“No problem, Guinevere.”
I breathe a laugh before racing off, finding Sammy fuming, pacing back and forth behind the school buildings. When Sammy notices me, she waves me over. She looks concerned as her brows knit in and upwards. “Hey, are you okay? Nothing happened after I left?”
“No. Aaron showed up and said something epic to Sarah Jane, and she got embarrassed and stormed away with her friend.”
“Shit! I wish I were there.” Sammy playfully pushes Dylan. “Why did you carry me off like that?”
“I’ve seen you fight. It’s fucking scary. You’re like a monkey.”
I giggle, and we talk about how cool it was when Sammy grabbed Sarah Jane by the hair and yanked her back like it was nothing.
Sammy jumps up and down, the adrenaline rush getting to her head. I can feel it too. I’ve never been in a crowd before, and even knowing I did little but stand there, the rush of seeing a bully get taken down a peg or two feels rewarding.
“Hey, what’s going on over here?” Conner rounds the corner, holding two ice blocks. He hands me the pink one. “Did you hear about the fight that happened?”
“Yeah!” Sammy barks a laugh, points to me, and then back to her. “It was us. I fucked Sarah Jane up.”
“What?” I jolt when Conner suddenly turns, scanning my face when they narrow in on my arms. I forgot about the scrape. “Jesus—fuck, Noya. We’re going to the office.”
“Yeah,” Sammy agrees. “Fuck, I didn’t know they were that bad.”
It is weird seeing them so concerned about something I think is minor. It doesn’t hurt that much, but that can also be because I’ve felt worse. A few scratches from falling over are nothing to me. But as much as I want to convince them it’s okay and there’s no need, I comply.
Conner demands to see a nurse immediately when we get to the office. The office lady’s eyes widen when she sees me with my raised forearms, revealing the gnarly scrapes across them. The nurse attends to me immediately, and Conner hovers in the room, glaring at the marks on my arms.
I wince when she places antibacterial wipes on the wound, getting rid of the dirt stuck in them. After she cleans it, she wraps bandages around it, and I feel like a mummy. A human mummy with my arms bandaged up.
“What happened?” the nurse asks as she pins the bandages together so they won’t unwind.
“Sarah Jane pushed Noya over,” Conner answers.
The nurse grimaces. “She’s a troublemaker. I’ll tell the principal. You stay right there, dear.”
I suck on the already melting ice block that tastes like a lollipop. Conner sits beside me on the bed and raises his arm over my shoulders. I close my eyes when he kisses my temple. I lean into him while eating the ice block, feeling more comfortable with him nearby.
“What does yours taste like?” he asks casually.
“Some lolly,” I answer. “Yours?”
“Bubblegum.” He moves it to my lips. “Did you want a taste?”
I blush while tasting the ice block. Then I raise my arm and tell him to taste mine. His face flushes, making me giggle.
“What’s so funny, Noya?”
“I like it when you blush,” I admit. “It makes me happy.”
“To see me embarrassed?”
“Hmm,” I agree.
The nurse returns and points at me. “Noya, right?”
I slump my shoulders and nod.
“Come with me. The principal wants to talk to you.”
“Can I come?” Conner asks.