章 9: Chapter Nine.

Jedd pounds on the door and I wince at the blinding sunlight streaming through the window, directly into my sensitive eyes.

"Bella, we have to leave in two minutes! Get up now!" He yells angrily before storming down the stairs. I groan loudly, turning over and pulling my duvet on top of my head. My body screams in pain from last night and I can already feel a major headache beginning to start.

I rip the duvet off me and roll out of bed, feeling emotionally and physically drained. I can't deal with people today, not even Jedd or Dad. I limp towards the mirror, groaning as I notice a bright red spot camping out on my cheek.

"Great. Just great," I grumble, shuffling towards the bathroom to get ready for yet another day of school. The amused smirk of Brody's friend flashes through my mind and I sigh heavily, slamming the bathroom door shut.

*****

"Seriously Bella! You know I can't be late this week! I have exams." Jedd tells me off, slamming his hands down on the steering wheel. I block out his yelling and slam the back car door shut, staring aimlessly out of the window as he drives.

"Bella Marie Winters, are you even listening to me?" Jedd yells, turning halfway towards me as he comes to a stop.

"Yes! Yes I am! We're on time, you're not going to be late Jedd! Get off my case!" I explode at him, pulling open the door and stepping out before slamming it shut hard. Jedd silences and I watch his face soften as he begins to roll down his window to reply. I quickly turn on my heel, briskly walking away from him towards the school entrance.

"Bella!" I hear him shout behind me but I carry on going, breathing in short little pants. I ignore the crowds of people around me and instead head straight for the doors, pulling them open before entering the building.

*****

It's the last lesson of the day - drama and theatre. So far I've dropped my bag down a flight of stairs, bumped into the head teacher which almost sent him crashing to the floor and I started my period. That explains the horrendous spot camped out on my face. I only have one more hour of school to get through before I'm free.

Drama and theatre has to be one of my worst classes however the teacher is one of my favourites. Mrs Dawson is in her early thirties and has always accepted me as her shy student. She's never once forced me into doing something that I hate despite acting being the main focus of her lesson. Because of that, she's always held a special place in my heart and I always give her a genuine smile before leaving.

Today's lesson is acting out a scene made entirely of your own imagination. I always wait until I'm last in hopes that the bell rings so I won't have to act in front of everyone's staring eyes. I can't possibly think of anything worse.

I take a seat in the theatre at the far end, a few seats away from everyone else. Beatrice & Co are in the same class as me along with Brody and his friends. I haven't seen either of them all day and I've made a conscious effort to stay out of their way.

I spend the next half hour watching the rest of the students act their hearts out on stage, some of them messing around instead of taking it seriously. Some of the scenes they create are actually funny and I find myself laughing along with the rest of the audience. I smile warmly, leaning back into the seat and crossing my leg over my other one, getting comfortable.

I join in clapping as the students up on stage finish, bending over to bow dramatically.

"Well done, well done!" Mrs Dawson claps, scribbling notes down onto her clipboard. She glances down at it before calling out for the next group.

"Beatrice, Anna and Katy please!" She calls out looking around at the crowds of students seated. I watch biting down on my cheek nervously as Beatrice skips onto the stage, her dark hair curled to perfection around her shoulders. Her friends quickly joined her, giggling and getting in position for the start of their act.

Beatrice's eyes drift over the audience confidently as she makes eye contact with every single student. Once they land on me, they shine wickedly and I feel my breathing hitch in my throat. She clears her throat before standing up straight, ready to address the audience.

"We have named this scene. . .The Mute At The Gym." She said loudly, standing tall with confidence. My smile immediately vanishes and I feel my blood run cold at her words.

Surely she doesn't mean. . .

How is that possible?

How did she find out?

My heart lurches in horror as I watch all three of them imitate me on a treadmill. They begin to speed up, arms and legs flailing in the air. The students in the crowd laughed loudly at the scene, unaware of what is really going on.

"Oh no! I think I'm going to fall!" Katy yells in a high pitched voice as her legs begin to wobble dramatically. I don't dare breath and feel fresh tears sting my eyes. The laughter in the room begins to ring loudly in my ears.

Beatrice imitated speeding up Katy's treadmill and stood proudly, smirking directly at me. I feel bile rise to the back of my throat as Katy throws herself onto the floor, clutching at her legs.

"Oh god! That hurts so much but all I want is to be skinny!" She mocks, wiping invisible tears on her face. A real tear slipped down my cheek and I glance at Mrs Dawson who's watching in confusion, completely oblivious to the girl's real intentions to humiliate me.

