Brooklyn walked into the girls toilets and met Sasha, Alice and Violet.
"What time do you call this, girl?" Sasha asked, checking her imaginary watch. "I'm assuming you and Harry didn't just talk."
Brooklyn sent a look to Sasha but didn't say anything. She walked over to the mirror and scrunched her face up. "It's going to bruise," she pouted. "That's going to look great for the party."
"Violet can do wonders with makeup," Sasha said. "We'll sort it tomorrow."
"Her ring scratched me," Brooklyn said and gingerly touched the red area on her face.
"I can't believe she slapped you," Violet murmured and passed Brooklyn a tissue.
"Thanks," Brooklyn said and wet the tissue and wiped the dried blood from her face.
"Your back is red," Violet said and Sasha jumped off the side where she was sitting and stood behind Brooklyn.
"You're bleeding," Sasha said. "Stacy is such a bitch! I can't believe she did this!"
"Is it bleeding badly?" Brooklyn asked.
"You picked a bad day to wear white," Alice called.
"You can't go around with a bloody dress on," Sasha said. "I've got a spare pair of shorts, they might be a little tight, but I'm sure they'll do, but I've not got a top. Have any of you girls got anything?"
Violet and Alice shook their head.
"I know someone who might," Sasha said and looked at Brooklyn in the mirror.
"I'm not asking Harry."
"Why not?"
"I... I haven't even got his number so I can't," Brooklyn shrugged.
"But you have my brother's number," Alice said and took out her phone. "I'll call him and ask."
"No- fine," Brooklyn huffed.
Sasha smirked and Alice dialled Kal's number.
"What's up, shithead?" Alice said brightly. "Wait, don't hang up! Jheeze, I'm sorry! Are you with Harry? Great, we need his shirt. No, Brooklyn needs his shirt. Not his shirt he's wearing doofus, a shirt. He must have one in his locker or something. She has blood on her dress where she was shoved into the lockers- Thanks bro!" Alice hung up and looked to Brooklyn. "He's coming to save the day."
"I'll go and grab my shorts from my locker," Sasha said and exited the toilets.
A few minutes later there was a knock on the toilet door.
"Your knight in shining armour has arrived!" Alice called and Brooklyn rolled her eyes and walked to the door. She opened it to reveal Harry and she stepped out, shutting the door behind her.
"Turn around," he said and gently placed his hands on Brooklyn's waist and spun her round.
"Don't get angry," Brooklyn said immediately.
"I'm always angry when it comes to you," Harry said dismissively and Brooklyn shivered when he ran his fingers over her back. "She can't get away with this."
"It can't be that bad," Brooklyn frowned. "I didn't think she pushed me that hard to make me bleed a lot."
Harry didn't say anything. He reached his arms around Brooklyn and placed something soft in her hands. She looked down at the folded grey tshirt.
"Thanks," she muttered.
"I better get back."
"Yes, you should," she said and turned round so she was facing him. "Goodbye, Harry."
"The next time I see you, will you be ignoring me?" Harry asked, a stiffness to his voice.
"If I do so will you get angry?"
Harry just raised his eyebrows. Brooklyn knew the answer.
"Even if I don't will you get angry?"
"It's highly likely, especially since you're still planning on going to the party tomorrow with Josh," Harry said, saying Josh's name with distaste.
"Well, you did punch my cousin and yell at me," Brooklyn said matter of factly.
"I happen to punch and yell at a lot of people," Harry said. "You also yelled at me."
Brooklyn swallowed and took a step back. "I need to change."
"So you're only going to talk to me when it benefits you? Is that it?" Harry snapped. "That is selfish."
"Thank you for the shirt," Brooklyn said and reached for the toilet door but she was pulled back by Harry and gently pushed up against the wall. He was careful not to hurt her tender back.
"When are you going to give up?" Harry groaned, lifting his hand to softly grab Brooklyn's chin.
"I'm a stubborn person, Harry," she said, trying to keep her face as neutral as possible. She didn't want Harry to see how much his touch affected her.
"Yes, you've made that extremely clear, babe," Harry muttered.
"You're not exactly a bundle of laughs yourself," Brooklyn pointed.
"But I know what I want. You can't even accept what you want."
Brooklyn placed her hands on Harry's chest and pushed, but he didn't move an inch. "What do you want, Harry?"
Harry arched an eyebrow. "Is it not clear?"
"I..." Brooklyn's voice faded and she looked up at Harry. "No matter what, Harry, I won't make this easy for you."
"Why?"
"Because I'm stubborn and difficult."
"I'm not afraid of a little work, babe."
"Clearly," Brooklyn murmured.
