Followed

Another character comes into play, a rather hostile one at that. Can Ali handle it by herself, or will she need help?

    I felt a hand shaking me from my sleep. I groggily opened my eyes to see Emelie staring at me.
    ‘Ali, sweetie, time to wake up,’ she cooed, ‘Bengt is waiting for you downstairs.’
    At first I had totally forgotten that Bengt’s parents knew I was here. I flipped out of the bed in surprise, which led to hearing Emelie’s light laughter. When I got up, I remembered that they had found out about me living here. My cheeks lit up in embarrassment at my folly.
    I quickly dressed myself in my black and yellow sweater and ran down the steps to meet Bengt in the kitchen. There, both Bengt and Hasse were drinking what looked like coffee.
    ‘Good morning, Ali!’ Bengt greeted me.
    “Morning,” Hasse greeted after.
    “Good morning,” I said to the both of them. It was still pretty early, and school wasn’t for another hour or so.
    Emelie came down and stood directly next to me. ‘Aren’t you going to mail those pictures to your mother?’ she asked.
    I nodded. I had told both of Bengt’s parents about the picture idea. At first, they didn’t think it was so great. They both favored the idea of me showing up at my mom’s and speaking to her directly, however, they supported me in this decision eventually.
    The mailman was making his way over to the Norgen’s mailbox. I rushed out with my pictures in an envelope addressed to my mother. The mailman was pushing mail into their box when I reached him.
    “Excuse me,” I asked, “Have you already been down Amber Street?”
    “Not yet,” he replied, “I’m going their after I’ve hit the rest of this neighborhood.”
    I brought out my envelope and said, “Then do you mind if you can deliver this for me?”
    He took a look between the envelope and I, finally giving me a smile. He took my mail and said, “Sure thing.”
    “Thank you so much,” I said before taking the Norgen’s mail from their mailbox and rushing inside with it.

