My High School Life [Rewritten - Ongoing]

24. [Isabella]

The familiar scent of knowledge filled the air. Row after row of neatly stacked books decorated the dark, burgundy shelves. I smiled, seeing everything in its place. Nothing has changed since I'd left. Back when I was Isabella Ace, the library was the only place I could be myself—it was my safe haven. I remember everyday during lunch, I would sit in the corner, and read until I was almost cross-eyed. I would live each page in breathless rapture until I couldn't any more. When the bell rang, reality struck and I was forced to leave my imagination behind. But that was then, and this is now. Things were different.

With that thought in mind, I walked past the librarian, and went towards the Young Adult section. I froze, when I rounded the corner. Messy unkempt hair and familiar gray eyes invaded my vision. I was about to make a run for it when I heard his voice calling my name. Fuck. I shut my eyes, and continued forward. Maybe if I walk slowly enough, he won't—

"I know you heard me."

I felt my insides squirm at the sound of his voice, my heart throbbing simultaneously against my ribcage. "Oh, hi, Jason," I stammered, as our eyes met. "Didn't see you there."

"Right." A muscle twitched involuntarily in the corner of his eye, as he let out an understated sigh. "Anyways, what are you doing here?"

"Looking for a book."

"For what class?" he questioned.

    "English," I replied. "Our teacher assigned us a five page book report to write, and I wanted to get a head start on it. What about you?"

"Same." He lifted the book in his hand. I glanced at the cover, and saw two little kids holding hands with the title, "Redemption" above their heads.

I angled my head to a more relaxed pose, and resisted the urge to move my body closer to Jason. Instead, I stayed where I was and asked, "What's that about?"

"Um . . ." Tersely, his eyes flickered to the book. "I'm not very good at summarizing things, so here." He gave me the book with the back facing me.

I looked down and let my eyes skim the text that was there.

A pair of best friends. A terrible accident. Memory lost, and a shit ton of heartbreak.

    Get ready to dive into the lives of two childhood best friends as they recover the missing piece to their broken friendship and reunite after years of separation.

"Romance, huh?"

A blush seared through his cheeks. He turned his head to the side and avoided my gaze. "There's action, too."

"No kidding." I flipped the book over. "Was the main character involved in some sort of a car accident?" I asked.

Jason looked at me for a few seconds. "Can't say. You have to read it and see for yourself."

My shoulders slumped when I heard his response. "Guess I'll wait then."

"Or . . ." As I saw the sparkle in his eyes ignite, his mouth twitched, smiling. "You could read it now."

"Weren't you going to get the book, though?"

"Nah, you can have it."

"But, don't you want it?" I questioned, as I lifted the book up to him. "You had it first."

"Don't worry about it." He pushed the book back towards me. "I read the story plenty of times. So, it's fine."

"Well, if you insist . . . okay." When I thanked him, he just nodded, and said, "you're welcome."

     An awkward silence passed between us as the conversation ended. We stared back at each other for what seemed like hours until he finally dropped his gaze. "Um . . . listen." His voice was quieter now and seemingly unsure. "I know this isn't any of my business and you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but are you and Thomas going out?"

My eyes flew open. "W-what?"

    "Are you going out with Thomas?" he repeated, this time, loud and clear.

"No," I sputtered out. "Why would you think that?"

"Um." He touched the back of his neck, and said, "Well, Thomas . . . this morning he ended his relationship with Rachel, so I just thought since you're spending a lot of time together—"

"—wait. They seriously broke up?"

He nodded. "You haven't heard?"

"No." Was that why Thomas was being so quiet this morning? He barely even looked at me. All he did was stare absentmindedly at his desk. I seriously thought I did something wrong, so I left him alone. But when he left, I couldn't deny the small ache I felt when he didn't look my way.

A fire burned in my throat. Did, I really just say that?

"You like him, don't you?"

I stiffened. Jason's question caught me off guard. Not because he asked that particular question, but because I couldn't answer it. The answer should be obvious. It was on the tip of my tongue and yet I couldn't say it. The word, "no" wasn't coming out no matter how much I tried. It was like my body didn't want to say it.

     "Isabella?"

I blinked. It couldn't be. "Sorry." I forced a smile back on my face. "Thomas, he's an okay guy . . ." I said, choosing my words carefully. "But, he's not exactly my type." I bit my lips and glanced down. I could feel the fear in the pit of my stomach waiting to take over when I felt the immediate guilt. What the hell's wrong with me?

    He chuckled. "Not your type, huh?"

   "Um yeah . . ." I cast my eyes upwards. His intense stare was smoldering me whole. I gulped. It was like he could read my thoughts—see that I was lying. "Why'd you ask?"

He sucked in a breath. "There's something I need to tell you."

My brows furrowed together when he completely ignored my question. "Yeah, what is it?"

"I wasn't going to say this, but—" My stomach shifted uneasily. Something tells me this wasn't about Thomas anymore. "Isabella, I know that you're really—" The rest of his sentence was put to a stop when my phone rang.

I didn't even have time to say hello when Amanda bombarded me with questions, asking me where I was. Breathing out a sigh, I told her my location and ended the call.

"Sorry, but I need to go. We can talk later, alright?"

Jason opened his mouth, but closed it. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but in the end, he just nodded.

I gave Jason a final wave good-bye, as he kept his eyes on me. I turned around, and walked towards the librarian, knowing fully well he was still behind me.

She smiled at me when I stopped in front of her desk, and handed her the book. I didn't have to wait long before she returned the book back to me. "Enjoy."

"Thanks, I will."

As I made my way over to the front entrance, my steps faltered when I saw Jason's reflection in the glass window.

Perhaps it was the emptiness in his eyes, the way he stood hunched over, or the waves of wretchedness surrounding him, but I knew I had hurt him.

And I don't know why.