Senior Year with My Protector | Protector 1.2

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Belle and Thalia sat down at the table I was sitting at all alone. "Why so glum, chum?" Belle asked me. "Seriously. You look like you haven't slept for days."

"I don't want to talk about it," I muttered.

"Hey, are you okay?" Belle asked sympathetically. "I rarely see you so sad? You barely talked in biology as it is."

"I'm fine," I lied. "Absolutely fine."

"Poppy, come on," she said. "I'm your best friend. I know you better than almost everyone. Why won't you tell me what's wrong?"

I shook my head, putting my face in my hands, "I don't want to talk about it," I repeated.

"What's wrong?" Thalia asked with a sympathetic voice. Honestly, I was so close to snapping at her, telling her to drop the act. When she was around only me, she acted like we were enemies; always sending me hateful glares and giving me so much attitude. I did nothing to her. "Where's Grayson?" Of course she asked that. Always wondering why Grayson was. I tried my best not to act like a jealous girlfriend, but it was so hard with Thalia.

Grayson. I hated hearing his name because all that flashed back to the crash. To hearing that he was in a coma. To seeing him attached to....to all those machines. To not being able to hear him call me Flower.

"God, it's all my fault," I muttered to myself, taking my face out of my hands and wiping my newly-formed tears away.

Belle must have heard me because, with furrowed eyebrows, she asked, "Did....did the two of you break up?"

I sneaked a glance at Thalia, who had a hopeful look on her face. I knew she still liked Grayson and honestly, I hated that she hated me because of it. She really was a nice person I could see myself being friends with.

You know, if she didn't give me all those hateful glares.

"Uh, no," I said. "We didn't. Still in love." And cue Thalia's frown/hateful look.

"Then, if you don't mind me asking, where is he?" Belle asked.

"He's just sick," I lied. "He hasn't been feeling well lately and....He's just at home."

Belle knew me very well and honestly, I wasn't the best liar, so she gave me a skeptical look. But she didn't question me any further, thankfully.

When lunch ended, Belle pulled me aside, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. "Alright, what's really going on?"

"Nothing," I said. "I told you. I'm fine."

"You know what? You are a fantastic liar," she said with an eye roll. "Come on, Poppy. I'm best friend. If you're not going to tell me, at least talk to Grayson about it."

Hearing his name made me look down. "That's....I can't."

"Oh my gosh," Belle said. "You two did break up, didn't you."

"No," I said. "At least if we did break up, I'd be able to talk to him...."

"Poppy, where is he?" Belle asked with a worried tine.

I wiped a tear away. "The hospital. He's....He's in a coma."

"What?!" Belle said, a bit too loudly. She then cleared her throat, lowering her voice. "What do you mean 'he's in a coma'? You're joking, right?"

I shook my head. "No. I wish I was. That way....I could still talk to him."

"What happened?" she asked.