…

    I was clearly anxious. My foot tapped repeatedly on the floor, fingers drummed on the desk, and my thoughts were racing quite quickly. What if my mom still did not look for me even after I remind her of my absence? What if she is truly happy to have gotten rid of me?
    Bengt noticed my anxiousness and grasped my hand in the middle of class.
    ‘She will come for you,’ Bengt told me, ‘Don’t worry about it, okay?’
    Bengt meant well, I knew that, but holding my hand in class was not something he should have done. I glanced around and everyone, including Mr. Skylark, was staring at our conjoined hands.
    I growled, “What is this? A Show? Get back to work!”
    The rest of the students gave me sneers, but they obeyed and went back to sticking their noses into their textbooks. Mr. Skylark even turned back around, continuing to write his notes on the board.
    I ripped my hand away from Bengt, who looked confused at why everyone was staring.
    ‘Is it not common to hold hands here?’ Bengt asked, ‘I see people doing it all the time during breaks.’
    “That’s because those people are couples, Bengt,” I whispered, “We aren’t a couple.”
    ‘Eh?!’ Bengt sounded startled, ‘But I thought we were.’
    I couldn’t tell if he was joking or not, but I tried to resist banging my head against the table anyways.
    Bengt continued, ‘My parents hold hands all the time. My mom always looks like she enjoys it, and so does my dad even though he rarely shows emotions.’
    “They hold hands because they are a couple, Bengt,” I said with patience, “Stop being a buffoon.”
    ‘What’s a ‘buffoon’?’
    Once again I tried to stop myself from viciously banging my head against my wooden desk. Maybe if I banged it hard enough, I’ll hand to go home due to the hospital for head trauma. If I did that, however, Bengt would most likely be there to annoy me every single day. I guess I just have to live with it now.
    I didn’t respond to Bengt. I was hoping he was just joking about everything, but something tells me he wasn’t. Unless he was a complete idiot, which I wouldn’t doubt, he should know that only couples hold hands.
    The rest of the period went by normally, and second period rolled around. Bengt and I sat in our normal seats, me sitting right in front of him. Ms. Carla ran into the class, her perfect and curly red hair bouncing after her.
    “Sorry, everyone,” she apologized, “I was speaking to Mr. Skylark about something.”
    The whole class whistled together and began talking animatedly about her and Mr. Skylark’s relationship.
    “You like him, don’t you, Ms. Carla?” a student teased.
    Ms. Carla’s face lit up to match her hair, she said, “Please, settle down. There is nothing between the two of us. We are simply friends. Sorry to bore you.”
    The whole class sighed in disappointment. I simply rolled my eyes. Why should anyone care if Ms. Carla and Mr. Skylark liked each other? I thought they were both cool teachers, and if they wanted to be together it was none of our business. The students here get to into their teachers lives. It’s scary.
    “By the way,” Ms. Carla began, “We have a new student joining us.”
    A new student in the middle of the year was joining us? That was strange.
    A boy with greasy, long, dark hair came walking in with his dirty jeans and over-sized T-shirt. The way he looked screamed that he was a juvenile delinquent.
    “This is Mason Jensen,” Ms. Carla explained, “Please give him a warm welcome.”
    The boy growled at Ms. Carla and said, “Call me ‘Mace’.”
    Ms. Carla, normally an easy-going spirit, matched his glare as she said, “Take a seat, Mr. Jensen.”
    Mason snorted and sat a few rows away from me, thank goodness. He looked over at me, and I gave a huff and turned away like any normal female would do when unwanted male attention was being given.
    ‘What is her problem?’ I heard him think.
    He was a problem. I could already tell he was going to be a thorn in Ms. Carla’s side, and she didn’t deserve that. Call him ‘Mace’, I don’t think so. He thinks he’s so tough, but I’ll knock him down for size if he even tried to come closer to me.
    After that nightmare of a class, I was getting things from my locker when I noticed Mason’s (I refuse to call him ‘Mace’ due to the sheer stupidity of it) stare from across the hall. I shuttered. How creepy was it to get stared at by some guy? It was really creepy. I tired my best to keep my cool and not scream at him to go jump off a cliff where he can stare all he wants with his dead eyes.
    Seriously, people were so idiotic. I think they just stare at people to try and make them uncomfortable. Some people stare at each other out of hate, and some due it out of like. I highly doubted that Mason likes me. At least, I really hope he didn’t like me. I already have one annoying guy around me, I don’t need another one. Though I wouldn’t compare Bengt to anyone. He was kind of like Barry in that way.
    I closed my locker and left to go find Bengt. I don’t know why I feel safer around him. Maybe it’s because of when that creepy blue-haired guy was trying to hit on me, and Bengt got him off my back. That seemed like a perfectly logical reason. That and Bengt was a good seven-foot tall individual. His height alone was enough to intimidate anybody. If only they knew what he was like in reality. I bet he couldn’t hurt a fly.
    As I was walking, I felt a chill run up my spine. I heard the heavy footsteps following me close behind. When I turned a corner, I looked at my follower with my peripheral vision. Sure enough, it was that Mason creep. Why couldn’t he just leave me alone?
    I picked up the pace, pleaded to God that I would find Bengt soon. The longer I walked, the louder I heard Mason’s footsteps behind me. I was almost in tears. I wouldn’t run, not until I saw Bengt anyways. I’m not the fastest runner, nor did I have the stamina to run for long periods of time. Mason most likely had experience running from policemen, I was only taking a guess. He’s run after me as soon as I take off, I’m sure of it.
