Bitter Heart √

Thirty One

"What is it?" I asked, shouldering my backpack and striding across the school hallway, towards the parking lot. It was Connor, and God only knew why this was his sixth call in just these past few minutes.

I knew how difficult it was to actually corner someone from the East gang, but I hadn't asked that fool to fucking babysit him.

"I found him." Connor was breathing heavily on the other end.

"And?"

"And what? What do I do with him?"

I frowned. Good for him he wasn't here in front of me right now. I wasn't really in the mood, not since last night, and I honestly couldn't remember the last time somebody used that tone on me and left without being beaten the crap out of.

"I told you what you are supposed to do." I gritted out, hoping he'd get that I was not in the mood to go through his antics.

I heard more rushed breathing on the other end. Was he bloody running away?

"What, I spend the whole day here then? Waste my time and wait for this dude to speak up?" He exclaimed.

"Listen here, Connor," I spoke as patiently as I could've. "Do the fucking job if you don't want me to show up there. Because if I show up there, I'll kill you. That's a bloody promise."

I hung up before I could've said something more. Because really, his voice alone was starting to piss me off more than usual, and I've been told things never work out properly when my threats start exceeding a certain limit. Not like it was my fucking fault. 

Last night. As I neared the school grounds, ready to get the hell out of here, I found myself thinking about last night. Too hectic. I didn't get any sleep. Because every time I tried closing my eyes, there it was. Hints of the nightmare left behind.

And then there was Skylar.

"Caden!"

I stopped and sucked in an impatient breath. Turning around, I wasn't even surprised to see the crazy itself, running towards me. She was running in the hallways even if that could get her in a lot of trouble.

She didn't care.

That's what I liked about her.

No. I did not.

"Wait!" Skylar stopped right in front of me, her eyes wide and panicked as she placed her hands on her knees and took in deep breaths.

And so I waited.

"Why do you always run in the hallways just to stop me?" I asked her out of mere curiosity.

She straightened up and looked at me. "I do not."

I raised a challenging brow. Somehow, she realized I was the right one here and her eyes widened once again. I could almost make out her cheeks reddening under the sun. I looked away then, willing myself not to smile at the sight in front of me.

"You know, Anderson," I spoke up just for the sake of this abrupt attempt at a conversation, as my eyes raked down her form. "You might just be competing with the sun this time. And I don't mean it in a nice way."

"Hey, now." She crossed her arms. "What has this skirt ever done to you?"

"Blind me with its grotesque choice of colour?"

She frowned and it was a little surprising that I almost took back my words. "It's not ugly. It's beautiful."

You are, I thought.