Storm's POV

For the first time, I enter school in a positive mood. Why is this? The first reason is that Christmas is around the corner. The second reason is that I just have to go through today, tomorrow, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, then, I'm free for two and a half weeks because I'm going to be on Christmas holidays, which is what has been keeping me going these last few weeks. Tough isn't enough to describe how difficult it's been for me and although it's been getting better, there are still some unfixed problems and the one that has been constantly occupying my mind is my broken friendship with Stella.

There has still been nothing from her since I met up with her to let her know the masterminds behind her past being revealed on a social media platform and the more time that goes by, the less hope I have for fixing what happened between us. Elsewhere, for a while, it seemed there was some light at the end of the tunnel: the Christmas spirit must have impacted my family's behaviour. River is no longer locked up in her bedroom and two weeks ago, when I showed her the Lindt Advent calendar I had bought her, I think I saw a glimpse of smile and I received a 'thank you'. That is what you call an improvement! Then, it was like she snapped out of the trance she's been in previously and exclaimed:

"Oh no! It's almost Christmas and I still have so many presents to buy!"

Weirdly enough, Mum and Dad have barely been at work so they're just roaming around the house, taking more interest in what I'm up to because they are struggling to find something to do:

"How was your day at school, Storm?"

"What subject is that homework for, Storm?

"What are you watching, Storm?"

"What song are you listening to, Storm?"

Eventually, it drove me crazy one day, so I suggested that they help River with her errands.

"I can help you with some of your Christmas shopping, River," Mum offered, a hint of nervousness in her voice since this was the first time they had approached each other since they were almost about to blow the roof off last time.

"I can handle it," River didn't even bother to look at Mum.

"I'm sure you can, sweetheart-"

"Do. Not. Call. Me. That," River stated each word carefully as if she was speaking to somebody without a brain.

After that, my sister stormed out the house and I immediately apologised to Mum but she just blinked at me as if I was a brick wall and not her daughter. Ever since that moment of tension, my parents haven't been bothering me as much.

Speaking of bothering, I bump into Liam in the school corridor.

"There's a surprise upstairs."

I don't even give him eye contact as I brush past him; he doesn't deserve any more attention than he's been receiving since the fight between him and Noah. Before he got Stella and Noah suspended, if you asked me if I liked Liam, my answer would have been: no, I dislike him. If you asked me that same question, now, I would answer no, I hate him with a passion. Yes, I know the word 'hate' is a very strong word but I'm not afraid to use it.

Do you know what I hate even more than Liam? That he knows something I don't and is using it against me.

He's probably lying, Storm.

True, this is Liam we're talking about. I can just imagine the smirk on his face.

When I climb up all the stairs, I find that I've just about made it on time to registration with my tutor. Joining the line, I follow my classmates into Mrs Riley's classroom while switching off my phone. Don't want to have my phone confiscated during the last week of term!

"Phone away!" Mrs Riley reminds me as if she can't see that I'm already pressing the power button.

When I'm completely sure that it's off, I slip my phone into my blazer pocket.

That's the first time I look up. That's when I stop. That's the first time I notice that the seat at the back of the classroom is not empty. Stella is in the same chair she took a seat in on her first day at Minehead Academy.

Plus she's staring back at me as if I'm alien.

She's here? Is she actually here?

My face freezes.

What should I do?

Maybe, act like a normal person for starters!

Not what I need, right now!

Smile!

When I smile at her, Stella's forehead creases into a frown and the beam from my face is no longer there. Even after I sit down, I still have the feeling that I'm being stared at.

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During break, I much on a bag of Wotsits while going on a stroll around the school. This is where I escape to when the attention gets too much; it's crazy how when I first started secondary school, all I looked for was popularity and now, all I do is try to get as far away from it as possible. I'm trapped in it. I'm trapped in my mask.

No mask can be worn forever.

There's this quiet part of the playground that people rarely go to so I start heading in that direction. Loud voices make me stop and I realise that I'm not thinking straight because instead of just going in another direction, I hide in one of the bushes to listen to what is being said.

"You're kidding, right, Stella? It is what's best for the both of us? Are you sure? Or did you mean what's best for everybody else in this stupid school?"

Noah?

