A Ship Without Sails

Chapter 26

Monday morning, it was back to school. Shayna had thought the rumors were bad after Kerry's death, but they were nothing compared to now. Everyone thought the Blackburn family was cursed and Kurt was a maniac killer. No one would dare to go near Shayna, while Daisy soaked up attention like a sponge in water. Everyone clustered around her, wanting the juicy details, but too scared to ask Shayna or Kurt directly.

In her last class, usually her favorite, Shayna was shunned once again, but this time she didn't even have Kurt to be with anymore. Jessica wouldn't even look at her. The class was divided in three parts: Shayna in the back corner, Kurt in the other, and the rest of the class huddled together. Ms. Harper gave up on trying to include Shayna and Kurt in the lesson with the class ignoring them, so Shayna doodled absent-mindedly in her notebook, sneaking glances at Kurt every so often. He was never looking her way. She felt her heart break a little every time their eyes didn't meet, the way her heart had swelled with affection when their gazes did lock. Tsunami tides of despair crashed into her periodically, her leg in the heavy cast throbbed, and her eyelids drooped. She barely made it through the class when the bell jolted her awake like an alarm clock.

Shayna grabbed her bag, headed for the hall and tried to beat the flow of students heading out the doors. She thought she would make it to the door when she was slammed into and lost grip on the crutches. She fell, crashed into the wall, then slid down it, feeling broken. She didn't have the strength to brush the hair out of her eyes.

"God, I'm so sorry. Can you stand up?" a deep, concerned voice asked. A hand appeared in front of Shayna's face. She gratefully took it and stood up. She was handed her crutches and she steadied herself. She flipped the hair out of her face and smiled. "Thank you," she said. Then, she caught her breath in her throat and couldn't breathe. "Blake?" she gasped.

"Oh... Shayna." Blake's usually neat blonde hair was ruffled in a way he would never have worn it, his light brown eyes dull and not with the unique, thrilling sparkle they used to hold. He's a different person, Shayna realized. I lost him. They stood there in an awkward silence, the crowds thinning and leaving them alone.

"I'm sorry about us," Blake finally said. "I was such a controlling jerk who should've been there to support you. I'm honestly not surprised you're dating Kurt now. So... I'll just go." He turned to leave, throwing his baseball letterman jacket over his shoulder. Shayna remembered the day he had gotten it well; it was a big deal for him to be on the varsity team as a sophomore. With a pang of realization, she thought, It's been a year since then. One more and we'll be in college.

"No, wait," she choked out. She didn't know why she had said it, she hadn't meant to, but deep inside, she knew that they couldn't be finished like that. She pinched the elbow of his jacket. He stopped but did not turn his head.

"Please let me go," he said, every word sounding guarded.

"No," Shayna refused, "I feel really bad."

"Don't say anything," Blake said quickly. His whole presence seemed to tense up. "If you say anything now, I'll just stay in love with you forever." His voice cracked as he said that. Shayna felt her heart crack with it.

"I wouldn't stop you," she replied, feeling bravery swell in her. "Kurt and I aren't dating."

Blake turned around, his eyes full of hope. "Really?" Shayna broke out into the first real smile she had all day. "Yes," she giggled. Before she could blink, she was wrapped in his arms and being lifted off the ground. She breathed deeply, his cologne bringing back comforting memories of them before everything was messed up.

"Does that mean it's okay I do this?" Blake asked slyly, and before Shayna could react, he gave her a quick peck on the lips. Shayna smiled and responded by kissing him on the cheek. They shared a moment of soft, golden bliss in each other's eyes. In those precious seconds, Shayna felt her world coming back together.