I manage to make it to one of the upstairs bathroom, just a couple of feet away from my next class. I check to make sure there’s nobody else in the enclosed space before locking the door. I move towards the sink and look into the pristine, reflective glass. I breathe in deeply and exhale.

“It’s not working,” I mumble to myself. I begin to pace the tiled floor, biting down on my thumbnail as a nervous habit.

Okay, so the presumed father of my new daughter, that I did not give birth to, is attending the same school as I, it should be no big deal. Oh, who am I kidding? It’s a humongous deal.

First, he leaves his child in my hands, just giving away the precious little girl that I’ve become way too attached to. And now, to make matters worse, he decides to attend the same school as me. What could he possibly be doing here?

I run my hands through my brown wavy hair in frustration. There’s only one advantage I have, the hoodie I wore that day. He never saw my face as I hadn’t seen his, the only difference was I heard his voice, but I didn’t speak.

What if he’s looking for Lucy? What if he wants her back?

No, he’s going to have to go through me. I will not give her up that easily.

Okay, damage control, I just have to stay away from him and his little ‘posse’ and I’ll be fine. Oh, and I also have to watch out when I go out with Lucy, just in case I run into them.

“I can do this,” I whisper to my reflection as I stop my relentless pacing. I fix myself and assume a blank expression, trying not to show any type of emotion whatsoever. I pick up my bag, which had been left forgotten in a careless heap by the door, and hoist it over my shoulder.

I unlock and open the door before stepping out. I peer to both sides of the hall to find it completely silent. No one roaming the wide space, I take one last deep breath before walking down and stepping inside the dreaded classroom.

As soon as the door closes all heads snap up to scrutinize me. Not once, in all my high school years, had I been late to a class, especially over ten minutes late. I bring my hands in front of me trying hard not to fidget as I look down at the dusty floor.

“Ms. Mason is there any excuse as to why you are fifteen minutes late to class?” the stern history teacher voices making me look up at him.

I open my mouth but shut it as no words come out, I’m too nervous to voice anything with all of the constant staring. I heave a sigh looking down and shaking my head.

“Very well, it being your first offense I’ll only punish you with a lunch detention,” he sighs. I tilt my head up at him and furrow my brows, usually it’s an after school detention. He inconspicuously gives me a sly grin, knowing that I spend my lunch time cooped up in a dusty old corner in the library every day.

“Take your seat,” he motions for me to move. I hurriedly walk to my seat in the far corner of the wall next to the window, hoping that as soon as I’m seated the staring will halt. I plop down on the wooden desk and take my book out.

As I glance back up to the front of the class, the scrutiny has ceased except for one pair of eyes I can clearly feel boring to the side of my head. That’s weird. No one sits in the seat next to me. I carelessly give a quick glance to my left and wish I hadn’t as I look back down at my book. The words blurring together making everything incomprehensible, much like my life right now.

I try to pay attention for the rest of class, trying oh so hard to ignore those mysterious blue eyes that continue to stare at me. I begin to tap my pencil repeatedly, willing the hands on the clock that sits at the top of the board to move faster. Why won’t he stop looking at me?

I was trying so desperately to stop fidgeting, when guess what? My leg begins to move up and down, in rhythm with my tapping pencil. I seem to have no control over my limbs any longer. I look down at my paper and try so hard to word the answers to the questions in my head so that I can put them on paper but it’s no use.

The words drifting through my mind are a jumbled mess.

The tapping increases its pace as I try very hard to not look to my side and snap at the boy whose constant stare is becoming a nuisance. Just as I was reaching for my bag with my other hand in an attempt to run for the hills, I feel a hand cover my much smaller one.

I trace the hand all the way up to the face of the guy inhabiting my accompanying seat, as soon as my brown eyes connect to those blue ones I snatch my hand as if he held fire. The last thing I see is confusion flashing in those azure depths as I look back down at my blank sheet of paper, mentally willing my heart to slow its beating.

“Hey, are you okay….” The question trails off as the loud ring fills my ears signaling the end of class. I ignore him as I gather my things and leave in a haste.

Why, oh why, is fate working against me? I’m a good person, I barely break the rules if ever, but it’s as if Karma herself is out to get me. I rush into a back table in the library in which I spend my study hall time as well as my lunch period that follows. Although, today my time in this haven will be cut short as I serve detention.

I let my bag fall to the floor at my feet as I slide down the back of the mahogany bookshelf that stands in the back. Away from all the other cluttered shelves around the library. I breathe in deeply, reminiscing in the scent of old and new books that surrounds the stuffy room. It’s like an instant tranquilizer. I rummage through my bag and pull out my Divergent novel and lose myself in the action filled world.

There’s nothing that can piss a reader off more than an immense interruption in a very good part of a book. So, with a scowl on my face I turn with a glare, scanning the room, ready to unleash my anger with my eyes on whoever decided to have an argument in the library. These places are quiet for a reason. Whoever it is should be close because their voice shouldn’t carry all the way back here from the front of the room.

