Page 222 of Obsession

And neither did Joshua.

I fought with every ounce of strength not to think about it, not to care about what they were doing. He had called me twice last night to make sure I was okay. When he called a third time, I didn’t answer.

He had offered to take me to school this morning, but I preferred to come with Kristen.

I tried to pretend everything was okay so I would not get sucked into any more drama in this town, but it was so fucking difficult after sleeping for a couple hours with the most horrible scenarios in my head.

Adam had called a couple times too, but I wasn’t ready to talk to him. I didn’t think he was a traitor, I didn’t judge him for what he’d done, quite the opposite. All the shit that had happened to him and his family was because of me. We’d had a brief text message conversation because I wanted to know if he was okay and safe.

Harris had kept his word and sent someone to take him to the airport.

It was pouring outside, and the atmosphere matched my feelings. The headache wouldn’t budge, and I had a stomach full of pills, but all I wanted was a damn joint or maybe a punch in the face to put me to sleep.

When I got out of math class, I thought about coffee and a cigarette. That was all I wanted because I wasn’t hungry and I wasn’t in the mood for dozens of stares thrown my way.

Besides, Amber was absent from school, and that was the only good thing about my day.

The commotion in the hallways intensified my headache, and I closed my eyes and breathed slowly as I waited for my coffee cup to fill. I hated the coffee from the vending machine from the bottom of my heart, but I had no other choice.

The loud voices slowly faded away, then blessed silence surrounded me and I opened my eyes.

I began to no longer appreciate silence when I had it. I had experienced firsthand that quiet settled only when monsters came out to play.

I turned around and saw them, and maybe they weren’t monsters, at least not to me, but everyone saw them that way.

Harris, Jay, Ty and Ken came through the doors. They all looked… God, they were more than this pathetic high school could handle.

They were all dressed the same. Black jeans, combat boots, and black turtlenecks. Harris was also wearing leather gloves, which for some reason made him look even creepier. I didn’t want to think about why he was wearing them, what he was trying to hide with them on his hands, because they definitely were not a fashion choice.

He looked like… an assassin who had just finished a job.

Of course, my gaze rested on him and only on him, for it was the first time I saw him like that, and I tried hard not to forget what was happening in our lives, in my life, and not to fall prey to the rabid thoughts he evoked.

They ignored every glance around them and scattered to their individual lockers, only Harris and Ken approaching me. The Asian guy probably knew more about my friend than I did. He just said hello and then walked past me.

Without saying anything, Harris smiled subtly and handed me a paper cup, which he was already holding when he walked in.

I blinked in shock.

“You brought me coffee?”

“I thought you needed a good coffee, and I think I was right,” he glanced at the machine behind me.

I had no way of turning down the divine Starbucks for the two dollars of disgust that machine offered.

I took the coffee from his hand and took a sip, feeling my neurons reactivate, and almost groaned with pleasure.

Harris smiled like a satisfied, beautiful con-artist. Caramel, vanilla, coffee, ice… heaven.

My serotonin levels rose instantly.

“Thank you, I really needed this,” I breathed out as I managed to calm down a little.

It was incredible how my taste buds played around my brain.

“You’re welcome,” Harris whispered, slowly moving closer to me.

My back was glued to the coffee machine, and he grabbed my hips.

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