I stand up, feeling my legs shake underneath me. I have to force myself to tear my eyes away from the stage as the students laughter increased around me. My vision blurs and I blink, feeling tears escape and stream down my cheeks.

My eyes land on Brody who's the only person not laughing. He's staring directly at me, his face emotionless. His friends around him are bent over in hysterics, pointing at me before looking at Beatrice and her friends on stage.

A small sob escapes my body and I shake my head, my hand flying up to my mouth. After what seems like an eternity, my legs move underneath me and I run towards the doors.

Once I'm out, I look left and right, not knowing where to go or what to do. The laughter echoes from the classroom, surrounding me in a sick manner. My legs waved underneath me and I feel my stomach twist, threatening to throw up the contents of it.

"Hey, stop!"

I hear someone shout from behind me but I begin to run further away from the room, desperate to distance myself as far as I can.

I need to run, to hide somewhere.

A hand grips around the top of my arm stopping me and I spin around coming face to face with the culprit himself, Brody.

"Let go of me, you asshole!" I scream at him, desperately tried to tug free from his tight hold. Tears continue to stream down my cheek as I pull harder on his grip. It doesn't budge.

"Listen to me! It wasn't me, I swear!" Brody says firmly, his green eyes searching mine. I manage to wriggle free from his grip and cradle my arm.

"How could you do that to me? How could you?!" I explode at him, taking a step back. Guilt washes over his face and his jaw locks in place.

"I'm sorry." His eyes fall to the floor before flickering back up to meet mine.

"I didn't know Beatrice would do something like that. Shane must have told her." He explains quietly, running a hand through his dark hair.

"W-Whatever," I whisper, feeling my body continue to shake in embarrassment.

"Please, look. I had no idea! That wasn't cool, I came to see if — "

I cut him off.

"Please leave me alone." I say firmly before turning away from him and heading down the corridor. I hear him follow me from behind and I stop, sighing and turning around once again.

"Brody, leave me alone!" I yell through my tears, losing my patience. This entire day has been terrible right from the start. I never should have left my bedroom today. Brody looks taken aback, his eyes flickering between mine and the floor.

"I'm really sorry. . ." He drifts off uneasily, scratching the back of his neck.

"My name is Bella." I whisper, feeling my body shake and tremble in humiliation.

"Bella," he repeats, his voice raspy and low. "Are you okay Bella?"

I immediately feel myself flash back to the day in the sports equipment room when Mystery Boy asked me if I was okay. That was Brody?

"That was you," I say, my chest tightening at the memory. Brody looks back at me in confusion, his eyebrows knitted together —

"What was me? I told you, I didn't do that. I swear it to you." He pleads with me, taking a step forward. I can smell his aftershave ravel around me, causing me to go light headed and weak.

"You helped me in the equipment room," I explain quietly, wiping the tears away off my cheek. Brody's eyes flash with recognition and he nods, his lips flickering into a smile —

"I remember you," Brody grins, green eyes shining brightly at the memory. I find myself staring at his perfectly straight teeth, his captivating smile.

I bite the inside of my cheek, letting my eyes fall to the floor as I realise I've staring. My mouth begins to dry up and I felt my cheeks heat up that I'm actually holding a conversation with Brody Baxter. My anger fuelled me to yell at him but now that I've calmed down slightly, I don't have the confidence to carry on.

"Are you okay Bella? Really okay?" Brody asks me, lifting his hand towards my face. I inhale sharply, not daring to breath as I feel his fingers lightly brush my cheeks, wiping a tear away. My eyes flicker to Brody's and my cheek sizzles with heat from the electricity he left running through my skin. I nod silently, my eyes widening in panic.

"Uhm. Y-yes. I don't know. . . maybe." I stutter, picking my bag up off the floor. I take a step back from Brody, needing some space from his intoxicating scent.

He drops his hand back to his side and tilts his head, studying my face carefully. I feel his eyes drift down my body as he studies me and I feel like it's his first time really seeing me.

I swallow, feeling goosebumps erupt over my skin. The bell suddenly rings loudly through the corridors causing me to jump. Brody's eyes snap back to realisation and he clears his throat, looking around at the students filling the corridors. I take the chance to quickly walk away and prevent being seen with the school's popular boy. That definitely wouldn't do any good to me considering I want to stay as hidden as possible.

I can feel Brody's burning gaze through my back as I walk away, disappearing into the crowds of Heywood High.

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