Chapter 4: After Detention

Chapter 4: After Detention

“AS FAR AS I can recall, your friends have taken you back already.”

I laughed upon hearing her. It was just less than a day but I already missed hanging out with her. “You are also my friend,” I replied with a wide grin on my face.

“Are we?” She got me with her bitchy tone, making my grin fade away.

I was about to say something when she suddenly chuckled. “You should have seen your face, man,” she said, laughing.

I pouted when I realized that she’s playing with me. The fact that she’s joking around with me is a good thing.

“So what brought you here?” She asked.

“Well, I want to introduce you to the gang,” I replied to her, all smiles again.

“I already know them,” she answered.

“Yeah, I mean, I want all of us to hang out.”

It took us a couple of seconds of staring battle before Amara decided to break the silence. “Do they even want to hang out with a freak like me?”

“Who said we do not?”

Amara and I looked towards Miranda who walked towards us like she owned the way. She has been followed by Gray who seems bored and Dwayne who nodded at me. Miranda sat right beside Amara who looked clueless about what's happening. She even raised her eyebrow at me.

I just shrugged because I’m also surprised that they all came to us to approach Amara. I never thought this would be easier.

“You’re not planning anything silly, are you?” Amara asked Miranda.

Miranda’s eyes almost bulged out as she was surprised by Amara’s straightforward inquiry. “C’mon!” She retorted. “I know I’m a bitch but when I want to be friends with anyone, it will be genuine, you know.” Miranda flipped her hair after her explanation.

I guess all of us found our match. The thought is so wild and exciting, I can’t help but grin.

IT’S BEEN DAYS since Amara started hanging out with us. Well, she’s kind of forced to do so since it was not just me bugging the hell out of her but the whole gang. Even Dwayne joins the crew and the agenda. I never thought that only Amara could unleash that playful side of him.

Now that I have thought about it, I glanced towards Dwayne who’s sitting next to Amara. I don’t want to think of anything deemed unnecessary but I can’t help myself. At some point, there’s a feeling that I don’t want my friends to be friends with Amara because it feels like she would ignore me. Again. No, no, not again.

I shook my head. Why is this happening to me? I don’t want to be selfish and I will never even be able to keep Amara for myself only. It will be better if she has a larger circle of friends. But for me, it all comes down if I could stand seeing Amara building relationships with other people, closer than we could get.

I messed my hair as if it’s going to wash away those unimportant thoughts of mine and I found the whole gang—of course, including Amara—staring at me like I’m a complete idiot.

“What?” I snapped on them.

“Dude, we never knew you’re smoking weeds,” Gray told me humorlessly.

“Fuck you, dude!” I burst. “I use no shit.”

“But you look like one,” Dwayne commented.

These fuckers. “Whatever, losers,” and they all just laughed at me.

When I heard Amara laughing with them, I shot a glance at her and stared at her pleading that she takes my side. She smiled at me and winked, and that made my fucking heart somersaulted.

“Just let him be, he might be thinking of something,” Amara suggested.

“You mean, someone,” Dwayne replied.

“Someone? Wait, Cole has someone right now?” Miranda’s curiosity about Dwayne’s pun got the best of her. “Cole?”

“I don’t have anyone, okay?!” I exasperatedly answered her before glancing towards Amara who seems intrigued also.

But Dwayne’s right. Because I’m thinking of Amara.

“I’m just gonna go get some drinks,” I excused myself.

“Cole!”

How can you do that, Amara? When you just call my name, you’re sending war to my system.

“Can you get me an iced tea?” She asked.

“Y-yeah, sure,” I answered and decided to go to the counter before I lost myself on her.

When I reached the counter, I quickly paid for the drinks that I bought and the girl on the counter handed me paper cups to fill our drinks. I thanked the girl and went to the drinking station to get our drinks.

“It’s kind of unusual to see that creep hanging out with Cole and their squad.”

“I know right.”

“Well, for all we know that psycho is another toy for them. Look at that bitch, enjoying the moment.”

I followed the direction where they were staring and I saw my friends and Amara laughing together. When I shift my gaze back to the group gossiping about Amara, I can see them laughing and smiling slyly as they are still staring at my squad’s table.

“Yeah, she looks like it,” I said to get their attention.

“It’s Cole!” The girl shrieked upon seeing me. “Oh, well, I can’t wait to see her crying when your friends dump that bitch already. That slutty bitch.”

“You called her, what?” I asked, trying to be as calm as I can although I’m fuming mad inside already.

