You're Already Mine

Chapter Twenty

TW: ED, passing out, minor SH mention

A/N: took a bit of inspiration from Heartstopper by Alice Oseman, book 3/season 2 episode 5

"You coming?" Lucas has gotten up from the couch and is already at the door.

I blink several times, confused. "Where?"

"To the art museum, remember? They were scheduling a trip today."

The cogs in my brain are finally working. "Oh!"

"Yeah."

I look at Clover. "What do you think? Should we check it out?"

"Yeah," she says quietly.

I turn my attention back to Lucas. "What time does the shuttle leave?"

"In half an hour. It'll be back around three."

I turn on my phone and the time flashes back at me: eleven-thirty. "Sure."

"Have you guys had breakfast yet?"

"No, but we'll be down in a bit."

"Alright. And it'd be wise to bring a water bottle with you because it's really hot today."

"Yeah. I know." He didn't need to tell me twice. It's barely seven in the morning and I'm already sweating pools. Apparently the cabin's air conditioning is broken.

"Guys, are you ready yet?" Cheyenne's voice echoes through the hall.

"Coming," Lucas calls. Then he turns back to us, looking between me and Clover.

"What's up?" Clover asks shyly.

Lucas glances at me and I shake my head. "Nothing," he says. Then he tilts his head toward the door, looking at me.

"Be right back," I whisper to Clover, squeezing her shoulder as I get up. I follow Lucas out the door and he gently closes it.

"She does seem pretty on edge," I whisper.

"Hasn't she been lately?"

"Yeah. Ever since the night before we moved here. Like, the night before we went back home to get our things."

"Wasn't that, like, two weeks ago?"

Now that I think about it, I think it was the night of the day after we met, when she started hitting herself at the beach. I tell him this.

"Yeah, you mentioned that before. But you also said she seemed happy sometimes, and really down other times."

"Around lots of other people, she's really cheerful, but recently, when we're alone, she's been sort of down."

He nods. "I admire her acting skills."

"What do you mean? This isn't the time to joke around."

He sighs. "I'm not joking around. Y'know when you're, like, looking sad, acting sad, and

then someone asks what's wrong and you have to be like, 'Oh, no, I'm fine'?"

I nod.

"I think that's what's going on with Clover. She doesn't want to burden anyone with her problems, because when she does, she feels like she's being annoying."

"You're starting to sound like Sernie now."

He laughs. "Then Sernie sounds pretty smart."

A group of campers are pushing and shoving when we're in line for the shuttle. I look at Clover, but she doesn't meet my eyes; instead, she's smiling and her gaze is darting everywhere at once. I look at Lucas, and he gives me a thumbs-up. I turn back to Clover.