Beyond Judgement: Beyond Series, Book 1

Chapter 13

Allie

It has been two weeks since I last saw Eve. I look for her everywhere. I want to know what has happened to her. I've been short with the people around me. I try to avoid Lindy and Logan when they're together. Their constant flirting and expressions of being in love make me long to be with Eve. I avoid my mother because, well, she's my mom and will ask me a thousand questions about why I'm upset and what's going on in my life. I don't mean to lash out at them, but I know that's what I'm doing.

I enter my theater class and take my usual seat next to Lindy in the back row. She knows I'm not in the mood to talk. She keeps quiet as we wait for the teacher to come in.

"Good morning. Today we're going to run lines for Beauty and the Beast," she says, standing on stage.

"Great. Another stupid love story," I grumble.

"Everyone bring your lines with you up here. We will divide into groups to practice. Auditions for parts will begin next week."

"Hopefully, there is a tree part I can play," I say.

"Allie." Lindy squeezes my shoulder

"What?" I snap.

"Look."

I follow Lindy's stare to the door. Eve stands there and motions for me to step outside. I stare at her for a minute. I don't know if it is really her or if my mind is playing tricks on me.

"Go." Lindy pushes my shoulder. "I'll cover for you."

Eve turns and walks back through the door, and I'm close behind her. I think she's going to stop in the hallway, but she continues outside. She leads me out to the campus courtyard, stopping under the oak tree.

"Where have you been?" I ask.

Eve turns to face me.

"I get that you're upset with me, Allie." She reaches for my hand, but I pull away.

"No. Upset would be an understatement."

"Can I..."

I shake my head. "Eve. I opened up to you. You're the first girl I've had feelings for. I've been waiting for you to turn up. You let me sit and worry about you for two weeks without a single piece of evidence of what happened to you." The anger inside me boils up in my face. I feel it reddening. "So, no. You can't just talk you way out of this."

"Allie, you don't understand."

"I understand that you abandoned me. I understand I must've been just some fling. I understand that you don't care for me the way I cared for you." I fight the sting of tears. At the moment, I'm more mad than sad. "You're just as evil as Stacey."

Eve frowns. I don't know if she knows what I mean by that, and right now I don't care. She steps toward me, but I stand my ground. My body is torn on what to do. Do I run away from her or stay? My mind tells me one thing while my heart tells me another. Eve's hands find their way to my waist; she holds onto my hips and presses my back up against the tree. She silences the negative thoughts roaming within my head with a hard kiss. All the feelings from our first kiss that night in my room come flooding back. I kiss her just as aggressively. I don't care that we're in public and I don't care who sees. This girl sets me on fire and her kiss is electrifying.

"What do you say now, Allie?" she asks between kisses. "Do you think I still don't care for you?"

Eve rests her forehead against mine.