Page 48 of That Pucking New Girl

She goes on and on as Alastair, Ciaran, and I travel behind her, watching her every move. It’s as if she’s tuned us out, and Alastair decides he doesn’t like that.

“Watch out!” he yells, making her stop abruptly and collapse to the ground in a sprawl.

“Ow,” she mutters, ignoring us as she kneels on the ice before pressing her skate into the ice as she gets up. “Fuckers.”

We continue to pursue Noor as she skates, but I raise my hands to signal that the guys stay quiet as she jumps up on the ice before hitting the ground again.

“If she breaks her legs, she won’t be able to skate,” I mutter. “Don’t break Twinkles before we get to have our fun.”

“You’re right,” Alastair allows. “Do you think she can do one of those twists in the air?”

“Nothing would surprise me about this girl,” Ciaran snorts.

He passes her as he skates, taking this time to get some speed as he moves around the rink, making sure to avoid slowly moving people.

Ciaran misses the small jump and turn she makes, but Alastair and I don’t.

“That’s not a beginner skater by any means,” he notes. “She’s rusty though.”

“Twinkles probably hasn’t skated in awhile,” I agree. “She looks like someone who’s reacquainting themselves with an old friend.”

“Fuck, I feel like we don’t know enough about her,” he mutters. “I need someone to become her friend. But who?”

That’s a really good question.

CHAPTER

TWELVE

NOOR

Sitting on the ground with my back to the wall, I stare out the window of the tower. It’s Friday, and I’ve spent most of the time between classes hiding out. I’m either with Rachelle at her office for lunch when she’s here or finding places to eat that are safe.

Calvin is in a groove of helping me find food that I can eat at school, and he either drops it off at Rachelle’s office or sends it with me. Today, I’m finishing off a gluten free sandwich with chicken, bacon, and Swiss cheese. I have to say that it’s delicious, and my body is humming with happiness as I digest. It also isn’t bothering me or making my heart race, so it’s an approved food.

It’s so quiet up here, which is what I need right now. Apparently, there’s actually two towers at the school, and the other is in the elementary school. The students use the stairs to climb as part of their gym class. As much as I despise stairs, I have to admit that the payoff might be worth it.

The sky is a bright blue with fluffy clouds as the breeze drifts into the tower. It’s cool as I lay against the stucco wall, and I sigh peacefully as I relax in the quiet. School hasn’t been fun this week, to say the least.

I’m tripped on my way to sit at my desk, spit balls are aimed at me when the teacher isn’t looking, and when I complain, I’m the one who is sent to sit at the office. Removing me as the root of the problem is a shit solution.

I wish I could wear a hoodie to protect my hair and face, but they’re not allowed at school. So instead, I wear my hair up in braids like a daily part of my uniform, and wear a navy scarf over my hair in classes. The teachers attempted to complain, but I said I would be a routine disruption every class otherwise, and I’m here to learn.

They backed off today finally. I shouldn’t have to deal with this shit. There’s nowhere to hide in between classes since I can only go certain ways to get to my class. I learned that Ciaran is in my advanced calculus class, and he’s begun to call me “nope” instead of Noor.

There’s no creativity in their work. Honestly, it’s a little sad. If you’re going to make my life a living hell, at least give it a little effort.

The girls are the worst if I’m really honest with myself. I’ve already witnessed the lizard part of their brains. The one that disconnects from their humanity to pummel someone until they pass out. There’s zero chance of convincing them to stop. Kelsie said as much to me when she sat behind me in English class.

I can’t even use the restroom without fear. I use the one near the auditorium instead since it’s pretty much deserted between classes. It’s safer to take the extra time to pee by disappearing.

The tower is a large room with a bell in the middle. There’s no windows, and it’s the only part of the school that I like. The things that I’m learning are interesting, I’m getting my homework and papers done, but I’m still not convinced that it’s worth staying for.

The problem is, I’m a stubborn person. I don’t like to be told I can’t do something. I’ve been to the ice rink two more times this week to stretch, skate, and solidify my strength training. My muscles shook the entire time I skated the first time, which was really embarrassing since I knew that the guys were watching me.

I don’t want to bend. I’ve given up too much in my life and I don’t want to do it anymore.

Taking a slow drink of water, I allow myself to drift.