Walking into my first class of the day, which just so happened to be calculus – I was greeted by my favourite teacher of all time.

"Nice of you to grace us with your presence, Leah," Ms. Madden said, whilst glaring at me over the top of her black rimmed glasses.

She is petite, with a caramel complexion, black hair and a diamond shaped face. Her black rimmed glasses sat atop her pointed nose, as her black eyes darted around the class in accusation. She is a woman in her late thirties and really grumpy, because she clearly wasn't getting any.

If you know what I mean.

"The pleasure is all mine," I grumbled, walking to the back of the class.

"Excuse me," she called, "Where do you think you're going?" Her voice though monotone, grated on my nerves, sending a shot of pain to my aching head.

"Uh... to my seat," I responded, rolling my eyes as I continued on my way.

"And the reason you're late?" she asked.

"Don't have one," I answered, just as the classroom door burst open behind me. "But they might."

Sinking into my seat in the last row, I looked up and watched the commotion in front of the class, where Cameron and Sean had just entered and stood like deer caught in headlights.

"Well it seems its the season for late coming." Ms. Madden said, sarcasm dripping from her words as she glared at them. "Do you two have anything to say for yourselves?"

"Uh- I overslept," Sean said.

Ms. Madden raised her brows at Sean for a moment before speaking up, "So they didn't make a device that helps people get up for important things such as school, did they?" she asked sarcastically.

Sean stayed silent like the smart boy he was as Ms. Madden glared at him. As opening his mouth to comment on that would have just made it all worse.

Trust me, I know from experience.

"Oh I believe they did make such a device Mr. Evans." she carried on, "I believe it was in 1787 that the alarm clock was first made. So next time use one."

With that said, she turned her burning gaze to Cameron, as she raised her brow. "And you Mr. Stone, anything to add onto why you're late for my class?"

"No ma'am, simply just late," Cameron shrugged.

Ms. Madden glared at the boys for a full minute before she shook her head and walked over to her desk. "Take your seats boys, but take this as a warning. Next time I will give you detention," she said in a hard voice before turning towards the whiteboard.

What the actual fuck?

I blinked a few times in disbelief, thinking that I had heard Ms. Madden wrong, when I clearly hadn't. Watching as Sean and Cameron made their way towards two empty seats while she wrote on the whiteboard.

Did this shrew of a woman just let them off? Did that just fucking happen?

I stared on in disbelief, trying to comprehend what I had just witnessed, because I didn't understand a thing.

Ms. Madden was known for being a hard ass and for handing out detentions for the smallest things. Make a noise that she finds to be too loud, and sure enough you get detention. Talk too loud in her class and you get detention. Pass notes around, try to eat, try to sleep, ask a stupid question, and yes, you guessed it.

You get detention.

But her biggest gripe, the big no-no in her class was being tardy. You could do almost anything else in her class to a certain point, except for being late. I mean do that by even just a minute, and its like you've summoned the fucking devil himself into the classroom.

I can attest to that too, since last year I had been late by a minute and had been given detention for two days. That's an hour a day. That's two fucking days of detention, that's a hundred and nineteen extra minutes that I had to spend here because of one fucking minute.

One fucking minute.

And you're telling me that they're just getting off scot-free?

What bullshit is this?

Shaking my head, I cleared my thoughts of the crimes against me as I glared at Ms. Madden. Wishing for her to catch alight as I listened with half an ear to her speech on what we should expect and what was expected from us throughout the year.

* * *      * * *

I suffered through the same routine in each class that I went to. Being given the same speech about what we were going to cover during the year, followed by what we should expect and what was expected of us.

It was like the record player's needle was stuck in a groove, except each time it replayed, the same message over it would change tone, going from high, to low, to monotonous to screechy. And with each new class I attended, the less focused I became as my head continued to pound away.

The painkiller from this morning, having worn off.

I now sat in my Advanced History class waiting impatiently for the bell to ring so that I could finally head over to the nurse's office. Sitting there, I listened to Mr. Jameson drone on with his boring lecture.

My body, in all kinds of agony as I sat there, half dying in my seat. Feeling like a damned train wreck. Last night I had barely gotten any sleep, having come home late from a fight, as well as having chosen to drink myself into a stupor. All of this added to my current discomfort, in the form of lack of sleep, physical pain from my bruises, and of course, the helluva hangover I had.

Note to self, binge drinking the night before school isn't the smartest thing to do.

