And then he stopped. Shane leaned his forehead against mine, breathing heavily, our eyes still closed, and he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.
"Astra," he mumbled against my lips. "Please don't hurt yourself."
And all at once, his body fell l...
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C H A P T E R S E V E N T Y - E I G H T
S h a n e ༶ ｡◕
I sat on the same table where she usually sits, checking my watch anxiously. Where was she? Surely she knew I didn't mean what I said earlier?
I just... I was trying to distance myself from her. I didn't want my heart broken, I didn't have the mental stability for a relationship or to be chasing after someone. My self worth had completely disintegrated and I knew for a fact that I wasn't likeable. I had no idea why she still wanted to talk to me. My stomach rumbled and I swallowed back the hunger pains, tapping my foot.
There were about five minutes left of lunch when I stood up and walked out of the library. Raised voices from around the corner drifted towards me, just within earshot.
"Where the hell is he?"
"Dude, I told you, we don't know. Leave us alone," Kyrie scowled back at Dusty, Leila next to him with her arms folded. I appeared around the corner and sighed, propping my hands on my hips.
"Ahh... if it isn't the lovebirds. And the chick that got thrown out of the nest." I cocked an eyebrow and gritted my teeth as my eyes took in his dishevelled appearance. Every little thing about him just ticked me off.
Dusty stormed to me and shoved me against the wall, the keys of the lockers pressing into my back. I winced and pushed him back, not as a fight but as a warning, and clenched my jaw. "What the hell, man?"
He came close to me, jabbing a finger in my face as he hissed. "What the fuck did you do?"
I furrowed my brows together. "What? I didn't do anything - get away from me."
"That's the problem. You didn't do anything."
"What-"
"Do you know where your girlfriend is? No? You know what, Doughtry?" Dusty stepped back, rubbing his hands through his hair. "The one thing I liked about you, the only thing, is how you never took it too far. You could fool around all you want but when it came to people, you were - and I hate to say it - a good person. And you fucked up man. You fucked up real good." Dusty shook his head at me and jogged down the corridor.
Graham came walking around the corner and his face morphed into one of confusion when he saw us all just standing there.
And suddenly everything made sense. It all flashed in front of my eyes like a moving slideshow and right now, the only thing I was focused on was getting out of here.
I shoved past Gray and out of the building, running through the school gates and onto the busier-than-usual streets of our area. I was testing my limits but I didn't stop running, occasionally crying out a "Sorry!" to any pedestrians I barged past.
