Chapter 20: Not Endgame
I dragged my feet through school. I had considered faking being sick, but after coming home at eight o' clock, my parents were already pretty pissed out at me. Not even stomach cramps would have swayed them.
"Everything ok?" Chrissie asked, taking in my dark mood.
"Yip." I gave her a thumbs-ups. I had dressed from head to toe in black; I wasn't feeling very colourful today.
She was in too much of a good frame-of-mind to argue. "I met this hot guy yesterday."
"Another one?" I asked, only slightly bewildered.
She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, he had a friend and asked if I knew anyone who could even out a double date."
My mood perked up. A break from Caspian was probably exactly what I needed, but I was still grounded. I guessed I could sneak out again. I couldn't get in much more trouble, could I?
Chrissie continued. "I thought of you, but then I remembered you were already with Caspian."
"Actually, a double date sounds great," I told her. "Caspian and I aren't on such good grounds right now."
"OMG, did he break up with you?" She put her hands on either side of her face and her mouth opened in a perfect 'o'.
Why did she think he dumped me, and not the other way around? "Not exactly," I replied.
"But just yesterday you were snogging like it was going out of fashion, " she said, making me blush.
"Do you or don't you want that double date?" I asked, my patience running out.
"I'll call them right away." She put her phone to her ear, before I could change my mind.
She flipped her hair, just as a male voice answered the phone. The phone volume was so loud she might as well have had it on speaker mode; I could hear every word.
"Tomorrow night?" She looked at me, her eyebrows raised.
I nodded my head.
"Perfect," she said into the phone.
After a bit more unnecessary chit chat, she hung up.
"Wait until you meet them," she shrieked, jumping up and down.
"I can't wait." I plastered a smile on my face, hoping she wouldn't see past my mask. And that's when I saw him.
Caspian looked at me out of the corner of his eye as he walked past me, but made no attempt to try and talk to me. Not that I would've listened, but he should have tried anyway. He should have been relieved that I had made it back home in one piece. A teenage girl walking home at night practically screamed 'predator'.
The bell rang, and Chrissie and I headed off to first period English. My own personal hell. Miss Embly had promised us she would give us this lesson to work on our projects, the one due tomorrow that I hadn't even started. And to make matters worse, I would have to communicate with Caspian the whole time.
When I got to class, Caspian was already waiting for me, dangerously rocking to and fro on his chair. One of his long legs was stretched out behind my chair.
"Do you mind?" I obnoxiously asked.
"I do actually," he smirked, but he still moved his legs.
I slid into my chair.
"This yours?" He dangled my necklace from the clasp, offering it to me.
I put out my hand, but he immediately snatched it back.
"We need to talk first." He looked straight into my eyes, daring me to argue.
I wanted my necklace back. I would have to listen to what he had to say, but I had already decided that I would not forgive him.
He ran a hand through his hair, before walking over to Ms. Embry. He engaged in a quiet conversation with her, before walking back to me.
"We're allowed to work in the library," Caspian told me.
I swung the strap of my bag over my shoulder, and followed Caspian down the hallway.
He sat down on one of the library tables and gestured for me to do the same, I sat down opposite him. I chose to look at the various books behind his head, instead of his face.
"We should be working," I said, trying to save myself from the uncomfortable conversation that loomed ahead. "This has to be finished by tomorrow."
"We haven't even started," Caspian stated as he rolled his eyes. "And for the record neither of us even intend to start."
I couldn't argue with that.
Caspian slipped his hands in his pocket and pulled out a Samsung. He held the phone out to me. I made no move to take the phone; instead I looked at him in confusion.
"Janet's phone," he clarified, placing in on the table and pushing it towards me.
It would have stupid to shun him after he went through the trouble to get the phone, plus I really needed it. I snatched the phone; I might as well use it.
"I thought you weren't going to help me." I held the phone to my chest.
"I promised to get the phone, and I never break my promises." Caspian put his hand on mine, but I shrugged mine out from under his.
"How did you manage to get it?" Curiosity forced me to ask the question.
"I have my ways," Caspian smirked, not answering my question.
"My necklace?" I held out my hand.
He put his hand on top of my outstretched palm. "Aren't you going to say thank you?" he enquired, squeezing my fingers.
I shook my head, not wanting to give in to his charming ways. He'd give it back eventually. Why would he want to keep a girl's necklace?
"If I say sorry, can things go back to normal?" Caspian gazed deeply into my eyes.
"Normal as in before we..." I couldn't finish my sentence. Normal was him and the Stingers, not him and me.
"Normal as in me sneaking into your room. Us solving this mystery together. The stolen kisses." Caspian leaned his whole body over the table and brought his face closer to mine. I could feel his warm breath on my face, tempting me closer. I pulled my head back, before we could make lip contact.
In my heart I knew I forgave him the minute he started talking, but he was too much of a distraction. I could get more done without him. I mean, it would be easier for me to talk to Victoria Herim if he wasn't with me. I had his Stinger hoodie, so I was pretty much safe from any other gang activity going on in the area. I used him to get to where I was now, I know it was wrong, but I didn't really need him anymore. The two of us were never Endgame. We were never meant to last. I might as well save us both from further pain, while I still could.
"We're over," I told him. Those two words were enough to make him fall back into his chair, pained shock evident on his face. I quickly got up before I could change my mind, and rushed out of the library with tears streaming down my face.
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