Monday was torture. Monday was always a problem, for most people, but not me. It brought with it the dread of tomorrow, the groan of routine and the nausea of the unknown. All rolled into one neat little package. But not for me: this was my first taste of a bad Monday.

Eyes followed me everywhere. Whispering groups and titters of laughter followed me and evaporated the moment I got too close. People dodged me, jumping away from me, brushing past me as if I'd give them the plague, as if I was contagious somehow.

I stomped over to Lydia and her trio of blondes, they'd always been under mine and Susie's control.

"Lydia," I called out, but she seemed to step further into her little crowd.

"Hey, Lydia!" I repeated impatiently.

Her eyes lit up for a moment but then she shook her head and dropped her gaze.

"Sorry hun," she managed to muster, before she twirled away with her three cronies following her. Sharon, the least blonde of the three, turned around for a moment and smiled at me, but then she quickly dropped her gaze and walked away with the others. I was on my own.

"Watch it leso," a deep voice boomed as someone barged into my shoulder which sent me flying forward into a locker.

"Fuck," I yelled as the pain shot through my shoulder.

The teetering continued and everyone seemed to be looking at me and then all of a sudden no one was and I couldn't get one set of eyes to look at me. It was like I was the homeless guy in the high street, everyone knew about him, they all sneaked a peak, but no one wanted to get too close.

I rubbed my shoulder as I started to walk towards my form room and then I stopped and I realised what they had said. Leso. Heat flooded to my cheeks and my stomach was in knots. It was as if I couldn't breathe, as if I couldn't make the oxygen work inside of me and everything was getting smaller and smaller; until I was stuck in a black tunnel with no air to breathe and shrouded in darkness.

A hand grabbed me and pulled me into the corner of the hallway.

"You alright?" A low voice hummed in my ear, I knew that voice, I glanced up into Joe's concerned eyes.

"Liss?" He said again as he squeezed my hand.

"I'm OK, I'm just-"

And then I crumpled. Right there in the school corridor, I fell into a million tiny, breakable pieces. He pulled me into his broad shoulders and I rubbed my wet face against his chest.

"Any girl would be lucky to have you," I managed to mutter into his soggy shirt.

"Hey," he paused before pushing my chin up with his hand, "you're my girl," he smiled before kissing my wet eyelids.

I pressed my face further into his chest; just so I could avoid his lips. He pushed me back gently and got hold of my hand before leading me out of school.

"Hey, we'll be late for registration..." I muttered.

He turned to me and caught my eye,

"Fuck registration right now," he smiled and then winked at me.

I should have been swooning. Any girl would be. But all I could think about was all their faces, the locker and that comment- 'leso'. Why hasn't she text me? Where is she?

We sat towards the back of the field, by the unofficial smoker's area, clearly shaded by two huge oak trees. Joe knew this area well.

We were silent for a little while, but I could feel his gaze on me, he was looking at me: really looking at me.

"You know what they've been saying right?"

"No?" My heart sunk. What do they know?

"Shit," he exhaled loudly, "I know it's all bullshit, that George is on one. Desperate to be in the popular crowd. Girls like that will do anything for attention."

"What have they been saying Joe?" I snap suddenly as my heart races.

"Err-" he shuffled awkwardly, avoiding my gaze.

"Joe!" I barked, getting redder and redder as the anxiety piled up inside me, my hands shook violently and I felt as if I could vomit at any moment.

He pulled his phone out and scrolled down the screen for a second, then passed it to me cautiously.

That's when I saw it. The thing that would be my undoing forever. My defining moment at high school so far. A picture. Just a picture.

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