Lifting my head up cautiously(so that I'm not seen), I catch sight of the side of Noah's face, which looks puzzled and frustrated all at once. Stood facing him is Stella, who looks like she's fighting back the tears. What is going on? Stella takes one of Noah's hands and if it wasn't for the way the two of them were looking at each other and the tone he used when speaking, I would have found this such a cute moment.

"You are going to thank me when you still have a good reputation and you're surrounded by people who make you happy and not sad."

As Stella states this, her hand lets go of Noah's and she starts to walk away but I don't miss the amount of hurt in her eyes as if she's being forced to do this.

Then, don't do this, Stella! Turn around!

While I watch her back getting smaller and smaller, I whisper this like somebody deep in prayer.

"You make me happy, Stella!" Noah calls out.

Yes, you do, Stella! You don't see the way he looks at you. The way he smiles whenever you're around. The way he laughs whenever you say something funny. If only I could send all of these thoughts to Stella!

"You're wrong about that!" she argues back and I have to press my lips together in order to stop myself from shouting out.

"I'll just follow you."

Like a cheerleader cheering for a team, I mentally support Noah when he starts following Stella just as he warned her and in response to now having him walk behind her, Stella increases her pace. However, Noah doesn't quit.

"You have to give up on me!" she doesn't give up either.

Why are you saying this, Stella? While you are trying to hurt others, you are also hurting yourself. Why would you want to hurt yourself?

"No, I'm not doing that again."

It's almost impossible not to hear the belief in his voice and this gives me even more faith.

"Why not? Because everybody else in my life can do it. Storm gave up on me when I thought she was my best friend. My Mum gave up on me as soon as her heart stopped beating. My Dad gave up on me the second he stopped fighting in that hospital. My foster parents will give up on me as soon as the realise that I am a lost cause. My social worker will give up on me, too, because that's what every person that has that job is good at. Giving up on their clients."

My mouth forms the shape of an 'O' as I listen to how Stella thinks everyone in her life has given up or will do so. I'm part of that everyone.

I never gave up on you, Stella, and I never will! Just wait and I'll prove it to you!

"I won't give up on you, Stella," Noah whispers so that I can just about manage to catch all of it.

Neither will I!

"Yes, you should and you will," Stella persists.

"I don't care how much and how long it takes. I'll keep following you every break and lunch everyday. I'll wait for you on your doorstep everyday. Whether it's minus seventy degrees or it's raining buckets or it's white outside with snow."

Come on, Stella! Does he need to write it down for you? It's so clear he likes you!

"You'll get sick," Stella tells him.

"You're worth it."

All of the oxygen in my body leaves me as I watch the chemistry between these two intensify. Stella stands still. Noah catches up with her so that he's now stood next to her.

"I'm not," she disagrees with him and as confirmation to me that those words have left her mouth, she shakes her head.

Yes, you are.

Yes, you are.

Yes you are...no, Stella, come back.

Just as she's about to escape from Noah again, he grabs her wrist and tilts her chin with the index finger of his free hand so the result is the both of them staring at each other straight in the eye. Because of how similar this scene is to a typical romantic scene in a film, I have to check that there are no cameras around to remind myself that this is not a movie. The both of them remain in these positions until Stella looks down at the wrist in which Noah is holding. Following her eyeline, Noah also stares down at her wrist and lets go of it so suddenly.

"I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" the apology in Noah's voice is so sweet.

To everybody else, he shows one side of him: the humour, the boldness and the cheekiness. To only Stella, Noah shows the other side of him: the sensitivity, the thoughtfulness, the kindness, the selflessness and the compassion.

"No, of course not!" Stella reassures him.

It seems like she has given up because they spend the rest of break together, joking and laughing. When the bell goes, I leave my hiding place in the bushes after they both go their separate ways to class. Pulling out my timetable from my pocket, I discover that my next lesson is with Noah.

I search amongst the crowd of heads for Noah's and when I recognise it, I jog to him.

"Hey, Noah!" I greet him.

"Seriously, Storm!" the boy looks like he was about to jump out of his skin so I guess I scared him. Why is he so jumpy?

Maybe he was thinking about Stella.