    Eventually, I spotted Bengt in the English hall, speaking his Sign Language with Mr. Skylark. I took off and clung onto Bengt’s arm as soon as I reached him. My heart was pounding with fear and adrenaline, and I clung onto his arm for dear life.
    Both Mr. Skylark and Bengt were giving me looks of surprise. Mr. Skylark’s eyes glanced beyond me and gave a glare. I looked back just in time to see Mason’s greasy hair turn the corner. He was out of sight and out of mind, for now.
    Mr. Skylark spoke up, “That boy was Mason Jensen, am I correct?”
    I nodded.
    “He was just let out of the Juvenile Delinquent Center,” Mr. Skylark continued, “I don’t know what he was convicted for, but I see that he was following you pretty intensely. Are you alright?”
    “I will be,” I said, “You don’t have to worry about me. I’m just glad I found Bengt in time. I thought I was going to be murdered.”
    “Well, next time he does that, you can tell someone of authority,” Mr. Skylark said, “It’s easier that way.”
    “With all due respect,” I began. “I doubt that kid cares about authority.”
    “Still,” he stated, “It’s safer to just tell an adult about it.”
    I nodded just to get him off my back. Mr. Skylark went back into his room as Bengt and I walked around.
    ‘What was that guy doing following you?’ Bengt asked in concern.
    “I have no idea,” I confessed, “He must have it out for me, but I did nothing to him. Well, I guess I did glare at him, but he was staring at me in class!”
    ‘Ali,’ Bengt called with a serious tone, ‘If he tries anything, you come get me, alright?’
    “What do you think I did now?!” I said, “I walked everywhere trying to find you! Do you know how freaked out I was?!”
    Bengt gave me a smile and apologized, ‘I’m sorry, Ali. I just wanted to ask Mr. Skylark about the homework tonight. I’ll stick with you for the rest of the day. He won’t dare come near you.’
    “Thanks, Bengt,” I sighed in relief. Bengt was right, Mason wouldn’t dare come near me with Bengt around. I could just imagine Bengt throwing one of his knives at Mason’s head and getting a direct hit. I chuckled darkly, which made Bengt put on a confused look.
    The rest of the day passed by with no worries. I held onto Bengt’s arm for every break and every time he walked me to class. It was the first time that Bengt and I spent so much time together in school. We would only meet up at Brunch and Lunch, but today was different. I was so grateful that Bengt was by my side. I did not see Mason for the rest of the day, but I did hear a bunch of people thinking about Bengt and I in their minds.
    ‘Are they together?’
    ‘Does he even know who she really is?’
    ‘He’s so nice! Why would he be with her?!’
    ‘I really liked him too…’
    Why couldn’t people just leave us alone? It wasn’t as if we were celebrities or anything. That would be pretty sad if we were celebrities of the school. Becky would definitely get jealous.
    The end of school was here, and Bengt met me at my classroom door. I grabbed a hold of his arm as we began walking towards the hall that led to the courtyard.
    ‘Wait!’ Bengt suddenly cried, ‘Oh no! I left my textbook for English in my locker! Could you wait here real quick, Ali? I’ll be right back.’
    “O-oh okay,” I gave a small nervous stutter. Bengt smiled before walking off in the direction towards his locker. He turned a corner, and I leaned against a wall. There was no way that Mason would find me. He had no idea what my last class was, and there was a whole school filled with classes that could have easily been my last class.
    I closed my eyes and hummed gently to myself. Bengt couldn’t be gone for long, right? Suddenly, my eyes snapped open. I heard them. The footsteps were Mason’s. I turned my head and saw him at the far end of the hall. He was looking the other way, as if trying to find something or someone. When he turned his head towards me, my heart stopped.
    ‘Found you,’ he thought.
    I froze in place. He was striding over to me, and if I didn’t move quickly, he would catch me. I broke out of my fear and swiftly walked towards the courtyard. I doubted anyone would help me, but maybe he would stop if there were enough people around.
    I saw the courtyard and sped up. Naturally the footsteps behind me sped up as well. I entered the courtyard and swiftly looked around for anyone I could possible know.
    Then I saw the Angel of Mercy. It was Hasse. He was standing near the entrance to the schoolyard, and he looked like he was looking for someone. Most likely he was looking for Bengt and I. My legs moved for me as I ran towards him.
    “Hasse!” I cried out to him. His head snapped towards me and gave me a smile. I stopped in front of him and heaved in oxygen to my poor lungs.
    “Are you alright?” he asked.
    “Now I am,” I breathed, “Thank you for being here.”
    Hasse raised a brow and asked, “What do you mean by ‘now’?”
    I turned towards the entrance into the school and saw Mason retreating back into the halls. I breathed a sigh of relief for the second time today. I glanced up at Hasse to see him giving Mason a glare that had deep hatred in it.
    “Was that boy following you?” Hasse asked in all seriousness.
    I nodded and replied, “Yes. He’s a new student and for some reason he won’t leave me alone. Bengt was with me, but he went to his locker.”
    Hasse made a hum with his throat. He patted my head gently, and I began to calm down.
    My heart jumped when Emelie suddenly popped out from behind Hasse with a playfulness in her hop. I fell backwards, but Hasse caught my arm and pulled me back up before I hit the ground.
    ‘Are you alright, Ali?’ Emelie asked, ‘I heard what you said. If that boy bothers you, you just tell Hasse or Bengt. They are both very protective, you know.’
