Avery stayed in the toilet for the next two hours until the sound of the lunch bell rang loudly throughout the school. By the time she had stopped sobbing the Gatorade had dried into her hair and clothing. Her tears had helped to wash away the blue stain from the majority of her face. The white sweater that she had decided to wear today was ruined, not even her mother could remove the dried in stains from the drink.

As Avery lifted herself from the toilet seat she could feel what was left of the blue liquid yet to dry sticking her sweater to her chest. She had stopped crying long ago but her eyes were still red and puffy.

Before exiting the toilet she turned on the sink to splash some cold water against her face. Tears welled in her eyes as she wondered how many more days she would have to endure this torment.

When Avery heard the creak of the bathroom door she quickly turned the tap off, scrubbing the tears from her eyes before heading towards the door. She kept her head down but this didn’t stop the girls from stepping aside, looking Avery up and down from the stained blue sweater to her dry crusty hair.

Stepping past them she heard them whisper to each other, “Isn’t that the girl who was hitting on Aiden?”, “That’s disgusting” they both giggled. Avery’s tears returned as she clenched her fists at her sides, shoving the door open as she quickly walked into the busy hall.

People around her turned silent as their sights set on her. “I wonder what happened to her?”, “Isn’t that Avery Hughes?”, “Maybe someone caught her with their boyfriend”. Some people laughed as they saw her, others gave her pitying looks before turning their backs. She kept her eyes down as she hastily headed for the entrance of the school.

Avery wasn’t going to stay, not when she didn’t have a change of clothes. She had only waited for it to be lunch so that it would be easier to leave without being noticed. Now, hearing the snickers in the hallway, she wished that she hadn’t sat in tears on the cold sticky toilet seat and had just escaped when she had the chance.

Suddenly Avery felt her forehead hit something solid and she stumbled back, stumbling backwards before a gentle grip stabilized her. Avery mumbled a quick apology before trying to slip past. The grip on her upper arm tightened as the person softly tugged her back.“You’re soaked in… what's this…?” The stranger began, leaning down to get a closer look at the blue stains on Avery’s person. She glanced up, catching the bright green eyes of Ethan as he gave her a soft smile, “Gatorade?” he concluded. His deep voice had a calming effect on her, he looked genuinely concerned for her.

Being able to see the blonde’s expression Ethan’s lips set into a deep frown, “Have you been crying?”. Avery was lost for words as she stared up into the gaze that looked at her with such a tender look and she felt all of the anguish that had been welling inside her begin to rise.

“I- I...” She stuttered as tears began to fill her eyes again, one escaping to roll down her cheek. Ethan’s eyes softened as he gently reached down to brush his thumb under her eye, brushing the tear off her cheek, “What happened?”.

“It’s...” She began, her eyes shifting to the figure that had strode up behind the tall jock. Paige brushed her long hair over her shoulder as she crossed her arms, her jaw tightening in disgust.

Avery glanced back up to Ethan and her nose crinkled, swallowing the pressure in her throat, “It’s nothing, please excuse me”. Avery pulled her arm from Ethan’s grip as she brushed past him, hurrying past Paige who simply glared at her.

Avery took a deep breath, knowing that this accidental encounter was going to bring hell upon her in the near future. Avery quickly shoved her way through the crowd as she remembered the kindness in Ethan’s eyes and the way it brought up so much emotion in her. She had been longing for someone to look at her like that for so long, but it happened to be the one person that she could never keep by her side.

It wasn’t until the doors came into view that she glanced back to see if anyone had come after her. She thought for a moment, that perhaps she was the protagonist of some horrible romance, and that Ethan would run after her. That he would take her hand and tell her that he would protect her.

Who she saw instead, standing in the midst of the crowded hallway was not Ethan, but the boy with the curly hair and tattoos. He stood unmoving amongst the chaos that was the bustling hallways of high school. People seemed to blur around him.

His lips slowly extended into a smile so soft that Avery was reminded of the way Ethan had looked at her and she felt her heart lift from the pit of her stomach and began to pound in her chest. The tears that she had pushed back, returning once again as she stared at the stranger. With a nod he turned, walking back into the chaos of the school, being swallowed by the waves of students around him before he disappeared. Please don’t go.

