Boarding School for Giants (G/T)

Part 23

I felt like I had made a terrible mistake. My heart was crushed into dust, and I had pulverized Joey's in the process. I could hardly stand to face him again after what I had so cruelly inflicted upon him. How could I do such a thing to him, to sweet, innocent Joey? Did he comprehend where I was coming from, how I felt? He saw me in the hospital after I had been injured at the hands of the giant principal, so he must understand at least to some extent. Not to mention he witnessed me nearly get eaten at the diner. I hoped he would understand.

The night was long, and I didn't sleep well. I was tossing and turning all night, and when I did manage to sleep I had troubled dreams. I had nightmares of green eyes and carnivorous teeth, giant hands crunching my bones, being swallowed alive. I faced the next day with a pit of dread in my gut and stark reflections in my head. I showered and dressed, as usual, and packed up my backpack, bringing my new laptop with me. I went outside to wait for Joey, wondering what I could possibly say to him to make things right, to soften the blow from last night. I started to wonder if he would even stop by to pick me up on his way to school, or give up and abandon me, and my chest tightened with shame. I felt even worse when I saw his lofty figure coming towards me from afar, chiding myself for ever thinking he would ignore me.

The giant came up and stood over me stiffly, not speaking. I glanced up at him, then opted to sheepishly examine his immense shoes on either side of me instead. I felt smaller than ever. Finally, he crouched down and silently offered me his hand in a conciliatory gesture. I hesitantly climbed into his palm, still too ashamed to look him in the face. As he stood up and began walking, I mustered up the courage to stare him in the eye and have an honest conversation with him again.

"Joey, I wanted to apolog-" I began.

"No," he interrupted, "You have nothing to be sorry about. I'm the one who should be apologizing to you." I met his soft chocolate eyes with mine, confused.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

He took a heavy breath. "I... acted on pure emotion last night, with no regard to your feelings. I'm sorry for just running off like that. I should have considered what was best for you, not what I would want personally." His statement was succinct, but eloquent. "I want you to be my girlfriend, but not if it means you're not making the right choice for yourself." His lips quivered. "I don't want you to be hurt because of me."

"Aww, Joey..." I said, "I don't blame you for how you reacted. It was completely understandable under the circumstances. Keep in mind, I still haven't made a decision yet. So, I might still choose to stay."

"R-really?" Joey stammered hopefully.

"Yeah," I answered, sounding more optimistic than I felt. Internally I had a weight crushing me down, the weight of a terrible choice. I glanced over at the new watch strapped to my wrist. It was a reminder of the danger I faced, but also a link to the man who could become my father. I was deeply conflicted.

We went to the cafeteria for breakfast, where Stephanie and a couple of her friends were eagerly waiting for us. "Eren!" she sang when she spotted me, bobbing up and down with manic energy, "I have some people here who want to meet you!" Her two friends smiled awkwardly. Joey collected our food and sat down at the table with all the giantesses, keeping me close to himself on the table.

"This is Lucy," Stephanie said, pointing to a busty redhead with a comely face. "And this is Selena." The other girl was darker in complexion, with silky black hair that cascaded down her shoulders.

"Hello," I greeted them, offering my hand for a finger handshake. I was proud of myself for not shrinking back or shaking when introduced to new giant people. Lucy offered me a firm digit with an elegant gleaming nail to shake. Selena was shyer, but with some encouragement from Stephanie she timidly gave me her limp finger, with a dull nail chewed down to the nub.