Chapter 1

Chapter 1

7 years ago

I stood there with my feet rooted to the ground. As a student in a Secondary school, one would possibly have a basic idea of which direction they would like life to move in. I, however was stuck dealing with this poor excuse for a 18 year old man or should I say boy. What did halt me from  running though were the conspicuous words printed in bold on my t-shirt which said "STUDENT LEADER".I was suppose to be a role model for others in school and running away from my problems was not an option.  What scared me, no, TERRIFIED me was that I could feel him before I could see him. Normally, this would be the emotions of a girl who had a hopeless crush on a guy she was too afraid to approach. However, the sad reality was that I, Lorraine Watt could never fall in love or rather believed that I could never fall in love. At least not with the guy who had made it his life's sole mission to make my life a living hell. "And look who it is", his voice that had turned even more annoying after puberty, ringed irritatingly in my ears. Aran Carter wore the roguish grin that made girls swoon all over him and that annoyed me more than anyone could ever imagine. I shifted nervously on my feet as he made his way towards me in the crowded canteen. "Aran!" I said in a defeated tone that I was trying my best to mask but failed miserably at. "You missed me didn't you? The two days I was not here to make your life…….. HELL!" his words followed by his hysterical laughter sent shivers through me. It was back to reality after what had seemed liked two days of normal life that I had enjoyed as a carefree 16 - year old until Aran presented himself. "Oh please god, please!" I pleaded under my breath . Aran was hiding something behind his back and I knew from the time he walked up to me that this was going to end up with him laughing and me cursing my fate , considering it was nothing new. It took him 5 seconds to pour seafood pasta all over me, staining my yellow t-shirt with cream coloured sauce. "Oh no, are you going to have a allergic reaction to all that seafood? ". Just as he finished his sentence he took a glass of water from the table beside him and poured it over me." There, being the nice person that I am, I have saved you from getting an allergic reaction to all that seafood by cleaning you up. So you better be thankful Watt!".  His friend Pete who was standing directly behind him started to laugh like a hyena and said " Ummm, Aran I don't think one glass of water will be enough to "clean" her up considering that she is as humongous as a whale or what we call FAT!" That was it, that word 'FAT'  shoved under my nose constantly was turning out to be more than I thought I could handle. All this happened to me, Lorraine Watt because I was not what people called the ideal girl. I was a big girl: in terms of size and I was not exactly proud of it but then again I did not understand how me being overweight was a problem for  Aran. As I stood there stunned  I did not know what to expect next until I heard, "ARAN!!!!". The  familiar voice that darted through the canteen caused all the noise and whispers to cease. I turned around only to let out the breath I had been holding. Mr Timothy Gales stood there with his sleek and short brown hair combed to the right. Mr Gales was my English teacher and the school counsellor. He loved English but took special interest in knowing what negatively affected the academic ability of his students. He believed that all children are empty slate's better known as 'Tabula Rasa'. To him the experience and the path that a child chooses, defines what becomes of them. He took long strides in the direction where Aran and me stood. The scowl on his face could be menace for anyone but Aran . " Mr Gales, I was just having some fun" Aran said boringly. FUN???? He poured pasta with prawns all over me for FUN??? I could not believe this boy or should I say reprobate standing in front of me.

 " Aran, apologise to Lorraine……NOW!" Mr Gales loud emphasis on the last word had surely scared the hell out of the whole canteen. "No can do, Mr Gales and anyway she deserves it. She is always the reason I get into trouble anyway and just for the record no one likes her, her allergies or her fatness. She is just a sore….LOSER!". The last word "loser" was something he had to turn and say to at my face and I did nothing but put my head down in shame. In the blink of an eye, Aran was being dragged by his arm to the office. "THIS IS NOT OVER WATT!!!!" he shouted as he was dragged further away until he was out of my sight. The ever too relieving sound of the bell sounded reminding me that it was finally time to go home. I looked down at myself and sighed. " Another five more days Lorraine you can do it!" Tisca Wellington whispered so softly that if the canteen was not quiet I would have missed what she had said. I turned to face Tisca who had gorgeous black hair tied up in a ponytail, while her nervous brown eyes scanned the whole canteen for any sign of danger also known as Aran's friends. After she had finished scanning the canteen, she let out the breath she had been holding from the time she entered the canteen. I gave Tisca a sincere smile "Thank you Tisca, what would I do without you and your support". "I am sorry, Raine, for not being able to stop him again" . Sagging her shoulders Tisca gave me a apologetic  smile. I knew for a matter of fact that Tisca was too scared to even protect herself and there have been times where I had to run to her rescue. There were times when I wished I could protect myself like I protected Tisca. "There is no need to apologise for not being able to save me from that twat, Tisca, I am just glad you are finally here. Should we head back home? Because I have got to clean this mess before mom gets home from work". Tisca nodded and we headed out of the school garnering weird stares all the way. I ignored everything like I always did. If dealing with Aran had taught me anything, it was to ignore all the negativity and concentrate on the positive. My mom had thought me never to waste time dwindling on the negative and always remembering the positive. The positive was going home to a family that loved me and that was all I needed. I knew that this week the storm named Aran had subsided because it was the weekend but I  just had to survive this one more week…. just one more.