'Let's Get Down To Business'

*
*
*

"Oh yeah, another Monday." I muttered, trudging into the school hallway where other miserable teenagers moved like snails in different directions.

Even the usually knowledge-thirsty nerds weren't an exception. Everybody was awfully quiet, minding their own business so I guessed today was just meant to be grungy. But school was no fun when everyone decides to mind their business.

Sighing, I trailed to my locker which was next to my best friend's. We usually came to school together but today, he didn't show up at my house. Shrugging, I typed in my locker combination but still he didn't pop out of somewhere yelling like a lunatic.

A hand tapped my ass. Thinking it was my best friend, I swirled around to slap the molester who turned out to be Winston wearing a lopsided grin on his face.

I kicked his right shin with a scowl. "You pervert, I could sue you for sexual harassment."

He groaned and hopped up and down on one foot. Guess my self-defence classes paid off.

While he was still basking in pain, Chad appeared from somewhere and shoved him aside almost knocking him out of balance.

"Hide me please, hide me." Chad pleaded, looking like he just ran to Australia and back. Desperation showed in his eyes.

"Uh...okay?"

Next thing, Chad slammed me gently against my locker and placed both his hands at either side of my head. My heart beat quickened and I gulped, realizing the really compromising position he put us in.  The way Chad was staring into my eyes made my insides grow mushy.

Have you ever had this fluttery feeling when a really gorgeous guy looks like he was going to kiss you even if he happens to be one of your friends?

A couple of yells traveled towards us, distracting our eyes from each other. "Where's Chad? Where did he go?" A couple of girls screeched.

Why were a couple of girls looking for Chad? What stupid thing has he done this time?

"He touched my boobs can you imagine?" I could see a blonde complain to the other girls who weren't interested in her story.

I kicked Chad on his shin. "What the heck Chad?"

"I promise to explain later." He hurriedly responded and stole a quick glance at the girls.

"What are y'all looking at?" One of the girls screamed at some students who had gathered to watch the interesting outburst.

Did I fail to state that students loved a good drama like this?

"Wait, isn't that his best friend, Winston?" The same girl that yelled pointed at Winston who was hiding behind someone.

Oops!

Winston looked at me with crimson cheeks. I signalled him to run and he did, bumping into some students in the process.

"Get him girls!" They ran after him with wild yells.

Chad breathed out. That was close."

I grabbed his right ear and he howled in pain. "Explain why you were staring at a girl's boobs?"

"Well, I'm a guy obviously..." In response, I reinforced my grip on his ear until his face turned a shade of crimson.

"I'm sorry-"

Winston reappeared with Charlie, both panting heavily like dogs. Charlie even had to place both hands on his knees as he took in refreshing oxygen.

"Chad, what the hell was all that about?" Charlie glared up at Chad. Winston looked pissed off too. I guess this wasn't the first time Chad got them into trouble and made away untouched.

"I'm sorry man, it won't happen again." He tried placing a hand on Winston's shoulder but he shrugged it off.

"That's what you say all the time. Last time it was you touching a girl's ass." Winston commented, patting Charlie's back.

"Just like you did mine." I retorted.

Charlie's eyes widened and he straightened up. Him and Chad aimed laser beams at Winston with their eyes.

"I can explain guys, I-"

They didn't let him finish his sentence before they swooped on him.

*
*
*
"Explain why an ant is called an insect." Mrs Bushburne, my biology teacher demanded.

My classmates started mumbling incoherently. I mean seriously what kind of question is that?

Jake, the clown of my class raised a finger. Bushburne pointed at him.

"Yes, Jake."

Jake smirked. "An ant is an insect because biology says it is."

Mrs Bushburne rolled her eyes impatiently and asked him to get back to his seat which he gladly did.

I was busy chewing the cover of my pen, something I did whenever I was bored.

"Well, Miss Ross, since you suddenly decided to become a goat, perhaps you could enlighten us on this area."

Laughter rang up in the class as I slipped away from my chair and facepalmed myself.

* * *

"Dude you should have seen her face it was epic." Charlie spoke up, wrestling with laughter.

The others were digging into their meals with gusto. By others I mean Chad, Winston and Shawn. Levi was absent and that was a shocker to me since he was always around. The boys said they didn't see him at all in the morning even the Coach asked about him.

"What happened?" Winston asked with curiosity, subtly digging his fork in my pasta and stealing a few strands from my plate.

Food thief.

Just if you're confused. They were talking about me. Charlie brought up my humiliation in biology class when Shawn asked how his class went. I went on full on blush mode when he narrated the entire story to Shawn.

It was a quite funny story but I just had to conceal my amusement with a scowl.

"Could you please not really talk about class here? Some people are trying to eat here." I flung Charlie a dry look.

The guys excluding my best friend stared at me like I had grown an extra head.

"Sheesh Hazel, what crawled up your ass?" Charlie asked, scrutinizing my face closely like he would figure out why I was irritated by doing that.

"My di-" Chad's perverted comment was cut off when Winston smacked the back of his head. Hard.

Shawn was chewing his food calmly and studying my face just like Charlie was.