Not able to stand Mr. Jameson's lecture anymore, and with my head feeling like it was about to explode, I raised my hand.

"Yes, Ms. Mercer?" he asked, raising a brow.

"Can I go to the bathroom?" I asked.

"No, just wait..."

The moment no left his mouth, I thought fuck it and ignored the rest of what he had to say, as I grabbed my bag off the floor and got up from my seat.

"Where are you going?" Mr. Jameson asked, astonished by my behaviour.

"To the bathroom," I answered, rolling my eyes.

"I said..."

"Yeah, I know, and I don't care," I butted in, opening the door.

And with a final glance at my obviously shocked History teacher, I walked out of the classroom and headed in the opposite direction of the girl's bathroom. Heading towards the back of the school, where the nurse's office was.

The nurse's office and coaches offices were at the back of the school, closer to the gymnasium and the field. As well as the changing rooms for the boys and girls who dared to participate in sport.

I walked into the nurse's office to find that it was empty. Nothing but hospital beds, a huge desk and an office chair behind it.

The office was a big room, much like that of a hospital room, with three hospital beds lined up against the wall, with curtains hanging around them. Just opposite the door, Ms. Daniels' large desk stood with a black office chair behind it. Cabinets lined the wall behind her desk, which I knew was filled with medication and a full medical kit.

It was like we had our own mini hospital right here at school.

Ms. Daniels also had a small storage room in her office, which is where the door behind her desk leads to. I didn't know what was in the room, though I was curious to know, yet not so much to break into it.

I stood there staring at Ms. Daniels desk and everything else around it for a long time before I turned to head out. There was no point in waiting around when there was clearly no-one here to help.

Heading towards the door, I was just about to reach for the door handle when it swung open. The door narrowly missed both my face and shoulder as it violently swung open.

"Are you fucking insane?!" I snapped.

"Oh shit, sorry," a slightly deep voice apologized.

"Fucking look before opening the door, asshole," I snapped in a hard voice.

"As you can see, its a bit difficult," he answered, walking in with a big box in his hands, his face hidden behind it.

"That's your problem not mine, buddy," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Well, I'm sorry for almost hitting you with the door, princess," he snidely answered, spinning around to face me.

Both of us stiffened at the sight of the other. Shock most probably expressed on both of our faces as we stood and stared. The jerk that had just entered the office and called me princess was none other than Sean fucking Evans, of all people in this school; in this universe, it just had to be him.

Sean Evans is known by everyone in West Mount as the Golden Boy. With outstanding records in all classes and on the field, he is our school's star soccer player and the most sought-after guy. Students adored him, teachers praised him and he could do no wrong.

God, he was insufferable.

Sean has an athletic build, so he was tall and muscular. With his medium toned complexion, square shaped face and strong jaw, he had this rugged look that just screamed with sex appeal. With his straight nose and slightly long, straight light-blonde hair, he was the hottest guy in school.

But the thing that captured everyone, the thing about him that stood out the most were his eyes. Sean Evans had grey eyes, smoky grey eyes that... fuck; they were so easy to get lost in.

"Uh- what's going on here?" A soft yet stern voice called.

The sudden interruption of someone else being in the room seemed to bring a rush of air back into it. As I found myself once again breathing, not knowing that I had stopped doing so. Blinking rapidly, Sean and I broke eye contact and turned away from each other to face Ms. Daniels.

"Nothing, Ms. Daniels," he answered as I turned to frown at him, "Just a misunderstanding," he continued, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly.

Why the hell is he acting so weird? It's not like we did anything wrong.

"Leah?" she asked.

"It's whatever Golden Boy over here says," I shrugged. Sean turned to glare at me as Ms. Daniels nodded.

Ms. Daniels, or as I knew her, Vicky was a young woman in her late twenties. On the medium side in height, she always had her dark brown hair tied up in a ponytail. She had soft facial features with a button nose, chocolate brown eyes and a toffee complexion.

She was a looker and on many occasions, I would wonder why she ever chose to come and work here. To look after dumb teenagers whenever they sprained an ankle, from a heel that was obviously way too high, or from being tackled too hard on the football field.

I wondered about that but never asked, as being nosy wasn't my job, it was Grace's.

Vicky looked between Sean and I a few times before asking, "What can I do for you two?"

I glanced over at Sean thinking he would go first, but he remained silent. Shrugging I stepped forward.

