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Chapter 8

  • ZOE
  • Between periods, my seatmate decided to strike up a conversation with me.
  • "So what's your name, if you don't mind me asking? "
  • "I'm Eva. "
  • "Nice to meet you, Eva. I'm Coco. "
  • I blinked, "Coco? That's your name? "
  • She laughed lightly, "Well, it's Chloe but everyone calls me Coco. "
  • I nodded. That made sense. "Oh okay then. "
  • "You don't talk much. " she noted.
  • "No, I—"
  • "Is it the nerves? Being a new student? I totally understand how hard it must be for —"
  • "The girl isn't in the mood to talk, Coco. Take a hint. For once in your life. "
  • The girl who had just spoken, occupied the seat directly behind me and had her head down, focused on the book she was reading.
  • I peered closer at the cover, trying to get the title, but she slammed it down on her desk. She gave me an odd look, "You're welcome. "
  • I assumed that was my cue to turn around.
  • Chloe's eyes were filled with guilt. "I'm sorry if I was making you uncomfortable. "
  • I shook my head quickly, "No, no, you weren't."
  • She smiled, her eyes lingering on mine. I looked away.
  • "Were you born like this? "
  • Of course. My eyes.
  • "Yes. "
  • I focused on catching up on the math work they'd learnt the previous week.
  • She cleared her throat. Loudly. "So they're really not contacts? "
  • "Of course not. "
  • Why would I even wear contacts to school?
  • Good question. You should ask her.
  • "Cause, " she continued, undeterred, "You know, everyone thought that's what you were wearing. "
  • More like assumed.
  • "No. " I said simply.
  • She shifted to the edge of her seat, leaning heavily on her desk. If only she could topple over. "So, if it is true, what's it like having eyes like yours? "
  • If it is true.
  • I might have made a terrible mistake choosing to sit with this one, not like I had been left with another option though.
  • "If you don't mind, I'm very busy. " I mustered up a smile, "Your last week's math is giving me a headache, "—it wasn't—"and I really need to concentrate so.... "
  • Her eyes widened with faux innocence and understanding, "Oh, it's okay. "
  • I nodded, returning my eyes to the textbook.
  • "But—"
  • The bell cut her off, signaling it was time for lunch break. Saved by the bell. Thank goodness. I dashed out of the seat and I thought I heard a faint sound of laughter from the girl behind me.
  • But now that I had run out into the corridor like a little chicken, where to?
  • A girl walked passed me with a guy who had his hand around her and I watched as they talked animatedly. She leaned into him, wrapping her hand around his waist. He said something to her that made her laugh up at him. How happy they looked.
  • I felt something squeeze in my chest.
  • What was it like being in a relationship? Being in love?
  • A teacher walked out of one of the classes just then, glanced at them, then looked away and walked down the stairs. He literally saw them and didn't say anything.
  • Students were allowed to be in relationships? My brain was having a hard time processing this.
  • A girl almost walked into them, completely absorbed in the book she was reading. Books! I could go to the library. See if they had anything good in there.
  • Now for directions to the library...
  • I approached a girl, smiled and asked her, rather politely, if she could point me in the direction.
  • "Do I look like a map to you? " she scowled, her eyes shooting daggers at me. All that anger. For a simple question.
  • Oh, to hell with these people. I would find the library myself.
  • Ten minutes later, I did. VICTORY. I pushed the door open, taking a step in, but I paused when I heard voices. It sounded like two people were talking. Whispering, more like. Or maybe it was the distance that made it seem that way.
  • There was no way I could go in, not with those people in there. What a wasted time effort finding this library turned out to be.
  • I turned to leave when—
  • "Don't leave yet. " a male voice said. But it wasn't directed at me.
  • "I have things to do. " came a female voice.
  • It was a boy and a girl in there.
  • "I know but please stay a little longer. "
  • I wasn't one to eavesdrop, but asking me to leave there now was impossible. I leaned into the room, the reason I'd come searching for the library in the first place, long forgotten.
  • "Why? "
  • "Why does everything with you have to be so hard? "
  • Silence.
  • "Please? "
  • "I can't, Dexter. "
  • I made a mental note to get as much information as I could on this Dexter person.
  • "So that's how it's going to be between us? " his voice was low, so low, I had to lean farther into the hear them. The possibility of me getting caught was progressively increasing by the second.
  • "What do you mean? "
  • "You've been somehow with me ever since he got transferred into our class. "
  • He?
  • "He? "
  • The lack of emotion in the girl's voice had me feeling sorry for this Dexter guy.
  • "Are you just going to keep standing there or are you going to go in? "
  • I frowned. What did that have to do with the conversation they were having? Also, that voice had sounded too close to have come from them.
  • I yelped, turning around.
  • Pretty eyes, chiseled jaw, Roman nose, firm lips. It was an overall blindingly handsome face. Of course I couldn't have been caught by an average-looking guy.
  • My hands flew to my chest, pressing down on it as if it could slow my racing heart.
  • He took a step back, looked through the window —funny, I hadn't seen one there before— then at me. "Eavesdropping, were you? "
  • His deep voice alarmed me and I wanted to clamp my hand over his mouth.
  • "No. " I whisper shouted, "I wanted to use the library—"
  • "But then you saw them in there and decided to listen, " he cut me off, "Or you probably saw them coming up here and followed. "
  • How absurd.
  • "The first one. " for some reason, my voice couldn't rise above a whisper, "And not quite. So please lower your voice or shut up. "
  • His eyes widened in surprise over the fact that I had told him to shut up. I was too, to be honest. Where had that come from?
  • "What's going on? " a familiar voice said behind me and it was then I noticed that the occupants of the library weren't talking anymore.
  • Oh, great. They had come out. I knew that if my yelp of surprise hadn't been enough to make them know they had company, then Pretty Face's voice certainly would.
  • Pretty Face glanced behind me and I thought I saw a subtle clench to his jaw. Subtle, but obvious, because of how definite they were.
  • I turned around and standing in front of me, was Zoe Lawson.
  • It had been her in the room with the Dexter guy!
  • "Were you guys eavesdropping?" the guy —Dexter, said. He was tall, handsome in a classic way, light skinned and had a slight build.
  • Oh boy.
  • "In order for that to happen, I would actually have to give a quarter of a fuck first. " Pretty Face said cooly.
  • "Eva, were you? " Zoe crossed her arms.
  • "No, of course I wasn't. "
  • "We heard everything. "
  • Shit.
  • "I—"
  • "What the hell is your problem? "
  • "Baby, calm. " Dexter put his hand around her shoulder. Well, tried to. She took a step away, bringing her hands out in front of her.
  • "Just go. Okay? I need to handle this. "
  • This. I was screwed.
  • "Can I come to you later? " he stuck his bottom lip out and he looked a lot like a puppy. Did he think that was a good look on him?
  • I tried not to cringe in disgust. I looked away instead.
  • "I think I died somewhere during this conversation. " Pretty Face delivered flatly before I heard him leaving. Dexter threw him a murderous look.
  • I would have laughed but I was about to witness my own funeral. I shouldn't find anything funny.
  • "Yes. Just go. " she waved him away, her stormy eyes fixed on me.
  • He seemed like he wanted to say more, but then thought against it and he was off.
  • And I was left with a fuming Zoe.