Steel My Soul ✓

17 | Crimson

trigger warning - blood

INDIGO

"What did today's note say?" Chancey's voice came from behind me as he craned his neck to get a good look at the words on the ink.

He smelled amazing, and I knew that if I turned my head slightly to the left, our faces would be too close, but I couldn't bring myself to move away. Even his peppermint breath caressed my neck, and I suddenly had trouble breathing. Chancey's proximity sent chills running down my back, good ones, dare I say.

"You're prettier than any star in the sky," His voice was a soft murmur as he read the small paper. "Hm, this person is infatuated with you, aren't they?"

"And you're going to help me find who 'they' are," I folded the note and tucked it neatly back into my locker, making sure no book damaged it.

"I am?" Chancey asked amusedly.

"Yes," I didn't give him much of a choice as I shut my locker and secured it.

"You didn't throw it out," He observed as I turned around to face him.

Chancey wore a graphic t-shirt beneath his varsity jacket, wearing comfortable black sweatpants to complete the look with white sneakers. He always wore those sneakers; they were his favourite this year. His auburn hair wasn't styled back from his face - always unkempt, but it suited his sweetly structured face. And his honey brown eyes startled me when I met them. He always kept them on me.

"Yeah, they're kind of growing on me." I found myself blushing as soon as I confessed that to him. I didn't want to tell my friends I'd been collecting them. It wasn't as if this person was stalking me. Those notes were like love letters, in the funniest, sweetest forms. They didn't do any harm.

He smirked, and I hated that my stomach flipped at the sight of it. Chancey was always taunting me every second he could. I knew that would grow on me, too.

"Are you telling me that you're getting attached to your stalker?" Chancey teased as he began to follow me to our next class.

I slapped his shoulder with the back of my hand as we walked side by side. "No, I just find them funny."

"Right, right," He hummed, and I knew he was holding back another smirk. "Also, don't get mad, but I told Serenity to be at your house at four a.m.-"

I snapped my head to look at him, almost stopping in the middle of the school halls. "What?"

Chancey chuckled nervously, keeping his eyes ahead of us. "I told her about your bucket list- wait, don't get mad- I just told her one thing on your bucket list."

I wasn't sure how I felt about that. The only reason I was doing this bucket list again was because I didn't have much time left here. The activities on them were personal, they all had a meaning behind them I wasn't sure my friends would understand. How would I explain it to them without having to confess my diagnosis?

"Well, it's not on your old bucket list, but I know it'll be on your new one. You're still doing the old one, too, right? Just adding the new ones onto it?" Chancey didn't dare to look at me as he spoke, and I knew he was afraid of the anger on my face.

But I forced myself to cool down. His intentions weren't harmful. He just wanted me to have fun.

"What is it?" I asked, taking a few deep breaths, suddenly feeling a migraine begin.