Page 69 of Withered

“Where is he?” I ask, looking around, but there is no one there.

He runs his hands across his face.

“Tyler, what’s going on?” I ask, and at the same time, the janitor’s closet opens, revealing the one person I loathe the most and the one I will soon begin to despise.

Olivia is fixing her hair while Jake is fixing his shirt. Neither one notices us yet.

I glance at Tyler, and he looks away.So, this is not a dream.It is happening here, in front of me.

Olivia’s gaze meets mine, and she smirks. “Well, well, well,” she says, drawing Jake’s attention.

Jake follows her gaze and looks me in the eyes. His eyes go wide, and he takes a step closer to me. I instinctively take a step back and hold my hand out in front of me to stop him.

My eyes water, and I blink quickly to stop myself from showing any emotion to this guy. He’s not worth it, so why am I crying?

I don’t have anything to say to Olivia. Kristy knows the best. But, at this point, I completely agree.

I take a few steps back and run out of there. I vaguely hear someone calling me and someone else saying, "You’ve done it."

I run and run until I come to a halt near the bench under the trees. I take a deep breath and wipe my cheeks. I can’t believe this. That was the same boy who was with me the day before and was currently with Olivia. And he was the one who was babbling about what a jerk she is.

God, I’m so stupid.This must have been his plan from the beginning, just to play with my feelings. That’s what he does—fuck and leave. I’m just another toy in his hands, another conquest.

“Rose?” Someone calls me.

I wipe my cheeks again, plaster a smile, and turn around to see Tyler.

I am happy and disappointed at the same time. I’m glad Jake didn’t follow me; otherwise, he might have said something to me, and I’m in no mood for a talk.

Disappointed for the same reason he didn’t follow me. I hoped somewhere he would have followed me and apologized. Expectations hurt.

“Are you okay?” He asks, looking concerned.

“Yeah. I am good,” I lie.

“Did something happen between you and Jake?” He speaks carefully.

“Just a little something yesterday. Nothing important, don’t worry,” I tell him.

He nods, then adds after a pause, “I’m sorry about him.”

“Tyler, please don’t apologize. At least not for him. It’s fine.” I take a seat on the bench.

“No, it’s not.” He stands a few feet away and says, “I notice things. I know he can be a little difficult sometimes, but keep in mind that he’s been through a lot.”

The latter catches my attention, but I stay quiet. I give him a dry smile and get up. There is no point in staying here. I’m going to keep myself busy so I don’t have time to think.

“Let’s go to class,” I state.

We arrive at the class fifteen minutes late. As the room falls silent, several sets of eyes, including Professor Caleb’s, welcome us.

“Why are you late?” He asks.

I look at him, trying to come up with an excuse, but Tyler cuts me off: “Rose wasn’t feeling well on our way here earlier, so I took her to the nurse’s office.”

Professor Caleb looks on board with our excuse. He nods and allows us in. This is the first time I’ve ever been late for a class. I’m hoping it’s the last.

I stop when I notice we are missing something. “Sorry, professor, but we forgot our books.”How could I be so stupid?

---