Dameon

Chapter 4: Lin

/Zanders POV\

I walked into class catching the eye's of my fellow classmates, I knew I was late, like extremely late. Class was close to being over by the time I had decided to stop wondering the halls and actually attend. But even though I was late, I knew that wasn't the real reason they were staring at me. Most of them had seen me talking to Lin and they were just trying to figure out what had happened. What the girl with all the secrets and the "traumatic" past had to say to me. What the girl that had made this school's rep skyrocket in one night was doing back here. What could have caused her to actually step one foot in here again. And most importantly they wanted to know if she was going to come back, for good. 

Well, she wasn't.

She never was. 

At least she wasn't going to come back here anyway. 

"I wonder what they talked about? Did you see how she looked? It's like she's a different person." 

"Oh, ohmygod I know! I've seen pictures of her before and she was so pretty!-"

Was? She was pretty? Seriously.

"If I was her I wouldn't be able to ever set a foot back in this place."

"It's got to be so embarrassing, honestly. I wonder if Dario knows that she's here? I bet he'd go craz-" I interrupt the girls sitting  in front of my seat by slamming my fist hard on my desk. They didn't even know Lin, so how could they sit there holding pity for the girl. Or talking about her as if she was just a shell of her old self. Lin was still Lin, and she always would be. 

"Mr. Johnson! I will not tolerate you disturbing my class after you barley graced us with your presence! Now take a seat." Mrs. Rasmussen said, directing such a harsh glare in my direction that I didn't dare object. I couldn't help but continue to glare at the backs of the girls in front of me as Mrs. Rasmussen resumed her reading of Shakespeare. I couldn't concentrate even after I felt myself calming down. Time was passing by painfully slow and all I could do was think about Lin. 

Sighing I leaned back rubbing my eyes as I felt them begin to water. I had never once shed a tear for a girl. Except for Lin. I just hadn't expected to see her. There were so many things I wanted to say to her. So many more hours in the day that I wanted to spend with her. That had always seemed to be the case when it came to her. Even when we were dating I wouldn't notice how long I had her out or how much time had passed when I was with her until one of our parents would call us asking either one of us to come home. To me it always felt like minutes had barley passed with her when in reality it was a couple of hours. Seeing her had stirred all those feelings I had suppressed and kept to myself since she left me. She looked so beautiful, yeah she was different than before but to me that changed nothing. Her hair had grown out so much since the last time I had seen her but she still had those bouncy curls I adored. One thing that did worry me was that she was way thinner as well. Even threw the baggy sweaters she had on and her sweats you could see how small she had gotten. That's another thing that was different of her, she would have never been caught wearing things like that in public before, she was more of the glamours type. 

"Zan?"

"Huh?" I had been so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed that the bell had rung and that most of the classroom was deserted. Claire now stood in front of me with a worried look on her face.

"Zan, you okay?" Her voice was barley above a whisper as she approached me a little more. She acted as if she wasn't trying to scare off a child who could take of running at any minute. 

"Yeah," I paused. "I'm fine." I lied forcing my usual smile on my face hoping she'd believe me. She placed her hands on her hips and stared at me sternly. "Claire, I swear I'm fine." I reassured her. 

"It's Belinda, isn't it?" She asked walking out of the classroom and toward the direction our next class. I sigh and nod, scratching the back of my head. There really was no point in lying to this girl, she knew me too well. 

"I-I just didn't expect to see her today." I paused, trying to find the right words to truly explain what I was feeling. 

"You mean you didn't expect to see her at all." She clarified, taking the words right out of my mouth. As expecting my silence she just nods not needing me to answer. "I don't blame you, I was shocked seeing her again too." 

"Is that why you practically bolted when you saw her?"

"I didn't bolt anywhere. And even if I did can you blame me!? It's like seeing someone come back from the dead Zan! Just- did you look at her? She looked horrible and just looking at her like that makes me relive everything again. We did a lot to move on from that day too, we shouldn't have to think about that again. It wasn't just her and I feel like people forget that." She said sternly, a far off distant look in her eyes. She seemed pretty shaken up, and if it were any other person hearing her speak like this they would have taken pity on Claire. But it was me and I knew her better than that to believe that was the only reason she didn't want to see Lin. 

"You sure that's the only reason you didn't want to be around her?" I challenge. From a side glance I can see her shoulders tense up and the frown that takes over the features on her face. I knew that look all to well, I had hit the nail right on the head and she was trying to not get worked up. 

"What other reason would I have to not want to be around her?" She said nonchalantly trying to brush pass this as if what I had just said wasn't bothering her.

"Maybe you feel guilty." I state simply shrugging my shoulders. Truth be told I was getting angry. But I contained myself not wanting to give her any leverage to use on me later. Growing up together had it's perks as knowing when either one of us were lying, what bothered us, and it also had it's faults, like knowing what and when she would use anything against me that she could.  

"Guilty about what?" Now it was my turn to tense up as the voice I didn't want to hear today comes from around the corner. I turn to my side to see Dario leaning against the wall with an eyebrow raised clearly interested with knowing what his girlfriend could feel guilty about. 

"About nothing baby." Claire said, coming up to him to place a kiss on his cheek. I scrunch up my face as I feel my irritation level rising just having him in front of my face. 

"No seriously, what were you guys talking about? This guy looks like he's had better days, you good bro?" He asks wrapping his arms around Claire and beginning to walk with us. I guess I was so busy with Lin on my mind I forgot he had third period with us. 

"It's nothing! Babe seriously, let it go!" Claire interjects before I could answer him. He raises an eyebrow at me but nevertheless lets it go just shrugging his shoulders an awkward silence falling between us. One thing Claire and I could agree on was that we didn't want Dario to know that Lin was here. It has hit the two of us hard enough no use in bringing anyone else into it. Especially him.

As we turn the corner before reaching our class, I feel all the blood in my body rush to my feet as I see Lin walking out of the main office transcripts in hand. She was faced in the opposite direction heading toward the exit unaware that we were behind her. I inwardly prayed that she would not turn around, as much as I wanted to see her face again I didn't want what I knew would happen to play out if she turned around. And as if god hated my pleads one of her papers slipped from her hands and onto the ground right in front of us. 

Oh god...

Don't turn around, Lin. 

Please, Lin. 

Just don't turn around.