The Return

Chapter Twelve

Scarlett

Monday April 17th 2018.

She didn't want to talk about it. He made her.

For a while, they were Lincoln Lane's dream couple. They did cheesy things like sitting together at lunch and comparing calc notes.

"There's no way you got a better score than me," He slammed his notes shut. He was pissed.

"Why, because I'm supposed to be the dumb one in this relationship?" She let out a nervous chuckle.

Good girlfriends—No—potential prom queens don't laugh too loudly. They had to be poised. After all, everyone was watching.

They were watching...

He slumped back in his seat. He was wearing his varsity jacket. The one she wore every time he spent the night at her place.

"Or did you forget I used to tutor you sophomore year?" She dared her voice to rise a pitch. To get the message across.

He tossed his food around his plate with his fork.

"Can we drop this? You're causing a scene."

She couldn't.

"I'm so sick of you pulling shit like this, Malcolm. I'm not some trophy girlfriend that's going to be quiet and do whatever the hell you want."

"When have I ever made you do something you don't want to do?"

She fell silent.

They were always watching...

"Go on, say it? Tell me I've been manipulating you this whole time."

She clenched her fists beneath the table. "You don't want me to do that."

He dropped his voice to a whisper. "You can't do it, because you know everything you've done is because you wanted it as much as I have. Now keep your mouth shut. You're causing a scene." He gathered his books into his bag. "Don't make me say it again."

Something snapped.

"I almost drowned, Malcolm. At your stupid party. And I had to find out from your little group's Instagram page that Farida had recorded the whole damn thing before you remembered that I couldn't swim."

She never wanted to be a part of their stupid pranks.

He slammed his hand on the table and leaned in till their faces were a breath away. "I still got you out didn't I?"

She let out a strangled noise.

Lucas was the first to walk up to them. He eyed Scarlett up and down and clapped a hand on Malcolm's back. "Everything good over here?"

"It's fine," She rubbed her hands down on her thighs.

No relationship was a bed of roses. Or maybe they were and social media blurred out the thorns?

"I have to get to class," She pushed her plate away and reached for her bag slinging it over her shoulder.

"We're still on for, tonight right?" He grabbed onto her wrist. Hard.

She glared at his hand. "I'll think about it,"

She yanked her hand but it didn't budge.

"Let her go, Man," Lucas said, his hands in his pockets. "You can do better than her."

When Lucas had something on his mind, he wasn't afraid to say it.  He wasn't a big fan of Scarlett and Malcolm.

The first threat to Lincoln Lane's dream couple.