I pushed my chair back. Charlie cringed at the screechy sound it produced even the people at the next table grimaced.

"Excuse me, I have to use the bathroom." A hand shot out to prevent me from leaving.

"You okay?" Shawn demanded.

I nodded and he let go.

Heading out of the cafeteria, I made my way to the female bathroom which was quite empty. Usually, one would have found some girl like Victoria worrying about her makeup or maybe even hear another sobbing in the stalls, probably from a terrible heart  break.

The sounds of water flushing down a toilet filled my ears as I washed my face with water before spreading them under the automatic dryer to dry.

I had no idea why I was irritated today, some days are like that. You can get ticked by things so insignificant like the ticking of a clock, even people talking can make up irritated. Today was probably one of those days.

I whipped out my phone and proceeded to call Levi. After a couple of beeps, he picked the call.

"Hazel."  His voice was a couple of notches lower than usual.

"Levi."

"How are you? Is anything wrong?" He asked.

I toyed with my hair. "I'm fine Levi, and no, nothing's wrong. I didn't see you in school this morning that's why."

"A family relative fell ill so I had to be in the hospital."

I smiled in the mirror before me. So he was willing to miss out on a vital part of his life for his loved one. Mom often told me that a guy who could sacrifice something as trivial as his time for anyone was a keeper.

Wait, why am I thinking of this now?

"Oh...okay."

"You miss me don't you?" He asked with a chuckle making me roll my eyes. There, the Levi I knew was back.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night." I noticed a dark-skinned girl enter the toilet.

"One of these days you'll admit it."

"Bye Levi." I cut the call. Surprising I was feeling better than before.

I made to leave the dim-lit bathroom but the sobbing coming from one of the toilet stalls caught my attention.

Edging closer, I tapped lightly on the stall. "You know, crying in there wouldn't help solve anything."

On a normal day, I would be minding my business and walk the hell away, but today, I felt inclined to help a sister in need.

"Who are you to tell me what to do?" The girl asked.

"Why don't you open up and see?"

Forcefully, the toilet door opened and I sighed a girl with dark skin, really adorable hair dressed in a white tank top and a pair of jeans shorts with white sneakers encasing her feet. Apart from her visibly red eyes and slightly disheveled hair, she was beautiful with dark-brown irises.

She studied me for awhile and sighed. "What do you want? Are you here to tease me like the others?"

So they've been teasing her. Well students at my school were pretty mean. There were the racists, the prank pullers, the list was endless.

I rubbed my fingers and said a few supportive words to her. A few minutes later,  we were both walking out of the bathroom together.

"My name's  Gemma." She spoke when we entered the canteen, ignoring the sorry glances thrown at her by the entire students that bothered to look up.

I linked up our fingers as we reached the table where the boys were arguing about something. Charlie was the first to notice our approach.

"Gem, I'm Hazel, you can call me Haze, Haz or whatever, but don't call me cupcake, I can't stand it. Meet my friends."

Gemma chuckled but her eyes widened when she noticed my friends. I must admit, all of them were handsome. Not that I would tell them to their faces anyways.

The guys stopped talking when their eyes set on Gemma. With their stares, I figured Gemma was feeling intimidated.

"Guys, stop staring, you're scaring her." I scolded them, offering Gemma my previous seat beside Charlie and taking the one beside Shawn.

"So, Gemma, meet the guys I regretfully call my friends, guys meet Gemma, a friend."

Winston clapped his hands, grabbing Gemma's attention. I rolled my eyes at his antics while Charlie scowled and Chad shook his head with eyes hooked to his phone.

"Welcome to the group girl, but you know, I can give you a more appealing welcome. If you know what I mean." This was the flirtatious Winston  I didn't like. Gemma scrunched up her nose in disgust.

"I'm Charlie, don't mind Winston-" He extended his hand to shake Gemma's.

"-The douchebag." Chad added, earning a kick under the table from Winston.

Charlie chuckled. "One great piece of advice for you. Never take Winston seriously, he's a terrible flirt.

"-And the greatest as*hole." Chad added with a grin as Winston trapped him in a fierce headlock. Charlie had to pry them away from each other.

Gemma pursed her lips and glanced at me, wearing an amused look. Then her eyes settled on Shawn.

"And meet my best friend of eight years, Shawn, my one and only sweetheart." I swung a hand over Shawn's shoulder. His face lit up when I completed my sentence.

My best friend had been watching our exchange impassively even before I went to the bathroom. Seem like he hasn't warmed up to the guys.

"Hey Gemma, nice to meet you." Shawn's lips curled up as he fixed Gemma with that serious stare of his. I've known him long enough to know that the stare probably meant nothing to him, he just liked doing that.

Gemma fiddled with her fingers nervously under the influence of Shawn's scorching gaze. "Hi Shawn, it's nice to meet you."

"Okay, enough formalities. Let's get down to business!" Chad yelled a little too loud making a few girls glare at him. The same girls that nearly mobbed him earlier. He swallowed and slouched into his chair getting chuckles from us including Shawn.

*wipes forehead*

I really don't have anything to type here. Move!  Move! Move!