Let Me Switch Places

Chapter 4 : Switch

My eyes went on the table with guilt. The reality is that it wasn't only my mom's fault. I could have eaten this morning but the anxiety had filled me with stress.

Simon then jumped on me and kissed me with passion.

Nah I'm kidding, he just grabbed my chin for me to look at him. His angry face was focused on me : "Explain yourself."

Do not tell him. Do not tell him. Do not tell him. Don't you dare telling him. Don't be weak. Do not...

His deep dark eyes were looking into mine. He knows exactly what he's doing.

But I wasn't weak.

I pushed his hand away and turn around while putting my knees close to my chest and my arms around them.

He was now behind me. He silently stayed there, probably surprised that I wasn't falling for his game.

"I'm not one of your playtoys Simon. Your manipulation games don't work with me."

He stayed here, my eyes went dark once again. I could feel his hesitation to say something.

He so tried with a soft voice : "Nika, why didn't you eat?"

"Why do you care?"

I loved myself for saying that. It was a great feeling.

He seemed surprises as he kept his mouth shut. Even if I couldn't see him, I could feel how vulnerable he was, "caring" for me.

"I- I don't care, I just-"

He sighed in a breath and whispered to himself : "Why am I doing this..."

Was he really confused ?

I turned around, keeping my legs on my chair, my head resting on my knees.

I wasn't even looking at him. I was probably not enough confident yet to face him.

"Instead of asking questions, tell me what do you have for snacks."

My eyes went up on his. He looked surprised.

"Uhm, yeah sure", he awkwardly started as he took his backpack on his lap to show me what he got, "I got mmh... chips, cookies, chocolate bars, coca light and... uhm cigarettes? I guess you wont take the last one, am I wrong?"

"Good guess."

This boy is 14 and smoking. Such an idiot.

I mean... I wasn't expecting better from him but the confirmation was always hurtful.

I decided to tease him.

"You want me to eat to be healthy but you smoke."

He didn't answer.

I kept going, this feeling of power growing up in me.

"What is it even useful for? To look "cool"?"

He blinked twice and swallowed his saliva.

"Or maybe you just like getting high and numb?"

"Stop."

I didn't care about his warning. I was feeling too good for that. I liked it, this confidence growing up in my chest as he was getting pissed.

"Your parents must be so disappointed at you."

I could see a fist forming with his left hand while his other fingers were tightly holding the side of the desk.

"Oh did I hit a soft spot? You are already getting pissed aren't you."

His eyebrows were showing his hate towards my words as I was enjoying every bit of pushing him more and more each time.

"Let me tell you what you are: a pathetic attention whore."

He finally lost it. His fist went into my jaw as I fell onto the ground. It worked.

I could still feel my bone in place but some blood fell on the ground as I was holding the top of my body with my arms behind on the ground.

I smirked before the pain could be felt.

"Argh..."

I've never been punched like that before, but oh god I wasn't expecting it to be this hurtful.

I looked at him, and surprisingly the hate in his eyes earlier was replaced by worry and regret.

"Nika? What was that noise?" My mom yelled through the locked door.

I looked into Simon's eyes, a challenged expression onto my pale face.

After some seconds of thinking, Simon whispered : "Please Nika don't tell her I'm here, I'm sorry."

I could immediatly see the regret on his face after begging me. I felt pity for him.

"Nothing mom! My... books just fell on the ground!"

Simon looked at me with surprise as he smiled gently.

"Be careful then! You're already wasting all my money in the giant amount of food you're eating, do not waste it on books."

These were her last words before going away from the door. Simon's smile had disappeared as I closed my eyes and sighed.

Now he knows why I dont eat.

The confusion went away from his face and a worried expression replaced it as he remembered I was on the ground bleeding.

He ran to me while half sitting in front of me : "Fuck fuck fuck Nika I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you, I was jus-"

"Shut up."

He looked in my eyes with surprise and obeyed at my serious look.

He gave me a cleaning pad from the desk to stop the bleeding.

He then picked me up from the ground like a princess and carried me to bed.

"What are you doing?" I said with a panicked voice.

I tried to get out of his arms but he was holding me tighter.

"I'm helping you."

He put me in bed and said : "You have a bruise on your jaw."

He sat next to me and put a pillow behind my back for me to stand straight.

"Oh really? I haven't noticed." I said sarcastically in a way that didn't look like me.

"I'm so sorry Nika..."

He stopped talking and looked at me. His eyes went down on my lips for a second before blushing and going down to his hands.

Nothing was making sense. Usually I was the one blushing and excusing around him, and he was the one being sarcastic, cold and mean.

It felt like, my entire life made me slowly changed, but this single punch immediatly changed his attitude towards me.

I could never understand this guy.

Everything about him was making me confused, from his actions to his attitude.

He looked as much confused than me. I wanted to know what he was thinking, why he was like this...

...why I was attracted to him...

Maybe I was just crazy. At least that's how he was making me feel. I probably had the stockholm syndrome, or I am a masochist.

Could be both.

I hated myself for liking him.

But I couldn't help it.