"Aww, Noah, you're so sweet," my mouth has a mind of its own because I blurt out this sentence before even thinking it through.

"Storm, are you feeling alright?" Noah questions, a look of concern furrowing his brow.

"Of course I am! The real question is how is Stella?"

"How do you know I was with Stella?" Noah is now suspicious.

Nice try!

"You're avoiding the question!" I point out, unimpressed.

"You're doing the same thing!" Noah exclaims, exasperated.

"Well, since my question was first it should be answered first," I argue cleverly.

To show his defeat, Noah rolls his eyes but I know he means it as a joke.

"She's overwhelmed," he states and before explaining in more depth, he glances around to ensure that nobody in the crowd is listening," Stella tried to push me away because she was afraid of me getting hurt by her and the others. It was so weird. It was like I barely even knew the girl. She even tried walking away from me."

"Poor Stella," I chip in and I grimace because of how fake I sound; Noah narrows his eyes, examining my face for a clue to my emotions and thoughts.

"Back to my question-"

"Oh no! We're going to be late for class!" I interrupt him, glancing down at my non-existent watch on my wrist.

Truthfully, I don't mind being late for the lesson because it's super boring but I need to distract Noah from bringing up his ignored question because what response other than the truth can I give him: I randomly guessed he was with Stella?

That reply sounds even worse than the truth!

Oh, so should I try the truth, then: I was watching you and Stella from the bushes. How does that sound?

Never mind, it's just as bad!

Not helping, here!

You're the most ungrateful person!

As much as I don't want to believe it, that statement above is a fact. Nobody can tell me otherwise because I have evidence that I am: I complain about the one thing someone hasn't done for me instead of being thankful for the thousands of things the same person has done for me. Although it took me long, I'm now learning that there's always something to be thankful for no matter what because you might not own an item that belongs to an expensive brand but gifts are not always physical and it's those given from the heart that are the best. A grateful heart is a a magnet for miracles.

"Will the two of you stop dawdling and get to your lessons!" a teacher's booming voice makes me almost trip up the stairs. Hold on a second! When did I get to the stairs? When did I get inside? I turn around and find the teacher, who startled me staring, into my soul. By the look of his face and hair, I would say the teacher, who is dressed in a navy blue suit, is in his late forties but what really stands out the most to me is his body language. It tells me that he thinks he owns the world. Who is he? It's insane how this is my third year at this school but I still don't recognise half of the teachers!

"Who is that teacher, Noah?" somehow even when the mind was deep in thought, my feet still managed to follow him.

"That's Mr-oh no you don't!" I have no idea on why he stopped himself from giving me a response to my question.

"Oh no I don't what?"

"Don't act innocent!" Noah has taken on an accusing tone for a reason I do not know.

"What do you mean?"

"You have been avoiding my question as if it's a contagious disease," he has not forgotten the question like I wished he had," How. Do. You. Know. I. Was. With. Stella? Neither of us are going into the classroom until I get an answer."

I groan when I read the sign saying that we're only on the first floor. Our classroom is on the fourth floor! What bad luck!

"I may have listened to your conversation with Stella at break," I wince at how this sentence sounds even more pathetic said out loud than inside my head.

"You were eavesdropping!" the boy stood in front of me has changed in one split-second from the calm Noah to the Noah on the brink of an explosion.

"Just as well I did because I would have never heard you gossiping about me!" I can't stop my temper from flaring because of how innocent he's trying to make out to be when in reality, he's not. Judging by how Noah's face has lost colour, I can infer that I've hit him in the exact spot I wanted to.

"How much did you hear? You need to know the whole story to understand," Noah states matter-of-factly.

"I heard enough. Stella thinks I've given up on her! You didn't even think of defending me!" I spit with hurt and I'm surprised that none of the teachers in the classrooms we pass come out to scold me for speaking so loud while there is learning going on.

"Stella would have never spoken to me again if I tried to defend you. I'm sorry, Storm!"

"Apology accepted - only because I'm going to prove to Stella she was wrong: I haven't given up on her," I sigh and I allow the corners of my mouth to twitch into a small smile.

"How exactly are you going to do that?" Noah questions but more out of fear than curiosity.

"You'll find out on Friday. Until, then, it's a surprise."