Lifeless / error sequal

17

c h a p t e r   1 7 :

t r u e c o l o r s

'You guys are soaked wet' Sid looks in disgust 'what were you doing there?' I caught the small glimpse of curiosity in her eyes. What were doing? I ask myself that question as well.

My hair is completly wet, every inch of my dress is soaked, my ears are filled with water and my skin is cold as ever. I'm pretty sure my upcoming fever is already developing.

However, Hayden seems as relaxed as ever. He sits down on the floor, taking one of the sheets to dry his hair and body a little. 'Just a small discussion' he aswers casually. I glare at him, sitting down besides Evy who looks even more confused. Her cheecks are still red from what happened before, but the smile is gone now.

We keep on playing for a while, I keep quiet through the entire game. The sound of the rain slowly fades outside and before we know it, it had stopped raining.

'I think it's time to go back', Evy says, sitting beside me. Hayden ignores her gaze but Sid and I agree we should head back.

By the time we walk back, it's not as dark anymore outside. I enjoy the soft breeze, my lungs welcoming the clean air in the woods. Greenpeace is located near the woods, fruther from the busy traffic and nightlife of the city where I live.

It's too silent. Everyone is tired. But I enjoy the silence. Only Hayden's presence behind me was the only thing that seemed to bother me. He was far from me, silently walking behind the three of us, but somehow that still didn't make me think less about what had happened. The way he had touched me and looked at me, his eyes were burning with a mix of anger and lust.

We finally enter the building through the usual backdoor. Evy sighs while looking at her phone, her eyes meet mine. 'We have math in like 5 hours.' I smile a little. 'Tomorrow will be...interesting.'

Spending time with Evy was almost..peaceful. She has a calm aura and a brightness in her that I cannot quite explain. Her presence brings lightness. When I'm with her I feel like a normal person, a normal 17 year old and not the girl that lost her boyfriend, or the girl who didn't know she had a sister, or the girl that didn't have a mother. It felt good.

'12 floors up, here we go', Sid opens the door that leads to the stairs. We quietly make our way up the stairs, every floor killing my legs more and more. It even more silent then before, none of dares make a sound. Sid is in the front, Evy right behind her. Only now do I realise I made a mistake not going first.

Suddenly I can feel his presence behind me. I try to ignore him, I really do. He is so close that I start smelling his cologne. I try to get onto the steps faster to get away from him but it doesn't work.

I feel a tight grip on my wrist, pulling me back to him. Now we're on the same level, walking besides eachother. His eyes meeting mine. His body is towering over mine and I move my head up to look at him. Something is bothering and I can see it in his eyes. 'Excuse you?' I try to get away from him but his grip on my wrist only tightens. He doesn't react. His mouth is right besides my ear, I can feel his hot breath on my cheeck. 'Are you mad at me?' He whispers, I move my head so that I can finally see his full face. He looks amuzed and serious at the same time. I cannot tell what he's feeling, ever.

'Why would I be mad at you?' I whisper back 'in order to be mad I would have to care, and quite frankly I do not care about you or anything that happened between us.'

'So there's something happening between us?' He smirks. I want to slap him.
'Shut up.'

I finally manage to get away from him, quickening my steps. I catch up with Evy and Sid. We've made it to the 10th floor. I give Sid a quick hug, thanking her for tonight.