The Story of Us (2 page)

Violet

The bus ride
wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Hayden and I sat together and we both heard some whispers from behind us. I turned around and saw that some of the guys were staring at me and giving me flirty looks. I quickly turned around and ignored them for the rest of the ride.

My brother and I hopped off the bus and went to the office to sign some paperwork and grab a map. We walked out into the lobby and a lot of kids were staring at us. I gave him a quick hug and we went our separate ways.

As I walked down the hallway, I couldn't ignore the constant stares everybody was directing toward me. I could hear the occasional whispers from both the girls and guys while I scurried past, trying not to bump into anyone. I didn't understand why they were acting as if I was a shiny new toy and they were all kids on the playground. Was it not common here to see new transfers? I just kept my head high and went straight to my locker, which was behind a group of guys. Of course, this would be just my luck.

“Umm . . . hey. Do you guys mind moving over a little bit? You're in front of my locker.” I tried to ask as politely as I could, but I knew it wasn't going to be that easy.

“Damn, girl, we haven't seen you here before.” I just stared at them, my mouth hanging open, as I noticed that a bunch of people were staring at us. This was obviously causing a scene. “Why don't you come over here and give me a kiss?”

I laughed and rolled my eyes. “Please, in your dreams. Now can you please move over?” They just laughed. I started to think that was the wrong thing to say.

“No, I think we are pretty comfortable right where we're at.” One of them grabbed me and started to make a move on me. I tried to get out of his grip, but he was a lot stronger than I was.

“Hey! Leave her alone, Ryder. Don't you have anything better to do than hit on pretty new girls?” I recognized the voice and turned around to see Nash walking toward me. He went up to Ryder and shoved him out of the way and then looked at me.

“Hey, Violet.” He smiled and his gorgeous blue eyes were looking right into mine. He started to open his locker while still staring at me.

“Oh, hey, Nash! Thanks for the help. I didn't know some of the guys here were such assholes. I guess we're locker buddies.” There I went again, making those stupid comments. I turned away and just started to put stuff in my locker.

“No problem. I'll protect you from them. It has been a while since a pretty girl has arrived at our school. They were probably just getting ahead of themselves.” Did he just call me pretty again? I felt a blush starting to creep up and I took a few breaths to relax. “Anyway, I got to go, but I'll see you later.” Once again, he was gone just like that.

I shut my locker and headed down the hallway, but everyone was staring at me again. I started to feel uncomfortable, so I just kept my head down.

Nash

I couldn't believe
those guys. I wanted to punch them right in their faces. People were already hitting on her and I hadn't even been able to get her number yet. Every time I talked to her I'd get nervous and leave. Why was I such a baby around her?

“Hey, Nash! Miss me?” I was basically tackled by Angelina. She had been hitting on me all summer and wanted to hook up. She gave me a quick kiss and grabbed my hand. I pulled my hand away from her grip.

“Angelina, I'm not trying to be mean, but I'm not interested in you.” She rolled her eyes and ignored my comment.

“Please, Nash. I know you are in love with me. I mean, I'm head cheerleader and you're the lacrosse captain. We're meant to be together.” I just looked at her and walked away, shaking my head. She would never let me go.

Violet

The first half
of the morning was a blur. A lot of people were nice to me but a lot of girls were the typical stuck-up snotty chicks. I started to notice that a lot of the guys were hitting on me and checking me out. I got a lot of people's numbers and started to make friends with some kids in my classes. I hadn't seen Nash since we talked earlier and I was a little upset about that.

I threw my books in my locker and headed down to lunch. I finally saw Hayden and met up with him. “Hey, baby sister! How is your day going?” I noticed his phone was full of text messages, which didn't surprise me. He was really good at making friends and lots of girls liked to hit on him. He was cute, I guess, but he is my brother so he'll always be gross to me.

“It's fine. People keep staring at me and some of the guys are complete jerks. How about yours?”

I could see his hand start to tense up. He was very protective of me and that's why I loved him so much.

“Yeah, I know. I've been hearing them talk about you all day. I almost punched a guy because he started to talk about your . . . your butt, right in front of me.” I started to laugh and decided I probably shouldn't tell him about what happened earlier. We talked for the rest of the period and then went to our next class.

I knew I wasn't going to enjoy this class because it was Music. I love music and my family tells me I'm good at playing the piano and singing, but I don't put on a show for other people. I started to get really nervous again but relaxed when I heard that familiar voice.

“No, you don't understand. I really like her but everyone keeps hitting on her. I mean, I met her first, so I get her, right?” I looked at Nash but then immediately looked away. Was he talking about me? No, he couldn't like me. It was not possible.

“I don't know, man. I have been hearing guys talk about her all day and what they want to do to her . . .” They stopped talking and from the corner of my eye I could see them staring at me. They were talking a lot quieter but I could still make out what they were saying.

“Oh, shit, man. I didn't know she was in this class.” I saw them walk over and take the seats behind me.

I felt someone tap my shoulder, so I turned around. “Oh. Hey, Nash! I didn't know you were in this class,” I said casually, hoping he didn't realize I had overheard their conversation.

