Forever by Trina T (read this if TXT) 📖

get her out of my damn head! No matter who I slept with or what I smoked or drank. She was always in my head. Every god damn minute!

“We’re not talking about this!” I sneered.

“Yes we are, man! Zara will be going to our school this year. Zara will be in the same lunch as us. Zara will even have a class with you and me.” Paul said. Making sure to say her name every chance he got.

“What? How do you even know?”

“Just cause you and Zara broke up doesn’t mean I stopped talking to Zara. I knew Zara before you and Zara went out. Zara.” Paul smiled knowing that saying her name was getting to me.

I don’t know why I didn’t think they still talked. They were friends before me so why wouldn’t they be friends after me. But that doesn’t mean I like it.

“Come on!” Paul through his hands up in frustration.

“What?” I growled.

“Just ask me what I know you want to ask me.”

“I don’t want to ask you shit!”

I could tell Paul was getting pissed with me but I didn’t care. I wasn’t going to ask him anything about her. If I did I would never stop asking questions and that would just be bad for me.

“Come on, Logan. Just do it! I promise not to tell!” Paul teased. I just glared at him.

“iight fine! I’ll do it myself.” Paul said annoyed. He turned to his head so he was looking at his left side and said. “So Paul what has Z.J. been up to?” then he turned his head so he was looking at his right side. “Well, Logan, sense you want to know so bad! I’ll tell you.” Then he turned his head to the left. “Really, man? Aww that’s so sweet of you! Your really are the best friend a guy could ever have.”

“allright! Knock it off!” I growled
again. “Just fucking tell me and put me out of my misery of watching you make a bigger idiot of yourself than usual! And don’t call her my name for her!”

Paul’s smile went from ear to ear. “I’m glad you asked!” I rolled my eyes and clenched my jaw.

“Well, Zar has had a bad couple of months…” Paul started.

My heart instantly started to race on overtime.

“That Zach guy is a real piece of work! I can’t believe Zara is still with him.”

“She is still with him?” I was stunned and pissed.

Paul nodded his head. “I don’t think by choice though. You should see the way he treats Zara. Zar don’t even got any friends no more! Remember how Zara was the only one of us who ever had friends outside of our group? Well Zara don’t no more. Zara got no one but him…and me, when she can get away. That guy gots Zara under lock and key! He even tells Zara how to wear her hair and makeup. He don’t even let Zara wear dresses or skirts unless Zara is with him.”

“No way! Zara would never let a guy control her like that!” I was livid.
Paul got a huge smile on his face.

“What?”

“You said her name!”

I thought about it for a moment. I haven’t said her name in three months. Shit!

“Shut up! Tell me more…”

“That’s it. That’s all I can tell you.” Paul said looking a little disappointed.

“Fucker, there is more. Tell me!”

Paul looked hurt and sad. But I knew he would never betray her confidence. I had always liked that about him but right now I hated it.

“I’m sorry Logan, but I- you know I can’t do that.”
“Won’t!” I corrected him.

“You’re right. I won’t do that to Zara. Don’t worry; you can see for yourself what’s going on when school starts up again. But I can’t tell you.”

“You think they will still be together that long? I mean if he treats her so bad, why is she with him still? Why doesn’t she just leave?” The girl I knew would never let a guy treat her like she is beneath him. What changed?

“They will.” Paul said confidently. “It will take a lot to get him away from Zar.”

~ ~ ~

The first three periods of the first day of school were horrible! I can’t believe I have to finish this year and still have two more years left! Paul and I got lucky; we had most of the same classes together. The teachers weren’t going to be too happy about this! Trouble makers are the worst when they have their best friends in class to help them out! So the school year should be fun.

Paul had told me that she was in a class that the three of us had but so far I haven’t even seen her in the hall ways. Unfortunately I’ve seen Vikki almost everywhere. I was walking into my 8th period class when Vikki came up behind me, pulling me to the side of the door so we could talk.

“Hey, baby!” She said as she wrapped her arms around my waist.

“Hey, Vik.” I said dryly.

“You got this class next?” She motioned to the classroom I was going to walk into.

“Uh, yea. That’s why I was going to walk into it.” Sometimes she was really slow.

Vikki’s face brightened. Shit, I thought. “I got it too!” She started jumping up and down all excited.
Aw fuck!