___

An uncomfortable forty minute walk later and Avery finally arrived home. After a quick shower she threw herself onto her bed. Her wet hair was thrown up into a messy bun, still smelling faintly of Gatorade under her conditioner. Avery had managed to scrub most of the blue from the skin that she couldn’t hide under clothes, and threw away the spoiled white sweater, hoping that the blue would come out of the jeans in the wash.

Unexpectedly, it wasn’t Ethan and her moment with him in the hallway that was the first thing to cross her mind. It was the mysterious dark haired boy that had appeared in front of her. It was the way he had smiled at her so delicately that he was able to bring the tears back to her eyes and lift her heart out of her stomach. It was the way she felt such a strong magnetic pull towards him when she had seen him in the corridor, the way her body had willed her to approach him.

She had never felt such a strong connection with someone in her life, especially someone that she didn’t even know the name of. As the memories came back to her, her heart began to pound in her chest and she brought her hands up to clench the material of her shirt, What is this feeling?

Avery stared at the ceiling of her room, recalling the image of him standing motionless as he smiled at her. Her cheeks brightening to a soft pink before she shook her head, shoving the image out of her mind.

Ding!

Avery’s phone sounded from the front pocket of her bag and she turned her attention to the small pastel pink backpack she had left beside her bed, the top now stained a faded purple. She rolled over, reaching for the front pocket and taking out her phone.

She screen lit up revealing Paige’s name with two unread messages. Avery sighed, contemplating whether it would be worth looking at the horrible message that was undoubtedly waiting for her.

With a heavy heart Avery opened the chat, the first was the message that had gotten her caught in the bathroom stall;

We know you left class, slut. You better hope we don’t find you

The second was exactly what Avery had expected to hear after the incident in the hall with Ethan;

I’m going to make you want to kill yourself for touching him.

Avery threw her phone onto the mess of blankets at the end of her bed, bringing her hands to her face as she considered all of the horrible things Paige could do to her, none of which she could stop.

_____

Avery had spent her afternoon sat at her desk, sketching into her small sketchbook, and before she knew it time had flown by.

Gwen stopped by Avery’s door when she noticed her younger sister sitting at her desk, pencil in hand. “What the fuck, Ave? Did you even go to school?” She grumbled. Since Gwen was also dropped home by friends, she would always arrive home before Avery.

Avery turned to her sister, not having thought about the lie she would tell her family. She knew that she couldn’t tell the truth because Gwen would surely tell their mum. “I wasn’t feeling well so-”

“That is some BULLSHIT, Ave! So unwell that you can walk forty minutes home from school?? sure!” she yelled, stomping down the hallway to her room, “I’M TELLING SUSAN!”. For an 18 year old she sure acts like a child.

Avery turned back to her sketchbook, Gwen’s threat having very little impact on her. Her mum probably already knows that she skipped some classes, the school definitely didn’t mess around when it came to reporting absences.

Avery looks over the sketches that she had just spent the last two hours drawing, the page littered with sketches of the dark haired boy. At the centre was a sketch of him standing in a crowded hall, dark curls covering his eyes and a gentle smile defining him. She hadn’t been able to get him out of her mind, and she enjoyed sketching his unusual features. Whoever he was.

___

At dinner Gwen was quick to snap about Avery having skipped school again today. Mum responded with disappointment, having already received a call from the school as she was leaving from work. Avery could do nothing but give her the same answer she gave Gwen. She felt guilty about having left school halfway through the day but she couldn’t fathom going to classes sticky and uncomfortable on top of the horrible stares and snickers.

Having claimed to be sick all week, her mum was understanding but still disappointed and concerned. It was unlike her ‘good’ child to be skipping so much school, however Avery had never faked sickness in all her years of middle school so her mum could do nothing but sigh and let it go. Gwen stood up in a rage and stomped away to her room.

After suggesting a doctors appointment and being shut down for the fifth time this past week, Susan could do nothing but give Avery a defeated look. “It’s okay Mum...” Avery began, mustering the most genuine smile that she could “I promise today was the last day, I think I just overreacted. I’ve missed too much already. '' This seemed to be enough for her Mum who simply nodded and stood up to collect the dishes.

