Chapter 6

• I never called. My aunt was furious with me when I arrived at nine o'clock at night and sent me to my room. She looked worried, and I swear I felt terrible, but she can't blame me for not prioritizing that. I came from a family that didn't care where I was twenty-four hours a day. I was practically independent.
• April's house was very beautiful. Not as luxurious as this one, but it was beautiful nonetheless. Just a kilometer away, it was filled with humble, poor houses, like the one I lived in, and I felt nostalgia seeping into my body. I want to see Mom and tell her that everything is okay.
• But I couldn't. I knew it.
• It was very strange that Jessi didn't come to bother me when I arrived, but I still thanked God for it.
• Today, when I woke up, after showering and brushing my teeth, I realized that the atmosphere between Jessi and me was strange. She didn't talk to me or sarcastically smile at me as she used to, and the first thing I thought was that my aunt had spoken to her, but no, it was something else...
• "Let's go," she blurted out out of nowhere when I started pouring juice in the kitchen.
• "But there's still an hour before class starts..."
• "You either come or go on foot," she said. Now I see, the girl woke up in a bad mood.
• I got in the car, and she angrily pulled away from the curb. As expected, there weren't many people at school, it was very early. When I got out of the car, and Jessi did the same, she took me by the wrist and led me to the building. When we entered, she took me to a classroom, closed the door, and turned on the light.
• "I saw you talking to Donovan the other day, and he always sits behind you. What do you do after class? Do you meet up with him? What do you two have to talk about?" She spit out the questions in a second, and I swear I could hardly process them... What?
• "Do I look like an idiot to you?"
• Well... yeah, but I wouldn't tell her that. I'm not that stupid.
• "Answer me," she said again, getting closer to me in an attempt to intimidate me, which she fails to do. "Tell me what you talked about now."
• "Why do you care?"
• "Because he seems to be interested in me. Now tell me what you and Donovan talked about. Now."
• "I asked him about an assignment," I said. I don't know why the hell I'm so insistent on protecting him, but it would hurt to tell her the truth just because she asked. That would be stooping too low.
• "One last chance or..." she starts to say.
• "Or what?" I said through gritted teeth, figuring out where to land my hand. On her nose? Eye?
• "I'll tell everyone where you come from and who you come from. Your parents? How about that? How many people would love to know what happened to you there, huh?"
• Boom, right where it hurts. Okay, heartless bitch, as soon as I leave school, I swear I'll get back at you for this.
• "Why are you doing this to me?"
• "Stop being so pathetic and tell me," she said.
• I thought for a few seconds and came up with the only thing I could say that she might believe. Because obviously, she'll believe anything that makes me stoop in her eyes.
• "I asked him out, and he rejected me, alright? Now leave me alone," I said, starting to walk towards the door, but she stopped me.
• "Wow, I didn't know you were so pathetic. The girls will love this," she laughed, and I wanted to hide under one of the classroom tables.
• I heard her open the door very loudly, so much so that it hit the wall. Donovan came in furiously towards me, his shoulder colliding with Jessi's quite violently.
• When he's just one step away from me, he crouches down and brings his face close to mine. He doesn't kiss me, but he seems very close to doing it. He looks at me intensely, and I do the same, in shock. I feel like he's touching every part of me, invading every corner with his presence, but he doesn't even lay a finger on my body. He's being so damn intense, and he even swallows and closes his eyes as if he's disgusted. Does he find me disgusting?
• Just with that idea, I push him away and instantly get angry, as always when he's around.
• "Stop lying, Celina. You know I asked you out first, and you turned me down," he says, putting his arm around my shoulder.
• "What the hell are you doing here?" I manage to say, with my heart threatening to jump out of my chest.
• "Did you kiss her?" Jessi asks, her eyes wide.
• What?!
• "A kiss?! No, this is a mistake..." I remove Donovan's arm from my shoulders and try to explain. Did it look like a kiss? Didn't she realize that he didn't kiss me?
• Donovan forcefully grabs my arm and puts his arm back on my shoulder. What the hell is he doing? "Yes, but she and I are nothing. I took advantage of the moment to add a touch of drama to the situation. The girl is difficult, she didn'taccept a simple beer. Isn't that right, babe?"
• Who is this guy? What is he doing touching me? And why does he have Donovan's face but doesn't act like him at all?
• "But if you say that I asked her out or vice versa, you'll regret it. You know that, Jessi. Don't play with me," he threatens Jessi, throwing daggers at her with his eyes.
• Now he looks a little more like Donovan.
• She leaves the classroom insulted, and Donovan walks behind her to leave.
• "Why did you do that? And why did you act like Travis? I don't understand..."
• He stopped walking and didn't turn around to say the following: "I would have made you look like the worst kind of human filth because of me, and yet, you didn't say anything about me. I had to pay you back for that."
• It's the first time I hear Donovan's calm and sweet voice, there's no hint of sarcasm or anger, just... gratitude?
• "Thank you..."
• "It won't happen again," and just like that, he walked out the door, leaving me with my heart in my mouth and my stomach in knots.
• Breathe, breathe, breathe...