Addison's Hero

Later on that day, Addison rushed to get to her biology class. She kept her head held high and she walked through the halls, ignoring the whistles and laughter of the other students. Everywhere she looked students were holding the flyers with the picture of her on it. She had even overheard some students say that Lacey was sending the picture direct to people’s phone. Addison wanted to curl up and hide under a rock. Her life really couldn’t get much worse at the moment.

She walked into her Biology class room and sat at her desk. When she looked down, there lying on the smooth wooden service was a flyer. She screwed it up and stuffed it in her bag along with all the others she had found and screwed up. There seemed to be a endless supply of them.

Mr Hughes stood at the front of the class so he could start the lesson. About 15 minutes into the boring lesson the door opened and Max Lane walked into the room, his eyes met Addison’s before looking at Mr Hughes.

‘Sorry sir... Had something to do,’ he said in way of a explanation.

Mr Hughes raised an eyebrow and replied, ‘So sorry that my lesson gets in the way of your busy scheduled. Perhaps meeting after school will be more to your convenience, we’ll start tomorrow evening, shall we?’

Max didn’t look too bother about the fact that he had just been dealt a detention.

‘Righto!’ he said before moving to find his seat.

As Max made his way to he seat further back from Addison’s he slipped a piece of folded paper onto her desk as he walked past.

Addison frowned at him over her shoulder but he just smiled and sat in his seat.

She turned back to her desk and looked at the paper, wondering what it was? She looked at Mr Hughes and when she was sure he wouldn’t see her she unfolded it on her lap and looked down at it.

Her heart jumped madly when she first saw it. It was the picture of herself. She felt hurt that Max would flaunt it in her face like that. She had started to think that he was different. It took her a moment or two to notice that something about this picture was different. Through her shock and hurt she had missed the straggly writing scribbled along the side of the photo. She shook her head at the fact that she could miss something that stood out like that. Looking down she read the words scribbled there and couldn’t help the small smile start at her lips.

In black ink was wrote,

Is this what you’re upset about?
Why?
All the girls are just jealous of the hot body you’ve got
and all the guys are going to be using this picture for... well you know what!
I bet by Friday you’ll be asked out by some guys, just remember I have first dibs...
M x

Addison looked over her shoulder again and sent Max a smile, he smiled back and then looked down at his hands on the desk.

Addison turned back to face the front of the class, she didn’t pay very much attention to the rest of the lesson though, her thoughts were mostly on Max.

She found him irritating, yes. But it was sweet of him to try and make her feel better over the picture. He was the only person at the school who had been decent to her. He hadn’t listened to the lies and rumours about her but had formed his own opinion. She had to be thankful for that. Maybe she should give him a chance? Maybe he wasn’t all bad?


With her mind made up on the issue of Max she couldn’t wait to speak to him after class but as soon as she got out of the crowded doorway and looked for him he had gone, rushed off to wherever it was he was going. Addison shrugged her shoulders and thought about looking for him at the end of the day.

At the end of the day though she couldn’t see him anywhere and when she glanced into the car park to look for his bike it wasn’t there either.

She gave up looking for him and started the uphill hike home.

When she got in she was hot and sweaty. Her feet hurt once again and the horror of the day had been playing on her mind so much that she was in a terrible mood. She walked into the kitchen to find her aunt sat at the table peeling potatoes and Lacey sat next to her a cold class of juice in her hand. They looked like they had been having a nice chat, happy smiles on both their faces.

When Rachel saw her she sent Addison a bright smile and spoke, ‘Hey, Addie. Lacey’s just been telling me about your day!’

Addison looked at Lacey’s face with shocked eyes, what had she told her mother, not the truth surly? Addison didn’t trust the smile on Lacey’s face.

‘She was telling me that you’ve had lots of attention today. See, I told you it wouldn’t be long till you made friends, didn’t I?’ Her aunt looked so please and happy that Addison didn’t have the heart to put her straight on the situation. Instead she nodded and smiled. When she looked at Lacey though it was to see that the other girl could hardly contain her laughter.

---

Two days later Addison still hadn’t seen Max, it was like he had decided to just not turn up for school for a couple of days. During her next Biology lesson she had decided to take notes for him, so that he wouldn’t fall behind. He must be bad in Biology if he was repeating it and it would be a way for her to repay him for cheering her up, she thought.

The next day, as she was putting away some stuff in her locker and looking around the halls she noticed that nobody was paying her any attention. Luckily all the flyers with the pictures of her on it had seemed to disappear and nobody seemed to be talking about it now. It was yesterdays news. Today’s news seemed to be the breakup of Parker Highs cutest couple, Dan Neil and Jessica Smith. Apparently Dan felt that after three years of being steady it was time for them to try new things (meaning people). Jessica was suppose to be heartbroken at the breakup. The news though, had Lacey in a spin as she had set her sights on Dan Neil. She deemed him the perfect boyfriend. Every time Addison saw her she was clinging on the handsome senior’s arm and giving a false laugh. It was enough to make Addison gag!

