I hold Tia’s hand tightly, my breathing quickening up from what we’re about to do. In front of me are the school cafeteria doors. I can hear the buzz of the students conversation, laughter and yells filling the air.
“You’ve got this.” Tia comforts me, giving my hand a small squeeze. I inhale deeply, turning to face her. “You’re literally the best, thank you for doing this with me.”
Tia grins widely at me, her eyes flashing with sympathy.
“I’m here for you Bella.” She smiles as we both take a step toward, pushing through the doors. The first thing I notice is the inability to breathe normally anymore. I can feel my throat tightening from my nerves. Crowds of students are sat at every table, chatting and laughing. The scent of warm food lingers through the air and my stomach grumbles slightly. It’s been too long since I’ve had a warm lunch. My eyes scan over the cafe, landing on the back where I know the populars sit.
“There’s Brody.” I whisper, noticing the strands of his dark hair. I could pick him out from a crowd of a million people. He’s surrounded by his friends, all of them laughing and joking as they eat. Beside them is the second populars table. Beatrice and her gang are seated, texting on their phones as they push around the remains of their salad.
My heart begins to pick up pace and I take a step back, my eyes widening from the sight of Beatrice. I don’t want another confrontation with her. I shake my head, turning to face Tia.
“I really don’t think I can do this.” I whisper, my words trembling as I speak. Tia reaches up, giving my shoulder a small squeeze.
“Remember we talked about this yesterday Bella. You have to slowly overcome your anxiety.” Tia explains, reminding me of our conversation yesterday in the girl’s bathroom. I nod at her, forcing myself to feel more confident. I need to push aside my fears if I want Brody and I to work. I cannot allow anxiety to rule my life anymore, I have to take control.
It’s time the world knows about Brody and I.
“You’re right” I respond, taking a few steps forward. Tia mirrors my action, her hand still wrapped tightly in mine. I can feel my legs grow heavy, my steps getting smaller and slower. Tia pulls on my hand a little, forcing me to continue. I can feel everyone’s eyes on us as we head straight for the back, straight for the populars.
My heart is threatening to break through my chest and I suck in a deep breath, hands trembling by my side. If it wasn’t for Tia beside me, I would have probably fainted.
“We’re almost there.” Tia whispers in my ear and I nod, forcing myself to plaster a smile across my face. As we grow closer, Brody stops his conversation and turns to look at us. As soon as his eyes land on me, they widen in surprise. He holds his stare, the intensity of his green eyes causing my legs to wobble underneath my weight.
Keep going Bella.
I walk further, blocking out everyone’s whispers and stares. I need to do this for myself and Brody. The entire time, Brody maintains eye contact with me, a small smile playing on his lips. I walk beside him, taking a seat on his right. Tia sits beside me and I can feel the entire cafeteria quieten down as they watch us.
“It’s nice of you to join us.” Brody grins, pushing his plate of chips towards me. I swallow the lump in my throat, looking up into his eyes to calm my nerves. Around us, his friends are all quiet as they try to figure out what’s going on between me and Brody.
“Guys, this is Bella.” Brody begins, turning to face them. His voice is loud and firm so that everyone can hear him clearly. I almost stop breathing as Brody places an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his chest.
“She’s my girlfriend.”
I widen my eyes at him, my heart immediately stops beating as his words ring through my ears. I haven’t spoken to him since our argument yesterday and now, I’m his girlfriend. I turn to look at Tia, her eyes appear equally as surprised as mine. She raises her brow at me and I shrug, my lips turning upwards into a wide grin.
As much as I’m surprised, it sounds amazing to hear the words come from Brody.
His friends and the majority of the cafeteria remain silent as everyone decides whether this is all one big joke or not. Brody casually lifts his drink to his lips, taking a gulp of it. He acts so cool under pressure, it’s almost as if he didn’t have hundreds of eyes staring at him right now.
“Dude, are you serious?” One of his friends asks, breaking the silence. Brody nods slowly, his eyebrows scrunched together from his friends question. I watch as it registers through to his friend that Brody and I are serious. To my surprise, he lets out a small chuckle, holding out his hand for Brody to shake. They immediately slap hands, pulling towards each other to bump shoulders.
“My man.” He chuckles causing Brody to mirror his actions. I feel my cheeks heat up in embarrassment and Brody’s friends do the same, bumping shoulders with him.
