As the days wane, the nights grew darker. In just a few weeks, the vibrant hues of autumn were gone. Replaced in its place was a transient beauty that illuminated the town, giving us a sneak-peek of the new season. But, with each passing day, the guilt that formed in the pit of my stomach grew stronger and stronger. Spending time with Thomas was eating me alive. The more I got to know him, the more my insides died slowly. Especially on the day he invited me to his sister's ninth birthday party. Apparently, Thomas used up all of his savings and spent it on the violin she'd badly wanted. When he told me that, my heart melted. He really was a good brother—I just wish I knew why he hated me so badly. Why was I the only one he—
"—Izzy!"
My thoughts came to an abrupt halt when Amanda's voice broke into my reverie.
"Did you even hear a word I said?"
I grimaced. "Sorry, Amanda. I got caught up in my own thoughts."
Her brows rose. "Oh?"
"Yeah, but there's nothing to worry about."
She narrowed her eyes at me. "Are you sure?"
No. But, I wasn't going to tell her that. Not if I wanted another lecture. The moment she found out I was having second thoughts, she sat me down, and reminded me about the real Thomas. The same Thomas that bullied me, the one that made me a laughing stock in front of the entire school, and the one who only liked Isabella Elizabeth because she was 'pretty'.
I knew if I wanted to do this right, I needed zero ounce of compassion in my body. There was no second chances, no rewind button, and definitely no remorse.
And yet, here I am, two months later feeling exactly the same—no scratch that, I felt even worse. He was too much. The whole situation was too much. Every time he smiled at me, I had to relive the moments he torched my insides when I was Isabella Ace to summon strength to even continue on.
"Since you're not answering, I'm going—"
"Yes," I finally said. "There's nothing wrong." I slammed my locker shut and looked at her. "Trust me."
"You're not lying, are you?"
"No. Now, let's go before we're late for first hour."
She gave out a sigh, but nodded anyways and followed suit.
As we entered the classroom, I immediately felt Rachel's gaze on me. It was a look that conveyed a bubbling disgust, as if I was a piece of trash. I laughed heartlessly. A hard glare carved into her teal eyes, staring me down. I glared back. I couldn't show the intensity that grew in my chest the more she continued to suck the life out of me. I wasn't allowed to be afraid. I couldn't. Not after I finally got my revenge on her.
"Just ignore her," Amanda whispered.
Disconcerted, I averted my gaze away from Rachel, and hurried after Amanda. She stopped and took the seat adjacent to Jason.
I paused mid-step as our eyes made contact. Ever since Jason's schedule was flipped upside down, he was always there. But, he never said anything. He stayed in the background, and only acknowledged me if I directly talked to him. I didn't understand why he did that, and maybe I'll never know. I just know he started acting differently the day he gave me that book.
As always, he broke our eye contact first. His eyes moved with alertness, stopping only when they reached the window. Again.
Sighing, I continued my walk to my seat, which happened to be next to Thomas. As I sat down, I could feel his heated gaze on the back of my neck.
I ignored the tingling sensation in my arms, and looked forward.
"Alright class," Mr. Jacob said, "as you may know, today we're starting our final project of the year." Everyone groaned at this. Mr. Jacob just smiled. "Trust me, it'll be fun."
"That's what you said last time," Amanda scoffed. "And it wasn't." A few students nodded their heads in return.
"You get to work with a partner this time."
I perked up at this.
"Really?" she said. "Can we choose—"
"—No. I already assigned the teams." A chorus of grumbles erupted in response, Amanda's voice the loudest of them all. "And Amanda," Mr. Jacob went on, "Since you're first on the list, your partner is . . ." In the corner of my eye, I saw her crossing her fingers. " . . . Rachel."
Amanda shot up from her seat the same time Rachel did.
"I can't work with that bitch," Amanda said, while Rachel simultaneously said, "I can't work with that freak."
"Why not? You guys seem to be in sync with one another."
"As if," they both said in unison.
"I'm glad you both agreed," he said, disregarding their previous comment. "Now, sit down."
