Pins and Needles

Chapter 17

My foot ached as I walked through the halls a few days later. The rest of Thanksgiving break had been relatively uneventful, and I was hoping to keep it that way. My mother and I hadn't talked since Dad's funeral, but, in all honesty, that kind of worked in my favor. I didn't have to worry about her breathing down my neck as I continued with my plan. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Maeve. Ever since break ended and everyone went back to school, she had been acting... strange. I had seen her sneaking around campus and avoiding me at all costs; I had no idea why. Well, I had a slight hint, but I wanted to be exactly sure. That's why that day I planned to confront her. No more hiding, I demanded to know the reason for her skittishness.

As soon as the lunch bell rang, I bolted to the cafeteria. I had determined that if I wanted to find Maeve, the easiest way to do that was catch her at lunch. We all ate in the same spot, so she would have to be there whether she liked it or not. I waited by the door like a bouncer at a club for a long time, examining those who entered and exited the cafe. I was beginning to think that she slipped by me somehow and was already inside, but after scanning the room, there was still no sign of her. This theory was further proven when I saw a vacant seat next to Clark and his friends. She isn't here.

I scooted past the teachers' watchful eyes and began walking the halls. Maeve wasn't one to skip, so I didn't have high expectations for the search, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Indeed, it was better to be safe than sorry for I found a girl unsurprisingly similar to Maeve creeping down a corridor, my corridor. A pit in my stomach formed as I realized what was really happening. To ease my anxiety and slight rage, I returned to the only thing I knew; my pin. It felt abnormal in my hands after the fiasco over break, but once I gained confidence in its slender body, I was reminded what good it has done for me. I stabbed the sharp edge into my finger, adding to the collection of white spots that already littered my skin.

I peaked around the corner to find Maeve just standing blatantly in front of the bathroom. She turned towards me, but I was able to move fast enough behind the wall to avoid being seen. I waited for what seemed like hours before glancing back around, only this time, Maeve was not in sight. I neared the bathroom door and leaned against the wall opposite of it.

Ten minutes later, Maeve made her way out of the restroom and when she saw me, she gasped to a halt. Her eyes froze on me for a split second before she threw them to the ground bashfully.

"What are you doing here?" I started.

"Don't try and accuse me of doing something bad when your wrongdoings are plastered on the walls behind me!" she exclaimed, taking me significantly by surprise. "You know, Serena Folton was at school the day before break. I didn't think too much of it at first until I put the pieces together. For a vandalization offense that big, she would have gotten suspended at the least, but no, there she was, roaming the halls like it had never even happened. So, I did some digging. You were never in PE on time; always escaping off somewhere with some random excuse. You confronted Mr. Peters when he found out about the whole thing. Not sure how you saved your ass there, but that's not what's important. Angel, you lied to me. I would be lying if I said I wasn't hurt. So, why? Why this?"

I was shocked. Nowhere in my head had I thought Angel could or would investigate me. I was at a loss for what I could say back; absolutely nothing came to mind.

As if Maeve was reading my thoughts, she said, "And, I'm really not looking for another petty fallacy. I might just never talk to you again if you try to delude me."

My breath hitched and I went to shift my weight from one foot to the other, but forgot about my injury. I winced and picked up my hurt foot slightly to avoid further damage. I looked back at Maeve's expectant face and gave a powerful sigh. She had won, so I was forced to give in.

I explained to her the whole situation; everything about the girls on the stall doors, why I did it, and what it meant to me. It, in a twisted way, felt pretty good to let out my frustration and passion about the subject with someone who wasn't threatening to leak it to the world.

"Angel... that's just freaky. I'm on the doors for Christ's sake! Are you like gay or something? Is that why you couldn't hold off on your... desires?" she asked, leaning in for my answer.

My face went stark as I watched the girl before me. She couldn't keep her gaze on me and her cheeks flushed. She seemed eager, as if she wanted me to say yes.

I raised my eyebrows at the thought and stuttered, "I-I don't know."

Middle road seemed safe. I didn't want to get anymore on Maeve's bad side than I already was.

She leaned in more, "So, does that mean you're questioning orrr..?"

I didn't see the relevance of the topic, but it seemed to distract her from what we were previously discussing, so I certainly wasn't complaining.

"I don't know, I barely know what that means."

Maeve's disappointment shone on her face, but it disappeared easily after. She smiled and told me that she understood.

"Although, it would be a little creepy if you were straight after pulling that stunt," she joked.

I laughed awkwardly, not exactly prepared to enter the joking stage just yet.

I then cleared my throat, "So, are we cool?"

"Well, I'm still a bit unsettled with this whole thing, but let me sit with it for a while and I'm sure I'll come around. Otherwise, yeah, we're cool."

I grinned, happy that I dodged that bullet, not very well, but still, I did.

Suddenly, Maeve yelled, "Oh! Are you free tonight, Angel?"

I nodded, then she explained, "Me and the gang are gonna get together and go to the park later today, you should come."

I agreed without mulling it over, wanting a distraction for a while.

"Great! I'll pick you up at 9:30, ok?" she said and I nodded along. "Alright, well I better get back to Clark, bye!"

I waved her off with a grimace. Just the mention of Clark's name could dampen my mood. I knew prior to agreeing that he would be there, but even so, I knew I could just avoid him all night. With him out of the picture, there would be no nuisances to disturb my downtime--

Oh. Shit.