The Dare

Fourteen • Damaged

FOURTEEN • DAMAGED

The next day came without fail, the sun burning in my window bright and early. I threw the covers over my head in attempt to ignore the day ahead, but I was tied to a stupid promise that a hundred or so students were counting on me to keep. If I failed miserably, whether or not I tried, I didn't want to imagine what a group of scarred outcasts would do if I did.

I threw the sheets off, feeling the cool air hit my body. I was wearing my clothes from two nights ago smelled far worse than when I had last checked, the lingering scent of alcohol still embedded in the fabric.

I rushed to the shower, not wanting to be late. If I could catch Cas before first hour, we could talk and get this entire endeavor started. What I would do about Ryder was still something I was mulling over in my mind, but I would soon come up with some type of gameplan.

Once I was completely ready and finishing last touches in the mirror, I looked carefully at my reflection. I had always been a careful dresser and certainly not the type to flaunt. However, as I thought about my new mission, I cautiously began toying with my own style. Instead of my usual ponytail, I let my hair loose, shaking it out over my shoulders and running a hand through it. I pulled my blouse down slightly, exposing a little more skin.

When I was satisfied, I grabbed my bag and opened the door. When Chloe was nowhere to be seen, I realised that I had more than one problem to solve. At the moment, I had three very distinct problems that needed solving.

I rushed down the stairs, heading to my math class. The bell wouldn't ring for another five minutes, so I leaned against the wall, waiting for Cas to show his face. Just I had presumed, he came around the corner, the end of a pencil in his mouth and his notebook companion right in front of him. When he looked up, even I was shocked when his face dropped as he stared at me. Did I really look that different?

Out of embarassment, I began blushing the brightest red known to man and quickly looked at the floor. No one, not in this lifetime, had ever looked at me like that. No one.

Cas, once out if his daze, walked towards me, ensuring that I wouldn't have to start the conversation, which was something I strongly disliked.

"Hey," he breathed, almost as if he'd been running through the halls. I looked up, but my confidence quickly left me as I stared back at the floor.

"Hi." A moment of awkward silence passed between us before he took a shaky initiative.

"So...you were gone yesterday. You alright?" he said calmly.

"Yeah. I'm fine." He eyed me with a disbelieving expression.

"Did you go to the...initiation?" he questioned, a trace of worry lacing his voice. How did he know about that? I guess being a leader of a division might have something to do with it.

"Um...yeah, but I'm still not sure. Even being inbetween everything seems a bit skewed from level ground," I explained, moving to the wall as a few students shoved their ways past us. Cas nodded, still clearly perturbed. I hadn't promised him I'd be a Mind, but I guess our lunch appointment gave him his own ideas that I didn't quite live up to. As soon as I figured out what this war was about, my job would be done with and so would my involvement with these divisions considering the fact that by becoming an Inbetweener, I would literally be inbetween the two.

"Oh. Well, if you want to discuss some more-" My face lit up with the oppurtunity that was presenting itself.

"Yeah. I'd love to," I interrupted quickly. My plan was to make him trust me to the point of revealing this "war" secret. Why someone couldn't just go up and ask Cas for himself had puzzled me, but the more I thought about it, I realised that if it was a really important secret, he wasn't just going to tell anyone. That was why I had to get him on my side before I could get any information.