Avery helped her mum dry the dishes, listening to her speak about her new work environment and how crazy and busy it has been for her. Avery was genuinely happy for her, it had been a while since she had seen her mum so stressed, excited and motivated since the divorce. After a quick hug, Avery left her mum to head upstairs.

She laid in bed with a book in her hands. She enjoyed reading because it would take her out of his hellish reality, even if only for the moment. She didn’t realise how late it was until she saw the hallway lights turn off meaning that her mum was off to bed. She turned to the bedside table, the red number of her alarm clock reading 10:34pm. Avery closed the book, making sure to mark the page that she was up to before sitting the book on the side table and reaching to turn off the lamp on her table.

Ding.

Avery’s attention turned to her phone that sat on her bedside table, now illuminated. Unread message from ‘Az. B’. She didn’t recognise the name - another guy with some kind of disgusting sexual message?. She decided to ignore the message, turning off the lamp and turning over and to tuck herself under the covers.

Ding.

Avery glanced back at the phone as the screen lit up again, this time illuminating the bedroom ceiling. '2 unread messages from Az. B'. Avery contemplated whether it would be worth checking. The message would likely just end up being a cruel joke from Paige or an 'anonymous' bully. She didn't want to have to sleep having horrible thoughts swirling in her mind. She could check it in the morning.

Ding.

Avery wrinkled her nose as she reached for the phone, gazing at the three unread messages before curiosity beckoned her to check them. She unlocked the phone, entering her messenger app. The profile photo for this ‘Az’ person was just pitch black. It really did seem like a fake profile. Regardless, Avery taps on the message.

“I have noticed that you have been having a hard time recently”

“I could help you”

“I could protect you”

Avery’s face screwed up in confusion as she stares at the words. She moved into a seated position, leaning against the backboard of the bed, rereading the messages over and over.

Ding.

“You shouldn't have to see yourself in the mirror and wonder when you last smiled”

Avery parts her lips as her eyes widened, shock and confusion settling in her chest. How did they know? Did they just guess that she had had these thoughts? They couldn't have just known this, there was no way.

Avery brought the phone to her lips, staring into the darkness of her room as though it would give her an answer. Who is this person? She brought the screen back down to her lap as her fingers typed a quick response.

“Who are you?”

Ding.

The response was almost instantaneous.

“Who I am is not important, it's how I can help you that is”

Avery squinted her eyes,

“Then how?”

Ding.

“All you need to do, is make a deal with the devil.”

Those words took her back. What did they mean by; ‘a deal with the devil?’. Avery’s fingers gripped the phone, unsure of how she was supposed to respond to that. The very idea of 'making a deal with the devil' didn't sound appealing. She shook her head as she typed her response;

“I don’t understand”

Ding.

“I can’t explain everything like this. I would like to meet with you, would that be okay?”

What? Avery let her phone drop on her lap as she took a deep breath. Who could this stranger possibly be? I’m almost certain this is some sort of joke. If someone really wanted to help me then why are they appearing now - surely they had noticed before today. Avery’s realistic thinking couldn’t get past the fact that in all likelihood, this was exactly what she thought, some sort of joke on her. If she agreed to meet with them it could all be a trap. Paige did say that she would make her want to kill herself.

However, what if it really was someone who wanted to help? If it isn’t a joke and someone actually wants to help… Avery was quick to remind herself that nobody wanted to help her. If it is, and I don’t at least agree…

Perhaps it was the fact that she hadn’t had this sense of hope in a couple of weeks, but she found herself staring at the message, her fingers tapping out a response before hovering over the send button.

“How can I trust you?”

The words felt so heavy in her heart. No response could make the anxiety that was building in her chest disappear. No response could make her believe that whoever this was had no malice towards her. She had nobody on her side all these weeks and a stranger expected her to trust them enough to meet them?

Ding.

“Trust the feeling that you had when you met me.”

Avery felt that familiar pounding of her heart as she was brought back to the moment she had in the corridor. To the magnetic pull that she felt. To the dark curls and tattoos that smiled at her so delicately. Is it…?

Avery struggled to hush the thumping of her heart, the feeling echoing through her as her fingers cautiously typed her response.

“When will we meet?”

Ding.

“I will come to you. Thank you for trusting me, Avery.”