Between The Lines

Chapter 84: Fiddle of Frustration

Third Person:

Rebecca sat at her desk, fuming. She couldn't concentrate on anything except the image of Karen kissing Lane's cheek. Her fingers tapped a restless rhythm on the desk, and she glared at the front of the classroom where Lane was teaching. He seemed distant, just like Matt had advised him to be, but it only made Rebecca angrier.

Oliver, sitting next to her, nudged her with his elbow. "What's wrong with you? You're going to burn a hole through his head if you keep staring like that."

Rebecca shot him a withering look. "Nothing's wrong. Just focus on your notes."

Charlotte, on her other side, leaned over and whispered, "Did he do something? You seem... different."

Rebecca forced a smile. "We'll talk after school, okay? Let's just get through this class."

Charlotte frowned but nodded, scribbling something in her notebook. A folded piece of paper landed on Rebecca's desk a moment later. She unfolded it discreetly.

Charlotte's note: "Is this about the rumours? Did Mr. Montgomery do something?"

Rebecca rolled her eyes and quickly wrote back, "We'll talk later. Just focus on the lesson."

Lane glanced up from his desk, his eyes briefly meeting Rebecca's before he quickly looked away. He cleared his throat, trying to maintain his composure. "Alright, class, today we're going to discuss symbolism in literature. Can anyone tell me what the green light represents in 'The Great Gatsby'?"

Rebecca's hand shot up. "A broken promise," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Lane's eyes flicked to her, a flicker of sadness passing through them. "Correct, Rebecca. The green light represents a dream that is always out of reach."

Rebecca snorted, earning a warning look from Lane. He resumed the lesson, but his mind was elsewhere. He wished he could just pull her aside and explain everything, but he had to wait until the meeting was over in a couple of days.

Oliver nudged Rebecca again, passing her another note.

Oliver's note: "Is he being distant because of the rumours? Or did something else happen?"

Rebecca scribbled back furiously, "I'll tell you after school. It's too complicated to explain right now."

As Lane continued to talk about the symbolism in literature, Rebecca felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She pulled it out discreetly and saw a text from Charlotte.

Charlotte's text: "Seriously, what happened? Did he break your heart or something?"

Rebecca typed back quickly, "Sort of. But it's complicated. I'll explain later."

Charlotte looked at her with wide eyes and mouthed, "OMG."

Rebecca sighed, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on her. She wanted to yell at Lane, to tell him how much he had hurt her, but she knew she had to wait.

When the bell finally rang, signalling the end of class, Rebecca hurriedly packed up her things. Lane watched her from the front of the room, wanting to call out to her but knowing he had to keep his distance.

Rebecca, feeling the weight of her emotions, turned to Oliver and Charlotte. "Hey, do you guys want to go to the mall? We can talk about everything there."

Oliver and Charlotte exchanged glances, both nodding in agreement. "Sure, let's go," Oliver said, offering a reassuring smile.

As they walked towards the school exit, Rebecca noticed Oliver and Charlotte secretly holding hands. She grinned, walking backwards so she could talk to them face-to-face. "So, you two are finally official?"