Dealing with the Devil [Yandere x Reader]

Chapter 52 - Finals

After that day, I threw myself into finishing my finals and tying up loose ends for the end of the year. The pressure had been suffocating, but now I could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Each completed assignment and exam felt like lifting a weight off my shoulders, like releasing a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. A swirl of relief and exhaustion flooded me.

It was over.

At least for now.

As I gathered my things to leave for the winter break, I decided to stop by and thank my English teacher. She had always been supportive of my writing, encouraging me when I doubted myself, which was often.

"Your dedication has truly paid off. I'm looking forward to seeing where your writing takes you," she said, his eyes twinkling with pride.

Her words were meant to be encouraging, but I couldn't shake the nagging doubt that clung to me like a shadow.

Was I really any good?

Or was everyone just being polite?

The weight of their expectations was both inspiring and terrifying. The world seemed to split in front of me—one path leading to success and fulfillment, the other to failure and obscurity.

As I left the school building, Chris caught up with me. He seemed preoccupied, his brow furrowed as if he was lost in thought. His usual light-hearted demeanor was absent, replaced by a somber silence that unsettled me. We walked towards the parking lot, the crisp winter air biting at our faces.

"Any clue on what's going on with Mel? I haven't talked to her in a while," I asked, trying to sound casual, but the knot of worry in my stomach tightened with each passing second.

"Hm, she's on a bit of a time out," Chris replied casually. His tone was too indifferent, too rehearsed.

"A time out? What does that mean?" I pressed for details, feeling my concern deepen. Was Mel okay? Did she need help? My mind raced with worst-case scenarios.

"Just that she needs some space right now. Don't worry too much; you'll be able to talk to her over winter break," he reassured me, his nonchalant attitude only fueling my frustration.

Why was he being so vague?

"Well, I guess that's fine. It's only a week away," I said, trying to push away the concern for Mel. But my mind wouldn't stop.

What if she was in trouble? What if something serious had happened? I wanted to call her right then and there.

"Anything you wanna do on winter break?" Chris asked, changing the subject abruptly. I let out a sigh, deciding to drop it for now.

"Yeah, write and really start working on a part two," I replied eagerly. The thought of diving back into my story was exhilarating. Writing had always been my escape, my way of making sense of the world.

I needed it now more than ever.

"Oh, that's amazing, darling," Chris grinned, his enthusiasm infectious. For a moment, his mood lifted, and I felt a swell of pride. Maybe I was doing something right after all.

"What about you?" I asked, curious about his plans.

"I'm just doing finishing touches on my house, fixing it up," he said nonchalantly.

"You're doing construction on your house?" I asked, surprised. Chris never mentioned any major projects like that. What else had he been keeping from me?

"No, not that one," Chris chuckled, his laughter a bit forced. "That's the house I use for school. The one I'm talking about is a family one, so to speak."

I nodded, though my curiosity was piqued.

A family house?

Chris had never mentioned it before.

Was there more to his life that he was hiding?

"Now, what do you want to buy?" he asked suddenly, diverting the topic again.

I blinked, caught off guard by the sudden change.

"Buy? Uh, I haven't really thought about it," I said. The idea of shopping for anything seemed trivial compared to the whirlwind of thoughts in my mind.

Why was he so eager to change the subject?

What was he trying to avoid?

As we drove off into the winter afternoon, thoughts of writing filled my mind, along with a nagging curiosity about Chris's mysterious family house. The winter break promised to be a time of creativity and perhaps unexpected revelations.

The mystery surrounding Mel and Chris's evasiveness lingered in the back of my mind, like a storm cloud on the horizon. But for now, I decided to focus on the stories I wanted to write and the world I wanted to create.

Yet, even as I tried to immerse myself in the excitement of my writing plans, the unanswered questions tugged at me, whispering that not everything was as it seemed.