Ash’s POV
I had never left a class as fast as I did this time when the bell finally rang. The whispers and stares had continued for the rest of the lesson. I didn’t even understand how the teacher didn’t care that the students weren’t paying attention. Everybody was focused on me, and all I wanted to do was slide down my chair and hide. At least Alex was sat in front of me, so he couldn’t take glances at me. I knew that was going to happen if he sat anywhere but there. There was this one time he purposely dropped his pencil so he could look around -- well, it seemed very on purpose, but there was still a small chance of it actually being an accident.

But for now, I had to get out of the classroom. My hood went back up and my feet quickly moved me to my locker, ignore anybody wanting my attention or giving me attention. But, of course, I had totally forgotten that Alex’s locker was right next to mine. I didn’t even know why I was so afraid of seeing him, I just was. Knowing that I was supposed to go back home with him when school ended terrified me. But I didn’t know why. Maybe it was because I was too afraid of him judging me, or maybe even being disappointed in me… But I didn’t know why.

I jumped when I saw a figure standing next to me. The thought of it possibly being Alex made my heart race. I tried my best to ignore them, like I didn't realise their presence, but it was nearly impossible. My body wouldn’t let me pay attention to anything else, it was too afraid of what they were going to do next.

“Are you ok?” the tall person said. I immediately recognized Jack’s voice and turned around to hug him. My head pressed up against his chest while I let my bag drop to the floor. I needed him, or I felt like I was going to break apart and shatter into millions of pieces. His arms wrapped tightly around me in the comforting way I had gotten used to, and softly rested his head on top of mine. I used to hate how much taller he was than me, but now I couldn’t help but love him for it. It was like I was the perfect height to fit side by side to his body.

“Ash!” Two girls shouted in glee before I heard them run up to me, “You’re back!”

Next, it was only Harper who continued talking, happy to see me after the time I had been gone, “Oh my god, you don’t know how much we’ve missed you. School’s been so lame without you!”

But I couldn’t care less. I stayed latched onto Jack while not even a small sound escaped me. Right now, I could not deal with them being hyper around me, let alone them wanting to hug me. I didn’t want anybody but Jack touching me. I was used to him, but anybody else was strange and menacing.

“Did I miss something here?” Alex chuckled as he joined us. Although he had been in the same class, he was a lot later. I didn’t know why, and normally I would have asked, but I didn’t want to make conversation now. And I didn’t have any right to ask him. I didn’t want them asking me questions, so I also couldn’t ask them questions. It would be unfair.

“Nope,” Jack shook his head on top of mine, causing my hair to mess up completely from the static energy created by the fabric of the hoodie, “just us going to class,” he then moved to look down at me, even though I was looking at my locker without any emotion, “are we going to walk like this?”

I nodded softly and couldn’t help the small smile forming on my own lips. Of course it was nearly impossible to walk with the way we were wrapped around each other, but I would love to see Jack try it out. It wouldn’t even matter to him if we fell over, and, to be honest, it wasn’t like the bruising I had could get any worse.

“Ok then. First we gotta bend down to pick up your bag,” He leaned down over me to I was basically doing the limbo with his weight on top of me. Detaching his hand from my waist for just a second, he picked it up and made it hand from his wrist, before going back to holding me. “And now we gotta shuffle!”

And so we did. We were both focused on moving our feet at the same pace and at the same time. It felt like we were going so far, but we had only moved a foot or so. Jack just seemed so determined to make it work, so I wasn’t going to tell him to give up. I didn’t want to ruin the dreams he had right now.

“Guys, we still gotta make it to homeroom, you guys are going snail pace,” Alex tried to be stern, but could help but let out a small giggle at the crab movements Jack and I were making.

“Shut up, Lex!” Jack shouted at his best friend, “This is a whole lot more fun than homeroom! Homeroom can go fuck itself!”

Oh boy, was that such a true statement, and especially what happened during that lesson. I would have done anything but have to go through with what happened then. But luckily, we weren’t there yet. I was still in the moment with Jack, being cheered up by him trying to make our silly walk work.

However, that fulfillment didn’t really work out. We weren’t even that far from my locker when I could just feel us losing balance quickly. I wasn’t strong nor heavy enough to correct it, and Jack didn’t even seem to think about it. In no time, I was falling forward, right on top of Jack as he hit the floor. While my fall was damped and not that painful, Jack was in a completely different situation.

“Knee to the balls!” He screamed out as he couldn’t managed to move around in pain, “oh fucking god, it hurts so bad!”

