3:30pm

21: explanations, explanations

                       <only you>

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"You weren't replying my texts, my calls, heck, I even dropped by your house but you weren't there. Are you avoiding me, Cleo?" Brent asked, his fast pace matching mine.

"What?" I glanced at him. "No."

"Is it because I told you I had feelings for you?"

Abruptly, I stopped and almost immediately, he did too.

"I just need you to come with me, okay?" I said, looking at him. "Please. No more questions. And no, it's not because you told me you had feelings for me. Besides, that's in the past. Neither am I avoiding you."

His green eyes held mine in brief uncertainty before, finally, he sighed, his shoulders going slack. "Okay."

I made to turn away from him when, suddenly, he gripped my upper arm, stopping me.

"Hold on a sec," he said, his eyes fixed on my face, a mild frown pulling his eyebrows together.

"What are you—"

"Your eye." He tapped his right eye, letting go of my arm. "It's pink. Bruised. Did you get punched or something?"

For a moment, I stared at him, my lips pursed, and then, without hesitation, I answered. "Yes."

At once, his eyebrows shot up. "You're kidding, right?"

"What if I wasn't?"

"So, you're not then." He stated.

I exhaled and turned away from him. "Let's just get to the homeroom first. I'll explain everything to you then."

I resumed walking. "Mikayla's already waiting for us."

"Mikayla?" he asked, falling into step with me.

I nodded, weaving my way through the throng of students in the hallway.

"Shit couldn't get any weirder." I heard him mumble as we approached the homeroom.

Trust me, it couldn't.

Stepping up to the door and twisting the handle, I pushed it open and walked in, Brent following closely behind me.

Seated on the chair closest to the window at the left of the class and in front, silently observing her nail polish, was Mikayla. As soon as she heard the door close, she looked up, her brown eyes going bright on meeting mine, before averting to a confused look on noting Brent's presence.

At once, she stood up, walked around the table and came over to me. Reaching out, she wrapped her arms around my neck in the tightest bear hug I'd ever had. And, although it made me breathless, I loved it. Wallowed the feeling of calm that came with it, because here I was, about to tell my biggest secret to two entirely different people other than me. It wasn't just a big deal. It was colossal.

"I missed you, Cleo," she murmured, her arms still around me, face buried in the crook of my shoulder.

"It's been only three days," I laughed. "But I missed you too."

"Three years, you mean, 'cause that's what it felt like to me," she breathed, stepping back from me and moving her gaze to Brent.

"Hi, Brent," she said with a smile.

"Hi." He returned her smile with a quick one. "Do you have any idea why she asked us both to be here? At this very time? When I should be doing some other stuff like, oh, I don't know, makeup tests?"