It's been two weeks since I got out of hospital and I've as good as been on bed rest since then but today I'm actually able to go back to school. My alarm went off an hour later than usual seen as I still wasn't able to go to the gym

I got out of bed with a frown on my face, I almost forgot how much I hated to get up for school. I jumped into the shower and got back out a few minutes later. I threw my hair into a messy bun and looked at myself through the mirror. I had bags under my eyes and I looked like I hadn't slept in weeks, which I hadn't thanks to my fear of closing my eyes after the accident and when I did accidentally fall asleep I woke up with night terrors. I still had a few bruises even though they were much smaller and some cuts on my face and I knew I was going to be slow as hell walking down the corridors thanks to the pain which still hadn't subsided

I put on a comfortable outfit that I was going to blame the cold weather for, which was something I'd never usually wear to school. It was a black sweatshirt with some matching black sweatpants

"Hey sweetie, how did you sleep last night?" My mom asks me as I sit down at the island. She leaves a plate of some bacon and pancakes on front of me before picking up her own and sitting beside me

"Thanks. I slept pretty good actually, hated getting up though" I lie. I still wouldn't sleep, I didn't want to face it and as babyish as it sounds I was scared to. But I was right because every time I accidentally nod off I'm woken up with the night terrors of the accident that I'm trying to avoid, but I haven't told anyone about it and if they ask why I look tired I come up with a stupid lie

"Nice outfit" she says noticing my outfit but her face says anything but appealed "its...... different"

I shrug "The weathers terrible so I don't feel like dressing up"

"I'm actually working the late shift tonight so you might get Emily or Cammy to drive you home" she tells me

"Or I could walk" I give her a fake smile

"Talia I know it's hard but you need to get back into a car or you never will"

I nod "I will mom, just not today" I stand up and put my dish in the washer "speaking of walking I need to leave now or I'll be late"

Mom sighs "good luck sweetie"

As soon as I walked through the corridor everyone started to stare at me and as much as I'd loved to have basked in the attention but I really wasn't enjoying it. I hadn't been at my locker a few seconds before Helen was standing beside me a smirk on my face "wow you've finally realised you are a nobody and gave in, well done Im proud of you"

I rolled my eyes but didn't turn to her. She hits my shoulder so I'm facing her, her smirk turns into a scowl "stay away from Ryder because I know you tried to steal him from me. I mean why else would his ex try to kill you"

I cringe at what she said and the late bell for class signals "looks like you're late for class on your first day back, how stupid of you" she squeezes my waist causing a painful squeak to leave my mouth and she laughs before walking away

"Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why did I come back here" I mutter to myself before slamming my locker shut. By the time I made it to English I was probably five minutes late

"Talia, welcome back" Ms Henry says once I open the door to the classroom. She looked pretty caught off guard

"Thanks" I quietly respond as I walk further down the room. The whole time I could feel a certain bad boys burning into me and I stupidly looked up for. Our eyes connected but I looked away straight away, things could have been so different

"Talia we're currently having a debate on the whole teenage experience. Today's topic on it is having a friend with benefits relationship, any thoughts on that?"

I had to try my best not to choke on air. My first class back and this is what we're doing in English, this wasn't unusual though Ms Henry wasn't the shy type of teacher and we done debates like these all the time

She eggs me on when I don't say anything for a few seconds "like do you think they work"

I shake my head "I think people like to think they do but something always goes wrong"

"Anybody disagree?" The teacher directs her question to the class

"I mean if both people keep their sides of the deal then why wouldn't it work" I roll my eyes

Ryder

"Because no one ever sticks to their side of the deal and someone always gets hurt"

"Sometimes they don't have a choice"

"But they kind of do"

Ryder's about to respond when Ms Henry interrupts "two very good points, I think that in the end after all the problems which have to happen it always works out" when I look over at her she has a grin on her face that she's trying to hide

When the bell for the end of class went Ms Henry asked me to stay back and once everyone was gone I walked up to her

"I just got you to stay back so I could ask you how you were" she gives me a sweet smile which I return

"I'm getting there, physically just a little sore"

"And mentally?"

"Has a lot of work left" Telling her felt like a weight off my shoulders especially since I knew there was nothing serious she could do about it

"Well you know you can talk to me anytime" she smiles "you have my email from class assignments in case"

"Thank you" I tell her a genuine smile on my face

"Anytime"

Classes to lunch dragged. I walked into the cafeteria unsure as to where I was actually going. I mean I've been out of school for weeks now so obviously Cammys made new friends and started doing different things at lunch - which I don't have a problem with, I just hope I fit into it

I found her sitting at a table with the 'populars' and that's something I really can't deal with today so instead I took my phone out and text her

Hey, sorry I haven't got talking to you all day but I think I'm just going to go to the library for lunch and keep it on the dl

Her phone beeped and she looked at her phone but she never replied so I just left the cafeteria. I definitely wouldn't expect her to leave her table to go to the library with me but a reply would have been nice

The library was at the other side of the school. One half of it was bookshelves while the other was lines of computers. I sat down in the back corner and a few minutes later I felt someone sit down in the chair beside mine. I instantly knew who it was thanks to the smell of their cologne but I didn't look at them or say anything

He sighs after a few minutes "When was that last time you slept and don't give me that bullshit of last night"

I roll my eyes and turn so I'm looking him in the eyes. His looked concerned, mine conveyed more of an angry look, yet a smirk grew on my face "if I look tired then it's for a totally different reason"

Good one Talia, pretend you stayed over with someone last night, I mock myself in my head, he'll totally buy that one, you can't even get up from a chair without cringing from pain

He looked me straight in the eyes for a few seconds and I tried my hardest to keep the hard look in them. When my resolve doesn't change he huffs and stands up

"You may be fooling everyone else but your not fooling me"