The Girlfriend Shield

by S. A. Hunter

  The Girlfriend Shield

  Noble Academy, Volume 4

  S.A. Hunter

  Published by S.A. Hunter, 2018.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  THE GIRLFRIEND SHIELD

  First edition. June 12, 2018.

  Copyright © 2018 S.A. Hunter.

  Written by S.A. Hunter.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  OTHER BOOKS BY S.A. HUNTER

  Chapter 1

  Mom and Dad looked at me funny when I entered the living room. I was wearing an old sweatshirt and baggy jeans, and my hair was pulled back into a ponytail under a baseball cap. I didn’t look like myself. I didn’t look like anyone. If I kept my head down, it was hard to tell if I was a girl or a boy.

  “I’m going to the library,” I told them. They still looked at me funny. “I’m trying to go incognito so Damien doesn’t find me.”

  My parents’ confusion cleared. “You shouldn’t have to put on a disguise to go outside,” Mom said.

  She was right, but since I’d met Damien, I’d had to do a lot of odd and weird things. I was having to be weird now because I couldn’t be near him. He had been banished from my presence. It was the week before exams and I needed to study, but he didn’t. He was a straight-A student without any effort. He’d offered to help me study, but within the first hour of his help, he’d thrown my flashcards everywhere and whined that he was bored. After I made him pick them all back up, he’d played for a while on his phone, but he couldn’t play quietly. The sound may have been turned off on the phone, but Damien didn’t have a mute button. Finally, I’d told him that he had to go away. I promised to call him when I was done studying so we could hang out.

  He seemed convinced that I’d forget to call him when I finished studying and that I’d have tons of fun without him. He’d been calling every half hour to see if I was done studying. I’d told him that I’d call him when I was done, but every half hour he called because maybe I forgot to let him know. I’d turned off my phone, but he’d started calling the landline. Mom had told him that she’d call him when I was done studying. He kept calling every half hour because maybe my mom forgot to let him know as well. We considered disconnecting the phone, but Dad said he would probably start sending someone to our door every half hour if we did.

  I couldn’t get mad at him for his constant pestering. I wanted to be done studying. I wanted to go hang out with him, but I wasn’t some super genius like him. School stuff wasn’t a breeze for me. I’d been studying in my room for the past couple of days to avoid him, but I needed a change of scene. This was my first time venturing out. I knew he wouldn’t be able to stay away if he knew I was out and about, hence the disguise.

  “What should I tell Damien when he calls,” Mom checked her watch, “in eighteen minutes?”

  “Tell him what you’ve been telling him: I’m busy studying. Don’t let on that I’m not here.”

  Mom shook her head, obviously not happy to be lying for me.

  “If he finds you, go hide in the game room. It’ll be the last place he looks,” Dad said wryly.

  “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

  When I exited the staff apartment building, I kept the brim of my cap low. I didn’t think he was outside watching for me, but he might have tasked Andy and/or Tom, his two sophomore henchmen to do it. Or he might have tapped into the security cameras and was watching himself. I really didn’t know when it came to Damien, anything was possible.

  As I walked up the path to the back school entrance, I passed a few staff people coming home. They had to peer at me closely to determine who I was, and when they realized it was me, their faces cleared up, but they obviously thought I was acting weird. I sheepishly waved at them and scurried by.

  I didn’t dare cut through the courtyard. I was sure he would see me if I did. The West Dorm towered over everything in the courtyard, and Damien West had a clear view of everything. I imagined him standing at his window with binoculars watching for me. It was absurd, but I couldn’t shake the image. I took the long way through the main school’s east corridor. The classrooms had been left open for students to use. I glanced in a few of these and considered abandoning the library and using one of them, but I liked the library. I wanted to be there. All the books made me feel smarter.

  With my face pointed down, and fingers crossed that no one recognized me, I reached the library. As I peeked inside, I realized that I wasn’t the only one who felt smarter surrounded by books. The place was packed. It was a far different scene than what I was used to. I was used to having the place practically to myself. It was kind of annoying to see so many of my classmates using the space now.

  “Sarah, is that you?”

  I sighed, unhappy that someone had recognized me. I turned to Millie, the female half of the couple that ran the library. “Yeah, it’s me. I was hoping to find a quiet spot to study.”

  She crooked her finger for me to follow her into the stacks. Not sure where she was going, I trailed after her. When we turned a corner, I found a little nook with a table and two chairs. “All yours,” Millie whispered with a wink.

  I mouthed thank you and sat down at the small table.

  This was perfect. I was out of the way. No one would come wandering down to that end of the stacks. No one needed books in the Z’s. I was able to get through my Spanish flashcards twice before being interrupted.

  “Mind if I join you?”

  I looked up at Noah Nash.

  The blond sophomore was almost as bad as Damien. I grabbed the brim of my hat to hide my face and put on a fake accent of indeterminate origin hoping he hadn’t recognized me. “No, sorry. Have condition. Need privacy.”

  “Damien is many things, but I don’t think the DSM-IV has added him yet, Sarah.”

  My shoulders slumped. “I just want to study, please.”

