He slowly makes his way toward us. When he reaches us, Delaney greets him with a fist bump as they exchange grins. I just stare at him as I feel my insides curl in on themselves.

Delaney jabs a thumb in Harvey’s direction. “This guy caused some trouble. But it’s nothing I couldn’t handle.”

“I can always count on you to keep the peace.”

“It’s what I do best.”  He winks at Quinton. 

“So…” Quinton’s gaze flicks between the two of us before deciding to stay on me. “What exactly happened?”

“He was in your seat,” Harvey said. “And I told him to move.”

The anger was still there flickering on the surface from his attempt to take my bag. 

“Is that true?” It took a second for me to realize that he was asking me the question because I had been staring at Harvey not so nicely. 

“Not exactly,” I mumbled.

Mr Cunningham chooses that moment to appear back in the classroom. “Take your seats please, Harvey, Delaney and Quinton.”

Harvey and Delaney separate back to their seats but I’m left in a stupor. My mind battling with whether I should sit down at the desk or not. Strong hands grip my shoulders and maneuver me into the seat. My bum plops into the chair as I look up to see Quinton pass me and take the desk behind me without a word.

“Your late, Quinton,” Mr Cunningham says.

“Dog ate my homework.”                       

I watch for Cunningham’s reaction closely. He doesn’t react in the way that I expect. His face is calm and collected as he says, “come get your detention slip once the classroom ends”.  

The hour continues with him teaching the class maths and asking students for the answer. I know most of them even when other students can’t seem to get the right answer upon questioning. But I still don’t raise my hand. Instead, all the answers are written up in my textbook. I also don’t wish to acknowledge that Quinton may have possibly been staring at me for the entirety of the class.

****

It's currently lunch break and I’ve managed to find a vending machine off to the side of the cafeteria filled with the Smith chips that I love so much. I want to grab them and then get out of here as fast as possible. I push a coin into the slot and then retrieve the chips. I’m about to head out when a familiar laugh gains my attention. It’s not too far away and eventually, I find her at one of the tables with around six other females. Her eyes are bright as they all laugh together about something.

It puts a smile on my face. While my plan is to lay low and get through the school year by myself, it wasn’t something I wished on my sister. She deserved lots of friends and joy in her high school life.

I make my way out of the building and towards the grassy field where I knew two benches would be covered by the shade of a single tree. Opening the packet of chips, I draw one to my mouth and enjoy the vinegar taste against my tongue.

“Indeed,” I mumble to myself. “Nothing beats this taste.”

“Then I’m sure you haven’t tried Doritos yet,” I hear, just as a twig snaps from behind me.