The Things You Will Never Know

Chapter 5

Hello my loves! Thank you for coming back to read another chapter, and thank you for all the votes and comments so far. Honestly, this is probably my favourite story to update because all of you are so dedicated and supportive haha 💕

I hope this chapter is ok and not too...meh. It's another one which I had to completely rewrite about 5 times, and I'm still paranoid about it not being good enough.

Anyway, sorry for rambling. I'll let you read now, but just fyi, the first line of the chapter is lyrics from a song called Time In Our Lives by Tendai if you're interested.

PRESENT DAY

'We had the time of our lives for a time in our lives'

Well, if that one lyric doesn't sum up my situation with the boys, I don't know what else could.

I turn the volume up even though the last thing I want to think about right now is those boys and how I'll probably run into all of them at some point today since Cal is currently driving me to school. He let me stay off again yesterday but I decided for myself to go back in today. I can't hide from them forever, and I've still got to figure out who actually sent me that note, so I didn't really have a choice.

Cal says nothing about me having added this song to his playlist, probably because he's used to me doing it on the regular, and we stay silent pretty much the whole ride to school. It's pouring down this morning and the thick black clouds blanketing the sky make it feel like it's only just around dawn with how dark it is outside. Call me crazy, but I love days like this. They make me feel alive.

"You sure you're ok?" Cal asks, his palm gripping my thigh to stop me from getting out when he parks the car outside Haltonshaw High.

Apart from the fact I can barely think with you touching me there, I'm fine, Cal.

But of course, I can't say that, so I just nod and open the door, thanking him for the ride before dashing towards the school entrance.

Goddamn it, Cal.

Once I'm inside, I'm back to pretending. Pretending I'm not being crushed by the weight of all the secrets I hold. That I'm not so desperately lonely. That I'm not being haunted by the ghosts of our past.

****

I make it all the way to afternoon registration without seeing any of the boys. Well, they've been around, of course, but I just refused to look at them. I kept my head down, averted my eyes whenever l felt their presence, and until now, that was working fine.

"Did you speak to Christian yet?" Reece suddenly asks from behind me, and I mean right behind me, on my way to my fourth period class. The corridor is packed with people so he can get away with being this close to me, but still, my body reacts as if this is a very different situation.

Ignoring the flush of heat across my skin, I try to squeeze past a couple of people so I can keep my distance from Reece. I don't even want to answer his question, but I'm also not going to just blank him either.

"Why would I have spoken to him?" I question, keeping my voice low, not even bothering to turn and look at him as I walk. The fewer people who see us talking to each other, the better.