Landslide: Before (Book 1) (GirlxGirl / lesbian/ LGBTQ)

Chapter Nineteen

"I may joke, but I'm glad we're friends, Emery," He said releasing me from our hug. "And, as your friend, I want to tell you that you shouldn't give up on Violet. There's something in the way that she looks at you that tells me she might be feeling it too."

"I hope you're right," I mumbled, but gave him an appreciative smile. "I'll see you tomorrow, Grayson." He matched my smile as I got out of his truck and waved. I stayed in my driveway as he backed out and waited until the familiar rumble of his truck faded. A few more minutes passed before I reluctantly went inside to cram for my test. And even though I had was content with the time I spent with my friends there was an uneasy feeling settling itself in the pit of my stomach.

***

At school the next day, I spent a majority of the morning searching for Violet. I checked everywhere, from the library to the cafeteria to the locker room. She was nowhere to be found. This would be her third day absent from school, and I was beginning to worry incessantly. I knew it was her pattern to avoid me after our conversations got to heavy or we got too close, that was clear now, but it wasn't like her to disappear for this long.

I was rushing through the hallway of the school with my head down trying to get to class on time. I was too deep in thought that I didn't see anyone until my body collided with theirs.

"Oof," My breath flew out of my mouth and landed on the floor with a thud. A hand came down offering me assistance and for a moment I thought it was Violet. She really was always knocking me off my feet. Or at least helping me back on them. When I looked up to find out who it was, I was greeted by the cheeky smile of Sophie. I accepted her help and was pulled up onto my feet. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"I could tell," She answered, "Thinking about Violet again?" I blushed under her gaze.

"Kind of. Have you seen her? I've looked everywhere."

"Nope, even the girls on the team in her grade haven't seen her at all this week," Sophie shrugged. "Maybe she's sick, but Coach Rose doesn't know anything either, so who knows."

"Wait, in her grade? She's not a senior like us?"

"She's a junior," She told me. "Anyway, I gotta get to class, I'll see you around. Good luck finding your girl." Sophie sent me a wink before she walked off down the hallway.

I called after her.

"She's not my girl!"

"Yet," She shouted back. I groaned and rushed my way to my European History class to take my test. I scrambled my way into my seat in the classroom right before the bell rang. Aurora shot me a curious look, but just as she was about to speak our teacher, Mr. Morgan, walked in with a thick stack of tests. My stomach dropped. I was so not prepared whatsoever.

"Alright, class, you have the period to finish this test, no more than that," He handed out the tests to each row. "As soon as you get the test put your name on it and begin. Eyes on your own papers. You know the spiel." As soon as I got the test I started to work on it, answering the ones I knew immediately, marking the others.

Half way through the period I was nowhere near close to finishing, and I didn't understand or know the answers to the rest. My gaze shifted from the test in front of me to the clock that sat on the wall over Mr. Morgan's. As the second hand continued its slow movement around the clock, I felt my attention fall away from the test in front of me.

Instead of thinking about European History, I thought about Sawyer for the first in what felt like weeks. I didn't want to credit my ability to get through schoolwork to her, but she was one of the main reasons I got my work done. Or actually studied. She was so determined and intelligent that I felt pressure to do my work when she did hers. Sawyer was never rude about it, either, when I had to ask her for help to understand something, and I knew that I wouldn't even be struggling on this test if we were still together. But, that was so wrong. I shouldn't have relied so much on her to succeed, because without her I feel like I'm failing.

Maybe I would have studied more if I hadn't been so preoccupied with the thoughts of Violet. Ever since the moment she bolted from Barks N' Recreation's my mind had been swimming with her. Each turn my thoughts took, I somehow managed to bump into her. I backtracked through my memories of Violet, wondering if there was any hint as to when I started to feel more than a platonic feeling toward her. I had felt a pull toward her since I saw her at work when Misty knocked her down. I wanted to get to know her, understand her, but that wasn't anything, was it? She had been impolite and a pain in my butt from the start, never saying more than a few words. But, then, we had coffee together, and I told her about Sawyer, and something changed between us.

I cherished the time I saw her at The Lost Book Shop, even if we never spoke. I had felt a sense of calm whenever she was around. Sure, she annoyed me sometimes, left me confused more often than not, but she also made me happy. She made me feel understood. Even when she didn't know anything about why I was upset, she still stayed, she still listened. And, to me, that counted for a whole lot more than anytime she annoyed me. I had a strong feeling that there was a reasoning behind why she kept running and I was going to find out. That was, if I could find her.

Where are you Violet? I thought with a heavy heart.

"Time's up," Mr. Morgan said just as the bell rang. "Hand in your work on your way out." My eyes widened in horror. I didn't finish my test. I left a majority of it blank thinking I had time to go back. "Ms. Davis, class is over." I looked up at him and slowly handed my test over morosely. I left the classroom with my head hung low ashamed and disappointed in myself for allowing such trivial problems take my focus away from my education. There was no way that test grade was going to be good, and I knew somehow my mother would find out. And she would not be pleased.