Page 11 of Save Me
“You stick with me, and I’ll make sure no one bothers you,” he says as he links my arm through his and walks us proudly down the hallway. “You’re my girl now.”
“What?” I gasp with an instant frown. He doesn’t think we’re dating now, does he? This is a little awkward.
“Relax,” he whispers, “you’re not my type, if you know what I mean. But I do have an opening for a beautiful girl friend.”
“Oh…oh, I see,” I laugh with relief, “sure, ok.”
After homeroom, I’m made to introduce myself in not one, but three different classes, which is beyond humiliating. The blank faces before me look about as interested in my ramblings as much as I am in saying them. One half-asleep guy asked if I personally knew Lily James, but when I disappointed him by saying no, he went back to slumping over his desk. Other than that, no one really says much to me. Instead, I’m stared at, probably being mentally picked apart to gauge whether or not I’m worth the effort to form a bond with.
Fortunately, when I go to lunch, Kaiden is exactly where he said he would be, waiting outside the cafeteria and smiling as I walk up to him. Well, at least I have made one friend today and he seems to be both funny and interesting.
“So, how were the kids?” he asks, sounding jovial. “They treat you nice?”
“Er, well, they weren’t ‘un’ nice,” I reply, “but then, they didn’t exactly talk to the new girl either.”
He grins like he knew this would be the case, then pulls me into the lunch hall where we grab some food and sit at a table together. I can’t help but look around the place, studying the different types of teenagers here, all forced together into one tight spot. Some of them stare back at me with a questioning frown, while the odd person walks by and makes a derogatory comment about Kaiden’s sexual preferences. He sometimes gets a nod of the head, but otherwise, he seems about as unpopular as I am. Not that he appears to be put out by it. He just offers the odd flip of the bird or a healthy nod back to whoever it is.
“So, tell me about yourself, Beth,” he says, pulling me out of my inward assessments over all things high school, “where you from, why are you here, and who are you fucking?” I practically choke on my mouthful of homemade chicken sandwiches at the same as he sits back and waits for my answers, looking as casual as if he’d just asked me what my favorite color is.
“Wow, get straight to it!” I reply before I gulp back some water. I notice him grinning cheekily at me. “Er, well, I’m originally from the south of England, along the coast, spent a few years in Texas, and now I’m here. Dad is in the business of IT security or something to that effect, and he’s branching out. He originally came over to the states because his mother is an American, and there were more opportunities over here. Not currently fucking anyone, so, yeah, that’s me.”
“Fair enough,” he replies with a shrug, probably disappointed by the bellybutton fluff facts I’ve just given him. “Well, my dad is a Financial Advisor, Mom was a hotelier, always been here, and I’m also not currently fucking anyone.”
“Well, cheers to that then!” I say, chinking my bottle with his. “So, is now when you show me all of the social cliques around the lunch hall and warn me about which ones to stay clear of?”
“I’d personally avoid all of them!” He shrugs, and I can’t tell if he’s joking or not. “But in a nutshell, avoid the bitch brigade over there,” he says, pointing over to a table across the hall where I instantly recognize Casey and her friends. “The male equivalent over there,” he continues, pointing to a load of buff, sporty-looking dudes and a few of their hangers-on. “You might be ok with the nerdy types over there,” he adds, now pointing at a mixed bunch of normal-looking students, ones I wouldn’t brand with the label ‘nerdy’. In fact, they look pretty much like I do. “But maybe get in good with the techies over there; they can prove to be useful every now and then.”
“And which group do you belong to?” I ask, raising a teasing eyebrow.
“I’m my own motherfucking group,” he says as he points to himself with a smug smile, “now joined by you, my English rose!”
“Fair enough!” I giggle.
“So, why don’t you come with me to the ‘Back to School’ dance this Saturday,” he suggests before pausing to slurp on his drink. “Black tie and kind of a chance for the beautiful people to flaunt their wealth their fake features to everyone. It’s Fairfield School tradition.”
“Can’t!” I reply bluntly and with a shrug my shoulders. “I have a prior engagement.” We get up to leave but I can see he clearly doesn’t like my answer. “Plus, I’ve had enough high school parties to last me a lifetime after Friday’s experience.”
“Where are you going?”
“To the North Beach to hang out with my friends.” I smile with a warm feeling inside of me; I’m already looking forward to it.
“Wait, Stoner Beach?” he laughs. “You hang out with those guys?”
“Yes, and they’re like my family, so don’t even attempt to diss them in front of me,” I warn him only half-seriously. “My friend, Bodhi, has seriously been there for me since I arrived. He’s like a father figure to me.”
The guy is only pushing forty so is, admittedly, a young father figure, but he is my rock and so much more after what happened to me this summer.
“Oh, ok. Kind of bummed though,” he says, looking disappointed.
“Why don’t you blow the black-tie event and come with me?” I suggest. “It will be so much more fun, I promise.”
“Really?” He looks torn and I wonder if he really does have any other friends. “Are you sure they’d be ok with that? With me?”
“Of course!” I scoff over his reluctance. “They are so much more accepting than this bunch. Give me your number and I’ll text you my addy and we can go together. I’ll introduce you. Plus, Bodhi always has the best gear, so if it’s boring for you, at least you can get a little high!” I raise my eyebrows and giggle.
“Are you a stoner, my English rose?” he asks with a cheeky grin. “Wouldn’t have had you pegged for one.”
“No, just now and then, at social events, and only with the beach gang,” I admit with a smile. “I usually just have a drag or two on Bodhi’s and that’s it. Things got tense this summer, so it’s been my way of zoning out. Bodhi looks after me though.”