He looked over at his friend and said, “Yeah. We didn't either. So . . . how's your first day going?” I could tell he was nervous.

“Good. I've met a lot of people so far.” He just smiled at me but I could tell something was upsetting him from his expression.

“Yeah, I know. You are what everyone has been talking about lately.” He emphasized the “everyone” and I knew he was getting annoyed.

We didn't talk for the rest of the period; when the bell rang I started to gather my stuff.

“Wait, what class do you have next?”

I glanced down at my schedule. “Umm . . . English.”

A huge smile gathered on his face. “Good, then I can walk with you.” I smiled and let him lead the way down the hallway.

People were still staring at me, but then they would look at Nash and back at me. I didn't know what was going on. “So, do you want me to take you home after school? I can drive your brother too.” I started to smile and accepted his offer. Now my heart started to race.

I kept smiling until I saw who was also in English: Ryder and his friends.

Violet

They didn't see
Nash and me walk into the classroom, which made me relax a little bit. Nash must have noticed I was upset. “Hey, don't worry. We won't sit near them.” I looked up at him and smiled. I knew he would protect me from them, so I wasn't too worried.

“Hey, you! Why don't you come over here and sit in Daddy's lap.” Ryder and his buddies started laughing, then proceeded to stare at me.

Nash and I didn't say anything and we both took the seats farthest away from the guys. Nash thought it was best to sit behind me and I felt safe knowing that he was right there. I then saw the guys move over and sit directly next to Nash and me. “Why are you ignoring us, girl? You know we aren't going to give up that easy.” Ryder was getting annoyed and his buddies would not keep their eyes off me, which made me feel even more uncomfortable.

“Just leave her alone, Ryder. She isn't interested in you assholes.” Nash then grabbed my shoulder and leaned into me. “Just ignore them. They are going to have to give up sooner or later.”

“Well, look what we got here. It seems Nashty has found himself a girlfriend. That's too bad, because I had some plans for her.” Ryder and his buddies started to chuckle but they stopped after the teacher walked in.

The rest of the class period was quiet. I wasn't really paying any attention to Mr. Dewall's lecture. All I had on my mind was Nash. Did he really like me? I mean, he was sticking up for me, but maybe he was just being nice because I was new.

“Are you coming?” Nash asked. I jumped and realized the bell must have rung because everyone was leaving. My papers fell to the floor and Nash bent down to pick them up. “Are you feeling all right? You pretty much zoned out for the whole class period.” Our hands touched when he handed the papers back to me and I felt sparks rush through my body.

“Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired, that's all.” Nash was looking down at me and I started to fall into a trance as I looked up in his eyes. “Can we just go home?”

“Sure. Let's just head to our lockers real quick,” Nash said.

I quickly texted Hayden to ask if he wanted to ride home with Nash and me. He responded, saying he was hanging out with some people he met earlier. I wasn't surprised. I knew he would hook up with some girls as well. I grabbed my books and headed out of the school with Nash.

Nash

Violet and I
didn't talk much the whole way back. I turned on the radio and we just listened to music the entire time. Before I knew it, we had pulled into the driveway at her house.

“Want to come inside for a little bit?” she said. She looked over at me and was smiling. How could I say no to the most beautiful girl in the world?

We hopped out of my truck and headed up to her front door. I was in shock when we walked inside. Her house looked so much smaller from the outside. It was decorated with what looked like very expensive furniture. They had fancy leather couches and big flat-screen TVs.

“Want something to eat?” she asked. She was already heading down a hallway that led into a very big kitchen. She started to go for a bag of chips but couldn't reach them.

“Here, let me help you with that.” I grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up in the air so she could reach the chips. She was small and extremely light. She looked like the kind of girl who would snap if you hugged her too tight.

“Thanks. I don't know why everything in this house is up so high.” She flashed me a smile but immediately looked away. “So, why don't I give you a tour?” She grabbed my hand and led me out of the room.

The rest of the house was pretty much the same. Fancy furniture, sculpted pieces of art, and hand-painted walls. “And the grand tour ends here!” She flung open a door and then jumped on the bed. This must have been her room. Most of it was white furniture, and she had hung up Christmas lights all throughout. She had pictures of her old friends and her old life. I didn't realize all that she had given up and left behind when she moved here.

I turned around and jumped up on the bed with her. She was just texting on her phone and looked like she was getting upset. “Are you okay?” I asked.

“Yeah. It's just my mom. She had another fight with my dad and she always vents everything to me.” She tossed her phone on the pillow and got up to head to the bathroom.

I waited for about ten minutes, but she still hadn't come back. I went up and knocked on the door. “Hey, is everything all right in there?” I heard sniffling and the door swung wide open.

Her eyes were all red and puffy and she had tears running down her face. I immediately grabbed her and hugged her real tight. She started crying again and held on to me while I started rubbing her back. I had no idea what was going on, but I knew something was hurting her. “It's all right,” I told her. “Everything is going to be all right.”