𝙢𝙮 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨, 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨 ( 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙡 )

𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙚

phase three: speaking, specifically distracting things. i waited a short while -- it had been over a minute of staring. "oh my gosh, walker! your eyes are bleeding!" what a bizarre thing to say? maeve chuckled to herself.

he had no reaction except for saying, "nice try."

another fifteen seconds passed. walker seemed to be as good as me at that point. next, i sniffed. "doesn't it smell like a weed addict's unfinished basement in here," i asked disgustedly.

"what do you think you're doing?" laughed walker. i didn't respond, since i was kind of at a loss with him. how had he not even flinched yet?  he definitely has the concentration for the part.

then, the perfect idea popped into my head. i had been making up things to throw him off... but what if i told the truth? he certainly wouldn't believe me if i said i liked him, and he certainly would get discombobulated.

"walker, i think i have a crush on you," i blurted out.

my plan worked. he blinked frantically, obviously questioning whether he heard that right. his focused expression melting into disbelief. "whoa, what?"

maeve jumped up and walked over to me, lifting up my arm as if i had just won a wrestling match. "and the winner is miss y/n!"

walker clapped his hands slowly, eyeing me with qualm. i could tell he was still trying to figure out what just happened. "good job," he said hesitantly.

"don't worry, that was an impressive match against the queen of staring contests," maeve said. "i would say you have what it takes for caleb."

walker fist-pumped. "let's go! that's more of a win in my eyes."

"i'm glad!" i smiled at him. "oh, and maeve, you can let go of my arm now. i think walker knows how much better of a starer i am at this point."

"oops, sorry!" maeve finally released my wrist from her grasp, then looked at my hand with concern. "that doesn't look good, y/n."

she was referencing the scrape on my palm. the pain had subsided a tad, but the appearance was quite the gory one. walker neared us as maeve asked me, "how'd that even happen?"

"when i fell on the roof," i told both of them, because i could see furrowed eyebrows on walker.

"well we have to at least put a bandage on it," he said.

"i have a little first aid kit in my bag," i remembered, maeve immediately digging through it. now i was glad i had brought it.

"jordyn's mom doesn't have ointment?" walker took two massive band-aids from maeve.

"she does, but it sounds like she's busy right now," maeve murmured. the yelling had dissipated but i could still make out some bickering. i wondered if my aunt found out that we were here or something.

i was trying my hardest to decode the muffled voices, when walker took my hand and gently started to nurse my bloody palm. i didn't expect to see him tending to it, intently placing the band-aid onto the scrapes as he sat on the bed next to me. i didn't know what to say, mesmerized as he opened a second bandage and placed it on my left hand, which he placed in his for support.

"is that any better?" he glanced up at me with a friendly smile.

"thank you," i managed to say.

"i'll take that as a yes."

i softly chuckled. that did things to me that i couldn't explain. the best way to put it: that was so attractive. i joined him in sitting down on the bed. "yeah, it does feel better. and sorry in advance about the blood you're going to discover on your glove."

"don't worry about it." he hesitated. "you've really got the acting skills, too. that was so convincing earlier. it caught me off guard."

"what, me saying i liked you?" i tried to play it off. "thanks, i was just trying to get you to blink, ya know..."

"yeah..." he squinted his eyes at me.

"what, you don't believe me?"

"yeah," he echoed, this time with more confidence.

"as you said, it was just my acting skills."

"you sure this isn't your acting right now?"

"yes. would you like me to have a huge crush on you," i asked accusingly.

before he could respond, maeve's phone rang again, with the same ringtone as earlier. i spun around and saw that she was listening excitedly to our conversation. she mouthed to me, "perfect timing," and rolled her eyes.

"who's calling again?" i asked.

"it's jordyn," she clarified. "i guess i should answer this time." oh, so it wasn't a scammer. she clicked the green check on the screen. "hey, where have you been? you're on speaker by the way."

"you guys need to make a run for it. my mom's coming up there soon," he whispered. this time i prayed he was being a scammer. he better have been lying, because if she found us here, jordyn's prison cell would be under heavy monitoring.

"what happened," maeve fussed. we all began to get our winter gear on.

"she questioned why i was getting popcorn and then we had an argument."

maeve held the phone up with her shoulder like a mom of five doing laundry as she zipped up her schoolbag. "those are two completely unrelated things."

"well, you see... last time i had a friend over, we watched a movie," he explained. "she saw the multiple bowls in my room that had kernels, and to cover for my friend, i gaslighted her by saying i never have popcorn and i hate it."

"oh..., so you're a dumbass," i nitpicked.

"dude, shut up and leave," he said. "for your life." the phone made a ringing that implied he had hung up.

so dramatic, i thought. until i heard the creaking of the steps, one by one, as my aunt lauren made her way closer to us. it was only a matter of time until she reached jordyn's room at the end of the hall. the jacket i threw on furthered the sweat i was sent into (aunt lauren can be scary.)

"oh shit," cried walker. he darted to the window and pushed it open, all three of us climbing out in an adrenaline-fueled rush. the wind blew in my hair as we stepped onto the roof, a refreshing sensation. something about this was rejuvenating; i found myself almost enjoying it. i couldn't help but laugh as maeve frenetically shut the window again.

"maybe we can read through the script another day," walker said. catching my breath, i nodded to him. i adjusted my backpack's straps, and with the two of them behind me, made our way back to the ground.

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thank you for reading chapter 9!

( credit for the art at the top : me )