can study round my house." The words terrified me to say, and the fear never left me as we walked over to his car.

Looking back at the school and then to the passenger seat, I knew what all of this meant. This wasn't about showing Roman my house, or my parents, or inside my life. This meant explaining. Explaining things I didn't know if I had the heart to tell anyone again.