You Are More .

Chapter 16

I wake up without much hesitation. I got about 7 hours of sleep after trying to shut Kris up all night. It was 5:30am and I needed to wake up a hung over Kris. I groaned. I picked up a pillow and threw it in her general direction earning a groan.

"Come on, we only have an hour and a half before we need to leave." My voice comes out groggy.

"Mmmph." She remains in bed.

"I'll get the water bucket." I warn. She immediately gets up and throws the blankets off of her small frame. She knows better, from last time. Of course it back fired on me since she chased me around the house for 20 minutes.

I get up and jump into a warm shower, washing all of the make up and hair spray off. Feelings more refreshed, I grab my towel and get out of the shower. I jump as I realize Kris is sitting on top of the toilet, painting her toe nails.

"How long have you been there?" I yell, frightened.

"Just a few minutes....You know, you sing in the shower right?" She says, still concentrating on her toes.

"I do not." I mumble and step out of the steaming room.

I decide to wear a pair of cute white skinny jeans and an Aztec print tank top. I top it off with a plain maroon cardigan that matches one of the colors in the tank top. I dry and straighten my hair quickly and pat some make up on my face. I look like death still. My eyes are dark and lifeless. My face is pale even with the bronzer I applied. I pinch my cheeks to make them slightly red and carefully brush mascara over my lashes. Pleased with my appearance, I walk out to see Kris patiently waiting with all of her items ready. She narrows her eyes at me.

"I'm sorry, I know." I take a deep breath and grab my vans, slipping them on. I grab my keys and winter coat, walking out the door. Kris and I part ways to our own cars.

I climb into the front seat allowing the heat to warm my chilled body.

* * * * *

The day goes by in a blur. I have a hard time concentrating after the events of the weekend. Lunch couldn't have come any quicker. I get trough the line quickly, grabbing pizza and some fruit. I give the lunch lady a $5 bill and take my normal seat next to Xavier. Kris has her head on the table without any food in front of her. I laugh to myself.

Zack tries making conversation with David, but everyone seems to be uptight and I soon find out why. Michael stares at Fiona with a puppy dog face that completely breaks my heart. Fiona just stares at her plate of food, silent. She looks ridiculous. I remember the events of last night including her face attached to some one else's (and it wasn't Michael's). I bring a grape to my lips just as Xavier bumps my shoulder, causing me to drop it. I pout my lips, but Xavier doesn't seem to notice.

"So you know what happened last night?" He whispers.

I nod my head and he just nods back, joining the conversation with ZJ and David. I glance around, awkwardly.

"So..." I say, "How was the weekend?"

Wrong decision.

Michael stands up and slams his hands on the table, "I thought we were a thing."

He narrows his eyes at Fiona, but she keeps her eyes down. I want to slap her across the face. Michael stalks away and out of the cafeteria, fuming. I raise my eyebrows and press my lips together in a thin line. Fiona snaps her eyes up to meet mine. I jump slightly, not sure why.

She stares at me, a desperate look on her face. I look away rolling my eyes. No way in hell was I going to help her. Zoe comes and joins the table, her preppy attitude clearing some of the tension.

"Hey Z." I beam at her.

"Hi , Lee." She takes a seat next to David and begins eating. I'm glad she wasn't drawn into any of this drama. Her innocence was saved.

Kris raises her head just long enough for me to see the dark bags under her eyes. She lets her forehead slam on the table again causing everyone to laugh.

Fiona still stares at me and I had to admit I was getting annoyed.

I snap my attention to her, raising the pizza to my lips. My tone comes out strained and angry, "Problem?"

Her eyes widen and her mouth hangs open like she's going to say something, but she quickly closes it. Her face turns red and she returns her gaze to her full plate of food. I've never seen her this way. She deserves it though.

Lunch ends and I'm glad to get out of the cafeteria. Xavier follows me and Kris to our next class. I get to the door and reach for the knob just as a familiar hand reaches for the same one.

"Why does this feel like de ja vu?" Clarke's booming voice pulls me back down to earth. I look up to find him smirking.

"Why are you going into Photography?" I ask, furrowing my brow.

"I need to give something to a friend of mine." He answers simply.

We walk in together and he greets Mr. Sands.

"This is for Dante Knight." I freeze. They were friends? How could someone as cold as Dante attract a friend like Clarke?

Mr. Sands takes the yellow envelope graciously, smiling at Clarke . He makes his way back to me, "Still waiting for that coffee."

He winks and walks away. My heart does a funny thing and I try to make it stop, but it won't.

As if on cue, Dante walks in. He looks mechanical. He goes straight to Mr. Sands and then straight to his seat two rows from mine, carrying the envelope. He clenches his fists on the table and sets his notebook down on the table. He's dressed in a long sleeve black v-neck shirt. Only now do I notice the tattoos peaking from his collar and wrist cuffs. His hair looks undeniably irresistible today. He pulls his lip ring between his perfect teeth and his nostrils flare.

I can't help but recall the memories of Saturday night/Sunday morning. I wish nothing went wrong that night. Dante's muscles flex beneath his tight shirt.

Stop looking at him.

I remove my gaze and sit in my seat. It's not long before the bell rings and Mr. Sands' boring voice begins in the background of my day dreams. I can't help but wonder what is in the envelope. Dante was obviously waiting for it.

I feel two sets of eyes on me. I look around trying to locate them. I squirm in my seat, uncomfortable by the attention. I look again, catching a pair of hazel eyes across the room. I don't recognize her. She has flaring red hair and her face is pale with freckles scattered all over. Her eyes widen and look away, quickly returning to the lesson. I furrow my brow and shake the event away. I focus my attention on Mr. Sands, still feeling a pair of eyes on me. I look to my right to find Dante looking at me, apologetically. The emotion quickly fades when he realizes I'm looking back. I raise an eyebrow.

"Problem?" I mimic the word I had used the first day I was staring at him.

I'm rewarded with a small grin and playful eyes. I smile back and turn away, slightly relieved it wasn't awkward between us.

||Help. I need help. This book is going nowhere. ||