"But—"
"—sit."
They listened.
I could practically feel the tension in the air. It was like an invisible demon sitting heavily on your shoulder: unwanted and terrifying. All I could do was hope for the best and pray Amanda doesn't end up slapping Rachel.
After the first six teams were announced, my name was finally called.
"Please be me," I heard Thomas mumbled behind me.
The corners of my lips fought to fall down when I caught him repeating his name, but in the end, I smiled anyways. My heart beat violently against my ribcage when the teacher actually called his name. Thomas shot up from his seat and literally bounced on the balls of his feet like a small, giddy child.
A row of heads turned towards Thomas, laughing as they did so. Thomas looked down, and blushed visibly under his pale skin. He sat back down and mumbled a soft apology.
Mr. Jacob gave him a curt nod and went on to introduce the rest of the pairs. When the teams were completed, he handed us each a project outline.
"Okay, now that everyone has their partners, I'll explain the purpose of this project."
I glanced down at the packet and on the very top of the page, the primary goal was highlighted in bold.
"You and your partner will work together for the next week and a half to create a biography of each other's' lives," he continued on. "After you finish answering the questions you will need to come up with a way to creatively present them to the class. One-third of your final grade depends on this project, so try to turn it in on time. The due date is on top." He looked up when he was finished talking. "Any questions?"
"Mr. Jacob," someone called. "It says under final deliverables, we need to write a four to five page essay about our partners. Is that based on the interview as well?"
He nodded. "Yes, but please be innovative with your essays. I don't want you repeating the questionnaire sheet. So no, "She lives in a house with her parents. She's eighteen years old, and she has a dog named Rocky." Try to write a short story about your partner. Or even a poem, if you like poetry. Anything, that doesn't bore me to death." Everyone chuckled at this. "Now, for the remainder of the class, get with your partners and start working on the questions," he instructed. "If anyone needs me, I'll be at my desk."
It's not long before I heard screeching chair sounds. I covered my ears, hating the awful sound it created. For a moment, the noise engulfed me, rendering any logical thought I had. When it stopped, I internally exhaled, and opened my eyes.
Thomas was suddenly in front of me. His face was settled into a frown.
"What's wrong?"
"You know how most people hate the sound of nails on a blackboard?"
He nodded.
"Well, I hate the sound of chairs scraping against tiled floors. Especially if it's wood."
"Any particular reason why?"
I shrugged. "Is that a question on the packet?"
Thomas flipped through it, stopping when he got to the last page. "There's a question about fears."
"I wouldn't say I fear the noise. I just have a deep hatred for it."
He chuckled. "Whatever you say, Little Beauty." I cringed at the pet name. When he first started using that name, I just thought it was a one time thing. Who knew he would continue the use of it even after I expressed my clear dislike for the nickname.
Rolling my eyes, and averted my gaze to the project sheet. I could feel his eyes on my face as I read the first question. I ignored him and forced the nerves down my throat.
"Um, what's your full name?"
I looked up, and watched his eyebrows furrowed. "What kind of question is that? You already know my name."
"Just answer the question, Thomas." Seriously, why does he have to be so difficult sometimes?
He sighed, and ran a hand through his blonde-colored hair. "My full name is Thomas Griffin Reed."
"Your middle name is Griffin?"
"Didn't you already know that?"
"You never told me your middle name." There was no way I could've forgotten that. The name Griffin ran in our family. It was my father's middle name, and my grandfather's and so on.
"Oh." He scratched the back of his head. "I guess it wasn't a stupid question after all."
"You think?" I remarked with a laugh.
I picked up my pen, and wrote down his name in the space provided.
"What about yours?" he asked.
"It's just Isabella Elizabeth. I don't have a middle name." When the guilt came to haunt me, I took a deep breath. It wasn't exactly a lie, Elizabeth really is my name. It just wasn't my last name.
"That's cool," he said, with a faint smile. "I never met anyone without a middle name before."