Addison looked further down the row of lockers and saw, to her delight, Max. She reached into her locker and pulled out the Biology notes she had taken for him. She closed her locker door and taking a deep breath she walked towards him. She didn’t know why she felt a little nervous. She was only going to hand the notes to him. He’d say thanks and she’d go on her way. She was just being nice, that was all.

She was about five steps away from him when she realised that he was with two other guys. One was very tall, taller then Max, who Addison had though was tall enough, and he had dark short hair. The other was short with blonde hair and cute in a boyish way. Addison took another deep breath and walked the few steps needed to reach Max’s side. She stood there for what seemed ages before he noticed her. He looked up and she gave a small smile.

‘Hi,’ she said.

Max looked at the two guys stood with him and nodded his head. He was leading back against a locker in a relaxed position. His arms folded across his leather jacket on his body. His friends sent him sly grins.

‘Ermm...’ Addison’s tongue felt stuck to the roof of her mouth. With Max’s friends looking on she felt intimidated.

‘What is it?’ Max asked, his tone sounding bored.

‘Oh! Er... Well I noticed you missed Biology so I took a few notes for you...’

The two guys burst out laughing and the short one hit Max on the arm. ‘Oh! That’s so cute!’ he gasped.

Addison looked from him to Max and felt stupid standing there holding the notes out to Max. He looked at the paper in her hands and took it from her.

‘Thanks,’ he said not looking at her but looking over her head.

Addison took a step back, not sure what was going on. Why did Max seem so cold and unfriendly?

Just then a young looking boy, Addison guessed he must be a freshman, walked over to Max and his gang.

‘Ermm...’ He said. ‘That’s my locker.’ He pointed to the locker that Max was leaning against.

Max looked at the short guy and the tall one and all three of them burst out laughing this time.

‘Too, bad,’ Max said. ‘You best find another!’

The young boy looked scare as the tall guy stepped in front of him and gave him a menacing look. He looked behind the tall guy and at Max then quickly turn and walked away. Addison sent Max a questioning look and shook her head.

‘What?!’ he said.

‘You’re a jerk!’ she replied. She shook her head again, shocked at his behaviour. Obviously she hadn’t been wrong about him. She didn’t understand. Why was he acting the way he was? He had been so nice to her the other day.

As she walked away she looked back over her shoulder and saw him toss the notes she had given him into the bin at his side.

She wondered again and again throughout the day what had got into him? The first few time she had met him he had seemed, a little irritating, yes, but he had also seemed decent enough. He had been friendly to her, considerate even if you took into account the fact that he had even offered her a lift once. She felt hurt by the way he had acted today. He had been mean to that boy too. It just didn’t seem like him, but then again, she admitted to herself, she didn’t really know him and today just went to prove that fact.

Addison thought about what he had put on that flyer, that she would end up with guys asking her out, and that he wanted first dibs...? Obviously he had changed his mind or he had been lying. Addison’s big black cloud came back to hover over her on the way home and she felt the depressive impression of it pushing her shoulders into the ground. Just when she though her life was taking a turn for the better it ends up taking a wrong turn instead. She had just been stupid and foolish. After what had she expected? That Max would want to spend time with her? Then what? Had she wanted him to ask her out? Getting involved with a boy right now was not on her list of things to do.

She just needed to take each day as it came, day by day. And she had to speak to her aunt about enroling in a different school!

---

The next day at lunch she was sat on the low wall, that she had begun to think of as her own little place. She was eating her ham barm that she had bought and people watching when she saw the girl with curly red hair and freckles walk over to her. Addison looked down at her white shoes and wasn’t quite sure what to do when the girl sat next to her on the wall.

‘Hi, I’m Nat Pepperman.’ the girl said in a happy tone.

Addison looked over at her and saw that she was smiling. Was this some kind of new trick? she thought to herself.

‘Hi,’ Nat said again, looking more closely at Addison. Addison knew she was being rude by not replying to Nat but she didn’t know what to say. Could she trust Nat?

‘Ok, so you don’t want to talk. I get that. I often don’t want to talk myself some days. It only lasts about 5 seconds though. My dad says I can’t be quiet to save my life. I’m a complete chatter box. I don’t agree. After all I’m quiet when I’m asleep, arn’t I? I mean-’

‘Unless you talk in your sleep,’ Addison interrupted her. She couldn’t help but instantly like Nat. She was cute in a funny kind of way and Addison agreed with Nat’s father, she was a chatterbox.

