𝐂𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐀 | ✔️

19

CECILIA ADAMS

i'm so selfish.

i shouldn't have left like that, and after all he did for me last night and this morning.

i should've seen that he was at least trying, even if it was for that one night.

but how could you blame me? he's put me through so much shit over these past few years and he just randomly goes through these episodes when it's just me and him and he goes all soft on me. it's confusing and it's fucking with my head.

i don't plan on telling anyone where i spent my night, not even mandy, mariam or gigi. it just feels a little personal and awkward to say out loud.

i enter the school and walk to my locker. as usual, samuels friend group are hanging there. samuels already there, he beat me to it considering he drove. he tried offering me a ride as i was halfway but i just ignored him and kept walking.

i try to shove through ashley who are side by side but they both turn around and block my view.

"don't lay hands on me!" ashley snaps at me.

jaden steps infront of me and looks down at me. he glares. "stop picking for fights."

"move out of her way." a deep and controlling voice says in a stern tone.

ashley scoffs. "sammy she tried to push me!"

he rolls his eyes and glares at jaden. jaden moves out of my way.

"ugh, sammy i can't believe you! you're choosing a washed up whore over your prom date!"

as i'm shoving through my locker out of anger i look up at samuel who's facial expression is growing angry. he flares his nostrils and clenches his fist.

i look at him and mouth 'ignore her'. i can see he's angry which shouldn't comfort me, but it does.

"why're you letting her control us, sam?" nathan asks as he glues his eyes on me out of disgust. "she thinks she's top shit."

"because she fuckin' can, if any of you have a problem with her you can talk to me about it. i'll handle it." he tells them raising his tone and voice. he looks at me and softens his face. everyone grows silent and their gaze is on me and samuel.

"did you two hook up or-?" jaden adds as he chuckles and is cut off by a hard fist to his face. he falls to the floor and samuel continues planting hard punches on his face and on his abdomen. he doesn't stop and more and more people around the hallway circle around the two.

jaden tries to defend himself but he can't. you know what they say, you know who wins the fight just by the first punch.

jaden is absolutely hammered and i think he's had enough.

"samuel!" i call but he keeps going. "he's had enough."

ashley glares at me out of jealousy and raises her voice trying to challenge me. i'm not participating in it, this isn't a competition someone is getting their shit got.

"sammy! this isn't you!" she cries out as she tries to step in the middle of them. "look at me! look at me! you're better than this."

he doesn't stop, jaden is all blood and bruises but samuel keeps going. he's going to kill him for fuck sake!

"samuel!" i yell but don't step in. i'm not stupid like ashley to actually step right into the fight.

yet, he keeps going. everyone is chanting 'fight, fight, fight!' and ashley is crying. why the fuck is she crying? she's not the one getting punched? sensitive bitch.

i step in closer and quietly say a name i haven't said since i was 10. "sammy."

samuel suddenly stops in his state just as he's about to plant another punch and looks back at me. he looks like he hasn't been in a fight. he doesn't have one mark on him. his laser eyes look right in mine and his face softens once again.

i smile and then avoid eye contact.

'don't get yourself introuble.' i mouth and shove through the crowd.

~

"you gotta tell us what the hell you did this morning." mariam says to me as we are hanging out in the parking lot. i haven't told them anything. there's not much to say to be honest.

i have to meet up with the couch in 10 minutes so my friends are keeping me company until then. i don't have any makeup but luckily my face is slightly healed. healed as in, my busted lip isn't so swollen, my black eye isn't so swollen and the hand mark is completely gone.

"all i said was samuel." i tell them.

"yeah but why did he stop with you and not ashley?" mandy adds.

i shrug my shoulders.

"i don't know. jadens an asshole but he had enough." i say to them.

"he's the biggest asshole to you, cece." mandy reminds me. "he deserved more."

i would never wish harm like that upon anyone. no one deserves it. trust me, that's happened to me one too many times and it's not pretty.

i shrug my shoulders again.

"did you see ashley when she tried to step in." gigi reminds us as she's laughing which causes all of us to hysterically laugh.

"sammy baby! you're better than this!" mandy mocks adding to our laughter.

"sammy!" mariam moans out. "oh sammy, look at me! this isn't you!"

we are all laughing until we hear someone clearing their throat. we turn around and ashley, sarah, jules and tammy are all crossing their arms side by side.

"are you guys done making fun of me?" she asks raising an eyebrow.

"no, you rudely interrupted us." gigi tells her.

"i said nothing wrong." ashley defends.

"you embarrassed yourself, ashley." mandy says.

"she stopped a fight! how is that embarrassing herself?!" tammy defends her friend.

"cecilia stopped the fight." mariam corrects emphasising my name.

ashley scoffs and looks at me. "i don't know who you think you are but back off my man."

i roll my lips in my mouth and hold back my laughter. she gives a confused look and then suddenly me, mariam, gigi and mandy all burst into another laughing fit.

"ugh, you guys are literally children." sarah comments as they leave.

~

"hey coach." i greet with a usual smile. as weird as it sounds, i've grown a close bond with coach. i've learnt that he's 29, married and already has 2 kids. he wanted to study in speech pathology but after one year of studying, he realised it wasn't his thing and then fulfilled his passion in sports. he's got his shit together, good on him.

"hey cece." he greets back with a grin, he hands me cones, "spread these out across the field please."