“A slut. Look at her, I mean, it’s obvious that she’s trying to hang out with you to be popular.” The girl answered in her most disgusting bitchy tone.

When I glanced back to my squad’s table, I felt an arm on my shoulder. A douchebag was brave enough to assume that we’re close enough for him to throw his arm around me.

“Well, have you scored on her yet? When are you gonna dump her?” The douche asked with an annoying smirk on his face.

“Who’s gonna dump who?” I asked him. This time, I’m no longer keeping myself calm.

I grabbed the douchebag’s arm and twisted it. He groaned so loud that I bet everyone’s attention is on us already.

“Don’t you dare talk any shit against Amara or I’m gonna make you run to your Pops crying.”

I don’t want to make a larger fuss about what they did so I let the guy go. But when I turned my back from them and ready to go now, that’s when they started to pick a fight on me.

“What the hell’s wrong with your squad and you chose to hang out with her? She’s no one more deserving and she’s just better off dead.”

The girl giggled. “Who wants her to be here anyway. She’s just another freak and a slut.”

“She should have just killed herself.”

They all laughed and that’s when I totally lost myself. I ran towards the douchebag and strangled him. Everyone was shocked by my sudden assault and his friends are all crying for help because no one can even stop me. Not even myself though.

He was able to break free from my grip but he was not able to defend himself when I started throwing punches at him. The douche is only good at talking shits but he can’t do a move. What a loser.

“That’s enough, dude!” I heard Gray trying to pacify me.

Gray has wrapped his arms around me to prevent me from attacking the douchebag again. I know this motherfucker but I can’t remember his name. Dwayne has already stepped in between the douchebag and his group and me. Afraid of what Dwayne can do, the motherfucker remained standing still even though I know he wants his revenge on me.

“What the hell is this all about?” Dwayne asked authoritatively.

“Why don’t you ask your motherfucking friend? He just came to me and strangled me!” The douchebag told Dwayne like he is a toddler running to his mom while crying.

I snorted and smirked. What a lying piece of shit.

Dwayne shot a glance at me. He knows better than anyone and I know he doesn’t believe any shit from this lying bastard. He knows that I won’t attack anyone for no reason.

“You’re worth strangling though,” I mocked him. “More than how you all talked shits about Amara.”

I heard Miranda gasping. Amara who was just beside Miranda remained unspoken.

“You did that to her?!” Miranda’s high-pitched voice echoed in the hall. “You, bitches!”

She was about to attack the girl from the douchebag’s group but Amara immediately stopped her. She smiled at her, she smiled at everyone. A smile that they never deserved but she’s still giving anyway.

“You all know what’s more annoying? You talk shits behind her back without her knowing. Without her having the chance to protect herself. And you know, what? If you are envious of her, you all better be. Because she is never like all the people that you are.”

Everyone fell silent because of what I said. But I’m not done yet.

“You keep on calling her names but you don’t really know her. You all keep on coming to her with all your nasty shits in life when she doesn’t have anything to do with all of you. She’s living the way she likes, but because you can’t do the same thing, you’re coming to her and trying to ruin her.”

Gray has finally let me go when he feels that I’ve calmed down already. I looked around and I saw everyone had gathered to witness what’s happening. Be my guest, because this is addressed to every one of you—every one of us.

“She’s greater than all the shits you think about her. You can’t just see it because you refuse to see what’s good in everyone. And because someone’s different from your standard, you think that they deserve every inch of humiliation. Because that’s how we make it work on our world when it should have never been that way.”

The crowd started whispering to one another. Some bowed their heads, guilty of what I have said. We are all guilty anyways. It’s just up to all of us how we are going to respond to something that we have done wrong.

I glanced towards Amara and she gave me the most beautiful smile that one could ever see. Do I even deserve her smile? I don’t think so.

“COLE,” A GENTLE voice called my name. And I know it’s Amara. No one has made me feel this way when someone’s calling me by my name. This warm feeling like someone’s embracing me.

“Hey,” I greeted her. “Why are you still here?”

After all the words that I have said, although Dwayne finds my story reasonable, he still decided to put us all in detention after causing a mess in the hall. That’s the reason why I went off of school late.

“I waited for you,” she honestly told me.

For a few seconds, we just stood there, staring at one another. Then she bowed like she felt shy all of a sudden and when she raised her head, she smiled at me.

“One of the best things that ever happened to me was when I met you and then Dwayne, Gray and there’s Miranda. Thank you for not giving up, Cole.”

If this was different, I’d be exhausted after detention. But being in detention today became worth it. Of course, Amara would always be worth it.