Chapter Four
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Son of a bitch, what is that fucking noise. My groggy and pain filled mind tries to fight through the haze of sleep and slowly succeeds. Once I’m somewhat more awake my arm slowly and painful creeps out from under the covers and I smack my hand down on the top of my beeping alarm.
Fuck.
I am in so much pain. I debate whether I actually want to attempt to go into school today but a crash from downstairs makes my decision for me.
To school I go!
I don't think I should let my walls down around the guys like I had planned.
At least not today. I learnt yesterday that they are far too observant and will pick up on my distress and pain almost immediately.
Especially since I'm going to have to move extremely slow and careful to avoid further injuring my battered ribs.
I should probably go and get them checked out by someone who at least knows a little bit more about medical stuff than I do. I don't know anyone though and I can’t go to the hospital, so my own self-diagnosis will have to do.
I take the pain killers I had the forethought to leave on my nightstand last night and wait for them to kick in before I slowly make my way to my tiny closet.
There is no way I will be able to pull up a pair of jean shorts right now so instead I choose a pair of black leggings, a long black tank top and a long thin grey button up cardigan made out of jersey material that covers my butt.
It’s too hot today to wear a cosy jumper, no matter how much I want to just for comfort.
I slip on a pair of black flip flops that I can put on without bending down. I carefully empty my book bag only leaving a pen, a thin notebook and the few pieces of homework that are due today, in an attempt to make it as light as possible.
Wrapping my arm around myself for extra support, and because that arm is pretty much useless anyway, I quietly make my way out of my room and out of the house with no further incidents.
My mother obviously exhausted herself last night beating the crap out of me and is still sleeping.
I had to leave extra early this morning because it’s going to take me a long time to make the walk to school since I’m in so much pain.
The morning is still crisp and the breeze is cold although the sun is starting to gradually warm it up.
It's still early enough that only a couple of cars are out on the road and the silence is incredibly peaceful.
I soak up as much of that peace as I can. Peace is a rare thing in my world.
I have to stop to rest several times on the way, but I finally make it to school with a few minutes to spare. As soon as I walk through the front gates, I can feel eyes on me, and I just know it's my guys.
No one else ever pays me any attention.
I straighten my spine and try to walk normally, even though it hurts like a bitch. I know eventually, if I want to get to know the guys better, I will have to tell them about this part of my life, but not yet. I want them to get to know me before they learn about my shitty home life.
A sharp pain stabs through my side and I inhale sharply, glancing out of the corner of my eye hoping the guys haven't noticed. They are all standing holding their left sides and wincing. The pain fades and I frown slightly as I walk through the doors to the school. That was extremely fucking weird.
The walk to my locker is painful but I do it and somehow manage to avoid the hordes of people pushing and shoving each other through the hallways.
I grab the book I need for my first class and make my way to the classroom taking my usual seat in the back corner.
It's not long before the chair beside mine is pulled out and Jax sits down next to me.
I can feel his eyes on me and as much as I want to turn and talk to him, I can't. They are too observant and I'm not ready to share that part of my fucked-up life.
I mean come on! I met them yesterday and we said, at most, three sentences to each other before I freaked out and bolted.
I want them to get to know me before they find out about all the shit that happens in my life. That way, maybe, they'll stay.
"Are you ok Sage?" Jax asks quietly, concern evident in his voice.
The fact that he’s concerned is like a balm to my battered body and I feel myself soften my defences against him, unintentionally. I turn in my chair slightly, hiding the cringe of pain that goes through me.
"I'm fine Jax, thank you though." I say softly.
"Are you sure sweetheart? I can't shake the feeling that something’s wrong."
I frown at him in confusion and frustration.
"I'm fine." I state bluntly turning back to face the front.
Lying to him feels wrong. So incredibly wrong and that just makes me frown harder. Because of the life I live lying has become second nature to me and I don’t normally feel guilty about doing it.
The rest of the lesson passes quickly and although I really want to, my body will not allow me to make the quick exit that my head and heart want to. Finishing packing my bag, I slowly make my way to the door of the classroom.
