Mr and Mrs Nemesis✔️

Chapter Twenty Four - Raining Tomato Sauce

Hendrix and I haven't spoken.

At all. Not for over a week. We pass Ellie between one another in an uncomfortable silence. Four more days, then our exchanges will be even less than that. Simply the pair of us documenting our findings in private before collaborating one final time. Then done, gone. No more project partners. Just Hendrix, then just me.

I should be jumping for joy, but if anything, I'm the complete contrary.

As much as I hate to say it, I miss Hendrix. I miss the arguments and the teasing and, hell, even the smoothie in my hair. Well, less the smoothie, more the fighting that followed. I miss how we were slowly venturing into an area of friendship, where we were emotional with one another, and kind and understanding. I miss the fact that for a moment, just a small blip in time, we were even experiencing something else.

All of that gone, for something less than friends, even less than enemies. Almost strangers.

I think more than anything, having him so close, yet so far, has made me realise that I do feel a particular way towards Elijah. I still hate him, but I'm certainly, undoubtably crushing. I really want to kiss him again, and maybe punch him after. Points for toxicity, huh?

I'm currently sat at lunch, with the same three as always; Seb, Collins and Lena. Although, while they're engaging in conversation, I'm completely isolated in my own mind, focused on nothing more than Elijah and the red head sat just beside him, rubbing her hand along his thigh in what I'm sure she conceives as sensual.

Yes – I am 1 million percent crushing. How else would this burning jealously be explained? Ellie sits cradled in my arms, so quiet that I've actually considered that maybe her battery pack has given out, but it's all the better for the moment. It gives me perfect audible clarity for when red head laughs at Elijah, even though I know he's not that funny.

"Chapstick. You alright?" Seb asks, pulling me from my stupor.

I pull a taut smile. "Just peachy." I manage to reply through a clenched jaw.

"Really, because you look constipated." He says. Lena narrows her eyes on me and then they widen upon something of a revelation, I'm sure.

"No, she looks murderous." She corrects. In what I'm sure is the worst timing ever, my eyes flicker over to Hendrix, when I very clearly see red heads hand trail from his thigh to his crotch, giving his penis a hello wave through the fabric.

That's enough. Bitch.

Without even realising, Ellie has been thrust into Seb's arms and I've made my way over to Elijah and his tart, ignorant to the calls of my friends that are trying to talk me off of my war path. I barely make myself known before I slam my fist on to the tray in front of Hendrix and his friend, sending their two tubs of noodles flying, dousing the pair of them. As I watch the tomato sauce drip through their hair, I'm very, very aware of the silence of the cafeteria. Never before have I felt as mortified as currently. Remember when I was trying to stop acting first, thinking later?

This is why you count to ten Charlotte. Maybe a few more days practice.

"Are you actually fucking deluded?" Elijah snaps at me, standing up as rigid as he can do, conscious that a single movement will worse his current condition. Barely a heartbeat passes before he takes a handful of pasta that lays on the chair and flings it right at my face. It lands on my cheek, wrapping around my nose slightly and dangling over my mouth.

Naturally, I do the only logical thing. I use my tongue to find the end of a strand and noisily slurp it into my mouth with a nonchalant shrug.

"Might be." I confess as casually as possible, despite it being quite the epiphany. I keep my face blank, hiding the fact I'm burning with jealous and slightly scorned with embarrassment, though we'll ignore that for now.