Chapter 7 (Roses Are Red)

• Blossom's POV
• "WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR FOREHEAD?" my mother's concerned voice rang out when I entered the house and met her in the small living room.
• "I tripped and fell on a stair case in the school," I lied. I had never lied to my mother before but I couldn't tell her that I was beaten up by my head cheerleader for being too friendly with her boyfriend. After all, my mother did warned me to stay away from boys.
• "Are you going to be okay?" She asked again.
• "Yes. I already saw the school nurse and she said it was just a slight cut. It wouldn't scar or anything."
• "Okay. Well, I'm off to work now. Lock the doors as usual and don't answer it to anyone. I felt food in the oven."
• I watched as she walked down the pathway, crossed and street and fetched a bus to her night-shift job. I felt vulnerable all over again as the images flashed back to what Brooke had her friends do to me.
• My tiny frame was pushed in every direction, with punches landing on me like rain, and I felt the warmth of blood when my forehead collided with one of the sinks but that didn't stop the attack against me.
• Amy and Tina literally dragged my beaten body to Brooke, who stood over me and looked down like if she was God. She then dropped to my level, bending her knees and using her hands to brush strands of hair stuck to my face by the blood.
• "Let this be lesson number one. Jevan is mine. Stay away!" She rose and walked out of the washroom with her friends following after her.
• I slowly picked myself put and staggered to the school nurse's station. When her eyes fell on the condition I was in, she rushed towards me and help me sit down. She cleaned the cut on my forehead and applied a band-aid. I spent to rest of the afternoon in her care and when the school bell rang, ending the day, I was the first to get to the school bus.
• ________
• After I had completed my homework and freshened up, I put on the television and help myself to the food my mother prepared for me. Before I could take a seat, a knock came to the front door. I leaped and glance up at the wall clock. It was now minutes to six.
• I took slow steps to the door. "Who is it?"
• "It's me."
• My heart leaped again. "Go away, Jevan."
• "Blossom, I want to see your face. Please, can you open the door?"
• I was now emotionally fighting with myself. My heart wanted to let him in but fear wanted me to double lock the doors and run upstairs and pretended as if he never came to the door.
• "Blossom. I have something for you."
• "Is it Jason?" I asked, remembering our 'stuff child' together.
• "No."
• "Then please go away, Jevan."
• "Why? Why are you pushing me away? What are you afraid of?" he asked from behind the door.
• I wanted to tell him how vicious Brooke was for him but I didn't. My hands fell on the surface of the door as if it was his body. Tears streamed my eyes. My heart hurt for him more than the punches and cut on my body and forehead.
• "Bloss, I'll just leave this right here then." I placed my ear against the door and heard his receding footsteps and then the engine to his car before he drove away. I slowly opened the door and the tears poured down when I saw what he had bought for me.
• ________
• The next morning at school, I tried to be invisible but it turned out that you can't be invisible when the most popular boy in the school is giving you attention. Every locker I walked by with student gathered around, they were pointing and whispering his name or saying something about Brooke.
• Nina and Sophia met me.
• "Oh, our poor baby. Are you okay? We're so sorry this happened to you," Sophia said and frowned at my forehead.
• "Can we please return to being ordinary? All I wish to do is to graduate and go to college in one piece," I responded.
• "We completely understand and we're...... oh oh," Nina cut herself.
• "What is it?" I asked.
• "Don't turn around."
• "There's no hiding from him."
• "He insisted I told him what was up, Nina. I couldn't ."
• I smelled his sweet masculine fragrance around me before his arms wrapped around my shoulders. He turned me in his direction. His eyes travelled up to my forehead and the seriousness in them was enough to intimidate anyone.
• "What happened to you?" he asked me.
• "I fell," I lied.
• "What happened to you?" he asked again, not a trace of smile anywhere in sight. His eyes were narrowed in and dark now.
• "I fell," I lied again and moved away from him just in time as Brooke and her friends walked in. She came right up to us and circled Jevan's neck in her evil arms, pulling him closer to her.
• "Brooke, stop," he told her and removed her arms.
• "Jevan, what's the matter with you?"
• "You know what's the matter with me. You still go around wanting to give everyone the impression that you and I are still together when we're not. It's over. It's been over between us since last Christmas."
• "Jevan, you're being irrational here. We had one misunderstanding and you want to end us just like that?" Brooke lashed out at him.
• "A misunderstanding? You called my mother a bitch to my face!"
• "She doesn't like me! And you never stood up for me at least once whenever she would pester me about my manners and my behaviour. There's nothing wrong with my manners and or behaviour!"
• I watched as Jevan shook his head in pity of her and walked away. Brooke let out a loud scream and her face was a tomato red and she walked in the other direction. The bell rang and the halls got scarce from students.
• Nina, Sophia and I walked to our class.
• "I can't believe they've broken up since last year," Nina said.
• "Brooke is so good at pretending."
• "Blossom, I think he's about to be all yours now and there's nothing you should be afraid of because if it's one person who Brooke is afraid of, it's Jevan Hollen."
• "So, if he ask to be his girlfriend, would you say yes?"
• We stopped together and their eyes stayed on me, waiting for my answer.
• "I don't know. This is all too much, too quickly," I said.
• "Well, it's not going to slow down for you. The connection is already there but I get what you're saying. You just want to go with the flow."
• We continued on our way to class.
• _________
• At lunch, we couldn't help it but keep our eyes out for Connor, but Jevan came instead. He took my hand and gestured for us to follow him. He lingered with me in the hallway while Nina and Sophia went on ahead of us.
• "I know what Brooke did to you. I just wish you were honest to me about it."
• "I'm sorry. I'm afraid of her."
• "You don't have to be afraid of a bully like Brooke because you're giving her exactly what she wants. At some point in your life, you have to stand up for yourself, especially at this school. Don't allow anyone, no matter how big, how rich or how powerful they are, to push you around. Okay?"
• "Okay," I answered.
• "Come here." He gently pulled me against his chest and my worries, fears and problems melted away. His heart beat matched mine as I listened and felt it against my ear. His fragrance wrapped around me like a comforter and I found my arms circling his waist as well. I knew what was happening now and that wasn't a feeling I could shake off.
• I was falling for Jevan Hollen.