"Can I walk you to your next class, sweetheart?"
Any thoughts of denying him fly out the window as soon as I see the uncertainty in his expressive blue eyes.
A section of his deep black hair falls in front of his eyes, obscuring my view and my hand slowly raises to brush it out of the way.
The sharp stabbing pain in my ribs from raising my arm forces me to catch myself just before I make contact and of course I blush furiously, mentally face palming myself for being so damn awkward.
"S-sure." I reply quickly, hoping he didn't notice my earlier slip up.
The smirk on his face says otherwise though.
He places his arm behind me, not quite touching, just guiding me as we walk down the hall towards my next class.
I can't help but notice that it's a lot easier for him to navigate the halls than it is for me. The other students seem to automatically move out of his way. Which means that I'm not getting jostled at all and I’m incredibly glad for that. My ribs are already protesting loudly and I fear that with one small knock I’d be out for the count.
We arrive at my classroom and it occurs to me that I never told him where it was.
I turn to ask him how he knew but I’m shocked into silence when he leans in and gently kisses my cheek. Warmth and what feels like actual sparks caress my cheek seeming to accumulate at my sternum.
Right where my newest Imprint Tattoo is.
I inhale sharply at the feelings swirling inside me.
Searching out his eyes he grins cheekily at my shocked expression, although I can see a small amount of shock hiding behind the mischief in his eyes and it causes me to wonder if he felt what I did.
"See you later, Little Star.” He says, still grinning at me.
I just stare after him as he walks down the hall.
My god he has a gorgeous ass. I’m shaking my head to rid myself of such inappropriate thoughts when the warning bell rings and I quickly hustle my way into class.
Going towards the back and my usual seat, I spot a familiar figure sitting in the desk next to mine.
I am certain Levi wasn't in this class yesterday, I would have definitely remembered him.
Even though I like to stay invisible I always make a habit of knowing every detail about my surroundings and the people in them.
So, I know for a fact he wasn’t in here.
I take my seat, anyway, being extra careful to avoid jostling my ribs.
I can see Levi giving me a curious, almost calculating look like he’s trying to figure out a complex mathematical problem. His green, gold eyes study me intently.
My cheeks heat, I’m sure he knows something is wrong, he just can’t figure out what it is and from the slight frown on his face, I can tell that it’s frustrating him.
Call it intuition if you’d like but I get the feeling that he is incredibly intelligent and really could figure out a complex math problem within a couple of minutes.
“Hey.” I say quietly as soon as I’m seated.
I’m hoping that if I talk to him it will distract him from his thoughts. Judging from the concentration on his face, they were probably heading in the right direction. If anyone can figure out what’s wrong with me, I have no doubt that it would be him.
“Hi Sage, how are you?” his question is asked casually but I pick up on the underlining curiosity in his tone.
“I’m good, thanks Levi. You? I didn’t see you in this class yesterday?”
“I changed my classes this morning, my other one wasn’t working as well with my schedule.”
The way he holds my eyes briefly before looking away and down tells me that what he just said is only partly true. It’s not my place to ask though, so I won’t.
“Well I’m glad you’re in my class.” I reply. I don’t know what possessed me to say that out loud, but I quickly duck my head to hide my embarrassment.
For fucks sake, Sage, you’re trying to not be awkward. I mentally roll my eyes at myself and hearing a quiet chuckle, I peek up at him through my hair to see that he has a lazy grin gracing his gorgeous lips, his eyes full of amusement.
“I’m glad to hear that Sage.”
I smile at him then turn to face the teacher who has just walked in. For the whole lesson I am completely distracted by Levi’s presence next to me. He makes me feel safe and excited all at the same time. Actually they all seem to have that effect on me.
The feelings are foreign to me but not at all un-welcome.
I just need my ribs to hurry up and heal so I can start talking to them properly.
At one point during the lesson I see Levi tense slightly then pull the latest iPhone out of his pocket.
He glances at the screen. A beautiful smile graces his handsome face as he types out a quick reply then glances at me, momentarily blinding me with his smile.