Checkmate

38| Snitches get stitches

My heart stutters once, then twice. If I didn't know better, I'd think this was a set-up. "If he doesn't want to talk to you about these things, what makes you think he'll talk to me?"

Freddie looks at me like I'm officially insane. "If you really don't know the answer to that question, then God help you both."

I sigh and slam my locker shut before looking at Liv for support. If anyone can understand how I feel, it's her, the girl who told me to forget everything else and go get my campaign, but right now she's looking at her feet in a way that is so unlike her.

"Liv, come on," I say. "Someone needs to go and check on him, and it shouldn't be me."

I sound heartless right now, but the truth is, I'm too afraid to see Blake tonight. I'm certain that the moment I see him, I'll forget everything that happened, forget what he did, and I'll forgive him because I miss him.

God, I miss Blake O'Hare, the boy who wears rock t-shirts and thinks Valentine's Day is a scam. Who spends all night smoking and thinks the government is out to get him. That Blake. But god help me, I do. I miss him more than anything, because I didn't just lose the boy I happened to kiss every now and then; I lost my friend.

"I can quickly stop by now," she says, "though I doubt he'll be happy to see me. The last time we spoke, I was kind of yelling at him about how stupid he was to do what he did."

"I could go over," Freddie says, "but half the time, he never opens the door to me."

We shoot Kenny a desperate look until finally, he sighs. "I'll go over now," he says.

Liv turns back to face me and says, "See? Don't worry, okay? This will all blow over soon."

I sigh and drag my gaze to the gossiping crowd. If I know anything about dramas and rumors, it's that they don't just die down – not without leaving a mark.

For the rest of the evening, I try to preoccupy myself with piano lessons and tutoring. Meridia, as usual, is thrilled to see me. She waits in the window for me to pull up and then opens the door with the plate of cookies she'd made ten minutes prior.

"Good luck cookies for your campaign," she says, and even though I try not to make a habit out of eating things she gives me – you never know where her little fingers have been – I find myself taking one as she leads me into the kitchen.

Mrs. Delaware stands at the sink washing dishes but turns around at my arrival. Smiling, she lifts her sud-soaked marionette gloves from the water and gracefully peels them off. "Lovely to see you, Rose. I've heard from your mother that you're on track to winning the presidency on Wednesday. I do hope you get it."

I force a smile. Clearly, my mother has been doing damage control. I doubt in her neighborly chats that she's mentioned my campaign captain is Blake. "I sure hope so, Mrs Delaware," I say. "but if not, I'm happy just to be working on the school council. Making a difference to our school community is important to me."

"Of course, of course," Mrs. Delaware says, "but you've put in so much hard work and faced so many setbacks not to win."

I look at her closely, wondering if the rumors have gotten out about Chase and Blake yet, but I'm certain if she knew anything, she'd have brought it up by now. Still, I'm so nervous about everything that's happened that I grab another three cookies as I slide onto a barstool and steadily munch away.

"I know," I say, glancing at Meridia, "but sometimes it's not winning that's important. It's putting yourself out there."

"Hmm," Mrs. Delaware says and moves to the teapot. "Do you want something to drink, Rose? I just bought these new chai tea bags that taste divine."

"They don't," Meridia says, scrunching her nose. "They taste like moldy dishwater."

I don't ask how Meridia knows what moldy dishwater tastes like, I just fervently shake my head. "No, thank you, I'm okay."

For the next few minutes, Meridia watches me across the table as I demolish her cookies. Turning her head and squinting a little, she says, "You look sad today."

"I'm not sad," I say, but I have to look away because she's got this all-knowing, all-seeing stare that looks right through my soul. And I'm not sad – if anything, I'm confused. One moment, I'm adamant I can never forgive Blake for betraying me that way, but now after hearing he's been suspended, part of me just wants to see him, even if it's only for a moment. A second. Even if it doesn't last.

"C'mon, Meridia." I reach into my bag and pull out the fancy pencils she likes. "We're working on punctuation and finger spaces today."

For the rest of our session, I forget about Blake and Chase and the campaign and focus on what I like doing: helping people. By the time we've finished, Meridia can – for the most part – remember where her full stops go, and her words resemble words instead of snake-like creatures that stretch across the page.

"I'm glad you're here to help me," Meridia says as we pack away. "When mommy tries to help me, she gets so cross when I can't remember stuff."

"That's not your fault," I say softly. "You know that, right? Sometimes it takes a little time to learn things, and that's okay."

She smiles, and for the first time, her little eyes light up in a way I've never seen. "See you next week?"

I smile and say, "See you next week."

As soon as I'm outside, I sit in my car, hands on the wheel, and try to convince myself not to go over to Blake's. As much as I want to make sure he's okay, I know that going over will only make things more complicated, and complicated before election day is the last thing I need.

Besides, Liv will have checked in on him to ensure he's okay, so the best thing for me to do right now is to go home and do some homework. But there's this voice whispering softly in the back of my mind that if I don't see him now, when will I? Tomorrow, I might have regained the resolve I've been clinging to all day; it's now or never.

Against my better judgment, I reverse out of the drive and make my way to Blake's house, thinking over what I'll say. It feels like forever since I've spoken to him, even though it's only been a few days, and part of me is scared that the moment I see him, I'll give in completely. The other part of me is scared that I won't. What if when I see him, I realize it's gone? The trust, the closeness, the spark.

What if this is finally it?

A/N

Comment a heart if you want another chapter tomorrow! ❤️

P.S, if you've read my book Gaslight and enjoyed it, please show your support by leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads. It would really mean a lot to me.❤️❤️