I watched silently as Danny gave Lukas back his phone. Lukas, in exchange, gave Danny a small bag filled with what looked to be chocolate chip cookies. Danny nodded and waved him back. I glanced down at my book to read the next sentence, and then noticed the vinyl of the seat shift, due to added weight.

“Hey, Kayla,” Lukas said, holding out a second bag of cookies to me. “This is for my phone yesterday, and… everything else, too.”

I accepted the cookies and tried one.

“These are the most delicious cookies I’ve ever had,” I mumble. My face was turned around, and JJ wiped his thumb across the corner of my mouth.

“So messy, geez,” he mumbled. “Also, it’s seven thi-”

“Buzz off, JJ!” I exclaimed, slapping his hand. “Don’t touch me again!”

“Kayla, I just-”

“And don’t talk to me, either,” I growled, turning back around to talk to Lukas. A piece of paper was tossed into my lap only a second later. I sighed, annoyed, but opened it anyways.

Kayla, I’m really sorry. Please, you have to understand that I was young. I didn’t understand what I was saying, or doing. Tell me how to gain your forgiveness.

I miss you, Kayla.

I scoffed and balled up the paper, then turned around and almost immediately spotted JJ’s platinum blonde head. I wound back my arm, then threw the paper ball.

“Nice aim,” Lukas said, watching as the ball hit JJ right on the nose. I turned back around and directed my attention towards Lukas, who tapped War and Peace. “Hey, tell me about some of your favorite books.”

Once everyone was off of the bus, I didn’t see Lukas until 7th period. We had Geometry together, and sat next to each other, but had never talked to each other before today.

“Hey, Lukas.” I raised my hand in a wave. Lukas barely glanced up before responding.

“Hey.”

“You okay- Lukas, there’s blood on you!”

I yanked back Lukas’s hoodie sleeve, and sure enough- there was a blood stain on Lukas’s inner wrist.

“Don’t do- Kayla, you tell no one,” Lukas hissed. I nodded and watched the blood disappear as the sleeve was pulled back over it.

“What happened?” I murmured, twenty minutes later, once I had turned in my test. “It’s not your blood, so who?”

“None of your business,” Lukas snapped, looking away from me. “Don’t worry about it.”

I opened my laptop aggressively and nearly snapped the thing in half. Lukas decided to ignore me every time I attempted to talk to him, and I gave up.

And then we got on the bus.

Everything was fine until Mitchell decided to pull Lukas out of his seat and shove him on the ground, driving the heel of his shoe into Lukas’s skull.

“That’s right, peasant,” Mitchell spat, grinding his heel on Lukas’s head. “Grovel before me.”

I felt my eyebrows furrow as I stood up and stalked over to where Lukas was laying. The second I was within arm’s reach of Mitchell I shoved him, sending him sprawling on the aisle floor.

“What is wrong with you?” I asked, reaching a hand down to Lukas. He pulled himself into his seat, and I whipped my head back around to death glare Mitchell.

“Look, we were just-”

“Don’t touch him,” I growled, crouching down and pulling Mitchell up by his collar. “What part of that didn’t you understand?”

“Kayla, calm down,” JJ said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“You ground his face into the floor,” I hissed, rolling JJ’s hand off of my shoulder. “Do you really see nothing wrong with that?”

Lukas brushed my back, and I turned and watched him speed down the aisle and down the steps, breaking into his usual run the moment his foot hit the ground.

“Look at him run, with his dorky limp!” Ryan jeered, tapping the window with his knuckles. “Loser!”

“Shut up, Ryan.”

JJ stood up and pulled me to my feet, pushing me gently back towards my seat.

“Go,” he whispered. “Don’t waste your time on them.”

I shoved JJ’s hands off of me before stalking down the aisle and collapsing into my original seat, fuming with anger.

“Kayla, why’d you-”

“Back off, man,” I heard JJ growl. “You know she’ll screw you up.”

I slid my headphones onto my head and started up my playlist, ignoring everyone on the bus.

Danny tapped my shoulder, drawing me out of my stupor. I smiled and took off my headphones, running a hand through my hair.

“Sorry, Danny,” I said, grabbing my book and standing up.

“It’s okay, Kayla,” Danny laughed. I nodded and waved as I stepped off the bus, listening to the doors hissing shut behind me before walking into my house, being greeted by a temper tantrum.