"Me either. I guess my parents got lazy with me." I forced myself to laugh. Whoever said, "the more you lie, the easier it gets," was wrong. It doesn't get easier. It gets harder. Because sooner or later, the lies will suffocate you until you're just an empty shell waiting to die. I should know. I'm already halfway there. "So . . . what's your favorite activity or hobby?"
"Basketball or football."
The way he smiled was infectious. I let it washed over me, savouring it. I remember the day, I first saw it. I didn't think anyone could be that happy. Especially from just passing a ball around for fifty minutes, but I was wrong. From the moment his fingers touched the ball, there was a sparkle in those eyes of his. A sparkle that captivated me into silence.
"What about you?"
I blinked. I really need to stop spacing out.
"Um, drawing."
He widened his eyes. "You like art?"
"Like? More like love. Art is my secret passion."
The corners of his lips tugged upwards, as he leaned forward. "Does that mean I'm special?" His breath fanned my face.
I snorted. "In your dreams, Tommybear."
He cursed under his breath. "Not that again."
"Yes, that." Tommybear originated from the name of the bear Thomas got Megan when she was little. But Megan, mistakenly called Thomas, Tommybear, and thus the nickname was born.
"Hey!" he shouted. I stifled a small laugh, focusing my attention on the third question titled, nicknames. "What are you doing?" I ignored him again. "Izzy, I'm serious. Don't you dare write that down."
"Why not? You wrote down Little Beauty," I countered.
He covered his paper. "So? That's a cute nickname. It suits you."
"Well, Tommybear suits you, too."
"No it doesn't. Just call me Tom or something."
"Nah. Tommybear is cuter."
"Whatever," he grumbled with a scowl I know he didn't mean. "Next question."
I just laughed.
"Time's up everyone," Mr. Jacob said. In other words, it was time to pack up. "Remember, use your time wisely outside of class," he advised just as the bell rang. "The sooner you finish, the better."
"Mr. Jacob, can you please switch my partner?" Amanda pleaded, her eyes rounding. "I can't work with her!"
"Why not?" he asked. "You guys worked well together today." I rolled my eyes. That was a total lie. Thomas and I only made it to the fourth question when Amanda stood up abruptly, and moved to the other side of the room. To be honest, she lasted longer than I thought she would.
"That's because I moved."
"Look, Miss Rose, my decisions are final. Just try to get along, okay?"
"How can I get along with someone who doesn't even talk to me? She's a fuck—" Mr. Jacob narrowed his eyes at her. "—I mean, ah . . . she's not nice."
He sighed after a moment. "Fine. I'll make you a deal. After one week, if you still can't work with Rachel, I'll switch your partner. Happy?"
Her face broke out into a smile. "Deal! Thank you, Mr. Jacob."
"Yeah-yeah, now go, before I have to write you a late pass." He looked at Thomas and me. "You too, guys."
We nodded.
Thomas' eyes met mine just as I swung my bag over my shoulder. "Want to continue this after school?"
"Um . . . I can't." Hands stuffed in his pockets, Thomas looked at me for a few seconds. I could tell it wasn't the response he'd been looking for. "It's not that I don't want to . . ." I explained. "It's just that Amanda and I already made plans."
"It's okay." He shrugged, smiling as he did so. "The project isn't due for a while. We can figure things out later."
"I'll see you later at lunch, then?" I asked, watching the sparkle in his eyes slowly resurface. "Wouldn't miss it for the world," he said with a grin.
He soon parted ways with me, and met up with Gabe and Jason, who waited outside the door for Thomas. I could hear Thomas' excited chatter, as they left.
"You know." Amanda took Thomas' previous spot, and grabbed my shoulder. "If I had to choose between Rachel or Thomas to save from a burning building, I'll pick Thomas in a heartbeat. Rachel's still a bitch, but the asshole's growing on me."
Sadly, he was growing on me too. In more ways than one.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider leaving a comment! I really need some feedback on the new version. If you found any mistakes, please point them out! <3 Thank you!
Also, shout out to BabeVEVO for making the banner art.