COLLIN HIGH SCHOOL ➝ 8.50am

☙☙☙

   If there was one thing that you should know about me, it's that I have never been a morning person ― so I'm like the Grinch on Christmas day. "Jess!" An enthusiastic voice shouted, and I jumped up ― startled as I turned to see the vibrant blonde that I had met yesterday with a kind smile on her face ― staring at me with her big blue eyes.  

"Jesus Christ, Abi! You almost gave me a heart-attack." I say and she smiles sweetly at me. "Sorry, I'm so not a morning person ― so if I snap at you, don't take it personal, it's me." I say and she nods. 

"Ohh. You got your timetable, let's see." She says, and I handed it over to her as I put in my pin for my new locker ― 2163, I recited in my head as I pulled it open and pushed my calculus and biology books in. "Oh that sucks, you've got every class with me apart from Drama. You've got the popular people in your class." She says, and I sigh as I had her in every class.

"Thank god, I don't think I could go that long without talking to someone." I tease, and she lets out a breathy chuckle before loud gasps go around the hallway. "What the hell?" I questioned, and she grunted, a heavy sigh blew out her mouth as she turned to face the three males that had invaded our area. 

"Hey little sis," He mocks and she pushes his arm off from around her shoulders, and came to stand beside me. A mock look of hurt flashed through his eyes, as he put his hand on his heart ― faking hurt. "You wound me." He says, pouting.

"Get over it you oversized baby," She snaps back, and I have to contain the snort that was threatening to come out. As I was listening too the conversation between this guy ― who is her brother, and Abi ― I felt someone's eyes boring holes into the back of my head. 

My eyes quickly flutter over to him ― and cock a brow, interested to see why he was staring at me. "Problem?" I questioned, snapping him out of his daze ― as his blue eyes narrowed on me before he finally spoke.

"Who are you?" His husky voice came out like velvet, and I nearly tensed up ― key word was nearly. I shook it off before my own chocolate brown eyes met his, and an ignorant smirk twisted at my lips.

"Wouldn't you like to know." I said, and a snort came from behind me ― Abi was chuckling at his reaction.

"She's a feisty one Conner, didn't I tell you that last night?" She questions, but his eyes were still narrowed on me, so his names Conner, hmm pretty name ― shame he's a jerk. I thought, before turning to face Abi.

"I've got to go to the toilet, you coming?" I question and she nods before grabbing her bag. 

"Why do girls always have to go to the toilets in packs?" Abi's brother whined, and Abi turned backwards.

"Blake!" She shouted, and he turned to face her. "Shove it up your ass, dickswap!" She shouted back, and his face was priceless ― I let out a loud string off chuckles, as tears instantly flood into my eyes. 

"Jesus Christ, Abi." I say, nudging at her and she sends a sneaky smirk over at me as we walk towards the toilets.

☙☙☙

          "Well, well, well ― wondering when we would bump into you again." Blake, Abi's brother voiced from beside me and I almost jumped ― I had gotten used to people sneaking up on me that it had become second nature to me, and I learned not to jump at it.

"Wondered how long I would be able to avoid you three like the plague," I answered back, venom laced in my tone ― I'm not here to make friends, I'm here to survive ― one slip up and I'm dead and so are a lot more people. 

"I like you, you've got guts." The other male says ― his arms were covered in tattoos, and I can't say they looked that bad. "No one talks to us like that." He comments.

"No wonder, with all the tattoos and 'bad boy' aura you three give off ― it's no wonder why anyone would ever want to go against you three." I mock before an arm was slung around my shoulder.

"Hey bestie!" Abi's chirp voice said before her smile went into a frown. "Blake, Zach. Have you two been annoying her?" She questions, venom also laced in her voice.

"Good choice, I like her ― she's got guts. We both do." Blake says, and Abi sighs in relief. 

"These three idiots, normally scare away all of my friends ― including the male ones." She says and I let out a chuckle.

"She'll protect you, and plus she stuck up to Conner. It's funny seeing someone else taking this piss out of him apart from you Abs." Blake mocks, and a small smile erupts on my face as I do a mock salute.

"My pleasure that I made your day!" I say, making the three laugh ― before a loud cough came from behind us. Abi groaned, her eyes closed in annoyance ― obviously knowing who this was, and turned to come face to face a brunette, who had her hands on her hips. 

"What do you want Callie?" She questions, Blake and Zach evidently tensed up at the presence off these girls. I cocked a brow ― wondering what was so wrong with these girls, when I noticed three distinctive tattoo's on their necks. Devils. Fuck.

"We're just wondering who this girl is?" She asks, twirling her finger around her hair as she chewed on her gum ― it was evident by the malicious look on her face, that she knew exactly who I was and she was just itching to get her hands on me. 

"Jess, this is Callie. Callie, Jess ― happy, now devil?" She questions and I chocked ― they knew, so god long how long I could keep this a secret. 

"Very." She sneered in disgust, and I tried to hide my disdain that I felt towards her. Why would someone voluntarily give themselves up to the likes of them? It's like they have no self respect for themselves. 

"Abi, Blake, Zach, go inside. I'll be fine." I say, and they all looked at me with worry but the look that I gave them  ― told them that I was being serious and that I wanted them to go ― once they had gone into the class, I was slammed against the wall. 

"I wonder what your father would say, if he ever saw you here." She mocked and I managed to twist our positions around. 

"What exactly do you want me to do?" I question her and she smirks.

"Stay away from Conner, and we won't tell your father that you're here." She says, and I sigh ― before letting her drop to the ground ― it was then she spotted the dagger in my boot and her eyes got wide. I drop down low, and grab her chin in between my fingers ― tugging her face up to look at me. 

"Listen here, cagna. I don't care what idle threat you've got for me. Just know that if you ever tell my father, where I am ― just, think ― you'll be disappearing next." I say, before dropping her face and walking into the class with a more presentable look ― apologising to the teacher and slipping in beside Abi at the desk we were going to share. 

☙☙☙

        "What exactly did you say to Callie outside, she has stayed away from me and my brother, and his friends since English?" Abi questioned me, tilting her head to the side as she reapplied her red lipstick in the mirror. 

"Nothing, just told her not to threaten me or she'll regret it." I say, pulling my hair up into a messy bun and Abi looked at me through the mirror ― disbelievingly but didn't question it any further. 

"You ready, yet?" I question her, as I turned on my heel ― "I'm starving," I whined and she laughed before putting her lipstick container back into her bag and nodded ― before linking their arms together and walking towards the bathroom door. 

But it was when a ping entered on Abi's phone that turned her smile into a frown ― her lips pressed in a thin line as she turned to look at me with a saddened look ― "Seems like there is no lunch for me. Blake decided to get himself into a fight ― and I now have to take him and his idiotic friends to the hospital." She says, and my face contorts into worry. 

"I'll come with, I'll drop by McDonald's and get us food." I say, and she nods before wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug ― I almost stumbled back before silently wrapping my arms around her and hugging her back. 

"Thank you." She whispered before we headed towards the front of the school ― silently, were we would pick up these three boys.