See You Again

XLIV

The weekend felt too short, as usual, and the stress from the oncoming A-Levels hung in the air.

Ezra had found himself a study group to attend with Emily and Kenzie, but I preferred to study on my own. I often feel like someone else's presence is too distracting, even if that person is trying to study too. The idea of Kenzie studying was funny to me. If I had a photographic memory, I wouldn't bother to do anything but read the textbooks the day before.

"Are you sure you don't want to join?" Walt asked me, leaning against a locker. He had just decided he should go, too.

"I am," I nodded, taking my books out of my open locker "I work better by myself"

He shrugged, and I closed the door, books in hand.

Peter had offered himself to help him study, so he was spending almost every day at his place with the excuse of the exams. I'm not sure they were really studying, though.

"Aren't your siblings annoying to have around?"

"They are, but I go to a side of the house and they keep screaming on the other," I told him.

"Sounds fair"

We were about to part to go to our classes when I felt a tug on my sleeve and turned around to look at the blonde girl gawking at me.

"Your hair is curled" I noted in surprise, having gotten used to her new hairstyle.

Kenzie pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and grabbed my arm.

"We need to talk" she demanded, not expecting my answer.

She dragged me down the corridors, making some people look at us. I didn't know where was she headed to but I didn't dare ask.

There were empty classrooms on the side of the school where most art classes were taken and she pushed me into one of them and closed the glass door behind us. I stopped a few steps in and stared at her. She seemed distressed, running her hands through her hair and walking to the back of the room.

Minutes passed and she was still walking from a place to the other. I did not dare speak since I had no idea what could've put her in such a state. Her nervous finger twitching was getting to me.

I was about to speak when she sat on a table not that far from me, without making eye contact.

"You're in love with me? Are you crazy?" disbelief coloured her voice.

That was the moment I realized how much of a complete idiot I am.

"So you were awake"

"Of course I was awake! You're such an idiot!" she half screamed "I was going to tell you I was up but you started talking bullshit and I didn't know what to do. I've been rethinking this all weekend"

"I didn't mean to piss you off. I just thought you deserved to know..."

"Shut up! Don't act like you care about me!" she gestured, clearly mad "You're so selfish! You just wanted to get ridden of that burden!

This must be awful for her right now, that's why I kept it to myself this whole time. That afternoon I should've just left. Telling her anything was a mistake. I am once again interfering in her life when she doesn't want me here.

"McKenzie..."

"Shut up!" she yelled "How can you say you love me when you do this? Do you know what this looks like? Like you're playing!" she accused "You couldn't have Ness so you came for me, then you got all you wanted, right? Wrong! You keep moving from one to the other"

"That's not what I want!" I started.

She wasn't having it at all. "Shut up! Do you know how hard it was for me to look at you without thinking about what I had lost? What I had ruined because I was too foolish?"

Kenzie is acting as if she was the only one hurt in the process. I can't believe she refuses to acknowledge how much she hurt me, making me believe she never liked me only to have an easier departure. I cried for her! Even when she was back she kept the same lie.

"So you moved on. You don't love me back" I stated "That's fine, I wasn't excepting you to. I'm sorry I hurt you"

Her eyes burned holes through me and I almost stepped back, even with all the distance between us.

"Not love you?" her voice broke "Do you have any idea how painful it is to love you? To love someone who is in love with another? And to come to terms with it? To let go?" she kept asking, devastated. Her eyes met mine and I saw the burning anger "And then you come and say that! You don't love me, you're just bored! You just can't be happy alone! You need someone else feeling as bad as you"

"That's not true," I said as calmly as possible. Those accusations were truly hitting the nerve "I am in love with you, can't you see? It is you! It has always been you, not Vanessa"

"Shut up!" she cried.

I didn't comply "You were right. I didn't know what love is. I had convinced myself I did, but I didn't" I took a step forward "Until I met you. I'm in love with you, McKenzie, and that's that"

I'm expecting her to reject me. This wasn't intended as a love confession but now I'm betting all on it. I want her to tell me she loves me too, that she needs me as much as she needs air to breathe. However, I'm already expecting her to refuse me and I understand it. I'm used to it.

"Shut up" she pushed her knees up and hugged them, hiding her head "Don't do this to me, don't play with me. I don't deserve it, I tried to be good to you, I don't deserve to be played"

I reached her and cupped her cheeks, making her look at me with her puffy eyes and red face.

"I love you, Kenzie" I whispered softly "Only you"

"No" she sniffed "You don't"

"I do. Don't you love me?"

"With everything I have"

I held her close and she buried her head on my chest. The tears were trespassing my shirt but I didn't mind them. Her sobbing was heartbreaking and I just wanted to make her stop.

"Enough to share your After Eights with me?" I joked.

She pushed herself away "No"

I cocked a brow.

"Maybe"

I smiled and kissed her forehead.

"How am I supposed to trust you?" she mumbled.

"I never wanted this to happen, baby" I stroked her hair "I wanted to be with you, but then you left"

Her grip hardened in my arms and I could tell she was trying not to cry again.

"I'm sorry"

"It's okay. You did what you thought was best. But so did I"

Her honey eyes fell on me and I resisted the urge to kiss her.

"Kenzie, I'm begging you with everything I have, be my girlfriend again and this time we won't mess it up"

"Now that you were finally learning how to be single?" she mocked, a small smile appearing on her kissable lips.

I snorted "I know I'm great at being single. But I think we're even better together"

The way she looked at me was painful and the anticipation was killing me.

"We're amazing together," she said and kissed me.

🧡🧡🧡

Kind of short, I know, but it's quite alright, no?

I'm reaching that part when everything I write sounds trashy and I'm no longer liking it. But then again, I've been entering it since chapter 1.

Hitting the final chapters, I don't know if I'm going to write two or three more before the epilogue so y'all feel free to shoot ideas for me to write.

Vote, comment and have an After Eight. That's an order (unless you don't want to)