Chapter 4

His angered expression entered my vision and it was at that moment that I would've been happy for the floor to swallow me whole, taking me anywhere other than in front of Josh.

He did nothing but point his finger towards the boy's bathroom, asking the obvious question with his challenging eyes. "I—I—um," my eyes shifted around the corridor, noticing a few more pairs of eyes, watching Josh and I, except that I was still on the floor and he was standing above me, seeming rather unusual from an outsider's point of view.

I was frozen to the ground, with no attempt by myself or anyone to stand back up. "Henry—he—um," the words fell from my lips without a direction in mind, confusing my thoughts even more than before.

Two hands suddenly clasped around my body, hauling me upwards with another person holding onto my shoulder. "Sorry about her," Valentina spoke first, pulling me away from Josh's confusion, "she's having a rough day."

April and Valentina dragged me away from the situation, barely giving me the chance to evaluate what had just happened. I'd narrowly avoided a complete sentence being exchanged between us, mostly because I had been unable to form an actual coherent one.

"Where was Henry when you needed him?" April joked as I regained a sense of myself again, burying my face into my hands at the stupid embarrassment of what I had done.

"Why do you think I was in the boy's bathroom?"

April and Valentina managed to somehow make me laugh again, predominantly about how brainless I had been for stuttering like a fool in front of the one person I owed an apology to. But I'd planned to make sure that I'd stay more vigilant, avoiding him as much as I could. Again.

Unfortunately, I had spent the rest of my day with an unsettling pit at the bottom of my stomach, consciously knowing that today probably wasn't the last time I'd have contact with Josh. And that thought scared me a lot more than it should've.

Once Valentina had dropped me off at home, I was thankful to remember that my parents were at therapy, leaving myself and Biscuit to celebrate the silence around the house.

"I think someone needs a walk," I grinned down at him and ruffled his hair behind the ears, causing a small bark of delight to sound. I tied his collar loosely and attached the leash, following along with him as he led me excitedly towards the front door.

My phone began to vibrate with a call as Biscuit continued to tug me along towards the beach where he could roam freely without having a human attached to him.

"We spoke ten minutes ago, Val," I spoke into the phone with a laugh as I heard the light scoff over the line.

"What a thoughtful way to say hello to your best friend," the sarcasm was heavily prominent as she spoke, causing a small giggle to fall from my lips, "anyway, I called to ask if you wanted to help set up for the party on Saturday."

"What needs setting up?"

"Finn just asked me, and it sounded like a good idea."

"He just wants to see you there earlier, Val. I don't think it takes a lot of manpower to set out a few paper cups around the house."

I laughed as she remained silent, contemplating the actual reason why Finn had asked her to come and set up. "You're right. Never mind. We'll go at the time I said before and I'll leave him waiting," I could sense the smirk across the phone before we said our goodbyes, just as I reached the beach with Biscuit.

Finn was still a complete mystery to me. However, if he was anything like the other guys she had been with, then I knew he was one to fall at her feet for anything she needed. Valentina seemed to have the effect on guys that they were suddenly head over heels for her in a short few weeks, leaving boredom to set in and for her to move on to someone else.

I'm sure she needed someone to keep her on her toes, but I'd yet to see her with someone that was an equal match for her personality.

"Go on, boy," I whispered to Biscuit as if he could hear me and detached him from the leash, allowing him to run headfirst into the water, looking more peaceful than I had ever felt in my life.

The soft sand dipped slightly around me as I sat down against a small tree, pulling my phone from a pocket and turning it on to play a few games that would hopefully keep me pre-occupied until it was time to leave.

The beach was rather quiet, creating a serene atmosphere around me with only a few people walking against the shore, most likely wondering whose lunatic dog was let off the leash to splash around as if he had never seen water before.

"It's ketchup girl, right?" My ears caught the sound of an unfamiliar voice, sounding from behind me.

I hadn't registered that they were talking to me until I finally looked up from my phone at the realisation that I had probably gained that ludicrous nickname from the stupid mistake I had made and couldn't take back.

When I turned, however, I had not expected to see Tyler stepping closer behind me, shocking me a little more than he should've. "I do have a name," my hand flew up to my lips when I suddenly comprehended what had left my mouth.

Yet in an unconventional manner, Tyler burst out laughing, clutching his stomach to stop himself from rolling down onto the floor. My eyebrows furrowed until he was finally finished with the laughing fit he had erupted into.

"I know your name," he surprised me before carrying on, "I just hadn't realised you were feisty. I like that." My chest dropped at the small side smirk he gave me, although I'd assumed it to be more swoon-worthy up close, but it was rather disappointing.

The dimples appearing on his cheeks had caught my attention a little more, bringing out a friendlier side to what I had assumed he would be like around me. "What's my name then?" I checked to ensure that Biscuit was still loving life in the water before turning back to listen to Tyler.

His blonde hair was pushed back by his hands, keeping its position in a perfected quiff that looked as if it had taken hours to achieve.

"It's either Valentina or April, right?" The hidden hope had plummeted slightly with the thought that I was most likely so invisible that I wasn't even amongst the guesses for who I was.

"It's Savannah," my voice had fallen a little offended before I attempted to distract myself by staring back down at my phone.

"That was my third option."

I couldn't help but turn my frown and laugh slightly. I'm not sure how I could've been so intimidated by someone like Tyler. He just seemed like an excitable child that would spark up a conversation with anyone he could.

When I looked back towards Biscuit, he was running back up towards me, ready to soak his fur against my jeans, like usual.

However, as soon as he reached the both of us, he strategically shook out his body, soaking the both of us instead and wagging his tail as if it were a twisted accomplishment in his mind. "Sorry about that," I explained to Tyler and attached the leash again.

"I've got to get going, but it was nice to meet you," I sounded pathetic and timid again as I spoke, losing the confidence I had shortly gained in our conversation. "Come on Biscuit."

Tyler kept his eyes locked with mine when I stood back up and he did the same. "It was nice to meet you too, Savannah," he nodded and placed his hands into his pockets and walked away, "see you tomorrow." He called afterwards as I watched him retreat down the way he had been walking initially.

I knew I was thinking too much into it when my heart raced at the prospect of seeing him tomorrow. Now that he knew my name, I had no excuse to disappear into the crowds at school. I had hoped that they would never learn my name, rendering me to know that they wouldn't see as long as I avoided them.

Walking down the side walk home, I smiled to myself about the short encounter with Tyler and the realisation that I was wrong to form a false opinion of him without speaking to him first, although I didn't know what he was truly like and that would most likely explain the rumours that would circle about his friends.

My small smile immediately faded as I recognised a girl living across the street from me, step out of a dark vehicle. She leaned through the driver's window, seeming to whisper and perhaps kiss them, although I couldn't be sure with the angle I was watching her with.

The car soon pulled a reverse manoeuvre and sped towards where I was walking. And it was only then that my body practically froze. Josh was driving the car, leaning his arm out of the car and not having noticed my presence. Yet.

Another one of my pathetic ideas moved its way to the front of my mind as I acted on sudden instinct and jumped into a small bush outside a neighbour's house with the hopes that they wouldn't see my small figure ruining their front yard.

The car finally drove past as I pulled myself back onto the sidewalk, registering only now that Biscuit's leash had still been attached to my hand, making it seem as if he was somehow latched to the bush.

Pulling the leaves out of my hair, I made the short trip back to my house, wanting to mentally hit myself as soon as I walked through the door. When I checked my phone again, Valentina had left countless messages about Finn, ones I planned on replying to later when I was in a better mood.

All I needed right now was food and sleep.