Chapter 5

Chapter five: You can't let anyone bully you Lyric POV As if on cue, the class of sixty students laughed at my predicament. I could only feel the hole in my chest getting bigger; to think I would get used to all this by now. I guess I am too weak. Last year, we had a big project due, and I worked really hard on it. But when I tried to present, I couldn't speak. The bullies started laughing, saying I was "faking it" and "just trying to get attention." The teacher didn't do much to stop it, and I felt like I was all alone. I started to doubt myself, wondering if I was indeed "stupid" or "weird." I began to skip school, afraid of facing the bullies again. Now it was happening again. I could not go a day without berating myself. Maybe my sick mind loved the twisted attraction. As I stood there, paint dripping down my face, I felt a mix of humiliation and anger. Gavin's eyes widened in surprise, his expression shifting from confusion to concern. "Are you okay?" he asked, stepping closer. The warmth of his voice cut through the chaos in my mind. I wiped the paint from my eyes, trying to regain some semblance of composure. I nodded, trying to gesture that I was fine, even though the sting of his gaze was making my heart race. "Miss Spencer!" Miss Lia yelled, her gaze traveling down my body. I could see the muscle in her chin ticking with anger. "We can't afford to waste our resources at this moment. You know that, don't you?" It was true. We could not afford the supplies I had just wasted. Hockey was the only savior of our school, the source of donations to our little town. And I just ruined it. I needed to apologize. Lifting my hands, I began to sign how sorry I was, knowing they wouldn't understand me. However, Gavin pulled me by my arm and made me stand next to him. "It was a mistake, Miss. Do you think Lyric would want to throw paint all over herself intentionally?" he defended. Warmth spread through my chest when I heard him stand up for me; no one besides Wren ever defended me. Not even me. I tore my gaze from the mocking faces of the other students to him. What was he doing here? Gavin never took art, so why now? It made no sense. Just when I thought he managed to shut everyone up, Janice dropped her brush on the table and snapped, looking at me with loathing. "Of course. She is a drama queen." "Shut the fuck up, Janice!" Gavin shot back, his voice cold. My heart skipped at the intensity in his tone. No one would think they had sex yesterday; I guess the rumor was right—Gavin had only sex with no strings attached. She was not his girlfriend. Neither are you! An annoying voice reminded me. Self-conscious, I took a tiny step away from him, as if that would help send my feelings for him away. "Language, son. This is my class; remember that!" Miss Lia's face was visibly red with anger now. I could see her nose flaring. In her class, Miss Lia was the boss. She loathed when anyone talked back to her. I wondered why she was still so patient; anyone else would have given Gavin a month of detention, but not him. He was lucky. "I didn't forget. Lyric is going to need a change of clothes. I'm going to help her out. Please excuse us," Gavin told her, gesturing for me to lead the way. I did. Walking away, keeping my head down, my mind repeated the scene I had just played over and over again. Gavin stood up for me. No one stood up for me. "Why do you let them treat you like trash all the time?" he asked. To that, I only shrugged nonchalantly. I didn't have to explain anything to him. He didn't even understand sign language. Increasing my steps, I walked faster ahead of him, humming a tune under my breath. Music was my comfort zone; I could go through anything if I hummed. I could ignore the hundreds of eyes watching me with amusement and curiosity as we went down the flight of stairs. Or the hundreds of students waiting to laugh at my predicament. Gavin grabbed my arm and pushed me against the wall. I shook my head at what he did—he caged me between his arms, his eyes red with anger. Why is he angry? "Lyric, answer me," he breathed out each word. Instead, I turned away from him, gesturing that I didn't want to talk. Not after he saw me as nothing beyond a disability. "I know you can hear me, Lyric." I noticed his jaw tick. My heart fluttered every time he called out my name. "Lyric, you can't let anyone bully you, okay?" I can't? "You have to stand up to them, every one of them. I like my girls badass and strong." What? His girls? My heart raced at the thought of him calling me his. Gavin loved strong women who defended themselves from bullies. Without giving it another thought, I pushed him out of the way with both my hands. I was surprised by my ability to move the two hundred pounds of muscle he was. Instead of looking angry, he smiled at me. It was a tiny smile; I would have missed it if I hadn't memorized the outline of his face. Gavin ran a hand through his hair and threw a glance at me, then at the bathroom across the hallway. "Use the bathroom. I will call your friend to bring you some new clothes." To show my appreciation, I nodded. Gavin's face returned to its blank expression as he turned and left. I did not have to wait for long because Wren arrived. She wore a red off-shoulder dress which ended at her knee. She looked more flustered than before. "Are you okay?" << I am fine. Where are you from? >> "Nowhere important. Let's take you home." She pinched my cheeks tenderly, her eyes fondly studying my face. When she withdrew her finger, it was painted with a ray of colors. She frowned. "You have to take a bath. I brought you clothes." << Thank you >> After taking my bath in the janitor's bathroom, I came out wearing one of Wren's outfits. I had a little more skin than Wren; hence, the clothes felt like they were sucking the life out of me. My best friend was model-thin while I was on the chubby side. Wren tossed her arm around my shoulder, pressing my cheek onto hers. We arrived at the parking lot where she had parked her car. There, I spotted Gavin and Janice; they appeared to be quarreling, but we were too far to hear. I must have been drunk on the embarrassment, for I thought Gavin waved at me when our eyes met. ## The next day after school, I was stopped by Janice and her little gang. I was a fool to think that with Emilia home, I could finally be free. As always, I tried to ignore them, but they were not getting the memo. Janice stood by my left and her other minion at my right as if they wanted to suffocate me. I could feel them closing in on me every second. My eyes wandered for the sight of any teacher who could save me from them. No one. Even Gavin was not at school today. Gavin? No. Why did I think of him? My thoughts wandered to the words he said to me yesterday. He wanted his girls to be brave and not get bullied. For some strange reason, I got motivated by his words. Feeling bolder by every moment, I imagined he was there watching my every move. Then I stopped walking, so did they. I glared at Janice in anger. My fingers were twitching to hit her. Taking out my phone, I typed out a few words in my chat box and showed them. 'Leave me alone!' Rather than heeding my words, Janice raised her hand to slap me. I caught her arm midway, feeling my heart racing with every move of mine. In the next second, I bent her fingers backward as far as they could go, then I pushed her back. She went falling behind, and her other friends came to attack me. I fought them off, pushing both to the ground too. I spread my arms, willing to fight back. No one would bully me again. "Please don't hurt us, Lyric. We won't ask to be friends with you again," one of Janice's minions begged, both falling to their knees. It was then that Miss Lia came into sight before I could understand what was going on. "Shame on you, Miss Spencer, hitting your fellow mates barely after school hours."