Learning to Love | ✓

Chapter 10

"Julian!" I heard Linda scream from downstairs. Crap. I panicked, taking the canvas off the easel before running around the room hectically. Where in world am I supposed to put this thing?

"Julian!" I heard her voice come closer —  from the corridor?

"Julian! Why aren't you answering me?" I heard Linda complain as the doorknob creaked as it turned. Looking around I quickly placed the painting backward against the wall.

"Julian, I was — what were you...?" Linda screamed, leaving her sentence unfinished as she busted into the room, her right eye twitching in suspicion.

"Julian, what are you hiding?" Linda asked, in a surprisingly calm tone.

"Nothing..." I lied, looking down at my feet. I heard Linda sigh. I soon heard the sound of her taking slow steps towards me.

"Don't lie to me. I hate it when you lie to me!" Linda yelled, gripping my shoulders

"I'm not lyin—"

"Stop lying!" Linda screamed shaking me. My eyes widened in surprise. She's hurting me, she's actually hurting me. I gripped her hands firmly. She looked up at me questioning.

"You're hurting me," I commented before I pushed her away. Linda stumbled backward in surprise.

"Julian, I didn't mean to..." Linda said, moving closer to me. I walked further away with quick steps, keeping the distance. I groaned, realizing that I had backed up against the wall.

"Julian," Linda said, reaching out to touch me. I didn't want anyone touching me now, I didn't want her touching me.

"Get away from me!" I screamed at her. Widening my eyes in realizing what I'd just said. Staring at her face, I saw a lot of things go through it. Anger, surprise — hurt?

"Fine, keep things from me, like that's fair! I just came back for my car keys so you don't have to see me too!" Linda screamed, shoving me and walking off to the door. Minutes later I could hear the slam of the front door.

I slide down the wall tears freely flowing down my eyes. I don't like Linda, I've already established that. I don't feel about Linda the same way I feel about Zeus.

I covered my mouth as I began to choke on my tears. Then why, why do I feel guilty about all this?

[ZEUS]

I'm happy, I'm so happy. I smiled sipping some yogurt from a small paper cup. I was in my office ignoring calls and smiling at the not so frequent texts from Julian. I couldn't believe how happy I was, how scared I was.

Yes, being this happy made me scared. Because he might leave me like everyone else. I was scared because he might just use me and get rid of me. Scared, because he may not truly have any sort of feelings for me.

I remember how Kattalis had regretted me, had left me.

It had been the end of the second semester, when some of the kids had caught on that I was a Parthoropeons.

"His family's the ones that terrorizing ours," one of the boys that hung around Kattalis said to him as I walked towards the small group.

"How are you so sure?" Kattalis had asked in a firm tone. My heart fluttered in guilt. He was defending me.

"I have to clean out their stables. I saw Zeus ride down the part in one of the horses," the boy had said as two others nodded in agreement.

"Kattalis?" I called, reaching them. Had they been ignoring me or hadn't just heard me coming, I'll never know.