“You kept that a secret.” One of them laugh, his eyes scanning over Tia and I. Tia lets out a small squeak as his eyes flash with approval when he looks at her. Thankfully he doesn’t hear her. I turn to face her, my eyebrows shooting up in surprise. She leans forward, whispering in my ear.
“So far, so good.”
The cafeteria begins to go back to normal, everyone going back to gossiping about the fresh new couple that are totally unexpected. I blink and look back up at Brody from under my lashes. He grins down at me, green eyes sparkling mischievously.
“Since when am I your girlfriend?” I ask quietly, my lips stretching out into a smile. He leans down, his lips brushing against my ear. Around us, his friends stop and stare at his sign of affection for me but it doesn’t phase Brody.
“Since I realised you walking in here is a massive step for you. If you can do that for me, I want you to be my girlfriend.”
I feel my throat dry out from his words and I nod, biting down on my lower lip to try and contain my smile.
“Is that a yes?” Brody asks, pulling back to give me a heart stopping smile. I nod repeatedly, afraid that if I don’t do it enough times, he’ll take it back. Brody winks at me before leaning forward and placing a kiss on my forehead. My cheeks are burning red at this point, my body heating up along with it.
“No way. Is this a joke? Someone please tell me this is a joke.”
I immediately freeze, my heart thumping against my chest like crazy. I recognise the voice and almost completely forgot Beatrice was sat next to this table. I slowly turn my head, meeting eyes with her. She’s stood up, her hand on her hip as she glares at me and Brody. A look of disgust covers her features and she scoffs, shaking her head. Beside her, Clayton has his arm swung around her shoulders. I remember the time both of them humiliated me in front of the entire school and I shrink lower into my seat, wanting to disappear.
“It’s not a joke.” Brody says firmly, coming to our defence. He doesn’t look at her and calmly picks his drink back up, taking another sip of it.
“The mute is your girlfriend. Ew Brody, is something wrong with you?”
I feel my eyes fill with tears and I hang my head low, my body burning up with embarrassment. Brody immediately stands to his feet, slamming his fists down onto the table. The sound echoes around the room and I jump,
tightening my hold on Tia’s hand. The entire cafeteria grows silent and Beatrice widens her eyes before masking them over with her usual bitchy look.
“I am so sick of you speaking to her like she isn’t human. Back off Beatrice.”
I suck in a deep breath at his words, my eyes stinging from holding in my tears for so long. Beatrice releases another scoff, turning to face her boyfriend.
“Clayton, are you going to let him speak to me like that?”
Clayton immediately reacts, taking a step forward towards Brody threateningly. It’s almost as if he’s a puppet and Beatrice is his master. She clicks her fingers and he obeys.
“Don’t speak to my girl like that man. She’s not a freak like yours.” Clayton snaps back, puffing out his chest. The entire room is staring at Brody and Clayton, waiting for the situation to explode. I glance warily at Brody, noticing how his eyes are turning shades darker as he stares down Clayton. The rooms grows eerily quiet and I shuffle away from Brody, fear filling my body.
I’ve never seen him look so angry before.
His jaw is locked, teeth clenched tightly. I watch as he breathes deeply in and out before tilting his head slightly to the side.
“What did you just call her?”
His question is icy, dangerous. I’ve never heard Brody speak like that and judging from the looks of his friends, neither have they. Uneasiness flashes through Clayton’s eyes before he takes another confident step forward, closing the distance between them.
“She’s. A. Freak.”
It’s like a switch goes off in Brody.
Within a split second he has a tight hold on Clayton, slamming him into the wall behind us. I watch in fear as Brody pins him up against the wall, his face inches away.
“Say that again and you’ll live to regret it!”
His friends immediately jump up, grabbing Brody before he can cause some serious damage to Clayton. It takes a few of them to calm his down, restraining his arms so he can’t rip free. Clayton is still leaning against the walls, his eyes wide with fear. In front of him, Beatrice is crying, looking around like a lost puppy. She suddenly spins on her heel, running towards the door. Clayton quickly pushes himself off the wall to follow Beatrice.
It takes a few seconds for Brody to calm down, his chest rising and falling heavily. Beside me Tia is covering her mouth with her hands, in complete shock.
“What the hell just happened?” She whispers to me, her eyes widening. My eyes follow Beatrice who’s running straight out of the cafeteria, her hands covering her tear stricken face. It’s a sight I never thought I’d see. I turn to look at Tia, the same look of disbelief written across my face.
“I have absolutely no idea.”