Caught in the Middle

Chapter 2: Part2

I jump off the bus with Soph, glancing at my phone quickly. Panic begins to set in. I'm almost twenty minutes late... And... I, still, truely can't believe I'm dressed like a moron to meet him... God, what is he going to think? That I'm trying to get with him?Is he going to think I were doing all this to impress him? My heart races at that thought... I mean, it cant be that bad... could it? Its not like my dress is an Oscars dress... but really? I would so much more prefer to be in my casual clothes I would usually wear...
Soph had done it this time... she had managed to even convince me to try the brighter shade of red lipstick that would surely make my lips stand out from across a room... something different from my subtle lipstick I had settled for earlier. Small hoop gold ear rings dangle from my ears... urgh, I groan at the thought of what I'm about to step into. And I can't... I can't walk in like this. Then the thought of Isaac's smug demeanour hits my mind, churning at my stomach... or even more, the thought of the look he would give me if he'd found out I had actually not gone. Suddenly a certain confidence spikes again... for what felt like an incredibly short moment, wanting nothing more than to prove my aggrogant brother wrong. I square my shoulders preparing myself... for the inevitable. My eyes slowly drift to the cafe... and suddenly I feel all that confidence dissipate... it completely begins to fades... but I need to do this and the misery can all be over once this is all done...
Soph nudges my shoulder with a huge grin as she nods to the cafe.
"Your not chicken, are you Gabs?" She giggles, before she pivots on her heel and turns to see Tess waiting outside the school gate. Tess's gaze suddenly crosses mine, her smile growing crook, curling to one side, before she winks at me with a smirk.
"Break a leg, gorgeous." She snickers, then puckers her lips, and throws me a kiss. Soph crashes into her, attacking her with a tight hug. My face screws up... how could she be so mean... I am her friend, been so since nineth grade, have helped her through her first ever tough breakup with Louis Hemming, have stood by her side through thick and thin, had let her use my room as refuge on a few occasions... all these and more... right? Annoyed, and red faced, I turn for the cafe... Im going to get this over and done with, I decide. As I glance down to check the time on my phone, leaning against the glass of the door to push it open... I find myself stumbling straight in... only then realising someone had had the door openned already. Clumsily, I topple and crash straight into the arms of the person holding the door wide open... my face literally wacking into their chest. My glasses slide off my face slowly, then I hear the clink of them as they drop to the ground. Embarrassed, my cheeks redden, and I'm finding it hard to directly look that person in the eyes. My heart begins to race when I recognise the jacket. The soft material against my fingers as I cling to it tightly. That faint familiar scent... that same cologne. And I find his name embroiled onto his jacket...
"Are you ok?" He questions a little shock in his tone. He scoffs then, the annoyance clear in his tone. "I was just about to leave... Your at least about a half an hour late." He says, hands firmly gripping to my arms to keep me steady on my feet. He begins to lower so that he could reach for my glasses off the ground when his gaze suddenly stops on me. It drifts over my figure. Confused, his eyes flickering between my face and my dress. His noticed... his eyes widen, then wonder off to reach around to search for my glasses. I feel myself redden with every second.
"Sorry." I exhail quickly. "Our bus was running late." I let the lie roll off my tongue.
"Ha." He replies, eyes finding their way up to mine, a look I knew he hadnt believed me one bit.
When he finds my glasses, he slowly begins to stand to his feet. I gulp. His standing really close... no more than an inche away... eyes gazing softly into mine, but slightly awkward. Suddenly he furrows his brows and swallows, eyes drifting from mine. They find their way over my arms, tracing over my hips, side, then back to my shoulders... I could almost feel as they lightly drag over me... damn, but i could really tell he had been checking me out...ofcourse his never seen me like this before, but his also not good at hiding how his noticed me. I feel an instant heat rise to my head making me slightly dizzy.
"Ahhh." He clears his throat, as he then looks away, taking a step back, letting his eyes drift to a table. "Do- do you want- shit, are- are you going to grab a coffee or anything? We don't have much time." He sounds direct and firm, but also suddenly nervous. Finn stuttering... now that brings a faint smile to my lips...
I nod my head. I'm still trying to regain myself... not let what his eyes had just done leave me dizzy, or light headed...
"Yeah. Let me put my things down." I say quickly.
He watches as I make my way over to a table, putting my bag down. He follows, finds his way around the table to take a seat. I search for my wallet, then wonder over to the counter. As I take my order, I catch him glancing my way. His eyes hold to mine for a while, before they dart away. His eyes... so intrigued... having held mine with a deep hold that made my blood pulsate, thudding through my veins and making me dizzy... It were probably only the dress, I remind myself. He likes what I'm wearing, its most obvious... but his probably most certainly also wondering why I had been dressed this way? He must think I had thought this were a date... If only I could tell him this were all Sophia's idea-
"Miss." My thoughts are suddenly cut off. "Here you go." A man working behind the counter says as he hands me my cappuccino with a smile. He then snickers. "Your boyfriend there ordered two coffees before you turned up... he ended up drinking both Im guessing." He chuckles. "His waited a long time."
