hiding From Frosty the Snowwoman

[Quinn Wiley]

There was something funny about a seventeen year old watching his back constantly as he walked down the corridors. The funny part being he was not afraid of bullies or teachers to catch him after he did something stupid. No, the hilarity that was upon him, except that he was not laughing, came in the shame of a quirky fifteen year old. And that would just make everyone laugh. How could he try and run from a girl, younger, smaller and probably weaker than he was? If you thought that then you never have met with Olivia Wright.

It was not that she was scary. Well, she was to him. But everyone else must find her a cute, very bubbly girl. To Quinn however, she was but a thorn on his side. Nearly two years they knew each other and she had yet taken the hint that he wanted her to leave him in peace. The more he tried to get away from her, the more she seemed to be on his path. She wanted to make him smile, apparently he was mysterious and she wanted to pierce his mystery. If he liked the compliment, the fact it was said by a two years younger than he was girl kind of destroyed its purpose.

And so, every now and then, especially when he really didn’t want her around, he was looking everywhere in case she would show up. So far, no sign of the girl. And the library he wanted to get to was near. He was slowly relaxing. She must have found another victim. Not paying attention where he was going, he bumped into someone. Quinn only had the time to place an arm against the wall to keep his balance and prevent himself from falling.

[Steinbeck Dunn]

Becky often found herself in the East Wing, heading to or from the library. At this moment, she was heading away from it with two books under her arm. She hadn't quite exhausted her own personal library in her dorm room, but it was close enough that she was looking for other options. She had an interesting biography with a young adult fiction novel stacked on top and at the moment, she was walking pretty slowly, trying to read the back of the book at the same time. She liked to read summaries, but she didn't let them color her view of the book. She'd read almost anything once, even if it was atrocious.

Unfortunately, this meant that she wasn't looking where she was going and relying on the other people in the hallway to make sure that they wouldn't run into her. Not that the hallway was particularly crowded. So when she suddenly bumped into someone going the opposite way, it really struck her off balance. The novel slid off of the biography she was holding onto and onto the floor and Becky herself stumbled pretty good, one knee dropping down onto the floor. Ow. That wasn't pleasant. But she was okay.

She looked up to see a boy about her age looking like he'd been almost knocked off balance as well. She stood up, blushing bright red. "God, I'm really sorry," she apologized immediately, picking up her novel. "I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you okay? I'm so sorry."

[Quinn Wiley]

Quinn knew he was partially at fault, if not entirely. He didn’t see Becky walking down the corridor, too busy that he was making sure a younger blonde girl was not on his tail. As a result, he bumped into her. It kind of annoyed him that he did. Mostly because he preferred not to meet anyone, not even through bumping with them in the corridors. Also because anyone who might be in said corridor would now be looking at them, wondering what happened. Here she was, kneeling in front of him because, unlike him, she did not manage to hold against the wall. He also noticed the books that fell off her arms.

He knew the proper way to address to her was to apologize. Quinn had not entirely forgotten about his manner. But he did not. Instead, he checked around, as if that little accident might have caused the girl from finding out he was there. He could almost expect her turning a corner and calling him Quinney. Quinney! He didn't want to give that girl any chance to getting to him. And bumping into Becky gave her one.

“Look where you’re going next time,” he said a bit harshly. He didn't think he was a bad person, let alone a bully. He was more the kind to get bullied, except that for him bullies meant cousins. But right now, standing there staring at her as she was picking up her books, blushing and apologizing, he did realize he might sound a tiny bit like a bully. He wasn’t sure what to make of this.

[Steinbeck Dunn]

Becky was hoping that maybe it was okay and this boy would say that it was okay and then they both could go on their way. That's usually what happened. She didn't have a habit of bumping into people, of course, but it happened enough that she knew the script involved. She wasn't even expecting an apology because it had been her fault. She wasn't looking where she was going and she should have been. Maybe the boy hadn't been watching where he was going either, but Becky should have been prepared for that.

She wasn't expecting him to say something so mean and cold in response to her apology. It would almost have been better if he hadn't said anything at all. Of course, she didn't know the circumstances of his snappishness. She didn't know that he was trying to get away from someone and was kind of in a rush. All she knew was that this boy was glaring at her and not being very kind. And it brought her right back to those early days of high school where the comments were constant and she couldn't turn a corner without getting put down.

She set her mouth in a line and told herself to not feel sad about it. Because if you let a bully's words get to you, you were letting the bully win. And that's what this boy obviously was. A bully. She gathered up her books and stood up by herself. Despite the tough attitude she was trying to maintain, by the time she stood up, the only thing she could manage was a quiet, "Okay." Like she was agreeing to watch where she was going in the future. But she was very obviously upset about the situation. She knew she should say something to the bully, and she could sometimes stand up for other people. But standing up for herself was hard, especially when she knew it was her fault.