I decide to just lean my head back on the cold wood and wait for the murmurs to dissipate.

“Just remember not to drag to much attention to you, Lucas. You’ve already flirted your way through half of this school’s female population,” my ears perk up at the aggravated voice.

Why do we keep crossing paths? All I want is to stay away from these people, is that so hard? Now, I’m dead on set on keeping quiet and out of sight.

“That’s not true, there was that cute little nerd that ignored me,” comes Lucas’s clear rebuttal. Wait, is he talking about me?

I hear a scoff.

“Please, that nerd’s got some sort of problem, she runs from people like they’ve got the plague,” is my enemy’s reply. I take offense to that. I only ran because it is them in particular that I’m trying to keep away from.

“Actually, I heard she’s a rich brat that doesn’t speak to people she deems beneath her,” comes the third persons voice. The unknown one, the other guy I hadn’t yet heard from until now. It’s true what they say, problems do come in threes.

“I don’t think so,” aw, at least Lucas doesn’t think I’m some sort of stuck up bitch.

“Look, whatever she’s a ‘nobody’, we are here for completely different reasons, stick to the damn plan,” blue eyed guy’s voice hisses. Perhaps I should learn his name, I only know Lucas and that’s only because he seems to be very social.

That’s right I am a ‘nobody’, to them I am no threat. With a sigh of relief, I pick up my bag and begin to make my way out of the library. I glance back at the clock and notice there’s only five minutes before I have to fulfill my detention. I slowly make my way upstairs and back into the history hall.

I peer inside the room but there’s no one there and the door is locked. I lean back on the wall and decide to wait. I close my eyes to enjoy the nice solitude.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” comes the all too familiar sneer. Seriously, it’s like I can’t get a break today.

I open my eyes and surely enough, Mike is standing there with two of his cronies backing him up. Mike is the school’s jock and let me tell you he can’t get any more stereotypical. He dates the head cheerleader, who happens to be a bitch, and likes to bully the outcast crowd. And like any typical bully, he has to have what I like to call his ‘bitches’ back him up. I mean, he already towers over me, do you really need the backup dude?

I roll my eyes internally, not willing to do it in front of him, and remain quiet. Why speak? It’s not going to help me in any way? It’s not like I’ll be able to form any coherent words, I’m far too intimidated for that.

“Still too good to speak to us?” he steps closer. I was at a disadvantage leaning on the wall. I basically cornered myself for him. I look down. I don’t want to see the malicious intent in those brown eyes of his. They might show more than I’m actually willing to see. I flinch and cower further into the wall if possible, when he punches the wall, right beside my head.

“You think you’re too good for us? Huh, you little nerd? It doesn’t matter, you are and always will be a ‘nobody’,” he says with his jaw clenched.

Huh, I guess I really am a ‘nobody’, since people seem to be referring to me as such lately.

My eyes widen when he grips my shirt tight, pulling me a couple of inches from the ground. Never in all my years had Mike physically touched me. It’s always been verbal abuse or the occasional shove in the hall but never has he hurt me face to face. I’ll admit I am scared. He’s a huge jock while I’m just the puny little nerd.

“Talk,” he suddenly screams in my face. I have the urge to cough at the stench in his breath, it might be irrelevant right now but I don’t know how his girlfriend kisses him with breath like that.

When I remain silent he pulls his arm back and I know this is the moment where he’s going to really hurt me. I close my eyes waiting for the blow, but it surprisingly never comes. I open my eyes when I feel his weight pushed back away from me and if the loud thump is any indication, I’d say he got slammed against the other wall.

I’m afraid to look up at my savior for no one in this school had ever stood up for me before.

“You don’t lay a finger on a lady,” I hear someone seethe. My head snaps up just in time for those cobalt blue eyes to meet my brown ones. The anger dulls replaced with slight concern. He almost resembles a human being, but I know better.

“I think you might’ve hit him too hard, Drew,” Lucas goes to pat him on the shoulder. So, the heartless bastard’s name is Drew, I don’t know why but it fits him.

“Hey Adrian, did you see how Drew kicked ass?” Lucas gloats towards the other brown eyed boy with the broad shoulders. I would think him a jock if not for his totally badass attire.

“Are you okay?” my eyes land back on Drew. I don’t like him, hell, he was capable of handling his daughter to some random stranger but he saved me. My parents always taught me to be grateful of others’ chivalrous actions. I nod my head in response.

“So you really are to cool to speak to the rest of us?” I turn to Adrian who’s glaring at me with enough malice to burn me to ashes. I raise my eyebrow in amusement but I try to mask my real emotions.

I shrug, which only seems to piss him off more. I ignore their scrutiny and move to pick my bag up. I think I should head home early today.

“You should be thankful,” Adrian continues his mini rant as I begin to walk off. I turn back meeting all of their gazes.

“Thank you,” and with those two words I walk off. Praying that I no longer have any encounter with the dangerous trio. They might’ve helped me but they abandoned Lucy and they can also take her from me. I have a feeling fate has other plans in store for me.