Page 25 of The Hallows Boys

He stops, turning toward me before he circles my face with a palm. “I know.” The flashlight in his hand is bright enough that I can see a glimmer of sincerity in his eyes. “I want to.”

I nod, my eyes feeling heavy with exhaustion and sadness, then start to walk again.

ChapterFourteen

SAGE

Monday morning, I’m still sore and aching through every muscle. I texted Juliet the next day, explaining that I felt sick and went home early, and she seemed to buy it.

I slept restlessly all weekend, plagued with memories of Kaiden, Vincent, and Beckham keeping me up at night. However, now I’ve been walking around school like a zombie for two class periods.

I’ve kept my head up though, eager and hungry to lay my eyes on the Hallows Boys in the nooks and crannies of the hallways. But my efforts have proved useless, as I haven’t seen any of them all day.

After history, Juliet and I make our way to the lunchroom. Today is one of those days that I wish I was back at my school in L.A. – where they had a little coffee cart in the quad. I need energy, and I need it now.

Once we’ve grabbed food, we find our little isolated table in the back and sit down to eat in silence. Juliet is turning out to be a good friend; she knows when I don’t want to talk and respects that, so she doesn’t bother poking and prodding me with meaningless conversation as we eat our lunch.

I’m halfway through what the lunch ladies call a chicken caesar salad – which is really just iceberg with grilled chicken – when I spot the Hallows Boys sauntering into the cafeteria. They sit at their usual table once they’ve grabbed something to eat, and I grind my teeth as time ticks by and they still haven’t noticed me.

What do I have to do? Strip down and offer myself up for lunch?

A little brunette girl rounds their table after a minute, swinging her hips and brushing her hair over her shoulder before she slides her ass onto Vinny’s lap. I see a flicker of something pass through his features, but he wraps his arms around her waist and buries his face into her neck too quickly for me to pinpoint what he’s feeling.

So, he has a girlfriend, then?

I clench my fist so hard that my plastic fork snaps in half, making Juliet’s head snap up to look at me in confusion. I let the broken pieces fall onto the tabletop, my gaze glued on where Vinny is whispering something into the girl’s ear.

I’m certainly awake now, because fury and bitterness lick across my skin like sweat, making me shove from my chair and run from the cafeteria. I’ve seen enough. I don’t need to witness anyone else drop down at their table and show some sort of affection to the three boys I’ve grown to crave.

I find the girls’ bathroom, rush through the door, and close myself inside a stall before anyone can see the redness of my face or the wetness of my eyes.

The door to the bathroom bangs open again, Juliet’s voice ringing through the room. “Sage, what’s wrong?”

I clear my throat as I drop down onto the closed toilet seat. “I think the chicken was bad in my salad. I’m not feeling well.”

The lie slips from my lips so easily it should probably frighten me.

“Do you want me to get you some water or something? I could get the nurse?” she asks, concern lacing her tone.

“No, no,” I answer. “I’m okay, just need a minute. I’ll meet up with you later.”

“Okay…” she singsongs. “If you need anything, just text me, okay?”

“You got it.” I clear my throat again when it starts to feel thick with the tears that have fallen over. Once I hear the bathroom door open and close again, leaving me alone, I grab some toilet paper to wipe the tears from my cheeks and under my eyes. Standing up, I lift the toilet seat and throw the used tissue in, then flush it before I unlock the door.

Checking myself out in the mirror, I wipe at the smudges of black underneath my eyes, then shake out my hair. Fuck them. I should have known I didn’t mean shit to them, and that they were lying about picking me for the games. They all probably have girlfriends, and they’ll probably choose that cute little brunette chick to play whatever twisted fuckery they have cooked up for Halloween.

* * *

Ispend the two classes following lunch burning and boiling with rage. All hints of bitterness and sadness are gone – now I’m justpissed.

Juliet has been texting me every ten minutes, asking if I’m okay, and although I know she’s coming from a place of love, it’s starting to turn my rage up a notch. I was feeling so good about all of this before, like I was something fuckingspecial.The thought makes me laugh, because no one could even mean more than a fuck in the dark to those fuckboys. They’re too sinister and selfish.

I can’t believe I was actuallyexcitedto see them today. God, if I’m not the dumbest bitch in town, I don’t know who is. How can you gang bang someone on a grave one day, and then go on to pretend they don’t exist two days later? They’re sick.

My anger finally becomes too much to handle when the bell rings to dismiss us from 4th period, so before I head to PE, I set out to find them.

I stomp down the hall with my hands gripping the straps of my backpack, searching all over. I spot Beckham first, making a heavy sigh run through me at the fact I’ve found the nicest one. But it’s short-lived, because Kaiden and Vinny come around the corner after him as he digs around in his locker. I grit my teeth as I march toward them, readying myself for whatever may pop out of my impulsive mouth.

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