"I came for my general check-up," I said, my lips twitching up in a smirk.

Vicky stared at me for a long moment, waiting to see if I could hold a straight face before she burst into laughter. Her laugh was light and airy. Shaking her head at my shenanigans, she turned towards the cabinets behind her.

"I'm guessing it's the usual hangover," she stated, glancing over her shoulder at me. And with a nod, she turned and started digging around.

Sean looked perplexed at what just happened, standing with his arms crossed, as he watched our interaction. His forehead wrinkled in a frown as he continued to stare at us, as if he were trying to figure out some complex puzzle.

I noticed, slight surprise cross his face when Vicky mentioned my usual hangover but that only lasted for a second or two, so I could be wrong.

"You know me so well, Vicky," I said, and the moment the words left my mouth, I inwardly cringed.

"Leah!" Vicky chastised, turning to look at me in warning.

Sean's head snapped in my direction, his eyes wide. Shocked at the fact that I had just called someone of authority by their name instead of what was appropriate. Something he clearly wasn't used to since he was Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes, who always followed the rules.

I shrugged at their reaction, not really caring for it because Vicky did know me well. Or she knew my aches and pains well.

It had become somewhat of a routine thing for me now, to just pop in once or twice a week, so that I could get some relief from a hangover, or from cuts and bruises. Vicky was a miracle worker when it came to them, as after every visit, I felt like I could take on the world again.

And the thing that I loved most about her was that she never asked too many questions.

Having only asked the first few times, she had given up soon after, clearly seeing I wasn't about to say anything. And my guess is that she hasn't asked again, because she is waiting for me to open up in my own time.

"Leah," a voice said, snapping me out of my thoughts and bringing me back to the land of the living.

"Hmm?" I asked, looking up to find Vicky holding out a styrofoam cup which held two tablets in it.

"Oh," I said, taking it from her.

Vicky motioned for me to wait another minute or two and I did, as she turned around once more and began digging again. Finding what she was looking for, she turned around and handed me a tub of ointment.

"How did you know?" I asked, feigning shock.

"They're one in the same Leah, and you never come in here for just a hangover," she said with an unimpressed look.

Shrugging again in answer, I turned on my heel and froze in place when I came face to face with Sean. Having completely forgotten that he had been in the room. My smile dropped into a scowl the moment my gaze connected with his as I walked passed him and to a hospital bed.

Pulling the curtain closed behind me, I heard Vicky speak, "So what can I do for you?"

"If she only has a hangover, why did you give her ointment?" I heard Sean ask curiously. Scowling at his question from behind the curtain.

"That's none of your business," Vicky responded.

Smiling at her words, I blocked out the rest of their conversation, happy that she wasn't giving out any details to him. Not that she had any to give.

Dropping my stuff on the bed, I walked over to the sink and filled the cup with water before walking back. Swallowing the tablets, while wishing for them to take effect quickly, I then removed my jacket and t-shirt to finally inspect the damage.

I cringed at the sight of my body, not having paid much attention to it this morning since I had been rushing about. Though now I could see it all, and it wasn't a pretty sight. As my body looked like it had been through the ringer.

My ribs and stomach were covered in deep purples and blues, criss-crossing over the span of my mid-section. Some of the skin appeared to be swollen from the amount of assault it had taken the night before.

You could have mistaken it all for one big bruise, if not for the random patches of untouched light skin, and for the fact that some of the colours seemed to double over each other. In some cases, you could even see the shape of the bruises, or that could just be me considering I knew exactly what made them.

"Could be worse," I muttered.

Opening the ointment, I dipped my fingers into the cool cream before applying it to my bruised body. Rubbing it into the skin, I took care to massage it in correctly, while biting my lip to keep myself from crying out in pain.

I sucked in another breath as I started applying ointment to a new spot, moving slowly around my body. The feeling of the cool cream, helped to soothe the ache, but not by much considering the fact that I was pressing upon it.

"So what's the deal with you and Cameron?" his voice came from somewhere further in the room.

"I don't think that's any of your business," I scoffed. "Why?"

"Well, it's not like it's much of a secret," Sean continued.

At his words I burst into laughter, knowing that he was referring to the rumours he must have heard. Though what he walked in on this morning kind of solidified those rumours in a sense, the thought of there being anything between me and Cameron was just absurd.

"Why are you laughing?" he asked once I fell silent.

"Because, you've got things all wrong, Evans," I said with a smirk.