  He shrugged. “That’s fine. So do I. Why do you think I came here?”

  He did have his laptop and some textbooks. He looked ready to study. I stacked my books to clear space for him. “Okay, but don’t tell anyone I’m here.”

  He smirked. “I won’t tell him anything. What are you studying?”

  I’d moved from Spanish to Earth Sciences. I flashed the textbook cover to show him. Not wanting chit-chat, I hunched over it ready to dive back into plate tectonics and weather patterns.

  “You have Prof. Friedman, right?”

  I didn’t lift my eyes from the textbook, but I nodded.

  “He always focuses on the last chapters in the final exam. He’ll recycle questions from the earlier tests to cover the first chapters. All you have to do is memorize the questions on the tests and study the last three chapters closely.”

  I looked up at him in dawning awe. Was he right? It would be a relief if I only had to memorize the early tests and not have to re-study all of the early chapters. Noah was the best student in his grade. He would know these things. “Thanks,” I said, and turned to later in the book.

  “I’m surprised Damien isn’t helping you study.”

  “Are you kidding?” I asked.

  “No. Why?”

  “You know him. He offers to help, but he has the attention span of a two-year-old. After fifteen minutes, he’s bouncing around the room wanting to play a game or watch a video or eat some junk food.”

  “Yeah, I know. I figured he’d
be better with you.”

  “Well, he’s not.”

  After he settled in, we studied together for an hour. I was surprised at how comfortable it was. He focused on his work and didn’t once bother me. The only reason I stopped studying was that I had to use the restroom. Seeing him pause when I got up, I asked, “What language do you take?”

  “French. Why?”

  “I just wondered if you’d have any tips on Prof. Nunez’s exam.”

  He chuckled. “I’ll ask around.”

  I didn’t take his offer seriously, but I grinned at him. I skirted around the main study area to reach the restroom. I was scared that Damien had spies looking for me. I was probably paranoid, but he did have henchmen. Spies weren’t a leap. I searched the main study area and spotted Angela. That morning, she’d invited me to join her and a group of girls studying in the library. I would’ve liked to study with them, but a familiar head of poufy hair appeared at the library entrance making a beeline to Angela. Seeing Damien in person caused me to dash the rest of the way to the restroom.

  I pushed the swinging door shut as my heart calmed. Had he figured out I’d escaped the apartment? I took out my cell phone and turned it on. Twenty missed calls. All of them were from the same familiar number in thirty-minute increments. Was he calling my cell and my home? Jesus. I dialed home.

  “Hey, honey. Everything okay?” Mom asked.

  “Yeah, I’m at the library. Does Damien know that I’m not home?”

  “I don’t know. He called here at the regular half-hour interval.”

  “Thanks. I caught a glimpse of him here. I’m hiding in the girls’ restroom.”

  “You shouldn’t let him affect you like this. Just tell him to go away.”

  I wished it were as simple as telling him to go away, or rather I wish I could do that simple task, but I found it hard to say no to his face, hence hiding in the apartment. When he got that disappointed look, I felt awful and I found myself giving in, then his face would light up, and it was like I was the best person in the world. If he were to pop into the girls’ restroom at this very moment and take me by the hand, I’d be off having fun with him in a heartbeat.

  I peeked out of the restroom and scanned the area for him. My phone buzzed. I silently cursed. Had he figured out that I’d turned it back on?

  *Do you need me to pack up your stuff?* The text was from Noah.

  *Is Damien back there?*

  *No, I haven’t seen him. Is that why you’ve been gone so long?*

  *He’s in the library. Can you look for him?*

  A minute went by as I stared at my phone intensely. *He’s talking to Angela.*

  *Does he know I’m here?*

  *How am I supposed to know? Want me to ask him?*

  *Don’t you dare! Does he seem to be looking for me?*

  *No. He seems bored. He keeps checking his phone.*

  He was probably checking the time so he could make his regularly scheduled half-hour call. It was mean of me to hide from him, but it was either this or failing out of Noble.

  *He’s leaving.*

  I relaxed.

  *Wait. He’s talking to the librarian.*

  That threw me back into a panic. Millie knew I was there. She might mention me to Damien. *Millie or Joe?!*

  *Um, I think Joe. That’s the male librarian, right?*

  I sighed in relief. Millie might have told Joe I was there, but I doubted that he’d mention me to Damien. Millie was the chatty one in the pair.

  *He’s gone. You can come back.*

  *Are you sure?*

  *He’s gone. The coast is clear.*

  Cautiously, I left the restroom. I pulled the brim of my cap down and scurried back to the table. Noah raised an eyebrow at my furtiveness. I ducked my head in embarrassment. I was acting pretty silly, but it was a necessary silliness.

  I started studying my Earth Sciences textbook again, but I was having trouble focusing. I kept wondering what Damien was doing. He had to be so bored. He’d been doing so well the past few weeks. He hadn’t caused any scenes. He’d been polite to the professors. It was mean to shut him out now. Oh, who was I kidding? I wanted to go hang out with him. I wanted to stop studying and be with him.