[Quinn Wiley]

Of course, since Quinn didn’t really pay attention on the people walking in the same corridor, it meant he also didn't realise that Steinbeck paid just as little attention. All he could think about was that he had been the one hitting her and she ended up on the floor. He figured she would have been in her right to tell him to watch out, to complain it hurt and demand an apology. He didn't really want to give her one though. Or give her the time to snap back at him.

He didn't even care about what she said to him or her lisp. He never would have cared, no matter how they met, because there was no reason to care over someone you’ll never see again once you’ll be out of school. He just wanted to survive his last year in here and then get away. He had no idea what he would do then but that mattered little right now.

Other people were in the same corridor and he felt their eyes on him. Oh great, they were judging. Just because he might have bit a little hard while telling her to watch out. Quinn never thought he was a bully. He endured their comments enough to not want to be one. How many times did he run away from his cousins because he said something that ticked them off? How often had he been pushed? Ever since his father ran away, he felt like school was hell and it only got worst with time as the students got more creative in their insults and actions.

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Had she snapped back at him, he could hate her right now on his way to the library. Instead, he felt bad. He grabbed her arm to stop her before she left. “Sorry,” he said, not looking at her as he said that. The fact it might make it sound like he didn’t mean it didn’t even come to his mind. “You didn’t hurt your knee?” he forced himself to ask. He saw her falling on one as he moved against the wall. He supposed he could ask and once she’ll say she was fine he could leave it at that. They couldn’t expect more out of him after all.

[Steinbeck Dunn]

Becky thought about running the other way and heading down the corridor just to get away from him. It didn't take an empath to realize that he was really annoyed with her and her interruption. She really hadn't meant to, but that didn't matter. He was probably thinking about how stupid she was, not looking where she was going and having a lisp and carrying books. She was prepared for more pointed insults if she stuck around. Sometimes all it took was one wrong move to attract a bully. Becky had had enough experience with them at her old school.

She knew other people were staring and that made her flush. She knew she looked like some spineless weakling, letting this guy push her around, but she couldn't help it. And it was obvious no one was going to step in if he really started going after her about her clumsiness. She hoped that he wouldn't. When he grabbed her arm, she let out a scared little squeak that was even more embarrassing. And when he opened his mouth again, she flinched a little bit like she was preparing for a verbal assault. When one didn't come, she was surprised.

Even though his apology didn't sound heartfelt, at least it was an apology, right? And he wasn't exactly hurting her by grabbed her arm. There wasn't any reason to be so nervous. She tried to convince herself of that. It sounded like every word he spoke was painful, but Becky was quick to assuage his worry, even if her knee was sore. "Oh no, I'm fine," she promised. "Are you alright? I know you didn't fall, but um, yeah," she said, looking downward. "You didn't bump too hard against the wall?"

[Quinn Wiley]

People were staring at them, as if wondering what would be their next move. Now Quinn didn't know this girl but he never thought he was amongst the popular kids. Or the bullies you’d be too scared to go against. Not sure of who she was, he didn't want to take the risk infuriating someone he shouldn’t. He had done a good job so far at being invisible and he didn't want it to end. He could deal being called a weirdo, a loner or even a jerk but he preferred when people didn’t bother calling him at all. She was attracting far too much attention. Not to add that there was no fun at all at picking on someone who was so submissive.

He did let out an annoyed groan when she squeaked. It wasn’t like he meant to break her arm or anything! Why did she have to panic? Of course, the fact she couldn’t read his intentions had not crossed his mind in the slightest. Quinn compared her to a mouse. Small, easily afraid, ready to run away at the first occasion. He bet if he was not holding her right now that she would be running out.

He was actually surprised she bothered asking him if he was alright. She might have said it was her fault but he thought it was his. And since she fell to the ground, if one could argue, it was her more than him. Yet here she was, asking about his well-being. “I’m fine,” he said, averting her gaze. They hit each other pretty hard. Quinn had been bullied but rarely physically injured. When it happened it was often partially his fault, like when he fell down in the dirt while running away from his cousins. They would hurt him a bit sometimes, pinch a nipple, a nudge in the stomach rubbing his hair until his scalp burned, that sort of things. But nothing that was meant to leave a mark. And the pain he felt, he knew it was pretty much of the same kind.

Why was she so nice? He stared at Becky as if she were some sort of alien or something. They bumped into each other and that was it. No need to send him to the infirmary. He looked down at her hands, noticed the books she was holding, read the covers. Unusual choice, he thought. He stared back at her. “There wasn’t any blonde and bubbly girl at the library, right?” he asked. If she had books, she probably came from there. Perhaps she noticed who was inside. He thought the chances of ending up on Olivia were slim but just in case, he preferred to know.

[Steinbeck Dunn]

Becky didn't like all the attention they were getting, but she was definitely more worried about the immediate threat of the boy in front of her than any interested bystanders. She didn't want to get chewed out in front of a crowd of people. She would probably cry and that would be horrifically embarrassing. And she hadn't been here that long. She didn't want to be known as the girl who cried after being pushed over. Sometimes she wished that she was more assertive.