"You still haven't answered my first question," Harry said. "Are you going avoid me?"
"Are you going to chase me?"
"Always."
Brooklyn managed to wriggle out of Harry's grasp and she opened the toilet door. "Are you going to avoid me, Brooklyn?" Harry called.
Brooklyn looked over her shoulder, a small twinkle of amusement in her eyes. "Always."
*
She couldn't deny it. No matter how hard she tried. Brooklyn had feelings for Harry.
"If I don't say it out loud then it isn't true," Brooklyn said later that day at the diner with Sasha, Alice and Violet.
"It doesn't work that way," Sasha shrugged.
"Just say it," Violet urged.
"I can't!" Brooklyn whined and covered her face with her hands.
"Why are you adamant about avoiding... whatever the hell you two have going on. Really, I struggle to keep up," Alice said.
"I don't want a relationship," Brooklyn said. "I've always said that. It's just a personal thing. I've also never been close with a boy before him. I turned them all away."
"But not him," Violet said.
"He's rather hard to shoo," Brooklyn mumbled. "I think me fighting it is a way of keeping my promise to myself. I said I'd never get close, but with Harry, it's so hard not to."
"So you basically promised yourself off boys?" Sasha wondered. "Why?"
Brooklyn shifted uncomfortably. "Just reasons," she mumbled.
"Maybe what you feel for Harry is stronger than those reasons," Violet said, frowning when she noticed Brooklyn's discomfort.
"That's the thing, I don't want what I feel to be stronger!" Brooklyn groaned. "But it is."
"So no matter what, you're going to fight him?" Violet said.
Brooklyn nodded. "Honestly, I don't see myself doing very well. But I am still annoyed at him for punching Brandon."
"He did bring that on himself, even you admitted that," Sasha said.
"Doesn't mean Harry should have punched him," Brooklyn huffed. "Let me have these reasons to be annoyed at him, it helps me avoid him."
"You mean it helps you from not kissing him," Sasha corrected.
Brooklyn didn't argue.
"If you're going to fight him no matter what then at least you can admit that you like him," Violet shrugged, but Brooklyn shook her head.
"Nope."
"Come on, it's not like no one doesn't know!" Alice exclaimed. "You get all googly eyed around him and he actually talks when he's around you! It's obvious you to like each other!"
"I'm not saying it," Brooklyn said. "School is over for the weekend. We're going to get drunk tomorrow and I'm not talking about Harry at all."
"Instead you can string Josh along," Sasha said.
"He probably deserves it," Violet pointed out.
"True," Sasha nodded. "He's usually an ass to girls."
"See!" Brooklyn said optimistically and took a sip of her milkshake. "It all works out."
*
Brooklyn had come home that day to the shocked cry of her aunt and Brandon's glare when he realised the top she was wearing was not hers.
"I'm fine," Brooklyn said cooly. "I opened my locker into my face."
"You silly girl!" Lisa gasped and rushed over to Brooklyn, making sure she was okay.
Brandon shook his head in disbelief. His mother had believed Brooklyn's lie in a heart beat, but not his.
"Who's top is that?" Lisa asked.
"Just a f..." Brooklyn didn't really know what Harry was to her. "Nobody's. I had blood on my dress so I borrowed a tshirt."
"Harry's?" Lisa asked, a small smirk on her face.
"Lisa," Brooklyn muttered. "I'm going upstairs."
"Spray some antiseptic on that cut!" Lisa called and Brooklyn shouted a reply as she made her way upstairs with Brandon following.
"Hey, B, are you alright?" Brandon asked, stopping Brooklyn by her door. "I didn't get a chance to ask you earlier, but I heard what happened. What really happened."
"I'm more shocked than anything," Brooklyn said. "I can't believe she actually hit me."
"Neither can anyone. We all knew that Stacy was an attention craving bitch. It's old news that she wants Greyson, but she can't even get close to that group. She's just jealous of you," Brandon said.
"Why would anyone want Greyson? He's an ass."
"So is Harry," Brandon said.
"And?"
Brandon shook his head at Brooklyn and walked off.
Brooklyn sighed and walked into her room. She passed the mirror and cringed at the purple bruise where Stacy had slapped her.
"Damn, you can hit hard, girl," Brooklyn murmured and slumped down at her desk. She emptied the contents of her bag over the cluttered desk and looked at her French book. She opened it up and stared at the foreign language. Somehow Harry made it a little easier to understand.
She groaned and slammed the book shut.
"This is a Harry-free weekend," she told herself, even though she desperately wanted to see his bright green eyes and feel his skin against hers. "Why are you doing this to yourself, Brooklyn?"