  After everything at the West Estate, things had returned to relative normal. We hadn’t taken any time off from classes. The news had reported on the fire, but I saw no mention of Mr. Jones. The Wests had kept the majority of the story out of the public eye. The news reported the fire had been started by faulty wiring, not intentionally by the head of the security in revenge for the ruin of his father. I was glad the news never found out about all of it because then they might have found out about Mr. Jones kidnapping me and trying to kill me. I did not want to dwell on that. I wanted to forget it. It had given me nightmares for a couple of weeks.

  The incident didn’t seem to affect Damien at all. At least in no way that I could see. He continued to barely pay attention in class, and make straight A's. I kept him from acting too unruly. I’d thought the only way we could be together was if we fought. If we put up an act of not liking each other, then no one would know how much we really liked each other. I could see now that it was a ludicrous plan. We sat together in every class. We hung out at lunch. No matter how we acted, everyone could see that we were at the very least friends. But I’d insisted that we keep up the lie. We sniped at each other constantly. We poked at each other. We never smiled. It wasn’t pleasant. We had to force ourselves to be mean to each other, and while I knew he didn’t mean anything he said to me, it did start to wear on both of us.

  HE CALLED ME A BITCH three weeks ago. When he’d done it, it had barely registered. We were in the hall, heading to English class and he’d been grousing about stuff. I told him to grow up, and he told me to stop being a bitch. The insult hadn’t even broken my stride. I’d had a hold of his arm and was pulling him down the hall. Students were parting to make way for us. At the entrance to class, I’d realized Damien had stopped resisting me and had fallen quiet. I saw the tell-tale signs of a panic attack. I quickly dragged him to the courtyard and found a secluded spot. I made him sit on the bench and crouched in front of him.

  “Hey, what’s up?” I said, gently rubbing his hands to warm them.

  “I’m sorry.”

  I thought he was apologizing for the panic attack. I shook my head. “No, you can’t help it. It’s all right. We’ll hang out here until you’re ready.”

  He shook his head and clenched my hands in his. “I called you a bad word.”

  At first, I hadn’t known what he meant. It took me a moment to remember. If he’d mentioned it an hour or two later, I probably wouldn’t have remembered at all. “I know you didn’t mean it.”

  “But I shouldn’t have called you that. I don’t want to call you bad words.”

  “It slipped out. Don’t worry about it.”

  He continued to shake his head. “Can we stop? I don’t want to do this anymore.”

  “Do what?” I wasn’t sure what he meant, but his question made me cold.

  “Can we just be friends? I don’t want to pretend that we’re enemies anymore.”

  “Just friends?”

  “I’m tired of the hiding and the fighting.”

  “We can be just friends,” I said, though my throat closed up as soon as I said it.

  He squeezed my hands. “Yeah, that’s what I want.”

  “Just friends,” I repeated. I hadn’t thought it would happen like this. I’d thought there would be a big fight and that we’d scream and throw things at each other. I’d thought if we broke up it would be violent and angry, not Damien quietly pleading with me to let him go.

  “Yeah, that’s what I want,” he said.

  I stood up. “Oh, um, yeah, I guess this is crazy to try to keep up. Even if Angela could come out, it’s not like we could be together. You’re a West. I’m a nobody. I get it.”

  “Sarah, what—?”

  I started backing away. I couldn’t comfor
t him right then. I was shaking worse than him.

  “It’s okay. I’ll see you in class.”

  “Sarah?”

  I didn’t go to class though. I headed to the library. I couldn’t go home. Mom was there with a cold. If I showed up, she’d want to talk, and I didn’t want to tell her what had happened. I didn’t want to see anyone at the moment. I’d gone into the library and hadn’t stopped to talk to Millie or Joe when they waved at me. I headed toward the back. Except for the librarians, the place was empty. There was a bay window that overlooked the front gate. It was my favorite spot in the library. I got up on the cushioned ledge and curled up in a ball on it. I hated how upset I was. We weren’t going out. He was for all intents and purposes dating Angela. He couldn’t go out with me. And even if he could, he shouldn’t. I had no money. I had no connections. He needed to be with someone closer to his level, not someone on the very bottom of the social scale.

  “I thought I was the one who was supposed to play hookey.”

  I stiffened and wished I could disappear. I didn’t want to face him at the moment.

  “Sarah?”

  “You should go to class,” I said.

  “You should too.”

  “Don’t feel like it.”

  He came over and sat on the other end of the window seat. My body tightened, trying to become smaller.

  “Sarah, what just happened?”

  I stiffened. He wanted me to say it? I shook my head silently.

  “You’re upset.”

  Of course, I was upset. Any normal girl would be. I didn’t respond.

  “Sarah, can you tell me what you think I said?”

  His question surprised me. What he’d said was very clear. I didn’t want to repeat it, but he waited.

  “You want to be friends,” I said, the words cutting my throat.

  “Maybe I said it wrong,” he murmured.

  “No, it’s okay. I’m fine. I feel a little sick. I’ll be okay.”

  “You’re not okay,” he said gently. I was still curled up tight with my arms around my knees. I wondered if I was flashing my panties, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. I didn’t want to move. If I could’ve become smaller, I would have. He scooted over closer to me.