The three friends surrounding us burst out laughing, while I couldn’t let out anything more than just a breathy chuckle. It was the most I had laughed in awhile, though, even though it wasn’t much at all. I got off of the poor guy who was in agonizing pain, and looked down at him. Either he was overreacting or he was actually in so much pain, and I wasn’t sure what to do. This was basically my fault.

“Ok, bro, time to get up,” Alex walked up, holding his hand out for Jack to take, taking over the job that I actually should have been doing, “No time for this.”

After Jack stopped rolling around on the floor for another couple of minutes, we finally made it to class. I didn’t know how we were going to get out of coming so late. Nobody could come up with a better than Jack, who literally said we would have to tell our teacher that it was a medical emergency. He claimed it really was one, so that it wasn’t a lie. However, we were lucky enough to see that our teacher wasn’t in class yet. It was only after we sat down that she came in.

While the teacher was setting something up with the beamer, Jack trailed up and down my arm, even though it was hidden under the hoodie I was wearing. If it had been anybody else, I would probably have flinched away, but I had managed to trust Jack in no time. So, when his fingers went down my hand and started ghosting at my fingers, interlinking with them very softly in a comforting embrace, I didn’t mind.

Jack’s touch just reminded me that he was there and that nothing was going to get to me. He would be there to stop it from reaching me. The look Alex gave us, however, made me feel queasy. His eyes were fixed on mine and Jack’s hands, like his glare would be able to break them apart. But I didn’t want that to happen. Letting go of Jack’s hand would be like him letting go of me.

Instead, I tried to focus on the teacher who was starting up the class. She hadn’t seemed to realise that I had my hood up still, and I really hoped she wouldn’t notice at all. I didn’t want more people to stare at me for another class. But I would never have expected what came next.

“Ok, guys,” she started off, the presentation on the board not giving away yet what we were going to be discussing, but it soon left her mouth, “we are going to be discussing Rape Awareness today.”

I froze up completely. No.

My heart was beating rapidly, my eyes dilating, breathing becoming ragged. No.

No, no, no, no, no!!!

Jack tried to calm me down, trying to give my hand a squeeze. But it was too late. I ripped apart our hands and rushed out of the classroom, my hips screaming in pain as I hit table corners. I just had to get out of there before it started.

I ran. I ran down the hallway, only to collapse into the lockers, a loud sob wracking from my throat. I couldn’t believe it. Out of any day she could have chosen, she decided to chose this topic on the day I came back. It was like the world was telling me I had to hide for the rest of my life and never get the courage to try it out again.

I could just imagine the snickers that were now going on in that classroom, mocking me for running away. The looks they gave me were judging, laughing at me for everything that happened. I just couldn’t take it. This was too much.

“Ash!” Alex shouted as he rushed down the same hallway. He slowed down just a couple of steps away from me, just to sit down next to me. This time, he only whispered, “Ash. Did he-- did he do this to you?”

I knew exactly what he meant with this. He meant part of the term said by our teacher just seconds before. I couldn’t answer. My crying got even louder, however, giving him the answer he was looking for. He knew now. I didn’t want him to ever find out, and now he knew.

Just run away already. Join the rest of the class in making fun of me. It’s not like it will affect me. I’ve got Jack, you can just join the others. Be the person they always want you to be. Don’t act like you care.

Jack joined us as well, “guys, the teacher says you have to get back now.”

“Well, fuck her,” Alex exclaimed, still looking right at me, anger fuming from him, “I am not making Ash go back in there unless she wants to!”

“Ok,” was all Jack mumbled. I could tell that he agreed with Alex, and hated the fact that he was the one that was sent out to give us the message.

After some silence, Alex realised something, “wait a second, did you know?!”

“Umm…”

“You knew and didn’t tell me! What the fuck, Jack!” He stood up and faced the boy who had been caring me for the past week, “Why would you do that to me!”

When Jack didn’t answer, not wanting to let his bestfriend know that I was the one that told him not to. He was probably afraid that Alex would lash out on me instead. He didn’t want this to get any worse than it already was for me. I would have thanked him for it, but his friendship was getting ruined because of me.

“You know what? Nevermind, then! Just tell the teacher that I’ll be back in a bit to collect our bags. I’m bring Ash back home with me!” Alex had only calmed down slightly, but only because he found a ‘solution’ for me, and not because he forgave Jack.

I should have just stayed at Jack’s house.

Notes

Isn't that a coincidence?
What's going to happen to the friendship between Alex and Jack? How is Ash going to deal without Jack and with Alex instead?

What do you think? Alex or Jack?