    I laughed, “Bengt was guarding me for the whole day. It was just the one time he left me that the new kid followed me.”
    ‘Well Bengt should not have left you alone,’ Emelie continued, ‘In fact, if it were Hasse, he would have killed that boy with one of his throwing knives. You know he is so good at that, right? Bengt must have told you.
    Anyway, I remember one time back in Sweden when my father sent a suitor to court me into marrying him instead of Hasse. The suitor followed my everywhere, and it scared me senseless. I told Hasse about it, and the next day I saw no suitor following me.
    I asked Hasse what happened to him, and Hasse told me that while the suitor was stalking me, Hasse came up and threw a knife right through his head. Hasse simply wiped the blood off and continued on his way.’
    “Wow,” I said slowly, “How… adorable.”
    Emelie piped up, ‘Isn’t it?! My Hasse is so adorable! I’m glad you think so too! That also reminds me of before Hasse and I were together. I would walk everywhere I could back in Sweden, and one day I found that Hasse was following me. Now, I know that Hasse can seem to be a little… intimidating, but I thought he was really cute. I let him follow me for a few more days before confronting him. The way he turned red when he realized I knew was the cutest thing ever. My Hasse is amazing!’
    I looked at Hasse, who had on his poker face. Hasse always looked like the stalker type. That being said, I still think he’s pretty cool. I wonder if Bengt would do that kind of thing for me. I really hope Bengt never follows me like that though. That would just get downright annoying.
    “Anyway,” I began, “May I ask why you guys are here?”
    Hasse spoke, “We came here because we received a phone call, from your mother.”
    I drew in a breathe and asked, “What did she say?”
    “Why not ask her?” Hasse said, gesturing to my mother, who was leaning against the gate. How did I not see her there before?
    “Mom?” I called.
    She looked as if she had been crying with red eyes and tear-stained cheeks. She ran over to me and squeezed me in a hug.
    “Oh, Ali,” she started, “I’m so sorry! I’ve been looking all over for you! I got your pictures, but when I asked the mailman where they came from, he said he couldn’t tell me the address. He did tell me that it was from the Norgen’s. I looked up their name in the phonebook and gave them a call. At first, when Mr. Norgen picked up, I was a little skeptical of you being there, but he informed me that you were staying there due to a friend.
    I feel awful about what I had done. I never should have kicked you out. And I’m sorry for throwing Barry away. I just thought that maybe you grew out of him, but clearly that is not the case. Barry will be treated like a king when he comes home with you. Please forgive me?”
    Even if my mother was sounding so sincere, I doubted she really meant what she was saying. Still, I had to forgive her. Even though she reinforced my idea that humans sucked, she was still my mother.
    “Of course I forgive you,” I smiled, “I love you, mom.”
    She sobbed and hugged me, saying, “I love you too.”
    After we finished hugging, my mom shook both Emelie and Hasse’s hands. She said, “Thank you so much for taking care of her. I really hope she wasn’t a burden.”
    Hasse told her, “She was a delight. And Bengt was happy to have such a close friend. I hope she can come over more often.”
    Emelie nodded enthusiastically and gave me a goodbye hug. Hasse ruffled my hair playfully.
    ‘Ali?!’ I heard Bengt’s thoughts call for me. I turned towards the school, and he was standing in front, looking for me.
    “Bengt!” I shouted, “Over here!”
    Bengt saw me and smiled, running over. He reached me and saw his parents.
    ‘Hello, Mom. Hello, Dad,’ he greeted them.
    ‘Hello, Bengt,’ Emelie greeted back.
    Hasse reached over and patted his head, his own way of showing affection.
    Bengt looked over at my mom and asked, ‘Who is this?’
    “Bengt,” I said, “This is my mom. Mom, this is Bengt. I’ve told you about him, remember?”
    “Right,” she replied, “This is the boy that you were suppose to hang out with that day. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Ali doesn’t usually talk about her friends to me. I doubted that she even had any.”
    The way she said it made the Norgen’s widen their eyes. Mother noticed this and tried to save herself.
    “I-I knew she had them, I was only joking,” she coughed, “Anyway, thanks again for taking care of her. We’ll be going now. I’ve got your stuff in the car already, Ali.”
    “Alright.”
    My mom was already rushing towards the car. No doubt that she was embarrassed. I shook my head and gazed at the Norgen’s.
    Bengt looked sad as he said, ‘I guess I’ll have to see you at school from now on. I’ll miss pedaling you around on my handlebars.’
    I reached up to play with his hair, I said, “Don’t worry. We can ride around any time. I’m not going very far.”
    ‘Ali,’ Emelie began, ‘If you ever want to stay with us, you can.’
    “I know,” I replied, “Bye!”
    ‘Ali,’ Hasse called to me in his thoughts, ‘You aren’t alone. As my wife thought, you can stay with us whenever.’
    I halted when I heard that. I wasn’t alone? What could he mean by that? Then it hit me. He thought “as [his] wife thought”, that could only mean one thing.
    I turned around and saw the Norgen’s getting Bengt’s bike out. Hasse glanced at me and put on a devious smile, one I had never thought I would see.
    I gasped and whipped my head around, running towards my mom’s car. She had been honking at me to hurry. As we sped off, I took one look at Hasse’s retreating figure. Hasse was definitely a mind reader like me.

Author's Note

Mason is a huge creep. He gets creepier, trust me.

By the way, Hasse is one of my favorite characters. ^^

Hope you enjoyed!

Reviews

[Ali]

mason, gurl. don't make me open a can of wup-a*s on you~