"How is that?" he asked, curiously.

"Because, Stone and I are definitely not a thing," I answered, "The thought of that alone is absurd."

"Then what did I walk in on, this morning?" Sean asked, curiosity still clear in his voice.

"Just a little game Evans, Cameron is known for them. You should know this," I said smirking at the thought.

"If you say so Mercer," he replied reluctantly.

"That's what I'm saying," I called back, only to be met by silence.

Shrugging it off as Sean having left, I looked down at my ribs, where my bruises were puffed out of my skin. Wondering if Vicky might have some other solution for those.

"Vicky," I called as I walked out from behind the curtain, "Do you possibly have something for the risen ones?"

An audible gasp met my ears a second later, causing my head to snap up, and to find that it wasn't Vicky standing in the room, but Sean.

Fuck, I thought he left.

My eyes widened just as his did, but it wasn't at the sight of me per say, but rather at the sight of my body. His eyes having met mine for a second, before they travelled down my body, and stopped on my heavily bruised mid-section.

To say that I was in shock would be an understatement, considering the fact that I had expected it to be Vicky, who was in the office, and not him.

This is not happening, this is not happening, this is not happening.

I repeated those words over in my head, frozen in place while standing half naked in front of Sean fucking Evans, of all people, as if it were just an ordinary day like no other.

We both stared at each other, me at his face while he stared down at my body like it was a damned show. My mind soon caught up with reality and allowed me to grasp onto something, that being anger, anger which burned and boiled inside me.

"Like what you see, Evans?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring at him.

My words seemed to go unheard, as he continued to stare. His eyes focused on my midriff instead of my face. I rolled my eyes at his behaviour because what did I expect, he was a guy. He would of course still be staring at my body, I mean, I was standing there in nothing but a bra for fuck sake.

I was literally putting on a show for him.

But he wasn't staring at my chest like most guys would. No, his gaze was solely focused on my stomach and ribs, focused on the places where I was covered in an array of blues and purples. My stomach and ribs covered in the lovely hues of colour meant for a dress, flowers and well anything else other than that of a person's body.

"Hey," I said, snapping my fingers. "Hey, eyes up here, buddy!" I snapped, as he continued to stare.

I frowned as I stood there wondering where the hell Vicky had gone to, knowing that she wouldn't leave me alone. And if she did, why hadn't she said anything? And why the hell did she leave me here with him?

"Leah," he breathed. His soft voice brought me out of my thoughts of Vicky's whereabouts.

"Evans," I said in warning, his gaze never faltering.

"Hmmm?" He asked, blinking and lifting his eyes to mine. He breathed out my name again, in a breathless voice, when our eyes met, eyes wide as saucers.

"W- W- Who..."

"Don't ask," I said, narrowing my gaze at him.

"B- B- But..." he stammered.

"Don't ask, Evans," I sneered, "It's none of your fucking business."

And with that being said, I turned away and headed back to the hospital bed, where I had been. Seeing no point in getting something different for my raised bruises, I decided to just use the ointment.

"Who did that to you?" His voice came from behind me, as I heard the curtain being ripped open.

The sound of another audible breath being sucked in met my ears a second later, causing me to cringe, knowing exactly what had caused him to draw in such a sharp breath.

Fuck me.

Frozen in place, I hoped to hear his footsteps that would tell me he was leaving, but I knew better than to expect that. Especially not now, not after what he had just seen. Not after what he had just accidentally walked in on.

Ignoring the thought, I dipped my fingers back into the ointment and started applying it once more. This time I pushed my fingers against my skin much harder than before, as blinding pain registered in my mind, but I could care less.

Not after what he had just seen. Not after what he had just found out.

I chose the pain of my bruises over the memory of what Sean had just seen. Over the memories that were now fighting to come to the surface as I stood there, digging my fingers deeper into my skin, my body screaming in pain.

I bit my lip from crying out in pain, the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth as I bit through my skin. His presence evident behind me, his gaze tangible on my skin, burning into my back.

I could feel his gaze crawling upon my skin, the feeling of air being sucked out of the room surrounding me. My lungs constricted as I stood there, trying to suck in a breath. The room felt as if it were closing in on me, getting smaller and smaller.

"Leah," he said again, the sound of my name making me cringe.

His voice filled with uncertainty, as it radiated off him, palpable in the air. He was unsure of what to do, what to say and even on how to approach me. Yet, he shouldn't and needn't worry about me.

