Shadows of Yesterday

Chapter 13: I Guess Even the Worst People Can Have Good Points Sometimes. Gross

True to his word, Liam never asked me for an answer to his apology. He didn't stop by my house over the weekend to ask me in person, didn't call me to check if I had a response--he didn't even text me to see if I'd accepted the candy or not. He just... waited. It was weird, but it was also strangely impressive, given how persistent he usually was. I felt a little bit bad for keeping him waiting, but I couldn't make up my mind. He'd always been such a thorn in my side... but had he?

Yes, we had been cruel to each other as children. Yes, we'd shared our fair share of physical and verbal fights over the years. True, he did steal my first kiss on a dare. Heck, I could even admit to myself that like him, I definitely didn't handle things very well. But since I'd moved back...

Since I'd come back to Mirton, Liam had been nothing but kind. He'd always tried to check on me and ensure my wellbeing, always did everything he could to not start fights with me like he had as a kid. Even when I first came back and immediately threw a childish fit about him sitting with Mat and Kat, he hadn't done anything to escalate the fight. In fact, he'd immediately run after me, come to my defense, and tried to cheer me up.

Even on Monday, he never brought up his ridiculous chocolate bill or the scavenger hunt it resulted in. Our conversations were strictly about class, about our friends, about the things we did over the weekend... anything except the elephant in the room.

But could I really just get over everything that had already happened between us?

I could tell he wanted to bring up his apology, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. His eyes would always dart over to me in Chemistry, full of unasked questions. I would see him routinely look down at his phone, as if he were expecting a response any minute. He didn't even seem to realize he was doing it, either, because almost every time he checked for a text, he would quickly flip his phone upside down onto the table or shove it into his bag or pocket with a muttered curse, as if it were a subconscious habit he kept catching himself in.

Still, I heard nothing about it.

Liam had always been someone I could count on to be in my face, for better or for worse. Whether he was arguing with me, kicking me in the shins, or lately, trying to comfort me, he was always there. When I was in town, that was. So this kind of space felt... weird. 

Weird enough that I couldn't stop thinking about it, even when I took a walk by myself to try and clear my head. Weird enough that even now, sitting on my front steps with a coffee, Liam's note kept playing in my mind on repeat. The weather was too hot for the beverage cradled between my hands, but if I was being honest, there was a part of me that was hoping enough heat would just boil my thoughts alive and make me stop thinking for a while.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I ignored it. It was probably Mat making sure I hadn't bailed on coming to his game tomorrow, or maybe Kat making sure she wouldn't have to suffer through the pool's insufferable humidity by herself. I would respond later when my brain had come back from vacation.

That's when I spotted her.

Veronica. And her poor, sickly little pug.

I had the unfortunate luck to be stuck living on the same street as her. It was a fact that used to excite us as children--back when I was still tolerable and she was still human--but ever since I'd moved back and discovered she'd turned into the human version of a dull knife, it had filled me with increasing dread. We went to school together, sure, but that was school. I had to be there. This was my house. It was supposed to be serpent-free.

I froze in my seat and watched her approaching my part of the street, her glossy blonde ponytail swinging as she walked. Maybe if I didn't move, she wouldn't notice me.