‘Hey! you said something!’

‘Well, I can talk,’ Addison told her.

‘I know. I was hoping you wern’t being rude though,’ Nat said and looked again at Addison.

‘I’m sorry,’ Addison apologised. ‘It’s just...just that...’

‘That nobody’s really been very friendly to you, is that it?’

Addison nodded her head.

‘I’m sorry...’ Nat said quietly. ‘I wanted to talk to you before but...’

‘But you believed what Lacey said about me,’ Addison finished for her.

‘I’m sorry,’ Nat said again, brushing a hand through her curly hair. ‘What can I say but that I’m fickle and a teenager? I’m easily led. Being sixteen is a impressible age, you know?’

‘Really?’ Addison asked playing along. ‘I hadn’t realised.’ She looked at the open expression on Nat’s face and knew that she wasn’t pulling a prank and that she was being honest. Addison could trust her.

‘Well it is, which leads me to the reason why I finally decided to befriend you-’

‘Oh, so your befriending me now, are you?’ Addison asked.

‘Of course. You need a friend and I’m it!’

Both girls laughed at Nat’s comment and Addison realised that her heart felt much lighter then it did before Nat had come over. This is what she had needed, just to talk to someone her age about nothing. Just to pass the time and have a laugh. Nat, she realised, was a god send.

‘So, what was it then?’ Addison asked, thinking about Nat’s comment about befriending her.

‘What?’ Nat asked.

‘The thing that made you decide to befriend me at last.’

‘Oh, that.’ Nat looked around as if to check that the close was clear and nudging herself along the wall so that her head was closer to Addison’s she said, ‘Max Lane.’

‘Max?’

Nat nodded her head. ‘Yes, I had to warn you.’

‘Warn me? About what?’

‘About Max, of course!’ Nat cried as if Addison was missing something of vital importance. ‘He’s trouble. Way bad news. You should stay away from him...’

‘I should stay away from him? Nat, I’m not following. Are you warning me off him?’

‘Ha!’ Nat laughed, clutching her stomach. ‘As if! No way would Max ever look at me! No I’m not warning you off him, I’m warning you about him.’

Addison shook her head at Nat, her long brown hair flying about her face. ‘I still don’t understand...’

‘Addie, may I call you Addie?-’

‘No.’

‘Oh... Oh, well. Addison, Max Lane picks out little girls like us and chews them up for breakfast. He is trouble with a capital T and all respectable young ladies must and should stay away from him... Don’t get involved. He’ll ruin your life.’

Addison listened to Nat’s words and found her curiosity about Max doubled. Who was this guy who could change his personality in a matter of days? What had he done that was so bad that Nat felt the need to warn Addison about him?

‘Why?’ Addison asked.

‘Why what?’ Nat replied.

‘Well, Why...? What has Max done that’s so bad?’

Nat looked around her again and both girls noticed Max standing by the entrance to the school. As soon as Addison’s eyes saw him he turned and stared straight at her.

‘He’s been in trouble. He’s no good, as my dad would say. He bums his way through school, he goes through more girlfriends then socks,’ Nat explained.

‘Well, that’s not so bad,’ Addison said, she found that she couldn’t tare her eyes away from Max’s. ‘I know of guys like that in England too.’

‘Yeah! But Max doesn’t care. He doesn’t give a damn. He bullies his way around school, thinking he’s the boss.’

‘I noticed,’ Addison said thinking about the boy and his locker from the day before.

‘The worst of it is though, he got some girl, last year, in trouble and then just left her to deal with it on her own...’ Addison managed to tare her eyes away from his long enough to look at Nat.

‘Trouble?’ she asked, not liking the sound of the word.

Nat nodded her head and lowered her head as she spoke, ‘Yes, trouble, as in with a baby...’

Addison gasped. ‘What happened?’

‘Well, apparently the girl and her parents moved away. She didn’t go here, she went to a different school but it was all around town, how this girls father found out and beat Max up. Max had black eyes for weeks!’

‘Oh my god!’ Addison said, looking back at Max, shocked.

He must of noticed something in her expression though for he sent her a scowl and walked into the building.

‘It’s true, so you see, Addison. He’s bad news and I just wanted to let you know. I saw you talking to him yesterday. I don’t want you to get hurt,’ Nat said.

Addison looked at her and before she could stop her self the words left her mouth, ‘That’s grand, Nat, but I’ve already been hurt by the lack of friendliness at this school! Max may be a jerk but at least he judged me for me and not for what he heard. You seem nice, you really do, but don’t you think I could of done with a bit of friendship when Lacey was passing out those pictures of me.’

Nat looked shocked at Addison’s words and she blushed.