My eyes widen. Had he just said what I think he had?... boyfriend?... how were people suddenly assuming Finn and I were... dating... was the universe in on this? I try brushing it off with an awkward laugh.
"No. His not... His not... What you just said." I say, flustered. The mans brows raise suprised.
"Oh. Sorry. Then his just a good friend." He smiles politely. "Enjoy your coffee." I return the smile. I walk over to Finn whose scrolling through his phone by now, his eyes popping up to meet mine as I take a seat. Forget he had just intensely gazed at me a couple of minutes ago...
"Scrolling through Instagram or something?" I babble. He doesn't seem to notice how obnoxious I feel.
"No. Just replying to a message." He says, laying his phone flat on the table. He folds his arms infront of him now, his gaze turning seriously, ready to get to the point. I take a quick sip of my coffee waiting for what he has to say. He huffs a breath as though trying to rid of a weight on his shoulder. "So your brother has got to stop seeing Bailey." He spills. I look at him from behind my cup. Seriously? This is all he has? Closing my eyes and rubbing my forehead, I sigh.
"Ok." I drawl. "I'm listening." The sarcasm is real, but he clearly doesn't pick up on it. Or maybe he does, but his still going to with whatever he has anyway...
"I was thinking we could get him to-"
"I'm sorry Finn. I mean, I really dont care."
He scrunches his face, annoyed.
"Sorry? W-what? Isn't this why we are here?"
"Other than the fact you pressured-" I say watching as his face cringes on me disagreeingly "-me to come, yes. But you don't know my brother. You wouldn't know the first thing about him, or how to handle him. You don't know how to do this. I do. And I'm ok with doing this on my own." I say to him as I lean back in my chair stubbornly. He groans, also dropping back in his chair.
"But I am also a guy so I could be of help."
I shrug my shoulders.
"You really think so?" I scoff. "No. Your risking alot here for Troy to get back his girlfriend. Why should I even care? Troy's life is none of my business... his a low life bully that's not a single waste of my time. Besides, maybe heart break is what he sort of needs. It might straighten him out a little."
Finn scoffs, looking taken back. I bet he didn't realise just about how blunt I was prepared to be...
"Gabriella." He moans in frustration. "Him getting his girlfriend back is part of the point-" he takes a minute to breath, agitated. He looks as though his mind may start wanting to regret this. "Don't you realise he won't leave you... leave you alone until your brother... leaves Bailey alone."
I sigh heavily, feeling his agitation.
"I don't really care." I rumble.
"You should! It's not a game. You have to know that! Besides, some people care. Like... I care. And your brother should as hell care too. I just want to know if you even want my help?" He questions leaning forward, eyes firmly on mine. He were serious. Looking into his eyes, for some reason, he did want to help. His eyes flicker over mine, trying to probably understand why I were so stubborn. "Listen. Troy is no good. He will not stop. He may even get worse. You dont want that. Trust me. I know things you dont."
My eyes grow on him, curiously, starting to feel a tinge of suspense... a tinge worry creep over me. Why had he said it like that...
"Like what?" I question, curiously, twirling a strand of hair with a finger as I try to down playing how much I actually cared. "Like, what do you know?"
He leans back into his chair again, expression unchanging... his eyes watching me.
"That his... going to find a way to make your brother pay. His going to beat him. Badly."
My face drops... an adrenaline in me surges... the shock too much. It's pretty pathetic that I took it like this, knowing Troy would most likely react this way... but the words made it all too real. My lips tighten, trying to contain a mix of emotions, mainly anger, beginning to build. My fingers twist tightly to my coffee cup, I feel the paper crumpling in my hands. Finn leans forward again, folding his arms infront of him, gazing at me intensely.
"You need to make your brother stop."
"Are you in on this too?" I question quickly, my eyes swinging up to meet his. His eyes don't flinch, gaze locked with mine as his jaw clenches. His thinking his words carefully, I could tell. He looks away for a brief moment, then cringes when he looks back up at me.
"Your brother is a loser, Gabriella. I'm on Troy's side. Troy is a friend. Isaac is not. His pathetic... trying to steal someone else's girl. Did you seriously think I would be on your brother's side?"
I glare at him without saying a word. He doesn't need me to say a word... He can read it on my face. He just gazes back, unsure what I will do next... and he shuffles back alittle. Suddenly, I pull back my chair, rising to my feet. What else can I do... I had to get out, I had nothing else to say... and I find myself storm off... not having realised I had left my phone behind...