I went to the chemistry room, averting my eyes from Christian as he glared at me from his table. Alec was beside him, pointedly ignoring him, though he did perk up at my presence, which only further angered his friend. Jessie was already sitting at our table, and she barely met my eyes when I sat beside her. The bell had yet to ring, and Sarah was nowhere to be seen.
Believe it or not, I actually felt a bit awkward, sitting there beside Jessie. I liked Jessie. I didn’t want to do this to her, but at this point, it was what it was. There was no turning back now.
“Jessie,” I started, but a look from her hushed me.
“Just…stop. I don’t want to talk about it.” Jessie’s lips curled into a frown, and the bell rang. Sarah still wasn’t here, and for the next forty minutes, we were forced to work with each other in terrible silence. While the other tables talked and laughed as they figured out the formulas and equations the teacher put on the board, she and I were like mutes.
This time, when the bell rang, I was the first out of the classroom. Who knew I couldn’t handle awkwardness? I should’ve been ready for it, given what I set out to do here. I was at my locker, putting in my combination when a girl moved beside me. The same girl I’d just spent an entire period with, not talking to.
Jessie held her books to her chest, her blonde hair drawn up in a high ponytail. She wasn’t wearing makeup today, but even so, she looked pretty. She had a natural kind of beauty that I was jealous of. “I don’t want things to be awkward between us.”
A little late for that, but I found myself nodding along.
“I just…you said there was nothing going on between you and Christian,” she said.
“There’s not,” I stated.
“Then why—why did he freak out so much when he caught you and Alec together? Why did Alec call him jealous?”
I met her stare. “I think that’s something you should ask Christian yourself.”
“I’ve tried, but he won’t tell me. He won’t tell me anything. He’s got everyone on his side. When I bring up your name to anyone, they shut down. No one will talk about you. Why?”
I knew Jessie meant well, but I also knew she had no idea what shit she was digging into. Christian still was able to influence everyone, evidently. By the time I was done with him, no one would be on his side, unless they wanted to face my wrath, too.
When I remained quiet, Jessie added, “What happened between you and Christian?”
“It’s complicated,” I told her before grabbing what I needed from my locker and walking away.
Complicated. Everything was complicated.
That afternoon, before I rushed to photography, I hung back near the hall by Christian’s locker. Their last names weren’t too far apart, so their lockers were in the same hall. I reached for my phone, having it ready, and as the crowds of kids walked by me, I eavesdropped.
Oh, yes. Jessie had no idea how complicated everything truly was. Soon enough, I’d shed light on it. This conversation, this argument between Alec and Christian—it was only the tip of the iceberg. Only the beginning.