‘I know. I wanted to talk to you your first day, you seemed nice but then, well.... And then those pictures... I felt bad, I really did. I’m sorry.’ Silence seemed to echo around the two girls after Nat said this.

‘It’s ok,’ Addison said finally. Nat really did look sorry and Addison thought it woudn’t be fair to hold it against her, after all it wasn’t Nat who had done the horrible things. ‘And you needn’t worry about Max. I’m sure that I shaln’t be talking to him again. Like I said. I worked out he was jerk for myself.’

‘Why? What happened?’ Nat asked, her green eyes wide in her face in eagerness.

‘Nothing much, it doesn’t matter.’

Nat looked like she wanted to ask more but just then the bell rang and both girls got up and made their way to their lessons.

---

Throughout the day Addison saw glimpses of Max. She wondered about what Nat had told her. She didn’t know whether to believe it or not. She couldn’t see Nat lying though. She realised that stories often get mixed up. The old game of Chinese whispers came to mind. She decided to judge Max on how he was with her, not on gossip, after all gossip hadn’t done her any good and she knew what it felt like to be on the wrong side of it.

However the way Max had been the day before hadn’t done him any favours and Addison didn’t care if she didn’t speak to him again.

She should of known that that wouldn’t happen though, she thought at the end of the day.

She was walking towards her locker when she noticed that Max and his goons where leaning against the same locker as the day before. They were laughing and Addison saw that the boy, who’s locker it was, was hovering around, as if waiting for his chance to rush in and get his things.

Addison decided to take pity on the boy and she walked over to him.

‘Hi,’ she said, giving him a smile, he looked at her suspiciously. ‘Do you want to get to your locker?’

‘What’s it to you?!’ he said, glaring over at Max.

‘Well, I was going to offer you my help,’ Addison said to him. He was rude and she though she was being kind by helping, she guessed not and went to walk away. She hadn’t turned around before he shouted.

‘Wait!’ Addison looked at him, raising one eyebrow. ‘Can you get him to move?’ he asked, nodding towards Max.

‘Sure!’ Addison replied.

She turned to look at Max and his friends. She guessed that they were just the followers and she wouldn’ need to bother with them. It was Max she had to deal with. Addison stood watching him, standing there looking all cool and smug. She let the anger of the last few weeks sweep over her. All the bitterness she felt at what had happened to her. She was going to enjoy being able to vent, she thought. She walked over to where Max was. He looked up at her and rolled his eyes.

‘What do you want?’ Tall guy asked, Addison ignored him and instead stared into Max’s eyes. She maintain eye contact with him and felt please when he was the first to look away.

‘Well?’ Max asked.

Addison glared at him and reaching out her hand she grabbed hold of one of Max’s arms and pulled.

‘Come with me!’ she said and dragged Max with her.

‘Hey! What?-’

Addison dragged Max away from the lockers and the boy who’s locker it was rushed over to retrieve his things. Max’s two friends looked on in shock as Max let himself be dragged outside to the back of the school.

Addison knew that Max was letting her drag him. It had only been when she had gripped his arm that she had realised how much stronger then her he was. He could of resisted her if he had wanted to.

He followed her out to the ally at the back of the canteen. Addison let go of his arm and turned to him.

‘I hope you know what a complete and utter jerk I think you are!’ she shouted at him. Her brown eyes shooting sparks at him and her hair flying about her rosy cheeks, the rosy colour caused through temper.

‘I wouldn’t expect anything less. And you’re completely metal, you know? What were you thinking of, trying to drag me out here?’ he said, keeping his voice calm.

‘You! Not letting that poor lad into his locker. You’re a bully, Max!’

‘Amongst other things, yes,’ he agreed and Addison felt like beating him! Why couldn’t he say something she could have a go at? She really needed to shout and scream. The temper inside her was ready to explored out of her body.

‘You are a jerk!’ she shouted again.

Max laughed. ‘Is that all you’ve got?’ he asked.

‘You...you....’

‘Come on Addie you can do better then that. I bet you’ve got loads you want to say... I bet you’ve heard all about me by now!’

‘Yes,’ she shouted. ‘Yes I have and it all goes to prove what I worked out for myself!’

‘And what’s that?’ he asked moving closer to her.

‘That you’re a-’

‘Jerk! Yes I know. You keep saying that.’ He moved closer still and Addison found herself taking a step back.

He followed her step with one of his own and lifted his hand to her shoulder to keep her in place.

‘What are you doing?’ she asked, her brown eyes large in her pale face.

‘Calming you down,’ he replied and leaning forward he kissed her.

---

I know I'm sorry for leaving it like that, but I wanted to end it on a bit of a cliff hanger... don't worry I'm posting the next chapter right away :)