"So are we still going to keep on pretending that we didn't see each other last night?" The boy approached her suddenly, shocking her almost enough to have her jump back in surprise.

"What?" RC asked nonchalantly, leaning over the edge of the terrace wall like she usually did.

His scent of French fries and burgers was making her hungry again even though she had only just finished eating a lunch bar. She wondered if he had had a burger and French fries for his lunch. He probably had. Then why was he so bloody fit, for heaven's sake?

He looked deeply into her eyes. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."

RC gulped. "Umm no, actually." She stepped away from him.

"You have got to be kidding me." He chuckled as he ran his hand through his hair.

"Look here, mister. I barely know who you are or what the hell you want, alright? It's not nice to snoop…" she broke off when she saw the grin that had formed on his lips. No kidding though, that was a nice grin. It made his pretty eyes crinkle at the sides.

She took a deep breath and braced herself. "Look, what did you say your name was?"

"I didn't." He replied, looking away from her and over the edge at the compound where the cheerleaders were busy practicing their routine.

"Exactly! You just proved my point." RC gave him a pointed look.

"That may be but it does not cancel out the fact that you know what I'm talking about." He replied, annoyingly on point.

"Uh okay Sherlock Holmes," RC rolled her eyes and shook her head. She took another step backwards as the bell rang, signaling class time. "I'll see you around."

"Much sooner than you think," he called at her retreating frame, smiling widely as he did.

She waved in response, trying to blend in to the throng heading down the stairs. Trying to be invisible. Which was an exercise in futility as she was stopped at the first floor landing by the devil spawn herself.

"Why are you talking to Jordan Brooks?" Shay regarded her with narrowed jealous eyes.

"Who?" RC was confused. Genuinely.

Shay shoved RC against the wall. "Don't pretend like you don't know, you bitch." She hissed at RC. "You just left him up on the terrace."

"Oh," realisation dawned on RC. "So that's his name. Jordan Brooks." She shrugged at Shay, trying to squirm away from her strong grip. "I don't really know him."

"You're such a foul lier. Everyone knows Mallory has a thing for him." Shay pinned RC tighter against the wall, giving RC no room to even squirm. At all.

"Okay," RC whispered, her arms feeling numb, preoccupied by the sight of Brent's huge frame coming down the stairs towards them, an enraged Mallory right behind him.

"Let me go," RC hissed, struggling to get away, but Brent got to her first.

"Going somewhere, you little freak?" He hissed, twisting her arms behind her back. RC held back a groan as pain shot up her arms to her shoulders.

"Let me go, you oaf!" She hissed. Brent ignored her. At that moment, RC wanted nothing more than to slap the living daylights out of him.

A few students scampered past them, curiously looking over their shoulders at them as they did.

Mallory stepped forward, her pretty face contorted in a frown. "How dare you?" She smacked a helpless RC across the face. "How can you even think of talking to him, you stupid retard?"

She looked RC up and down with proud anger. Or angry pride. RC could not decide which one.

Brent had is hand over RC's mouth, leaving her unable to respond.

"You're a toe rag, okay? Dirty rags like you don't associate with gold carvings like Jordan." Mallory continued, eyeing RC as though RC was vermin.

Shay winked at Brent, linked arms with Mallory, and headed down the stairs to class.

"Let me go," RC choked, feeling tears clouding her eyes. Something seemed stuck in her throat. RC wished it would kill her. But it didn't.

Brent violently smacked her face first into the wall, watched her collapse to the floor with unconcealed glee, and then jogged off to class, leaving RC in a heap on the floor.

RC was used to it.

She slowly sat up, leaning against the wall and slowly touched her face to analyze how much damage had been made this time.

Her lip was bleeding, as was the side of her eye. Her nose hurt. A lot. But it did not seem to be broken. Lucky for her.

She sat there for as long as she could, holding back sobs, trying to get herself back under control. She felt weak. More than usual.

Suddenly, she heard someone coming down the stairs. RC quickly struggled to get to her feet in vain. She collapsed to the floor.

"Ouch!" She hissed, as her elbow scrapped the floor.

"Hey, are you alright?" A voice came from behind her, as strong hands helped her stand up.

"Yeah," RC cleared her throat. "Yeah I'm fine."

Jordan tilted her face up to see. "No you are not fine." He ran his hand over her burst lip. "Come on, let's get you to the nurse."

"No, I'm fine. Please." RC insisted, feeling ready to faint into his french fry scented leather jacket. "I am."

He regarded her seriously. RC felt lost as she found herself looking into his eyes. "So are you convincing me, or are you trying to convince yourself?" He murmured.

RC cleared yet throat. Loudly. A little too loudly. It sounded unnatural. Fake.

"I… i have class." She pulled herself away from his supportive grasp and hobbled off to the ladies washroom to clean up.

Much to her surprise, he followed her. Into the washroom. The ladies one. Where RC was leaning over the sink, washing up.

"What the hell are you doing?" She asked him in disbelief, watching his reflection through the mirror over the sinks.

"I should be asking you that question, RC," he replied, his voice more deep than usual.

RC gulped and concentrated on washing the blood off her face. She did not reply.

He watched her silently clean up and followed her equally silently all the way to her chemistry class before heading off to his own.

RC felt like she had just lost a battle.

***