The annoyed groan made her even more worried. Each time she tried to defuse the situation the kid seemed to get angrier with her and that wasn't what she wanted at all. She either wanted this encounter to end or a get a little more friendly and it didn't matter which. Becky was extremely sensitive to any perceived bullying. Those years in school, where people had taken advantage of her doormat-like nature, had made her hypersensitive to things people said or did. It wasn't fair for her to judge this kid right after she'd bumped into him, but it was hard not to immediately label him as a bully.

At least he was fine. That was good to know. She shifted the books in her arms at his question. He was pretty observant too, guessing she came from the library from the books in her hands. Either that or he'd seen her exit, but that was unlikely. "Um, no, didn't see anyone like that there," Becky replied quietly. "It's pretty empty right now. Or it was when I, um. Left." Great. Now she was a stupid doormat. She wondered why he was looking for a bubbly blond. "But I can, uh, point her in your direction if I see her?"

[Quinn Wiley]

When Quinn was angry, he was quite snide. He wasn’t one to confront someone up front or to throw a punch. He backstabbed. It was almost a surprise he didn't own any voodoo doll he could hit with needles until it looked like a porcupine to deal with his anger. That girl had no reason to be afraid of him. Even if he had been a bit harsh on her, he wouldn’t have imagined awful things about her in retaliation. He would most likely have forgotten about her, completely. But something in his personality or maybe in the way he looked had her fear he might do something to her. He never thought someone could think that of him. Not when he was more the bullied than the bully.

Truth be told, Quinn didn’t want to be a bully. He wanted people to leave him alone and let him live his life the way he wanted. He didn't understand why she was so affected by his attitude. Quinn was actually a sensitive boy. He wouldn’t allow you to see it if you hurt him but he would try to leave as soon as possible to lock himself in his room and promise himself once again that he should never leave it unless he really had no other choice. He didn't quite get that she might feel more or less the same. The fact she had not walked away already or put him back in his place made this whole situation quite puzzling to him. He wasn’t quite sure how he was meant to react.

He nodded as she told him she had not seen Olivia in there. She could be so loud he bet even her library quietness was louder than everyone else’s. It meant the place was safe, he could stay there for a while. He startled though when she said she could try and tell her where he was. “Don’t do that!” he exclaimed very quickly. And now he was awkward. He just put too much force there. He sighed. “I mean, it’s ok. I was actually trying not to meet her, you understand?” he added. A good thing he didn’t tell her who she was. Could you be more pathetic than being scared of a jolly fifteen year old girl? Especially after sounding so intimidating the minute before.

[Steinbeck Dunn]

Becky was only trying to help. Maybe this kid was just really worried about his friend and was trying to find her. That could explain away his snappy attitude and Becky would totally understand. Sometimes when you were worried about your friends, you got freaked out, and other people could take that as aggression when it wasn't. Even though hardly anything Becky did could be taken as aggressive. She was just about the least aggressive person on the planet, as evidenced by this interaction. She could barely hold her own against a mildly annoyed kid in the middle of a hallway.

She flinched back and blinked a little bit when the boy so vehemently denied her help. Apparently she'd down something wrong again. She should really just shut up and turn around and walk away, even if it was opposite of the way that she wanted to go. She wasn't making this boy's day any better and she was already a wreck. But then he clarified and Becky thought she might have it now. Some girl was trying to find him who he didn't want to meet and Becky had stalled his progress. Now the girl might find him and that was obviously the last thing he wanted.

"Oh," she said, a little smile on her face now. Maybe he was frustrated with the situation and not her. "I understand," she said, but then the smile was replaced with a frown. "I definitely didn't see anyone like that in the library. Sorry to stall you. Are you okay? She isn't trying to hurt you or anything, is she?"

[Quinn Wiley]

Quinn couldn’t believe. How did he go from the bully that scared her to the wuss afraid of a little blonde girl? Was there any half-measure with this girl in front of him? He felt pathetic when really it was just she who got it all wrong. As if Olivia could hurt him! Hurt his ears, maybe but not physically hurt him. The girl was hobbit size with a sunny disposition that would just annoy anyone, or so he believed. But now, if anyone ever heard was this one said, they would think Quinn was afraid of a little girl. Truly pathetic. And it actually got Quinn slightly annoyed at her. No, seriously, who was she to spit out words like that for anyone to hear?

“I’m not scared of her! I just... she is...” Quinn felt like yelling out his frustration right now. How could he justify himself without looking more of a wimp? He couldn’t, he simply couldn’t. And that was even more frustrating. He wanted to be the bully she thought he was now, tell her she was stupid and to get out of his way. This was the reason why he didn’t like interacting with others. Even those who tried to help found a way to get on his nerves, as the current situation clearly showed.

It actually took him a lot of effort to simply ignore her like he normally would. He didn’t like having to take deep breaths to calm himself and ignore someone. It should come naturally. “Whatever. Next time, watch where you’re going,” he said, going back to his slightly pissed off tone. It was best to push her away right now and make it clear he didn’t want any girl like her around him. Like this, next time they meet, she won’t ask if he managed to hide from this big, scary little girl.