“That’s cool.” I said trying to get out of her grasp.

I saw Paul walking up behind Vikki. His face was priceless when he noticed her. He started stomping his feet and moving his fists up and down, like a child throwing a fit. It was hard not to laugh. After a moment he stopped and calmly walked over. The looks people were giving him were hard not to laugh at either. Paul really did know how to make himself the center of attention, even if it wasn’t meant.

“Oh yeah! Icky Vikki is in our class!” Paul said using the phrase from a cartoon we used to watch.

Vikki turned in my arms to glare at him. “You’re in this class? You should drop it!”

“Now how could I do that? I want to have my favorite person in class with me!” Paul riffled up Vikki’s hair.

“God, I hate you!” Vikki stormed off inside the class.

Paul smiled and so did I. “This is going to be a long year!” I said.

“Even longer when Zar get’s here!” Paul laughed at the face I made. He pushed me inside. “Don’t worry it’ll be fun…for me!”

We walked into class, Vikki tried to get me to sit next to her but there was no way that was going to happen. Paul and I took the two farthest seats, all the way in the back. As the passing period came to a close more and more kids filed in. all the seats were filled except the seat next to me. Score! I thought. Now I could use that desk too.

“Looks like you were wrong! She aint in this class either.” I laughed at Paul.

Paul just raised his eye brows and nodded, giving me the whatever-you-think look. Class started and the teacher was nowhere in sight.

“Maybe this is a self teach class.” Paul said and we both started chuckling.

The door opened and a tall, thin woman walked in. I knew she was the teacher because I saw her last year but it still surprised me at how young she looked. Behind her, she walked in.

My mouth hung open when I saw her. She looked like a completely different girl. She had lost so much weight; she looked like skin that was stretched over bone. Her eyes had bags under them and she looked pale. Her clothes were baggy on her; she had a huge hoodie over her body, covering everything.

I looked over to Paul who was watching me watch her. He nodded his head. I couldn’t even think of anything to fucking say! My heart beat sky rocketed, all I wanted to do was jump out of the desk and take her into my arms, and then buy her a Big Mac.

“You can take the empty seat in the back.” The teacher told her. She nodded her head and looked for the seat. Her eyes took on the-deer-in-the-headlights look when she saw me. But she kept her composure and came to the desk she was told to.
She sat down and didn’t even look at me or Paul.
Up close she looked even worse. I couldn’t keep my eyes off her, one because I had missed her so much and two because she looked like a whole new girl. Paul hit me in the side, drawing my attention away from her. I turned to look at him and he shook his head. I caught his drift he was telling me not to talk to her. The bell rang and she was out the door before I had even finished packing my backpack up.

“What the fuck was that?” I asked Paul. Vikki was eyeing me but I was ignoring her.

“I told you man.”

“No, you didn’t tell me she looked like that! What the fuck is he doing to her? She looks like she’s on drugs! Like a fucking crack whore!”
“I knew you’d see for yourself. Besides would you have believed me if I told you?” Paul asked.
I thought about it. “You’re sounding like Lonny.”
“You know, Lonny does make a lot of sense when he actually chooses to talk.” Paul and I laughed.
“What are you going to do?” Paul asked as we looked for our next class.

Kick Zach’s ass was sounding like a good idea, so I thought I should get Paul’s input. “Kicking that mother fucker’s pussy ass!”

“Well, I’d say go for it.”

I was surprised that Paul agreed with me but I knew he wasn’t finished. “But, that wouldn’t do any good. Zara is stuck and only Zara can get out. Zara has had help offered by Pedro, Lonny and I, even Mike took an interest but she just tells us she can handle it. And she will, in her own way.”

“Or until he fucking kills her.”

“Well there is that too.”

I glared at Paul. “I have to talk to her.”

“Talk to her…don’t tell her what to do… Actually don’t talk to her.” Paul said rethinking his statement.

“What? Why? I can talk to her if I want.” I sneered. I was going to talk to her weather Paul agreed or not.

“Yea you can, but you won’t be around to protect her when Zach finds out you were talking to her.” Paul stated matter of fact. How the fuck could he be so fucking calm about this. I was ready to explode! “I know you’re thinking I’m crazy. But, man, I’ve been around this longer than you. And you