Story Numeral Uno; Dove mi Trovo?

She walked down the halls her footsteps echoing, every moment without change. In time with their breathing. She could hear him. He was close.

He made no noise as he followed, watched. The girl walked slowly. As if to anticipated the attack. He never wanted it this way. She made it so hard for him to explain. He moved faster, catching up. He leveled himself with her ear. His feet almost but not quite touching the floor.

“He’s not what you think. He will hurt you.” He whispered, “Jack is just using you. He doesn’t care about you. He never has.”

“Lalala,” she yelled with her fingers in her ears, she had stopped walking by now, and just her voice echoed eerily, “I don’t want to hear you David.” Her sight blurred. “He wants me, I know he does!” she screams raging against David’s comments.

“You’re being ridiculous, believe me please just believe me. If he wants you, why do you have to tell yourself he does?” David pleads, his arms open as if he wanted to hug her, but he can’t.

“I can’t hear you!” She continues on with her elbows in the air plugging her ears as she hummed quietly to herself, a song no one else knew.

“Please, I’m just trying to protect you.” David stops ahead of her, her echoing footsteps determined, he threw his arms out to stop her.

She walked right through the ghost boy.

“Please don’t do this, David. You’re hurting me.” Tears burned her eyelids, attempting to escape. “I’m going to cry, and I can’t right now I’m going to see Jack. I don’t want my eyeliner to run.”

“You’ll see I’m right. I am always right.” David whispers, the words encircling the two softly.

“What’s that David? Oh look there’s Jack waiting for me.” She smiles softly at David, than she faces Jack who was standing by the door waiting, waiting. She looks down at her watch, “Oh, David, I’m late he’s going to be mad.” Her tone worried. She finished walking to the end of the school hall way.

As she opens the door for the boy in a dark band t-shirt, skinny jeans, and skater shoes, David calls softly, “He lies.” But she didn’t hear it as she kissed Jack.

They broke apart, “you’re late.” Jack commented.

“I’m so sorry,” she offered her apology softly; “a friend caught me in the hall and wanted to talk.”

“Who was it?” he demanded.

“It doesn’t matter, you don’t know him.” She shook her head, “I’m sorry.” She repeats.

“You don’t trust me enough to tell me who you were with? Or are you cheating on me?” His voice grew angry.

“No! I would never! I trust you, it just doesn’t matter.” She smiled and leaned into kiss him again. “Pen is waiting for me, so’s Ezimay, I would ask you to walk with us but you don’t like them.”

She turned to walk away. Jack caught her arm and jerked her around to face him. He kept his grip on her arm.

“Ow, Jack let go, that hurts.” Her words sharp, David stood behind her, this would be a time he hated not being to touch her, “Jack?” her eyes showed her concern

“You can’t just make me wait for you after school to see you for, like, thirty seconds than just leave me for your friends.” He complained loudly enough for the bird in the pine trees to flutter away, but not loud enough to draw attention to the two, behind the school, “You’re a bad girlfriend.” He pushed her away.

She rubbed her arm where his hand had been. Her eyes widened. "I'm trying to be better I am," her voice was on the edge of breaking, her eyes filled with tears again.

"But you're not trying hard enough. You're not good enough." He hit her across the right side of her face. She fell to the ground crying. "I wouldn't have to do that if you weren't such a screw up."

She started to cry harder. Devin left her there sitting in the puddle he pushed her into. She picked herself up and brushed the leaves from her jacket, tears still pouring. She went back into the school, dabbing at her eyes

She made it to the bathroom and started to calm down so her friends wouldn't know. She cleared off her smeared make up and reapplied her black and red eyeliner. David stood behind her, still. She acted as if she couldn't see him. She pulled out her cover up and turned her head to face red mark forming on her temple, cheek bone, and jaw. She softly covered the soon to be bruise. Wincing with every touch, David watching, twitching as well.
She left the bathroom and went back outside, her pants and shirt wet from the puddle. She could just say she fell. Everyone would believe her. She was always falling down, breaking things. It would work.
She faked a painful smile as she joined her group of friends. She just waited for the conversations to end so her friends would walk home with them and forget about Devin for a little while.
Her friends finally decided to go home. She smiled softly, it hurt her to smile so she winced inwardly. Pen and Ezimay made her stop. They looked at her closely. They notice the poorly covered purple marks on her face. They look at each other and they know before they ask.

"Natasha, what happened to your cheek?"