When Winter Comes

Chapter 23: Winter Changes

"What happen? Austin and I?"

Winston grumbled a yes and Najia gave a shake of her head, already disapproving. My fingers curled themselves slowly into a ball as I cocked my head. 

"Seriously? Austin and I?" I asked again, this time narrowing my eyes and pressing my tongue against the inside of my cheek. Penny coughed out a yes. Winston shook his head. "Does it upset you that we're together?" 

From their hidden eyes and gulping throats, I felt their opposing views. Initially, I was angry from them having such opposite feelings, but then that anger turned to sadness. Couldn't they see that I was finally happy? I was finally comfortable in my skin, even if it was all scarred up. 

"Have you really moved on from Jace?" Penny asked and stretched her hand across the table to hold my cold fist. I rolled my hand away from her and hugged my blazer tighter. "I'm not meaning to offend you. It's just, I don't feel as if you're truly over Jace and want to be with Austin." Najia nodded and gave me pouting eyes. 

"Jace wants nothing to do with me," I pointed out. "Don't you think it's for the best that I moved on from him? Now I'm not locking myself in my room crying twenty four seven. Now, I can finally build back up the life I want." 

"Winter, Jace asked about you yesterday," Penny said. "He still cares."

From her statement, I shook a little. "What did he say?" 

"It doesn't matter, because you're happy now, right?" Penny pushed and leaned her body against the table. Najia grabbed her girlfriends hand. 

"Of course I am, but don't I have a right to know what people are saying about me?" I fired. It hurt that Penny could still talk to Jace and I couldn't. They were able to remain friends, while I was ripped of a friendship. 

"You want to know what people are saying? They're saying that the old Winter is back. People are talking about how you went away on a sex vacation, whatever that means. There's talk that you're cutting yourself. Winston even heard that you slept with the janitor." Penny spewed out the list of things people were saying. At each thing, my body twitched a little. 

Slowly, I rolled my eyes, crossed my arms and leaned against the table. Nobody could know that I could break so easily. "Yes, I did cut myself, but that's old news now. I've embraced it. Second, what the hell is a sex vacation? Seriously, are you even listening to these rumors. They're insanely dumb. People need to get better rumors if they want to even slightly offend me. Third, that janitor rumor is from, like, the second week of school. Taylor started it because she wanted to know what happened to me last year. However, my gap year still remains a secret and she isn't even popular anymore," I scoffed, pushing myself  from the table. Just as I stood, Austin returned holding a sandwich. His eyes narrowed with confusion at the sudden tension. 

"What's going on here ladies?" Austin asked, tossing his sandwich is his grip. "Oh sorry, and Winston," Austin laughed, pleased with himself. 

"Nothing," I said, grabbing Austin's free hand and throwing my purse over my shoulder. "We're just sitting elsewhere because they can't handle the new me." 

"Or the old you," Winston mumbled.

"Hey, relax man," Austin defended waving his sandwich at him. "Come on babe, the courtyard is probably free." 

. . . 

The courtyard wasn't free, in fact. The last person that neither Austin and I wanted to see happened to be sitting alone on the fountain. My legs began to shake, either from the cold or from my lack of eating. Either way, his presence was not wanted.