The Mail Boy

Chapter 17

"Are you seriously not talking to me?" I asked Maya at school on Monday.

No response.

Damn. She was angry with me.

"Maya!" I exclaimed, quickening my pace so that I could match hers. She was moving fast. I didn't know she could walk that quickly; she hated sports and was never much of a runner.

"Maya! Wait!" I cried. She stopped abruptly, causing me to crash into her and fall on my butt. I glared up at her while she smirked.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Why aren't you talking to me?" I asked.

"Because," she huffed. Without giving me an actual response, she turned around on her heel and disappeared into homeroom.

"Need some help?" I heard a voice say. I looked up to see Lucas. I let out an aggravated sigh.

I hated Mondays.

"No, I'm good. Thanks," I said, hoisting myself up. Lucas reached down and picked up the books that had fallen out of my hands. "Thanks," I mumbled again.

"No problem," he replied. We stood there awkwardly for a few brief moments. "So...I didn't see you at the dance Saturday," he said, leaning against the wall next to our classroom. I wished we were almost late so that I wouldn't have to talk to him, but we weren't. We were actually ten minutes early.

"I wasn't there," I answered. He raised his eyebrows.

"Why not?" he asked.

"I have a job, Lucas. I had something to take care of," I replied, annoyed with him.

"What kind of job?" he asked.

"You are really annoying me right now," I stated bluntly, looking him directly in the eye.

"Why are you suddenly such a jerk to me when I'm being nothing but nice to you?" he questioned, meeting my gaze with his chocolate brown eyes that I once found smoldering.

"I am not acting like a jerk," I said.

"You are," he replied.

"Am not," I said.

"Are, too."

"Not."

"Are."

"No."

"Yes."

"This is ridiculous. I don't have time for this banter," I said, stepping to his side. He out-stretched his arm, though, blocking my way into the classroom.

"We're not done talking," he said.

"Well, according to me, we are," I replied.

"Tori," he said, his voice straight.

"Lucas," I replied, mimicking his tone. He let out a sigh. "Why are you so keen on talking to me again, Lucas? We haven't spoken to each other in three years and suddenly this year you want to be buddy-buddy again, acting as if nothing happened between us," I said to him.

"That's exactly it, Tori! We're graduating in a few months and I don't want to leave things like...like this between us," he said. His brown puppy-dog eyes were pleading and earnest. I almost believed him.

"Haven't you heard of 'too little, too late'?" I asked him feebly. My strength and composure was plummeting. I knew I would give in to him soon enough if I didn't get away. Lucas had always had that power over me. He always knew how to hit me in my soft spot.