Joe wrapped his arm tighter around my shoulders and squeezed me closer to him. George and Susie were arm in arm as they approached us, walking to the same beat. George's eyes stayed on me, her chin pointed up defiantly, as if she was daring me to question her. I dropped my gaze to the floor. Better to not notice. Better to be invisible.

"Hey, you're OK," Joe whispered in my ear and squeezed me closer to him. I smiled as I edged closer to him, breathing in his familiar comforting smell.

Susie barged my shoulder as she brushed past me and I felt myself topple forward under the force.

"Hey!" Joe called protectively, "watch it!"

Susie spun round and faced us, her eyes narrowed like a wolf surveying its prey, before she turned to George and loudly said,

"Oh George, Alyssa's really got Joe fooled. I feel so sorry for him."

George laughed and winked at me before turning back to Susie and rolling her eyes.

"Bless him," George said to Susie.

"You what?" Joe barked suddenly as he stomped towards the girls, my heart pounded as I watched him go, I wanted him to stop, to call him back, but I couldn't. It was as if I was a spectator, an audience watching a film I couldn't participate in, but the film was my life and I was very much a participant.

"Want to say that to my face?"

His arms were shaking and the veins in his neck seemed to be protruding out his body as he stood face to face with the girls. I remained frozen, sinking into the concrete below me, my voice lost in the blur of noise.

George laughed loudly and stared straight at Joe, but Susie's expression dropped, she knew what he was capable of.

"Joe," Susie started as she stepped back slowly, "I'm sorry I'm just worried but-"

"Worried," he spat, "worried about me?"

George stepped closer to Joe now, the smile still fixed on her face,

"She's using you Joe, can't you see?"

She smiled broadly and stared into his eyes, they were nose to nose, face to face, her breath brushed against his chin. The moment seemed to linger way too long, the two of them, face to face, Susie and I lurking on the periphery, not interfering just observing, frozen and still but panicked and adrenaline fuelled all at the same time.

Time sped up. I heard the sound of cracking before I saw it. The blood was pouring down her face, visible to all of us even though she'd pressed her hand across her nose. The scarlet liquid flowing through the cracks between her fingers, so hands looked like Lady Macbeth's. And then a teacher was finally there and Joe was being dragged off and was calling my name, he was crying, screaming, shaking. But I didn't care. All I cared about was George. I pounced on her and tried to pull her towards me. But I was brushed aside by another teacher and George was taken away, Susie running behind her.

"Lyss!" Joe's voice echoed back through the corridor.

A crowd had gathered now, pushing each other to get closer to the scene, excitedly chartering and laughing as they wanted to get nearer to the show.

"He hit a girl," someone happily chirped.

"It was because of the dyke!" A second voice cheerfully announced.

They got nearer but they didn't see the scene, just me standing over a bloody puddle in the corridor.  Silence filled the room once more.

Or maybe it was just silent inside of me.