For all he could do, the best he could do, was forget what he had seen. He needed to forget it all and move on, and mind his god damn business.

But who was I kidding, he wouldn't do that. He had just walked in and had seen the biggest secret I had, and there was no way he was going to forget it. Not when he had just gotten the juiciest story on me.

God, I could picture it now. The whole school teeming with the news of what he had just seen. I mean I was already the main topic as is, and this, this would just be the icing on the cake.

"Leah," Sean said again, his voice just above a whisper.

I stiffened at his voice, for it alone held the thing I hated the most. It held the thing I hated to hear and to see. And I could hear it as clear as day.

The sound of pity, I hated it, I hated the sound and the sight. And right now, I hated the fact that he was standing there and treating me like some frightened animal. I didn't need that from him, I didn't need his pity. I didn't need his sorrow filled eyes looking at me. I didn't need any of it.

I just wanted him to go. To leave me alone. To fucking disappear and forget what he had seen. But that was like wishing on a star, something that would never come true.

I stood there with my back to him for a long time, my fingers digging into the soft flesh just under my ribs as I tried to gain some control over my feelings. Anger, sadness, desperation, despair, hopelessness, all those feelings rushed through me, all those feelings that were connected to what he had seen.

I focused on the pain, on the feeling of my aching bruises and the self-inflicted pain. As I tried to get a bearing on at least one emotion, before they all spilled out in front of him.

Slowly but surely it felt like the world wasn't falling apart anymore. Like everything around me wasn't crashing down. Breathing in slowly and letting it out through my mouth, I felt my body slowly relax, the rush of feelings slowing down as the pain resonated through it all.

My heart that had been beating erratically, now slowed to a normal rate with each breath that I took. Closing the ointment, I placed it back on the bed, before pulling on my t-shirt, followed by my leather jacket. With each thing in place and with each new calming breath, I finally gained control.

Turning on my heel, I finally faced Sean, my face devoid of any emotion. Ready for what I knew I was going to find in his grey eyes. Ready for what I knew would be staring me back in the face. Yet when our eyes met, the breath that I had taken in to steady myself, escaped me as my eyes widened in surprise.

He wasn't looking at me like I thought he would.

What I had expected wasn't there. Sean wasn't looking back at me with pity, nor did he gaze down at me with sympathy or regret. No, what I saw shining in Sean's eyes was the furthest thing from it.

It was something I hadn't expected to see.

I stared at him in wonder. Marvelling at the emotions that swam in his eyes, as I tried to figure him out. As I tried to figure out why he wasn't looking at me in pity. So many people had looked on in pity, with sadness, with sympathy, or with regret at what they had seen and yet here he stood doing the exact opposite.

Why wasn't he portraying the emotions I expected?

Why wasn't he acting like all the others had?

"Sean, are you still here?" Vicky's voice broke through the silence that filled the room. Her voice snapping both Sean and I out of whatever trance we were in.

Blinking rapidly, we looked away from each other, breaking the tension between us. Staying silent, I looked up to find him staring at me again.

"Is anyone still in my office?" Vicky called.

Vicky's voice once again broke me out of whatever weird funk I was in, as I glanced at Sean to find him somehow standing closer to me than he had before. His eyes shining with an emotion that I didn't dare to decipher.

Sean opened his mouth to speak and as I watched him do so, it was then that everything hit me like a ton of bricks. The need to escape from this place weighing down heavily on my shoulders.

Grabbing the ointment off the bed, I didn't dare to look at him as I walked passed and out from behind the curtain.

"Oh good Lord, Leah, you gave me a fright," Vicky said.

"Sorry," I mumbled in a barely audible voice. As the emotions I thought I had gotten a hold of, slowly started to escape me.

"Leah?" Vicky called with concern, her chocolate brown eyes soft and caring.

The sound of her concern caused my heart to constrict again, as I all but ran to the door. Throwing a soft thanks to Vicky over my shoulder, I took one last glance at the curtain which he stood behind, before I rushed out the door.

* * *     * * *

Chapter 4 ... Yay!

Thank you for carrying on reading Always the Bad Girl - I am so glad you like it or are giving it a  chance. I hope this newer version of chapter 4 was up to the standards of the previous few chapters and that I portrayed Leah's emotions right and that you could feel it.

Let me know your thoughts on this chapter with a comment and please give it a like...

Until Next time.