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Summer Nights

Chapter Thirty-Three

*Holly's P.O.V*
I pulled up to the brick building at least three minutes earlier than my opponent. As I was walking up the steps, I heard a loud honk from a car horn. Bewildered, I turned around to see Niall already leaping over his door, barely stopping to grab his backpack. Smiling, I waited for him as he panted up to me.
"I let you win," he stated before I could say anything. Shaking my head, I ruffled his hair.
"Sure you did," I teased. He snorted, dropping the act as he opened the door for me. As usual, I thanked him, and he trailed behind me while we went to our lockers.

When I was transferring my books from my bag to the metal compartment, I grinned to myself. I nudged Niall with my shoulder, and he looked over at me. Still grinning like a cat that had stumbled upon a flock of canaries, I held up a round canister for him to see. He read the label, and an expression similar to mine spread over his face.
"I can't believe you actually did it," he said, beginning to laugh. I joined in, making the entire hallway echo with the sound.
"Hey, I gotta arm myself!" I said, making us burst into another fit.
"I really want to watch when that happens," he chuckled once we'd calmed down.
"Then stick around for a while– knowing him, it's gonna happen in five, four, three, two," I pointed a finger behind me.
"Hey Holly." Niall tensed up, his fingers curling around his books in his hands. I saw his gaze go down to my hand, where I still held the pepper spray container.
"Aaand, goodbye," I replied, slamming my locker door shut. Niall quickly fell in step with me on my right, shielding me from Ryan. I was blocked on either side, with the lockers and him sandwiching me, and I knew both of us were hoping my position would discourage Ryan from making another move on me.

Unfortunately, I heard the heavy footsteps of a certain someone tracking us as Niall and I rushed to our homeroom.
"Wait a sec, Holly! I wanted to see if–" Niall whirled around, already sick of him. I noticed he puffed out his chest, and as soon as he spoke, his accent was thicker.
"Listen here, Ryan. Holly isn't interested in you– you've just been to dumb to see it," he spat. The brown-haired boy took a step back, as if to evaluate his adversary. He scoffed, sizing up Niall.
"I wouldn't think that, Horan. I've had a few chats with her lately, and it seems she's sending me some signals," he smoothly lied. A loud crash sounded as Niall's books hit the linoleum floor, and in one quick step, he closed the distance between him and Ryan. Grabbing his collar, he yanked him up off his feet. I could only watch in shock as he warned him.
"Look, Skinner. Keep your perverted eyes elsewhere. You can stare at the dumpster for all I care, but stay away from her. Got it?" He growled. Even though Ryan was pretty strong, but not as muscular as the other boys, he must've realized the circumstances were not in his favor, and he gulped, nodding.
"Good." Niall released him, and I'm pleased to say he didn't even look back at me as he ran off like the coward he was. Niall exhaled, running a hand through his hair before scooping up his books. Before I could do anything, he'd run down the hallway, leaving me to ponder what had just happened.